Warning: Spoilers ahead forFoundationseason 3.Apple TV+’s live-actionFoundationadaptation is currently in its third season, and while the space opera just introduced something that feels like a first for the small screen, an animated show already adapted it over two decades ago. The element in question debuted inIsaac Asimov’sFoundationbooks, but has now had two on-screen appearances in separate projects.
As the most recent of thelive-action Isaac Asimov adaptations,Foundationis perhaps the lesser-known compared to movies like 1999’sBicentennial Manor 2004’sI, Robot. Still,Foundationhas quickly become one of thebest sci-fi shows on Apple TV+. That said, despite now owning the rights to adaptFoundation, another show beat Apple TV+ to the punch in a specific way.
Futurama Already Used Isaac Asimov’s Visi-Sonor 22 Years Before Foundation Season 3
Foundationseason 3, episode 3, “When a Book Finds You,” introduced not only Magnifico Giganticus (Tómas Lemarquis), but also his sci-fi music instrument, the Visi-Sonor. Both are from Asimov’sFoundationbooks. In 2003,Futuramaseason 5, episode 16,“The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings,” borrowed the Visi-Sonorlong beforeFoundationwas adapted.
So, “When a Book Finds You” was 22 years too late in the race for the Visi-Sonor to make it to the screen. While Fry’s (Billy West) Holophonor isn’t identical to the Visi-Sonor, there are more than enough similarities to strongly suggest thatFuturamawas drawing inspiration from Isaac Asimov’s literary space opera.
1952’sFoundation and Empirewas the Asimov book where the Visi-Sonor first appeared- over half a century before Fry’s Holophonor episode ever aired. So, this means the gap between Apple TV+‘sFoundationepisode featuring the Visi-Sonor and the book where it originated was over 70 years.
How The Visi-Sonor Differs From Fry’s Holophonor in Futurama
Foundation’s Visi-Sonor andFuturama’s Holophonor, while generally the same in their overall function, do have some big differences as well. For instance,Fry’s instrument is capable of projecting coherent imagesthat are generated by the sounds he’s able to make the Holophonor produce. The better he plays, the better the holograms.
The Visi-Sonor, on the other hand, has lore that runs far deeper than the Holophonor. Magnifico’s instrument does still have a strong visual element to it when it’s played, but rather than projecting recognizable elements like people and settings,the Visi-Sonor is more abstract in the way it creates patternsand colors.
Fry’s Holophonor looks as though it’s played like a woodwind instrument, whereas the Visi-Sonor inFoundationseems more similar to a theremin.
Furthermore, the Holophonor has no direct influence on the listener. While Fry certainly makes an impact with his brief musical success, Magnifico is able to actually change how people think, feel, and act when they listen to and watch him play the Visi-Sonor. So, while the Holophonor is important to the 2003Futuramaepisode,Foundation’s Visi-Sonor has a much greater place in its story.
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
Foundation
Foundation is a science fiction film that follows a band of exiles on a crucial journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization as the Galactic Empire collapses.
