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Trantor
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Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.
Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print (in the form of short stories). Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy. In later stories he acknowledged the growth in astronomical knowledge by retconning its position to be as close to the galactic center as was compatible with human habitability.
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Encyclopedia
Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.
Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print (in the form of short stories). Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy. In later stories he acknowledged the growth in astronomical knowledge by retconning its position to be as close to the galactic center as was compatible with human habitability. The first time it was acknowledged in novel form was in Pebble in the Sky.
Geography and history
Trantor is depicted as the capital of the first Galactic Empire. Its land surface of 194,000,000 km˛ (75,000,000 miles˛, 130% of Earth land area) was, with the exception of the Imperial Palace, entirely enclosed in artificial domes. It consisted of an enormous metropolis (an ecumenopolis) that stretched deep underground and was home to a population of 45,000,000,000 (45 billion) human inhabitants at its height, a population density of 232 per km˛ (600 per mile˛, in comparison, New York in real life during 2005 has the estimates of 26,402.9 per mile˛). These people were devoted almost entirely to either administrating the Empire or to maintaining the planet.
The Encyclopedia states further on Trantor: "As the center of the Imperial Government for unbroken hundreds of generations and located, as it was, toward the central regions of the Galaxy among the most densely populated and industrially advanced worlds of the system, it could scarcely help being the densest and richest clot of humanity the Race had ever seen." In The Currents of Space, earlier history is recapitulated, the five worlds of the Trantorian Republic growing to the Trantorian Confederation and then Trantorian Empire, before conquest of the entire galaxy made it the Galactic Empire.
A Trantorian day lasted 1.08 Galactic Standard Days.
One of the prominent features of Trantor is the Library of Trantor (variously referred to as the Imperial Library, the University of Trantor Library, and the Galactic Library), in which librarians index the entirety of human knowledge by walking up to a different computer terminal every day and resuming where the previous librarian left off.
Around 260 FE, a rebel leader named Gilmer attempted a coup, in the process sacking Trantor and forcing the Imperial family to flee to Delicass. After the sack, the population dwindled rapidly from 40 billion to less than 100 million. Most of the buildings on Trantor were knocked down during the sack and over the course of the next two centuries the metal on Trantor was gradually sold off, and farmers uncovered more and more soil to use in their farms. Eventually the farmers grew to become the sole recognized inhabitants of the planet, and the era of Trantor as the central world of the galaxy came to a close. It began to develop a dialect very different from Galactic Standard Speech, and the people unofficially renamed their planet "Hame", or "home".
Food production
According to the original The Foundation Trilogy (1951), Asimov states (by way of the Encyclopedia Galactica), "... the impossibility of proper administration... under the uninspired leadership of the later Emperors was a considerable factor in the Fall." To support the needs and whims of the population, food from twenty agricultural worlds brought by ships in the tens of thousands, fleets greater than any navy ever constructed by the Empire. "Its dependence upon the outer worlds for food and, indeed, for all necessities of life, made Trantor increasingly vulnerable to conquest by siege. In the last millennium of the Empire, the monotonously numerous revolts made Emperor after Emperor conscious of this, and Imperial policy became little more than the protection of Trantor's delicate jugular vein..." (Encyclopedia Galactica)
In Prelude to Foundation (1989), Asimov indicates that this was not always so: originally, most of Trantor's basic food needs were fulfilled by Trantor's "vast microogranism farms.". Yeast vats and algae farms produced basic nutrients, which were then processed with artificial flavors into palatable food. The subterranean farms, however, depended entirely on care provided by tik-toks (lesser robots ), and their destruction following an abortive uprising (chronicled in Foundation's Fear) left the Imperial capital dependent upon food brought from other worlds.
Symbolism
Trantor represents several different aspects of civilization. At once it is both the center of power in the galaxy, and also the administrative head. It is also an illustration of what could eventually happen to any urbanized planet. Asimov used the Roman Empire as the creative basis for the Foundation series, so Trantor is in some sense based on Rome at the height of the Roman Empire. Trantor also illustrates the mentality of human beings that was first encountered in Asimov's The Caves of Steel, wherein human technology will ultimately result in a complete encapsulation of a population, and that population will eventually suffer psychosis associated with that total encapsulation. Asimov did once say that these encapsulated cities represented the kind of place in which he'd like to live. He did not even realize how distasteful some people found this until someone asked him about it.
Inspired by Trantor
There have been some serious attempts to illustrate a planet like Trantor in the Star Wars films by George Lucas, the first being Coruscant (which was in some early sources called "Jhantor", in homage to Trantor). Coruscant is one of the more convincing images on screen we have today of Isaac Asimov's conception of the world-girdling city of Trantor. Coruscant is a planet-covering open-air city, while Trantor's buildings are all subterranean or under domes. Asimov's Trantor thus differs from Coruscant in that Trantor is more practically adapted to inclement weather, although weather control devices are used on both planets. It should be noted that there is a planet called Trantor in the Star Wars universe, and it is also an ecumenopolis. Holy Terra in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is also very similar to Trantor in terms of the Imperium.
The planet Helior in Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero satirises Trantor, highlighting the problems of atmosphere, waste disposal and navigating about a world-sized city.
The planet Eron in Jack Williamson's Star Bridge novel is a similar world-spanning city and capital of the Eron galactic empire.
The Planet Capitol in The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card is very similar to Trantor in that it is entirely covered by buildings except for few places reserved for designated high ranking officials and that it is the capital of the empire. Also it is destroyed so far off planets can grow on their own much like in the Foundation series.
