Good post DM but it does beg the question: Would a 100% or nearly 100% faithful adaptation of the Foundation Trilogy be interesting for modern audiences to watch? I understand how the concept of psychohistory worked in the books but would something so purely mathematical and analytical work in a dramatized series?
A good question and my answer would be: probably not, or at least in a way that would grab viewers not already familiar with the concept. Maybe each chapter could be a 2-part mini series each, but in the end the chapters really boil down to: the Foundation is threatened, some large scale solution is found, then a hologram of Hari Seldon shows up to explain that the plan is being followed.
I would guess that maybe two chapters could get away with this before something different would have to happen, like the Mule for example, with a sense of large scale panic, the outcome of which could lead into the search for a second Foundation. It would be rather dry though, in its most faithful adaption. OK for us Asimov fans but not really prime time entertainment fodder. However, aside from some establishment shots of Trantor & alien landscapes, most of the production would be interpersonal.
So I guess you can make it more faithful, but more dry, and also cheaper, but at the cost of a wide audience. The producers went a different way with continuous characters, individuals making a difference, more action and fights, abd STILL didn't get that wide audience. So. Good job.
"They might look the same, but they don't taste the same."
