The eagerly anticipated Season 3 of David S. Goyer‘s hit AppleTV+ sci-fi show Foundation, based on the groundbreaking novels by Isaac Asimov, is dropping on July 11. Knowing which Cleon clone is which, and how they are essential to the story in the first two seasons, will make it much easier to enjoy the new batch of episodes. So let’s begin with the middle throne and public face of the Empire, Brother Day (Lee Pace). In Season 1, it is Cleon 12 (Day), along with Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton, Cleon 13) and Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann Cleon 11), who hold a trial and banish Dr. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), and the followers to Terminus, where they will lay the groundwork for a rebellion. Cleon 12 is also in power during the terrorist attack and destruction of the Star Bridge. This event causes the deaths of thousands in the capital city of Trantor and serves as the impetus for Day’s witch hunt that sees the brutal destruction of the warring Thespin and Anacreon home worlds. However, it will ultimately bring the outer realm tribes together, along with the Foundationists, to form the heart of the rebel alliance later in Season 1.
Cleon 12 Becomes Cleon 13 During Season 1 of ‘Foundation’
The year 12,086 IE (Imperial Era) sees the ascension of Cleon 13 into Brother Day. After a sixteen-year time jump to 12,102 IE, he becomes the first Cleon to undertake the perilous Spiral pilgrimage, not only to test his own strength and will, but also to prove to the Luminists (a religious sisterhood similar to the bene gesserit in ‘Dune’) that he is more than just a clone, has a soul, and is worthy of their loyalty to the Empire. He is cruel, but also bold and introspective, and most willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the long, oppressive Cleonic reign
Cleon 14 is portrayed as Brother Dawn throughout the first season. His storyline revolves around being the first Cleon to physically manifest a slightly altered genetic code that makes him more susceptible to fallible human emotions. Because of this, Dusk and Day determine he is symbolic of a vulnerability in the Cleonic genetic dynasty and must be killed and replaced, so he fights for survival.
The Second Time Jump of ‘Foundation’ Ushers in a New Cleon
In Season 2, Day has become Cleon 17 after a 138-year time jump in the final sequence of Season 1. He is the main character and is to be married to Queen Sareth (Ella-Rae Smith), as the solidarity of the Empire continues to unravel. He plans to have human children to appease the masses, who no longer trust the genetically polluted Cleonic rule. It is a desperate attempt to unite the crumbling Empire.
Cleon 17’s actions are largely influenced by a surprise assassination attempt on his life in the very first scene of Season 2. Mortally wounded, he barely survives, and it causes him to face his mortality for the first time and sows the seeds of a coup within the Empire walls. The Empire is being threatened from the outside by the likes of Hober Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas) and a slowly galvanizing rebel alliance. Threats are also coming from inside the palace walls, forcing Cleon 17 into making rash and uninformed decisions throughout Season 2.
The Imperial curator and droid Demerzel (Laura Birn) speaks of her love for Cleon 1. His empathy and affinity for her usher in the Robot Wars and Demerzel’s origin story as she becomes a significant coup d’etat threat at the end of Season 2. And Cleon 18 falls in love with Day’s bride-to-be, Queen Sareth, causing chaos in the Cleonic lineage. Cleon 18 and Sareth become pregnant, and their child becomes a threat to Demerzel and her attempt to reclaim the throne in the name of the robots. Cleon 17 (Day) dies at the end of Season 2, so it will have to be either a new incantation, Cleon 18 himself, the child of Cleon 18 and Sareth, or Demerzel and a new robot order that grabs at the future of the new Cleonic dynasty. And this will have to coincide with the arrival of Hari, Gaal, and the mercurial “Mule” who promises to be a big player in the new season
Season 3 of ‘Foundation’ Previews Another Brother Day, But What Will His Purpose Be?
Trailers for the upcoming season feature a new incantation of Brother Day, but his motivation is unclear. We’ve discussed how Cleon 17 is dead after being shot out of a bay door into deep space in the finale of Season 2. The Cleonic line is on its last legs back on Trantor, and the Day we see in Season 3 is haggard with long hair and a beard, so he is clearly not operating in an Imperial capacity as a Cleon. He may be Cleon 18, or Brother Dawn from Season 2, who has ascended into the middle throne as Day. That would be more likely than a random incantation appearing with no ties to the Empire.
It will be interesting to see what Day will do in Season 3. If it is Cleon 18 who has ascended and fallen in love with Queen Sareth, then he could conceivably be an ally to Hari and the rebellion, as he has largely rejected the flawed Cleonic dynasty and Empire already. But if he wants to fight to preserve his place atop the Cleonic line, he will be at odds with the rebel alliance.
Foundation is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
Foundation
- Release Date
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September 23, 2021
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Showrunner
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David S. Goyer
