I agree, the Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov.
I would also put Enders Game by Orson Scott Card up near the top. Not the movie, the book.
Ender’s Game, the book is my favorite
We have similar taste. Loved both series. Read them when I was a teen.
I never had high expectations for the movie but it was mediocre. Harrison Ford could have done better. But he's no longer in his prime, he's just doing movies for the money. They should have casted Tom Cruise. He was terrific in Edge Of Tomorrow and I think he would have brought that to Ender's Game.