Apple TV's 'Star City' Spinoff Imagines Soviet Side of Space Race

Apple TV is set to broaden its 'For All Mankind' franchise with the debut of 'Star City' on May 29, which centers on the Soviet space program. This new series takes place in a reimagined version of the actual Star City training facility located near Moscow, focusing on the lives of cosmonauts, engineers, and KGB operatives during the Cold War era. Co-creators Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore delve into the Soviet viewpoint, which was largely overlooked in the original series. The narrative envisions a scenario where chief designer Sergei Korolev survives his 1966 demise, impacting the space race. Historian Asif Siddiqi points out that despite notable achievements like Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight and Valentina Tereshkova's 1963 mission, the Soviets lagged two to three years behind the U.S. in lunar landing technology. The show examines the perils faced by cosmonauts both in space and on Earth, with Nedivi emphasizing that ground conditions are often more hazardous. The actual Star City continues to operate today, showcasing a statue of Gagarin alongside Soviet-era architecture.