Why did Raych kill Hari in Foundation? The complex planning of Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) sits at the heart of Foundation, with his model for predicting the future dictating the actions of characters across centuries of civilizations rising and falling.
Hari met his end way back in the second episode of Foundation, with Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) walking in on Raych Foss (Alfred Enoch) stabbing his adopted father to death before one of the best TV series on Apple TV Plus had even got started. This was far from the end for the character and, deep into the Foundation season 2 release schedule, he’s still kicking around and even has a body of his own these days.
At the time, it was a huge shock to see how Hari met his bloody demise. So why did Raych kill Hari in Foundation, and did everything go according to Seldon’s masterplan?
Why did Raych kill Hari in Foundation?
Raych killed Hari Seldon on Hari’s own orders, as Hari believed his death was essential to his plan for the future and the success of the Foundation.
Prior to his death, Hari had learned of the romance between Gaal and Raych. This was a problem because he needed them separate so that Gaal could lead the Foundation on Terminus, while Raych had a role to fill with the Second Foundation. Hari also knew that his martyrdom would secure his status as a prophet and had arranged for his casket to become the Vault on Terminus, allowing him to guide the Foundation through key moments and the crises he had foreseen.
But things went wrong. Gaal had an instinct that night, which compelled her to the room where Raych was in the middle of killing Hari. Raych didn’t want his lover implicated in the murder, so he sent her off in the cryo-pod intended for him, along with the knife that contained Hari’s digital consciousness. Raych, staying to take responsibility, was executed before the Foundation even got to Terminus.
This meant that it was Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) – Gaal and Raych’s daughter – who served as the protector of Terminus, while Gaal ended up with the digital Seldon en route to his home planet. Even the great Hari Seldon isn’t immune to plans going awry. Psychohistory is a messy pursuit, it seems.
For more from one of the best Apple TV shows, adapting Isaac Asimov’s famous book series, check out our Foundation season 2 episode 5 recap and learn more about Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion. You can learn about other great sci-fi on Apple TV with our guides to the For All Mankind season 4 release date and the Invasion season 2 release date.
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