Foundation and Star Wars

The Mule reminds me of Palpatine very much. He seizes control of a once-thriving but now corrupt Republic (the Foundation, which originally was democratic but fell under the control of thuggish Mayors), and becomes its dictator, due to tremendous mental powers that let him manipulate others. The Second Foundation resembles the exiled and hunted Jedi, in that they are pursued by the Mule. They also use mind-tweaking mental powers similar to the Mule's, but for good instead of evil, to try and fight his regime. Substitute "Force power" for "mental powers" and see what you get.

The Skywalker twins/two Foundations similarity has already been brought up, as have Asimov's "hyperspace" and blaster pistols.

Asimov also uses holograms, chiefly as recordings, much like what Leia sends to Obi-Wan in ANH. This is, of course, where Lucas got it from. The holograms in Foundation are described as being in pretty much full color, whereas the color quality of holograms in SW varies. Still, Asimov's description of Hari Seldon's volumetric hologram (at one point Seldon-in-hologram sets down a book on an adjacent, unseen, table and it vanishes, only to reappear when he picks it up again) really defines what Lucas' holorecordings look like.

 

Solid connections ATMachine. Completely agree.
Another minor connection (though hardly original to Asimov) is the use of mind probes. For Asimov they were called psychic mind probes and were frequently used in Foundation and the Empire series.
Darth Vader used something remarkably similar against Leia in ANH when trying to find the location of the rebel base.

For Foundation and Empire--the rebellion brewing among the independent traders on Haven and other worlds is similar to the Rebel Alliance. Each is rebelling against a corrupt dictatorship.

Also worth noting that Trantor is sacked at the fall of the First Galactic Empire and a similar siege if occuring at the start of Revenge of the Sith.

 

This picture of Coruscant is from Star Wars: Visionaries but whenever I see it, I think of Trantor after it's fall.

[image=http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/c/ca/Green_Coruscant.jpg]

 

I read Foundation at the same time the TESB came out. So I created the association of Lathan Devers being Han Solo. (They are both independent traders who have ships that are faster and more heavily armed than what you would think a freighter pilot would have. Both were hotshot pilots and good with a blaster.)

However, the PT is much more like the Foundation in spirit than the OT. The idea that there are vast sociological forces at work which are causing the Republic to crumble from within and cannot be reversed due to the huge momentum of the decline is palpable in the PT. I get the feeling that the Republic would have fallen eventually, even without Palpatine, due to what Asimov would call "psycho-historical forces". Palps just hastened the end. (Or did he? Maybe Seldon would have predicted a dictator around the time Palpatine came to power. Not too farfetched as the Sith were patient enough to wait for the right moment.)

In Foundation, the decline starts when the Empire loses control of peripheral systems. The systems declare their independence from the Empire, and there is no retaliation. (In SW, it's Tatooine. Ani's Mom: "The Republic doesn't exist out here." Watto: "Republic Credits?! Republic credits are no good out here, I need something more real."

After that the sociological forces differ between the Foundation novels and SW (in Foundation, warlords spring up, all with the intention of sacking Trantor. In SW the CW is entirely manufactured.) But just the same, I get the sense watching all PT movies that the fall is inevitable, Sith or no Sith.