Ouroboros

Apple is set to release its take on Asimov’s Foundation books later this year, and when I first saw the trailer, one of the first questions that came to mind was Why now? Beyond the fact that they can now do it justice visually, what is the draw? So I picked up the book the other day and in an early chapter I was caught by this passage:

As Trantor becomes more specialized, it becomes more vulnerable, less able to defend itself. Further, as it becomes more and more the administrative center of Empire, it becomes a greater prize. As the Imperial succession becomes more and more uncertain, and the feuds among the great families more rampant, social responsibility disappears.

And then it made more sense to me. I had one answer. It feels like the growing zeitgeist is one of significant endings, change, and new, uncertain futures.