Preem Palver
Encyclopedia
Preem 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
. This required meticulous planning, giving the Foundation a believable solution to the enigma of the Second Foundation
. Preem Palver is the nineteenth First Speaker
of the Second Foundation and direct descendant of Stettin Palver, another character in the Foundation universe. (In fact, Palver's name seems to mean "First Speaker"; Preem sounds like prime and Palver sounds like palaver. This is probably meant as a foreshadowing hint to the reader, since his identity as First Speaker is not revealed until the last sentence of Second Foundation.)
who was fleeing from Lord Stettin, the ruler of Kalgan, at the spaceport. They helped her evade capture and took her to Trantor
, his homeworld.
Arkady then solved the riddle of the Second Foundation's location in a believable answer, and used Palver to pass it on to her father Toran Darell II in a coded message: "A circle has no end". This implied that the Second Foundation was on Terminus, because Hari Seldon had said that the Foundations were at "opposite ends of the Galaxy", and the Galaxy is a flat disc.
Preem Palver arranged for Kalgan to declare war on the Foundation through his agent Lady Callia, who was mentally manipulating Kalgan's ruler, Lord Stettin. Kalgan lost the war, and so restored the Foundation's confidence in its purpose.
In his guise as a farmer/trader, he also negotiated to supply the Foundation with needed supplies at the close of the war, at which time he passed on Arkady's message. Dr. Darell, in the meantime, had pioneered an electronic "Mind Static" device that emitted a strong mental field using the brain's radio-wave composition. Successfully finding an undercover agent of the Second Foundation among them, Dr. Darell and his associates interrogate him and find the Second Foundation on Terminus. The Second Foundation is then "eradicated" by the First Foundation, which now believes itself to be the only Foundation left, and can establish the second galactic empire without interference.
It is later revealed by Preem Palver, in the last chapter, that Terminus
, the homeworld of the Foundation, is not, in fact, the real location of the Second Foundation. The physical scientists of the First Foundation were fooled by Seldon's phrasing, "opposite end of the Galaxy" and "Stars End". They believed that Seldon's meaning was the physical opposite end, but Seldon was a social scientist. The social opposite end of the Galaxy from Terminus was Trantor, because Trantor was where the entire First Empire was governed from, while Terminus was an impoverished, abandoned planet on the Outer Rim. As a quote from the novel reads "All roads lead to Trantor, and that is where all stars end". A small group of Second Foundationers was dispatched to Terminus from Trantor in order to fool the physical scientists into thinking that the real Second Foundation was there, and has been defeated. This ensures a return to the original Seldon Plan, where the Second Foundation is not a force to be feared by the First Foundation.
One of Preem Palver's most noted accomplishments is his exemplary guiding of the Second Foundation through the crisis. Seldon's psychohistory
was useful only when dealing with large groups, so Palver had to rely on manipulation of individuals, which has very low probabilities.
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. 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
Hari Seldon
Hari 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...
's plan to its original course after the disruption by the Mule
Mule (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...
. This required meticulous planning, giving the Foundation a believable solution to the enigma 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....
. Preem Palver is the nineteenth 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...
of the Second Foundation and direct descendant of Stettin Palver, another character in the Foundation universe. (In fact, Palver's name seems to mean "First Speaker"; Preem sounds like prime and Palver sounds like palaver. This is probably meant as a foreshadowing hint to the reader, since his identity as First Speaker is not revealed until the last sentence of Second Foundation.)
Fictional history
He and his wife were leaving Kalgan where they had negotiated a trade agreement. They met up with Arkady DarellArkady Darell
Arcadia "Arkady" Darell is a fictional character, part of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. She appears in Second Foundation...
who was fleeing from Lord Stettin, the ruler of Kalgan, at the spaceport. They helped her evade capture and took her to Trantor
Trantor
Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series and Empire Series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in a short story by Asimov appearing in Early Asimov Volume 1. Later Trantor gained prominence when the 1940s Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov...
, his homeworld.
Arkady then solved the riddle of the Second Foundation's location in a believable answer, and used Palver to pass it on to her father Toran Darell II in a coded message: "A circle has no end". This implied that the Second Foundation was on Terminus, because Hari Seldon had said that the Foundations were at "opposite ends of the Galaxy", and the Galaxy is a flat disc.
Preem Palver arranged for Kalgan to declare war on the Foundation through his agent Lady Callia, who was mentally manipulating Kalgan's ruler, Lord Stettin. Kalgan lost the war, and so restored the Foundation's confidence in its purpose.
In his guise as a farmer/trader, he also negotiated to supply the Foundation with needed supplies at the close of the war, at which time he passed on Arkady's message. Dr. Darell, in the meantime, had pioneered an electronic "Mind Static" device that emitted a strong mental field using the brain's radio-wave composition. Successfully finding an undercover agent of the Second Foundation among them, Dr. Darell and his associates interrogate him and find the Second Foundation on Terminus. The Second Foundation is then "eradicated" by the First Foundation, which now believes itself to be the only Foundation left, and can establish the second galactic empire without interference.
It is later revealed by Preem Palver, in the last chapter, that Terminus
Terminus (planet)
Terminus is a fictional planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, home of the Foundation .-Position in the universe:Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star...
, the homeworld of the Foundation, is not, in fact, the real location of the Second Foundation. The physical scientists of the First Foundation were fooled by Seldon's phrasing, "opposite end of the Galaxy" and "Stars End". They believed that Seldon's meaning was the physical opposite end, but Seldon was a social scientist. The social opposite end of the Galaxy from Terminus was Trantor, because Trantor was where the entire First Empire was governed from, while Terminus was an impoverished, abandoned planet on the Outer Rim. As a quote from the novel reads "All roads lead to Trantor, and that is where all stars end". A small group of Second Foundationers was dispatched to Terminus from Trantor in order to fool the physical scientists into thinking that the real Second Foundation was there, and has been defeated. This ensures a return to the original Seldon Plan, where the Second Foundation is not a force to be feared by the First Foundation.
One of Preem Palver's most noted accomplishments is his exemplary guiding of the Second Foundation through the crisis. Seldon's psychohistory
Psychohistory (fictional)
Psychohistory is a fictional science in Isaac Asimov's Foundation universe which combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people, such as the Galactic Empire...
was useful only when dealing with large groups, so Palver had to rely on manipulation of individuals, which has very low probabilities.