Hober Mallow is about to enter the Foundation saga. This Han-Solo-like character is played by Dimitri Leonidas and is an interplanetary trader. As predicted by Dr Hari Seldon and others he's set to become crucial to the next crisis and the survival of the Foundation on the planet Terminus. His arrival and importance to the Foundation is foretold by the next opening of the Vault and in the dream of Gaal Dornick when she battles The Mule, both of which happen in Foundation season 2 episode 2.
Hober Mallow first shows up in the third episode of Foundation season 2 on Friday, July 28, 2023, when he's seen clashing with another character, the dictatorial planet ruler Commdor Argo (see first look picture below), played by another British star Philip Glenister. A real battle of wits plays out between the pair.
Here, Dimitri Leonidas, best known for his roles in Riviera, The Monuments Men and The One, reveals much more about what the arrival of Hober Mallow means for Foundation season 2...
Hober Mallow star Dimitri Leonidas on playing the interplanetary space trader
So, who is Hober Mallow? He's a main player in Asimov’s original novel. Can you tell us who he is, what he does, and what part of the galaxy he’s from?
Dimitri Leonidas says: "Hober Mallow is in the original books. The character in the series is a sort of a rift on that part, that part. It’s not quite as is in the books. So, in our portrayal of Hober, he’s from a planet called Smyrno. He’s from quite a poor, rough background. When we meet him in the series, he’s… well, he describes himself as a master trader but the reality is he’s a, he’s a con man and he will… he was taking all other people’s identities and basically going around the galaxy stealing, lying, selling illegal contraband to whoever is willing to pay the best price.
Poly Verisof says of Hober Mallow, “He trained for the priesthood but he was too much for the revered fathers.” What makes Hober Mallow so hard to control?
Dimitri Leonidas says: "Trying to control Hober is one of the things that makes him hard to control. He resents authority, the feeling of being shackled in any way. It’s exactly one of the things that drives him to be the way he is. I think this need to feel free, to be a free person is something that’s quite motivating for him but I think on another level, there’s also, through Hober’s eyes, as cynical as they are, the audience actually gets quite an accurate look of what the universe is and what the Empire has become.
"His cynicism might seem pessimistic but actually, he’s got his finger on the pulse. He sees what the Empire is and what the church is and, and how so bloated and irrelevant they’re becoming. And for those things to try and impose their will for him, he doesn’t respect them and I think it comes down to that as well. If it’s not just not wanting to be controlled. It’s if there’s something worthy, fine but he doesn’t see anything worthy and I think he’s right. And so he is the cynic of season 2, and through his eyes, we do get to see the world as it is in the sort of horror that these giant institutions have become."
Who is Hober Mallow?
Hober Mallow was a pivotal character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation saga. He is from the planet Smyrno and described as a master trader. Essentially he's the first non-Foundation hero of the series.
In Asimov's famous books, Hober Mallow uses cunning and guile to trade within the galaxy but also make political manoeuvres. Gradually Hober Mallow manages to climb the Foundation's social ladder to become the mayor and eventually its first merchant prince. Whether this is what plays out in the TV series remains to be seen as some changes have been made to the Apple TV+ adaptation. What we do know in the television drama is Hober Mallow has been predicted as the saviour of the Foundation, no matter how unlikely this seems on first meeting him in episode 3 of Foundation season 3, along with another major character Bel Riose, aka The General (see pictured below).
Who is Hober Mallow? pic.twitter.com/VXT7AQtMK4July 21, 2023
Foundation season 2 launched worldwide on Apple TV Plus on Friday, July 14 2023. Subsequent episodes in the 10-part series will then launch weekly every Friday.
