Semrin is a character from the authorized expanded universe novel Foundation's Fear.
About Semrin[]
Emperor Semrin was the last Galactic Emperor to reign during the Galactic Era (G.E.), ascending the throne in 12,068 G.E. as a young child. His entire rule was orchestrated by Linge Chen, the powerful Chief Commissioner of the Commission of Public Safety, who installed him as a perfect puppet. Semrin believed himself to be a statesman-in-the-making, but the palace and the trappings of imperial life were merely toys in a vast fantasy constructed for him by Chen. He obeyed every word whispered to him by the Commissioner, utterly unaware of his own manipulated state.
The real power structure resided entirely with Linge Chen and his close ally, Divart, a senior member of the Commission. Semrin's reign was a facade maintained by Chen to control the traditionalist factions on Trantor and provide a veneer of legitimacy to his own rule.
The pivotal event of his reign was the death of Linge Chen in 12,069 G.E. Following Chen's demise, political control did not pass to the Emperor but to his existing council, now led by Divart. Divart effectively became the new power behind the throne, guiding the puppet emperor and overseeing the transition of the calendar from the Galactic Era to the Foundation Era. With Chen gone and Divart's influence solidified, the Emperor's role became even more ceremonial under this new advisory regime. Semrin was subsequently replaced by Emperor Farrad I, the first ruler of the Foundation Era.
Appearances[]
- Forward the Foundation (anonymous mentioned)
- Foundation's Fear
Trivia[]
- The character of Emperor Semrin is directly based on two key details from a conversation in Asimov's Forward the Foundation: that the new emperor was a "boy" and a "perfect puppet" who obeyed Linge Chen's every word. Gregory Benford took this specific description and expanded it, giving the anonymous boy emperor the name Semrin in his novel Foundation's Fear.