‘For All Mankind’ spinoff soars
In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to land on the moon. In Apple TV’s science fiction drama “For All Mankind,” which premiered in 2019, creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi illustrate what would have happened if the Soviet Union had actually beaten the United States to the moon. The long-running series, which will air its sixth and final season in 2027, imagines a very different America than the one we know. Now in a new spin-off series “Star City,” an intense, flawless paranoid thriller, Moore, Wolpert and Nedivi go behind the Iron Curtain to explore their alternate universe from the perspective of the Soviet space program. Impeccably acted (despite the shaky accents) and full of intrigue, “Star City” is dark, compelling and downright impressive. It works beautifully as a standalone without any prior knowledge of “For All Mankind.”
Sergei Korolev, the godfather of the Soviet space program, died in 1966, and as a result the Soviet moon project collapsed. In ‘Star City’, Korolev lives on as chief designer (Rhys Ifans). However, this story does not start with the architect of the cosmonaut training center at the center. Instead, it starts with two different women. It’s 1969 and a frightened woman is startled awake by banging on her apartment door. After telling her young child to go back to sleep, she dresses and is put into a car, in a terrifying sequence of events. As she is led down a dimly lit hallway, she begins to plead with the soldiers escorting her, assuring them that her husband, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov (Sam Wilkinson), is loyal to his country. Just as her panic begins to consume her, she finds herself in a control room where the lead designer is waiting. He points to a screen where the woman watches in awe as Alexei steps onto the moon, becoming the first man ever to do so.
Some time later, Irina Morozova (Agnes O’Casey) walks briskly through the apartment complexes in Star City to get to work. After being checked through security and passing through endless hallways, she rushes to her desk. Irina is the newest member of the surveillance department in Star City, aided by the evil Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), the head of KGB surveillance. Irina has recently moved from Moscow with her young daughter Zoya (Eadie Johnson) and is tasked with guarding the home of acclaimed cosmonaut Valya Mironov (Adam Nagaitis) and his wife Tanya (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis), a former professional pianist who feels the walls of Star City closing in on her. Eavesdropping on the couple’s conversations isn’t exactly a tempting task for the ambitious young woman, but she does begin to feel a bond with Tanya, whom she gets to know through her spying. Inventive engineer Sergei Nikulov (Josef Davies) also feels limited by his role, but a dangerous new venture gives him something to look forward to.
As the center of ingenuity in space, Leonov’s moon landing should be a time of celebration for those who work and live in Star City. Unfortunately, things are becoming more and more exciting and there is evidence of underhandedness. Although the chief designer, who is not allowed to leave the Soviet Union, has his sights set on new missions, he is ordered to concentrate exclusively on the moon. This is a male-dominated program, but the female cosmonauts, including the outspoken and confident Yana Akhmatova (Niamh Algar) and the anxiety-ridden Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert), wonder if they will ever get their time in the spotlight. Meanwhile, gifted scientist Chada Lakshmi (Priya Kansara), an Indian transplant, is locked in the corner of a dilapidated laboratory. Finally, Sasha Polivanov (Solly McLeod), a defiant cosmonaut, frustrates Valya with his devilish attitude despite the solemn surroundings.
While the story is surrounded by conversations about space, science and ship orbits, “Star City” is compelling because of its characters. For fear of sabotage, death, or something worse, no one in Star City can reveal who they really are. Instead, the audience is offered glimpses of the truth here and there, which act as pieces of the puzzle throughout the eight-episode first season. (Critics received five for review.) Cloaked in a bleak gray hue for a prison-like setting, the makers of “Star City” reveal not just a suffocating world, but a world on the verge of consuming itself and its genius with tyranny and hideous rigidity.
A heavy, thought-provoking drama that draws viewers deeper into the plot as it develops. “Star City” may be revisionist history, but it is also a reminder of the most beautiful and horrifying aspects of humanity. More than just a story about the race for cosmic dominance, this is a story about risk, chance, and every sacrifice made to achieve immortality.
The first two episodes of “Star City” will debut on Apple TV on May 29, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Fridays.
