First Speaker
Encyclopedia
First Speaker is a post in Isaac Asimov
's Foundation Series of stories and novel
s.
The First Speaker is the effective head of the Second Foundation
, actually First Speaker
is the Supreme and Highest Monarch
(another term Barach may usable) all over the Galaxies ( First Foundation
, Second Foundation
and Empire
). At meetings of the executive council of the Second Foundation, he/she always speaks first. The council (known informally as the "Table") consists of twelve Speakers. Each Speaker begins as a student, as at an institute of higher learning, and is expected to have made an original contribution to the Seldon Plan
which has been scrutinised and accepted by the existing Board. Speakers frequently communicate via telepathy and generalised hand gestures, which can communicate a concept more clearly and directly than actual speech.
Whilst the title implies that the First Speaker is merely one of the twelve, in effect he/she is primus inter pares
, and therefore in practice, the position holds more power than indicated. The position became more important through the history of the Foundation.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Foundation Series of stories and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s.
The First Speaker is the effective head of the Second Foundation
Second Foundation
Second Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology. It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press....
, actually First Speaker
First Speaker
First Speaker is a post in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series of stories and novels.The First Speaker is the effective head of the Second Foundation, actually First Speaker is the Supreme and Highest Monarch all over the Galaxies...
is the Supreme and Highest Monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
(another term Barach may usable) all over the Galaxies ( First Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov that was published by Gnome Press in 1952. It is the second book published in the Foundation Series, and the fourth in the in-universe chronology...
, Second Foundation
Second Foundation
Second Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology. It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press....
and Empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
). At meetings of the executive council of the Second Foundation, he/she always speaks first. The council (known informally as the "Table") consists of twelve Speakers. Each Speaker begins as a student, as at an institute of higher learning, and is expected to have made an original contribution to the Seldon Plan
Seldon Plan
The Seldon Plan is the central theme of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series of stories and novels.-Psychohistory:According to Asimov's novels, Hari Seldon devised the Seldon Plan using a mathematical analysis he originally developed and called psychohistory...
which has been scrutinised and accepted by the existing Board. Speakers frequently communicate via telepathy and generalised hand gestures, which can communicate a concept more clearly and directly than actual speech.
Whilst the title implies that the First Speaker is merely one of the twelve, in effect he/she is primus inter pares
Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares is Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group sharing the same rank or office.When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers...
, and therefore in practice, the position holds more power than indicated. The position became more important through the history of the Foundation.
First Speakers
Notable first speakers include:- in Asimov's works:
- Hari SeldonHari SeldonHari Seldon, a fictional character, is the intellectual hero of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. In his capacity as mathematics professor at Streeling University on Trantor, he developed psychohistory, allowing him to predict the future in probabilistic terms...
(1st) - Wanda SeldonWanda SeldonWanda Seldon is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's science fiction Foundation series. The daughter of Raych Seldon and Manella Dubanqua, Wanda played a key role in creating the two Foundations....
- not described as such, but presumed to have served as 2nd First Speaker. She started learning.... at his age of eight. For her genius ability to different fashion of life style and dimension of speaks peoples, unofficially nominated for future first speaker. When Wanda is 14, she askes Yugo Amaryl about how psychohistory is developing. Yugo shows her the Prime Radiant, a device that displays all the psychohistoric equations. Wanda points to a certain set of equations and says it doesn't look right. Yugo finds it was indeed wrong, and Hari Seldon deduces that Wanda had somehow read Yugo's mind. He conceives the idea of a Second Foundation, whose power would lie in its telepathic power and clandestine invisibility. -Second FoundationSecond FoundationSecond Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology. It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press.... - Unnamed First Speaker who (with the help of Bail ChannisBail ChannisBail Channis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is described as a handsome and popular character, very self-confident and intelligent.- Fictional history :...
) defeated the MuleMule (Foundation)The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. One of the greatest conquerors the galaxy has ever seen, he is a mentalic who has the ability to reach into the minds of others and "adjust" their emotions, individually or en masse, using this capability to forcibly enlist...
(18th) - Preem PalverPreem PalverPreem Palver is a fictional character, part of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Palver is portrayed as a rather loud and jolly simple farmer. However, in reality he is the mastermind behind the plot to restore Hari Seldon's plan to its original course after the disruption by the Mule...
(19th) - Quindor Shandess; served during the period chronicled in Foundation's EdgeFoundation's EdgeFoundation's Edge is a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. It was written more than thirty years after the stories of the original Foundation trilogy, due to years of pressure by fans and editors on Asimov to write another, and, according to Asimov...
.
- Hari Seldon
- Other Authors:
- Zay Wax (2nd)—appears in "The OriginistThe Originist"The Originist" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. This story is set in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation universe and was first published in the short story collection Foundation's Friends ....
" - Yokim Sarns (possibly 16th)—appears in "Trantor FallsFoundation's FriendsFoundation's Friends, Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov is a 1989 festschrift honoring science fiction author Isaac Asimov, in the form of an anthology of short stories set in Asimov's universes, particularly the Robot/Empire/Foundation universe. The anthology was edited by Martin H...
"
- Zay Wax (2nd)—appears in "The Originist