Terminus Settlement

Lore & Background

Terminus is a mineral-poor agricultural world, to which Hari Seldon and his followers are exiled and where the Encyclopedia Foundation is established. The planet's single large settlement is Terminus City, whose affairs are managed by its Mayor, Salvor Hardin, under the authority of the Board. The Board are hidebound scholars whose main concern is publishing the Encyclopedia Galactica. Hardin believes Terminus is in danger of conquest by the four neighboring kingdoms, former Imperial prefectures that have become independent, the strongest of which is Anacreon.

When the Board resists Hardin's efforts against the threat, he and his chief advisor, Yohan Lee, seize power. Hardin then visits the three weaker kingdoms and convinces them to unite so that the Foundation's nuclear technology does not fall into the hands of Anacreon alone. The three issue a joint ultimatum that all be allowed to receive nuclear power from Terminus, making it indispensable to all and protected by a delicate balance of power. A vault containing Seldon's recorded messages opens, revealing that he had planned this whole course of events by means of psychohistory, and that the Foundation is destined to grow into a new galactic empire.

Reader's Guide

The story of Terminus begins with Hari Seldon and his followers, who are exiled to this remote world by the Commission of Public Safety. Their official task is to compile the Encyclopedia Galactica, but Seldon's true plan, revealed through psychohistory, is to establish a Foundation that will grow into a new galactic empire. The planet's early history is marked by the Seldon Crises, the first of which is resolved by Salvor Hardin's political maneuvering, creating a balance of power among the neighboring kingdoms.

Later, the Foundation expands its influence through trade and techno-religion, as seen in the stories of Master Traders like Eskel Gorov, Limmar Ponyets, and Hober Mallow. The planet's status evolves from a scientific outpost to a galactic power, with Mayor Hober Mallow eventually realizing that the Religious Power has outlived its usefulness and that further expansion will be on the basis of trade alone.

Did You Know?

• The first Seldon Crisis on Terminus was resolved by Hardin creating a balance of power among the four neighboring kingdoms, preventing conquest by Anacreon.
• During the second crisis, Prince Regent Wienis launched a surprise attack on Terminus using a salvaged Imperial battlecruiser, but was foiled by a secret kill switch installed by Hardin's engineers.