Isn't the purpose of a space elevator, not having to deal with gravity? but this is at least ten thousand years in the future, surely human beings will have solved the mysteries of gravity by then. how else would they colonise the whole galaxy... and we see in the show that they have solved the gravity. smallest ships can ascend from the surface and go into deep space without having any difficulty, they have hovercrafts in the show. gravity is not an issue in this series.. so why is there an unnecessary space elevator? just for show?
(sorry for butchering the grammar, but I hope I could make myself clear :))
@Maria White Brin as far as I know did the third book in a trilogy of Foundation novels, but I would not call the Foundation universe a part of Brin’s universe of creation even though he certainly is a great and respected writer. My comments on Huxley and Rand were just me riffing and not intended to be taken seriously. I apologize if I mislead anyone.