In the Runaway series of adventure games, Trantor is home planet of this universe's alien species. However, no connection besides the name are made to the original.
In the Magic: the Gathering multiverse, Ravnica, a plane that exists solely as a planetwide cityscape, brings the concept of Asimov's ecumenopolis to a fantasy setting. In this incarnation, the cityscape is dominated by a guild-based structure and revolves around the power struggle set forth by the aforementioned guilds. Again, this re-imagination of Asimov's idea concerns an open-air city.
Trantor Systems, Ltd., a computer parts manufacturer now part of Adaptec, was presumably named for Asimov's planet.
Administrative sectors
Each planet in the Galactic Empire is divided into administrative sectors. Trantor had over 800, averaging 50,000,000 people each, in 240,000 km˛ (90,000 miles˛), about the size of Uganda or the U.S. state of Kansas. The known sectors are:
- Billibotton—A slum in Dahl, on the lower level. This was where Mother Rittah lived, and where Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili met their future adoptive son, Raych Seldon. Billibotton was famous for its complete lawlessness. Without the help of Dors, Seldon never would have left it alive.
- Dahl—One of the poorer sections of Trantor. The main job of the lower class is heatsinking, where workers supervise the conversion of heat from the planet's core directly into electric power; 'heatsinkers' were generally looked down upon by other Dahlites. Naturally, most Dahlites hated the Empire, and the soldiers of the Empire ('sunbadgers'). Dahlites were dark skinned, black-haired, and fairly short. Dahlite males wore a large, thick mustache, and all carried knives (then very backward). Rather than using 'Mr.', 'Mrs.', or 'Dr.', as forms of address, Dahlites always used 'Master' and 'Mistress' (never 'Doctor'). The name Dahl may be reference to the Indian dalit or untouchable caste. Known Dahlites: Yugo Amaryl, Mother Rittah, Raych Seldon.
- Ery—The sector in which Wanda Seldon and Stettin Palver met Bor Alurin.
- Imperial—The sector in which the Imperial Palace and the Galactic Library lie. When Seldon first visited Trantor to deliver his speech at the Decennial Convention, fashion in the sector called for bold, bright colors and wearing hats without chinstraps.
- Mandanov
- Millimaru—The sector Raych claimed to be (and maybe was) born in when he infiltrated the Joranumite movement.
- Mycogen— As Asimov explains in Prelude to Foundation, their name is formed from the Greek stems myco- (meaning 'yeast' or other types of fungi) and -gen (meaning 'maker' or 'producer'), which matches the description of the Mycogen as specialized in breeding and exporting yeast, or "microfood," to other portions of Trantor. It kept the best for itself; the food eaten by Seldon in Mycogen was the best he had ever had. Mycogenians were descendants of the ancient Spacer world Aurora, and revered the use of robots and the lost past. They lived by a strict religion (to Mycogenians, 'history'). The 'high priest' was the leader of the council of elders, the government of Mycogen. During a rite of passage, all Mycogenians are completely depilated, so they can tell the difference between themselves and non-Mycogenians. Because hair is considered so repulsive, most Mycogenians shriek at its appearance; foreigners must wear skincaps at all times. By tradition usually wear a cloak called 'kirtle', men always wear a white kirtle; women, a gray one. Mycogenian names are given by 'cohort', and number in the series. Known Mycogenians: Mycelium 72, Raindrop 43, Raindrop 45, Sunmaster 14, Skystrip 2.
- Nevrask— One of the last sectors to hold out against Gilmer during the Great Sack
- North Damiano— A sector with a prominent University, involved in co-operative Nephelometry with Streeling University. North Damiano University operates Jet-downs equipped with sensory electronics.
- Streeling—At the time Hari Seldon first arrived on Trantor, fashions in Streeling were not quite so boldly colorful as in the Imperial Sector. It was the site of Streeling University, a prestigious university noted for being almost completely out of the hands of the Empire. It later gained fame for housing Hari Seldon and his "Seldon Psychohistory Project."
- Wye—In the early years of the Empire, a number of Emperors came from the Wye Sector. Located by the South Pole, Wye exercised a good deal of political power, because it was the site where excess heat across the planet was released. If it shut down those systems, the heat would build up and destroy Trantor. During the time of Seldon's flight, Wye was preparing an Army for a coup. This action was stopped by Eto Demerzel, and the military of Wye disbanded. Known Wyans: Mayor Mannix IV, Mayor Rashelle I.
- Ziggoreth— A sector with a prominent University. Ziggoreth University is involved in co-operative Nephelometric research with Streeling University, and operates Jet-downs equipped with sensory electronics.
Retroactive continuity
- In the original Foundation Trilogy, there is no indication of Trantor being divided among wildly diverse cultures, likewise, the surface is described as covered with towers rather than domes; its depiction in Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation may be considered another example of retconning.
- Regarding the change in Trantor's food needs: Prelude takes place during Seldon's time and it is possible to reconcile both passages. During Seldon's time Trantor was self sufficient in basic food production. However, the "later Emperors" (as referenced by Encyclopedia Galactica) may have badly managed local food production, requiring greater reliance on agricultural worlds for basics. Although if Cleon I was the last emperor, then the Encyclopedia Galactica simply repeats an urban legend contemporary to Seldon's time as fact. However, Foundation's edge still refers to algae farms on Trantor, although those are referred to as insufficient for the planet.
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