The Settlers are a human civilization and cultural group from Isaac Asimov's Robot series and Foundation series.
About the Settlers[]
The Settlers are the descendants of Earthpeople who left their home planet to colonize new worlds, forming a distinct civilization that rivals the Spacer societies,
The Settler movement began in the aftermath of Elijah Baley's pioneering efforts to encourage Earth's expansion into the galaxy. Unlike the Spacers, who relied heavily on robots and embraced long, sterile lives on sparsely populated worlds, the Settlers explicitly rejected robotic labor. They valued human effort, community, and rapid population growth, accepting shorter, more vigorous lives as a consequence. This ideological divide made them the natural enemies of the Spacer worlds, whom they viewed as decadent and stagnant. Settler societies were characterized by a rugged, pragmatic ethos, often symbolized by the widespread custom of wearing beards among men. Their worlds, such as Baleyworld, were settled quickly and efficiently.
By the era of Captain D.G. Baley, a descendant of Elijah Baley, the Settlers had grown numerous and powerful enough to challenge Spacer dominance openly. Their ships, like the Bettina, conducted missions to abandoned Spacer worlds like Solaria, seeking technological advantages and new territories for colonization. This expansionist drive directly led to the final decline of the Spacer civilizations. Over the subsequent millennia, the Settlers continued to spread throughout the galaxy. Their culture and populations formed the basis of the Galactic Empire, with their pioneering spirit ultimately leading to the settlement of the planet Terminus and the creation of the First Foundation. The Settler philosophy of human-centric growth and adaptation was a direct precursor to both the Empire and the Seldon Plan.