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Askone is a planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation. It is one of the planets in the Galactic Periphery, near Glyptal IV. After the successful rebellion of Askone against the Galactic Empire, a Theocracy was set up, headed by a 'Grand Master' and Council of Elders. Great importance and respect were given to the members of the "Five Tribes", probably the descendants of either the old nobility or the rebel leaders, but by the time the planet is featured in the books, the Tribes have nearly died out, not fifty living members remaining. Despite that, there was great reluctance to elect a Grand Master who did not belong to them. Generally, high-ranking officials not of the Five Tribes were much more criticised.

Before being taken over by the Foundation, the religion on Askone was a form of ancestor worship. The rebellion against the Empire was considered a holy deliverance by the ancestors. One of the despised elements of the Empire was nuclear energy ('nucleics'). Under the new theocratic regime, the 'evil' of nucleics was outlawed; anyone caught using them was to be executed by gas. (Although construction and nucleics were banned, the Askonian Navy used nucleics in their ships. These were holdovers from the Imperium, mainly converted pleasure craft, described by Asimov as 'so many picturesque and impotent ellipsoids'.)

Askone was eventually conquered by Limmar Ponyets, when he rescued Eskel Gorov. Ponyets agreed to pay Gorov's ransom in gold, by using an iron-to-gold transmuter. The transmuter was used to get the attention of Pherl, an ambitious elder who hoped to be Grand Master. Since Pherl could not expect to be Grand Master unless he had a good deal of gold, he gladly jumped on the chance to purchase the transmuter. When Pherl became Grand Master, he used his clout to support the Foundation and the introduction of nucleics. The nucleics were purchased from the Foundation, along with the accompanying compulsory religion. 20 years later, Askone was in such a situation that 'the Grand Master cannot even call his underwear his own.'

v • d • e Major and minor planets featured in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series Anacreon | Arcturus | Askone | Aurora | Baleyworld (Comporellon) | Earth | Gaia | Kalgan | Korell | The Nebula Kingdoms| Sayshell | Solaria | Terminus | Trantor (Hame)

v • d • e Isaac Asimov's Foundation series Asimov writings Prelude to Foundation • Forward the Foundation • Foundation • Foundation and Empire • Second Foundation • Foundation's Edge • Foundation and Earth Others' writings Foundation's Fear • Foundation and Chaos • Foundation's Triumph • Foundation's Friends • Psychohistorical Crisis • "The Originist" Adaptations BBC Radio • Movie Characters Hari Seldon • Dors Venabili • Salvor Hardin • Hober Mallow • The Mule • Arkady Darell • Golan Trevize Foundation universe characters • List of minor Foundation universe characters Planets Trantor • Terminus • Gaia • Earth The Galactic Empire • List of Foundation universe planets • List of minor Foundation universe planets Concepts Encyclopedia Galactica • Psychohistory • Scientism • Seldon Crisis • Seldon Plan • First Speaker • Mentalic • Timeline of Asimov's Foundation Series Preceded by The Robot Series and The Empire Series