A new direction for the For All Mankind universe
Apple TV+ has revealed the first images and details for Star City, a new eight-episode drama set in the same alternate-history world as For All Mankind. Created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert and Ronald D. Moore, the series moves away from the familiar space-race spectacle and into the shadowy, tense world behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s. Apple will launch Star City globally on May 29 with two episodes, then roll out weekly installments through July 10.
Premise: the Soviet side of an alternate space race
Rather than retread the American perspective that defined For All Mankind, Star City explores how the Soviet space program reacted and adapted in an alternate timeline where the USSR reached the moon first. The show centers on the people inside that system — cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers — and the extreme risks they take as political and technological pressures collide. Early promotional material suggests a focus on secrecy, institutional paranoia and the human cost of competition on an ideological stage.
A spy thriller, not a mirror show
The creators have made it clear that Star City is intentionally distinct in tone and structure. Where For All Mankind evolved into broader science-fiction territory and advanced its timeline season-to-season, Star City remains firmly rooted in the 1970s. Nedivi and Wolpert describe the series as closer to a spy thriller than a conventional space drama, leaning into genre elements such as covert operations, suspicion and political maneuvering.
“We really wanted it to be its own show,” the creators have said, noting they deliberately avoided simply mimicking the parent series. They promise viewers a different pacing and mood — more claustrophobic, more paranoid — while retaining the historical-what-if curiosity that defines the shared universe.
Based on lesser-known true stories
The show’s creators also emphasize that many narrative beats are inspired by real, if obscure, episodes from Cold War-era space and intelligence history. They’ve suggested that some moments in Star City will feel almost unbelievable, but that much of the material is grounded in true events that haven’t been widely publicized. That approach aims to deliver surprises while anchoring the series in plausible, research-driven detail.
Cast and creative team
Star City assembles an international cast led by Rhys Ifans, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, Adam Nagaitis, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Josef Davies and Priya Kansara. The series is produced and overseen by the established For All Mankind creative team — Nedivi, Wolpert and Ronald D. Moore — bringing continuity of vision while deliberately changing genre and focus.
What to expect and who might enjoy it
- Tone: tense, paranoid, character-driven; less spectacle, more psychological pressure.
- Period detail: a consistent 1970s setting that preserves the texture and stakes of the era.
- Story approach: grounded in historical anecdotes and Cold War realities, filtered through alternate-history fiction.
- Structure: an eight-episode season that launches with two episodes and follows a weekly release model.
Star City will likely appeal to viewers who enjoyed the historical reimagining of For All Mankind but want a leaner, thriller-style story rooted in espionage and institutional intrigue. Fans of Cold War dramas and character-focused political suspense should find the show’s blend of period atmosphere and moral complexity engaging.
Release details
Star City debuts on Apple TV+ on May 29, opening with two episodes. The remaining episodes will premiere weekly, concluding the run on July 10. Apple has released the first official images to give audiences a glimpse of the series’ look and mood ahead of the premiere.
Final note
By shifting the lens to the Soviet program and committing to a tighter, spy-thriller sensibility, Star City promises a fresh entry in the For All Mankind universe — one that trades grand aerospace spectacle for the intimate, hazardous politics of a Cold War world.