Editing Foundation (book series) (section)

===Impact in fiction and entertainment===
[[Douglas Adams]]' ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' mentions the encyclopedia by name, remarking that it is rather "dry", and consequently sells fewer copies than his own creation "The Guide".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Douglas |author1-link=Isaac Asimov |title=The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |date=2005 |publisher=Del Rey/Ballantine Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-307-41713-8 |chapter=Chapter 2}}</ref>

[[Frank Herbert]] also wrote ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' as a counterpoint to ''Foundation''. Tim O'Reilly in his monograph on Herbert wrote that "''Dune'' is clearly a commentary on the ''Foundation'' trilogy. Herbert has taken a look at the same imaginative situation that provoked Asimov's classic—the decay of a galactic empire—and restated it in a way that draws on different assumptions and suggests radically different conclusions. The twist he has introduced into ''Dune'' is that the Mule, not the Foundation, is his hero."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oreilly.com/tim/herbert/ch05.html|title=Frank Herbert, Chapter 5, Rogue Gods|website=[[oreilly.com]]|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref>

In 1995, [[Donald Kingsbury]] wrote "Historical Crisis", which he later expanded into a novel, ''[[Psychohistorical Crisis]]''. It takes place about 2,000 years after ''Foundation'', after the founding of the Second Galactic Empire. It is set in the same fictional universe as the Foundation series, in considerable detail, but with virtually all ''Foundation''-specific names either changed (e.g., Kalgan becomes Lakgan), or avoided (psychohistory is created by an unnamed, but often-referenced Founder). The novel explores the ideas of psychohistory in a number of new directions, inspired by more recent developments in mathematics and [[computer science]], as well as by new ideas in science fiction itself.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

In 1998, the novel ''[[Spectre (Star Trek)|Spectre]]'' (part of the [[Shatnerverse]] series) by [[William Shatner]] and [[Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens]] states that the [[Mirror Universe]] divergent path has been studied by the ''Seldon Psychohistory Institute''.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

The [[oboe]]-like holophonor in [[Matt Groening]]'s animated television series ''[[Futurama]]'' is based directly upon the [[Visi-Sonor]] which [[The Mule (Foundation)|Magnifico]] plays in ''Foundation and Empire.''<ref>{{cite video | people=Cohen, David X.|date=2003|title=Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings"|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=Of course, you'll remember the holophonor [...] as we've said [...] is inspired by an instrument in [...] ''Foundation'', one of the ''Foundation'' books, Isaac Asimov, the Mule plays an instrument much like that, except that it controls peoples minds.}}</ref><ref name="gizmodo 2">{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/in-which-events-take-a-generally-darker-turn-foundatio-5799689|title=In Which Events Take a Generally Darker Turn: ''Foundation and Empire'' by Isaac Asimov|first1=Josh|last1=Wimmer|first2=Alasdair|last2=Wilkins|date=May 10, 2011|website=[[Gizmodo]]|access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=February 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226010158/https://gizmodo.com/in-which-events-take-a-generally-darker-turn-foundatio-5799689|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 2006–2007 [[Marvel Comics]] [[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]] [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] storyline, in ''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' #542 [[Mister Fantastic]] revealed his own attempt to develop psychohistory, saying he was inspired after reading the ''Foundation'' series.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

According to lead singer [[Ian Gillan]], the hard rock band [[Deep Purple]]'s song ''The Mule'' is based on the Foundation character: "Yes, The Mule was inspired by Asimov. It's been a while but I'm sure you've made the right connection... Asimov was required reading in the 1960s."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gillan.com/qa-62.html|title=Caramba – Q&A|website=www.gillan.com}}</ref>