Isaac Asimov's classic. You know, Hari Seldon's Plan, the Mule, Terminus, psychohistory, all that jazz.
I just finished reading the original trilogy. It's certainly a different kind of sci-fi, but I enjoyed it. I'm wondering if there are any games that capture the atmosphere.

I know Escape Velocity: Nova's universe was heavily inspired by The Foundation:
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/
It's an isometric spaceship trading and combat sim, and the story is presented as narrative text. It's non-linear as well, so you can side with just about any faction, and there's multiple endings.