Get ready for a new chapter in the alternate space race. Apple TV is launching Star City, the first spin-off of its acclaimed sci-fi series For All Mankind, and it's taking a radically different approach. Instead of following American astronauts, this show plunges viewers into the high-pressure, secretive world of the Soviet space program.
Co-created by the same team behind the original—Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore—Star City explores the ripple effects of the USSR landing the first man and woman on the Moon. While For All Mankind is a slow-burn workplace drama spanning decades, this spin-off is a taut spy thriller confined to the 1970s. The shift in tone is deliberate: here, cosmonauts and engineers operate under constant surveillance, where failure can mean severe punishment.
A Different View of History
The original series imagines a world where Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov beats the Americans to the Moon in June 1969. Star City digs into the 'what if' behind that moment: what if Sergei Korolev, the visionary behind the Soviet space program, had survived his 1966 death? In this timeline, Korolev lives to complete his life's work, enabling the USSR to win the space race. The spin-off centers on the intense pressure and secrecy inside the Soviet space program, offering a stark contrast to the American perspective.
Unlike For All Mankind's multi-generational arcs, Star City stays rooted in one era, allowing a deeper dive into the perilous lives of Iron Curtain cosmonauts. The result is a gripping mix of space realism and Cold War paranoia.
Meet the Cast of Star City
The ensemble is led by Rhys Ifans (House of the Dragon) as the Soviet Space Program's Chief Designer, a role that demands the gravitas he's known for. Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House) plays Lyudmilla Raskova, head of the KGB surveillance department, while Adam Nagaitis (The Terror) portrays Valya Markelova, a respected cosmonaut. Ruby Ashbourne Serkis (Shardlake) appears as Tanya, Valya's wife, who feels trapped in the closed world of Star City.
The spin-off also introduces younger versions of characters from the mothership series. Josef Davies plays Sergei Nikulov, a young engineer at Soviet Ground Control, and Agnes O'Casey is Irina Morozova, a new surveillance department employee. Fans will also spot a connection to Season 5: cosmonaut Sasha Polivanov (Solly McLeod) may be related to Lenya Polivanov (Costa Ronin), the governor of Happy Valley. How they're linked remains a mystery.
For those who haven't caught up, binge-watching the original series might help, but Star City stands on its own. As one of Apple TV's most anticipated launches, it promises to be a fresh, intense ride that redefines the franchise.
