Spinoffs in the entertainment landscape are inherently risky ventures. While the allure of leveraging a well-established and beloved franchise is undeniable, the execution often proves challenging. For every critical darling like Better Call Saul, which masterfully captured the essence of its predecessor while forging its own path, there are numerous cautionary tales, such as Once Upon a Time in Wonderland or How I Met Your Father, that failed to resonate. These derivative series face a complex balancing act: they must stand independently as compelling narratives, captivate the existing fanbase, and simultaneously remain accessible to newcomers who may be entirely unfamiliar with the original property. This delicate equilibrium is a tightrope walk that even seasoned creators can struggle to navigate, impacting sequels, prequels, and in-universe expansions alike.
Apple TV+’s latest foray into this challenging territory is Star City, a spin-off of its critically lauded alternate history science fiction drama, For All Mankind. The original series posited a captivating "what if" scenario: what if the Soviet Union, not the United States, had achieved the monumental feat of landing the first humans on the moon in 1969? This singular divergence point rippled through history, propelling humanity’s space exploration endeavors far beyond what was imagined in our own timeline. By the time For All Mankind reached its fifth season, set in a version of 2012, its narrative had expanded to encompass ambitious projects like a Martian colony and the search for extraterrestrial life among Saturn’s moons. Star City, however, takes an audacious step back, returning to the franchise’s foundational moment to offer a starkly different, more intimate, and often darker companion piece. It interrogates the series’ original point of divergence through a completely fresh lens, focusing on the internal machinations and human cost within the Soviet space program.
The Soviet Perspective: A Gritty Reimagining
Star City transports viewers behind the Iron Curtain, offering an in-depth exploration of the Soviet Union’s space program and the realities of life in a nation that had claimed a pivotal victory before its geopolitical rival. The series commences at the very same historical juncture as For All Mankind: the moment cosmonaut Alexei Leonov (played by Sam Wilkinson) becomes the first human to set foot on the lunar surface. Yet, the narrative immediately diverges, plunging into the clandestine world of Soviet espionage and the intricate dynamics of a state-controlled scientific enterprise.
While technically not a prerequisite for enjoying Star City, knowledge of For All Mankind undoubtedly enriches the viewing experience, particularly for those invested in the franchise’s intricate world-building. The spin-off is as much a gripping espionage thriller as it is a science fiction drama, and it taps into the original series’ unsettling premise: a reality that, while alternate, often echoes our own in disquieting ways.
The Chief Designer: A Visionary Under Duress
At the heart of Star City‘s narrative is the enigmatic Chief Designer (portrayed by Rhys Ifans), the anonymous head of the Soviet space program. Hints in the original series suggested this character was inspired by the real-life Soviet engineer Sergei Korolev, a visionary whose genius was instrumental in early Soviet space achievements. Buoyed by the success of the lunar landing, the Chief Designer harbors grand ambitions for further Soviet expansion into space. However, his aspirations clash with the priorities of his superiors, who are more fixated on political leverage and publicly humiliating the United States than on genuine scientific progress.
The series quickly establishes that despite the glory the Chief Designer has brought to his nation, he is, in essence, a prisoner within it. He is awarded accolades he cannot openly accept due to the secrecy surrounding his identity and is kept from public appearances, highlighting his profound lack of personal freedom. His superiors dismiss his forward-thinking plans for the next phase of space exploration, insisting he remain focused on lunar objectives, regardless of his own vision. Despite this oppressive environment, the Chief Designer exhibits a deep sense of paternal care for the cosmonauts he affectionately calls his "eagles." These include Yana Akhmatova (Niamh Alger), Sasha Polivanov (Solly McLeod), Valya Mironov (Adam Nagaitis), and Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert). They are portrayed as eager to make history, though even they are often forbidden from disclosing their mission assignments to their families until after they have been completed.
Star City: More Than Just Rockets
Though named after the fictional hub of the Soviet space program—and echoing the real-life Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow—Star City delves deeply into the political and human dimensions of the era, not solely focusing on the technical aspects of spaceflight. The series artfully interweaves the stories of intelligence officers, scientists, and analysts with those of the cosmonauts. As the Chief Designer is compelled to prepare for a mission to send the first woman to the moon, rumors of an American spy infiltrating the program begin to circulate. This tension leads to frequent clashes with the compellingly ruthless Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), the formidable head of KGB surveillance.
Raskova presides over an intricate web of information, meticulously gathered by her network of female operatives tasked with eavesdropping on nearly every resident of Star City. Her methods involve extracting confessions from potential informants and scrutinizing personal lives in her relentless pursuit of the alleged mole. Simultaneously, the Chief Designer finds himself compelled to safeguard his own secrets, particularly his ultimate vision for the future of the space program, which is at odds with the directives of the superiors who control his fate.
Familiar Faces, New Origins
Fans of For All Mankind will find recognizable threads within Star City, as the spin-off introduces intriguing origin stories for characters who later play significant roles in the flagship series. Young engineer Sergei Nikulov (Josef Davies) and junior surveillance agent Irina Morozova (Agnes O’Casey) are among those whose early careers are explored. The surname of cosmonaut Polivanov also strongly suggests a connection to a character who, by the fifth season of For All Mankind, holds the influential position of Governor of Mars.
A World of Paranoia and Sacrifice
While the initial five episodes made available to critics offer moments of breathtaking space-bound drama, the majority of the action remains firmly rooted on Earth. Much like the earlier seasons of For All Mankind, Star City excels when it excavates the interior lives of its characters, vividly portraying the profound strain that living under constant surveillance and the obligation to serve the state inevitably imposes. However, the series’ pervasive tone of unrelenting bleakness and suffocating paranoia means it occasionally lacks the humor and optimism that ultimately defined its predecessor. Furthermore, the characters’ default emotional states often register somewhere between "withdrawn" and "deeply emotionally repressed," making it a challenge for viewers to forge a profound connection with them on a deeper level.
Despite these challenges, Star City possesses significant potential. The chemistry between Rhys Ifans and Anna Maxwell Martin is palpable, and their confrontations are as captivating as one might anticipate. Agnes O’Casey delivers a nuanced performance as Irina, avoiding imitation of Svetlana Efremova’s portrayal in the original series. O’Casey’s Irina is a more emotionally malleable character, one who grapples with the moral implications of her government’s demands. For viewers invested in the trajectory of For All Mankind, O’Casey’s rendition of Irina will undoubtedly spark considerable curiosity about her future development. The overarching narrative of the season, which unfolds to reveal multiple betrayals and a clandestine off-the-books space mission, proves to be far more ambitious than initially suggested. The ultimate direction of this complex story remains an open question, but for now, the journey appears to be a compelling one, well worth embarking upon.
