Halfway through its debut season, Apple TV's Star City is carving its own identity while staying tethered to the For All Mankind universe. The series introduces younger versions of familiar faces, including Sergei Nikulov (Josef Davies), a brilliant engineer working under the mysterious Chief Designer (Rhys Ifans), and Irina Morozova (Agnes O'Casey), a rising star in the KGB surveillance division. For fans of the original series, Sergei and Irina's eventual connection is well-known, but Episode 5 delivers a chilling foreshadowing of one of the space program's most tragic fates. Sergei's arrest by the KGB forces the Chief Designer to intervene with Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), setting the stage for a pivotal turning point.
In an exclusive interview, Davies and co-star Priya Kansara (who plays life-support scientist Lakshmi Chadha) opened up about their characters' roles in the secret Venus mission and the episode's dramatic climax. Davies explained that he avoided simply imitating the older Sergei from For All Mankind, instead focusing on capturing the character's youthful energy and hunger. 'I didn't want to do an impression as such because people change,' he said. 'I had the license to play the younger, driven version of him. I took certain mannerisms and rehearsed them, but if it shadows him later on, great—then the audience feels familiar.'
Priya Kansara on Meeting the Chief Designer
Kansara recalled one of her favorite early scenes, where Lakshmi accidentally insults the Chief Designer before realizing who he is. Despite the intimidating premise, she found working with Rhys Ifans surprisingly easy. 'Rhys is the easiest person to do scenes with,' she laughed. 'He consistently tries to make you laugh. It was fun to play with that feeling of being shocked and embarrassed—like, “Oh my God, I met this person I've been obsessed with, and I made a fool of myself.”'
The secret Venus mission is a central plotline, and Sergei's early involvement reveals his willingness to challenge the system from within. Davies noted that Sergei sees the Chief Designer as a kindred spirit. 'That moment when he gets roped in, it's a level of, “This man is my hero,”' Davies said. 'He probably feels like the Chief is the only one who gets it the way he does. It breaks out the boring, monotonous thing he's been doing. He's so passionate—he wouldn't even think about anything else.'
By Episode 4, Lakshmi learns she'll be a cosmonaut on the mission, despite lacking formal training. Kansara explained her character's motivation: 'A lot of her driving force is her passion for science and space exploration. She loves what she does, she knows she's good at it, and she wants to be the best. To be given this opportunity by the Chief Designer, who she looks up to—there's no greater honor.'
For fans of For All Mankind, Star City offers a deeper dive into the backstories that shaped the original series. If you're craving more gritty space drama, check out why The Expanse is the darker, must-watch spiritual successor to For All Mankind. And for those who love intense character arcs, Marvel's The Punisher delivers the same brutal thrills while you wait for more.
As Star City continues to unfold, the tension between ambition and oppression grows ever sharper. Sergei's arrest is just the beginning—a harbinger of the sacrifices and betrayals that will define the Soviet space program. With the Venus mission hanging in the balance, every character must decide how far they're willing to go for their dreams.
