Foundation: The Genetic Dynasty Explained | The Cleons

The Cleonic Dynasty is made up of three different clones of Cleon I who are decanted 30 years apart. Brother Day (Lee Pace) is the Primary Ruler and sits on the Center Throne from ages 30 - 60. Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) lives a life of retirement after his reign from ages 60 - 90. Brother Dawn is the youngest and is mentored by his elder brothers from infancy until age 30 when he becomes Brother Day.

Eto Demerzel is the closest thing the Cleons have to family. She was tasked by Cleon I to continue his legacy and protect his Genetic Dynasty. She serves as a mother figure, their top advisor, and can sometimes become a lover. Because she is a humaniform robot she outlives all the individual clones. When they reach the end of their life cycle they become Brother Darkness and she oversees their euthanasia.

Foundation’s creators created the Genetic Dynasty to solve a problem. Isaac Asimov’s books move through hundreds of years so new characters are introduced all the time. Showrunner David S. Goyer has said that no one was interested in making an anthology version of Foundation so he invented the clones to have recurring characters in multiple seasons that fans could warm up to. This has proved to be a great decision and fans of the Apple TV+ series all seem to agree that they are some of the most popular characters.

Apple TV+ released Foundation season 2 on July 14, 2023. The show is an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation book series.

More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy in “Foundation” season two. As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within. Hari, Gaal and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire. The monumental adaptation of “Foundation” chronicles the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.

About Isaac Asimov:
Isaac Asimov was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science. Asimov was a prolific writer, and wrote or edited more than 500 books.

Asimov wrote hard science fiction. Along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the "Foundation" series, the first three books of which won the one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series" in 1966.

Foundation books:

I would recommend reading the series in order of publication as they’re listed here. I would advise against reading the prequels first.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:02 How the Clones Work
3:34 The Imperial Palace
5:45 Genetic Dynasty History
9:31 The Individual Cleons
16:12 Final Thoughts

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[PetePeppers]

Respect and enjoy the peace, and also the Pace. The Cleons are the best non-book thing the show added and it's almost hard to imagine what the show would be like without the Genetic Dynasty at this point. Let me know what you think.

[dannyn.]

I was so surprised to find out that the Genetic Dynasty is an entirely original creation by the showrunner(s). The Genetic Dynasty and Empire parts of the show are so captivating. Every episode I eagerly await for their arcs.

[robertbaldwin]

Lee Pace IS Empire. His casting and his embodiment of Day, and the truth depth he brings to every iteration of him is one of my favorite aspects of this show. Exceptional casting is a true understatement.

[rootregis]

There are times I think the show should be named “Keeping up with the Cleons”. This part of the story is so good that sometimes I’m more invested in it than all the Foundation stuff. Definitely a proof that when done right, some liberties with the source material can be taken.

[ReRe-yldq]

first time I can think of where the show adds something better than the books. The genetic dynasty is the most interesting part of the story for me.

[nula]

Man... Lee Pace is beautiful. I watched for him, and I wasn't disappointed at all.

[petergyt]

It's truly beautiful how the genetic dynasty, although not itself the cause, perfectly symbolizes and personifies the stagnation of the Galactic Empire.

[grproteus]

On the name Cleon: As a Greek, I thought that Cleon was a reference to the Greek name "Cleon" (used in antiquity, Cleon was an Athenian General) - and the word cleos/kleos, which means glory in Greek. Further, cleos in ancient Greece was a hereditary property, meaning that it was considered bestowed by father to son and it was the son's duty to prove worthy of his cleos. Not only is it an anagram of clone, but the word and the name is charged with so many concepts that reflect the Cleonic dynasty. It is really amazing that this was not in the original trilogy, but an invention of the series!

[wesleymons]

one of my absolute favorite aspects of the entire show!!! love the cleons!!! David Goyer and his team hit a home run with this one

[clayongunzelle]

Honestly if it weren't for the genetic dynasty I probably wouldn't be as invested as I am right now. It adds to that's dystopian feel of an all mighty ruler. Everybody you know and will ever know can only speak of one leader.

[nadtz]

For a show that I think eviscerates the source material it's telling that I think Lee Pace is absolutely amazing as Cleon and the Cleons are 95% of the reason I'll probably keep watching the show. Even more amazing when you know they don't exist in the books and the Emperor is pretty much a side character.

[tirthdonda]

Cleon the 13th is my absolute fav Cleon. Sure he is ruthless and ambitious. He is not cruel, has the best character development, wants to be a real human. His whole arc is sad and mesmerizing.

[GothPanda]

I've said it before: Asimov doesn't write stories. He has a story as an excuse to explore a concept and play with an idea.

As a big-big-big fan of the books, I'm still amazed by the show, and how they're still able to change the details of the story completely, but keep the spirit of exploring the ideas present in the original work, updating them to work with modern audiences, and manage to keep everything fresh, while retroactively integrating all of the material from the original series. It's absurd how well they manage to pull it off. And, this is just the best example of that whole process.

[ColoRADbro]

The attention to detail on this show is top notch. I hope it doesn’t get canceled by the executive overlord genetic dynasty.

[deangrubbs]

A genetic dynasty of Emperors is the ultimate narcissism. I like how the existence of the dynasty captures the internal decay of a seemingly perfect and all-powerful empire. Institutional narcissism is most often the core of declining countries here in Earth, Ultimately the invention of the Dynasty by the showrunners is doing a great homage to the Book Series.

[eduardopimenta]

The Genetic Dinasty is the best part of the whole show. I would watch an entire show just about their palace intrigue and that decandent court ❤

[gosnooky]

One thing I've noticed is that the "It's not like the book" people have disappeared. I think by now, enough of them acquiesced and watched the show and actually enjoyed it (who wouldn't?). I think they realized as I did when season one came out that the original source is just way too abstract to be a practical TV series. Since TV is such a different medium, liberties had to be taken to make it something that people will actually enjoy watching. The Genetic Dynasty is one such liberty that was so well conceived and written, it's hard to imagine the show without it. It's a perfect way to realistically maintain a character over hundreds or even thousands of years.

[kaihaeyaert]

I would absolutely love a spinoff show about the Cleons and/or Dermerzel

[saturnv]

The three actors, especially Lee Pace, did an excellent job acting the same yet different person.

[roberttherrien]

Read the books 50 years ago. Have to admit I could not see how this could be adapted to film. But lets face it its very well done and interesting. Goyer did it perfectly .