Apple TV has debuted its new science-fiction period drama, and it has received an incredible response from critics. Here is everything you need to know about Star City, the spin-off of the beloved series For All Mankind.
What Is Star City About?
The spin-off's debut season kicks off with the Soviet Union's successful Moon landing in 1969 and follows the residents of Star City, the USSR's Cape Canaveral-esque mission control, throughout the 1970s as they attempt to launch more astronauts into space. Galvanised by their victory over the United States, the Russians continue to train cosmonauts for more perilous missions under the watchful eye of the KGB whilst Cold War paranoia is still rife.
A synopsis for the series reads: "A bold new chapter inspired by the critically acclaimed space-race drama, For All Mankind, Star City is a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race — when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humankind forward."
Who Is in the Cast?
The cast features some stellar British talent taking on Russian roles, led by Motherland's Anna Maxwell Martin as senior KGB official Lyudmilla Raskova and House of the Dragon and Harry Potter's Rhys Ifans as the Soviet's Chief Designer.
Here is the full main cast:
- Rhys Ifans as the Chief Designer
- Anna Maxwell Martin as Lyudmilla Raskova
- Agnes O'Casey as Irina Morozova
- Solly McLeod as Sasha Polivanov
- Adam Nagaitis as Valya Mironov
- Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Tanya Mironova
- Josef Davies as Sergei Nikulov
Recurring cast members include David Dencik as Maxim Tarasov, Eliot Salt as Vika Yegorova, Ellie Piercy as Galina, Robin Berry as Rem Balabanov, Chris Leaney as Viktor, Eadie Johnson as Zoya Morozova, and Aurelijus Pocius as Zhenya. Guest stars throughout the first season include Niamh Algar, Jenny Walser, Sam Strike, Ian Drysdale, Sam Wilkinson, Neringa Bulotaité, Sean Gilder, Jamie de Courcey, Fadily Camara, Michael James, Šarūnas Datenis, and Priya Kansara.
When Are New Episodes Released?
The first two episodes of Star City have now been released as of Friday, 29th May. Season one will consist of eight episodes, which will continue to be released on Fridays on Apple TV. Expect the season finale to drop on Friday, 10th July. As for what time the new episodes will become available, this will depend on where you are in the world. Apple officially releases new episodes at midnight Pacific Time, which translates to 8am in the UK. However, episodes are often dropped the evening before in the US, so UK viewers staying up late or waking up very early might be able to catch new episodes before anyone else.
Do You Need to Watch For All Mankind First?
While it is recommended for viewers to have some familiarity with the world of For All Mankind, the first season of Star City goes back to the 1970s and follows the story from the Soviet perspective, so newcomers to the series could use it as a jumping off point. Some characters made brief appearances in the flagship show portrayed by different actors, but the spin-off will flesh out their storylines. Plus, later seasons of For All Mankind have taken the narrative all the way into the 2010s, so there is no need to have watched every episode so far to understand what is going on in Apple's new offshoot. Star City continues Fridays on Apple TV.
