While I'm always on board for more of For All Mankind, my most anticipated upcoming Apple TV+ show is its spinoff, Star City. The new series is being helmed by Ronald D. Moore and is currently being developed in the writers' room. Given that latter point, it'll be a little while before the project sees the light of day. With that said, Moore was gracious enough to share some details about the show with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con. One topic he discussed was the major way the series will differ from its predecessor and the odds that fans will see Ed Baldwin and other popular characters from the parent show in cameos.
For those unaware, Star City is a retelling of the events of For All Mankind, but with the focus shifting to the perspective of the Soviets. I asked Moore how the show would operate, given that so much of its parent program relies on an understanding of American history and how the fictionalized events in the show have altered it. I know I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about Soviet Russian but, fortunately, the EP's comments put my mind at ease:
Yeah, I mean, that's an interesting question, because you don't have the pop cultural references and music and different things that can easily root the audience and where it is. So I think you're more looking at it as more of a period piece and saying, ‘Ok, here's the Soviet Union in the late sixties, early seventies,’ then kind of getting familiar with that world. And, as that world changes, I think at least American audiences won't quite understand the dramatic changes that are taking place so quickly. But I think we'll try to sort of bring them along and say, ‘Oh, well, you know, the Soviet Union is changing too.’
In short, it doesn't seem like Star City intends to operate in the manner that For All Mankind has, which is ok. This is a show about the Soviet Union, Cosmonauts and other elements that are present within the show's continuity. Anyone who's watched FAM already knows what has happened throughout this time so, now, the spinoff will fill in some blanks.
Given that perspective, I also wondered what this could mean for prospective cameos for established character. For example, will Joel Kinnamen's Ed Baldwin appear in Season 1? Ronald D. Moore couldn't give a clear answer to that, but there's a reason why:
Well, it's being written as we speak so a lot of these questions are still being chewed around in the writer's room. I wouldn't say that that's off the table, but it's also not something that currently is in the mix. It's pretty much conceptual to be in the world of Star City and the Soviet Space Program. In the same way that, For All Mankind was pretty much in ours. In the American Space program you had little pops to sort of show the Soviets. So I think we'll take the same kind of lens on [Star City]. Like this is the primary and you might occasionally see something outside of it, but it's really about the Soviet program.
Ronald D. Moore has a track record that proves he knows how to make good TV, so I don't have any reason to doubt him now. Between that and being a major creative force on one of the best Star Trek movies of all time, he's practically on the Mount Rushmore of science fiction. Far be it from me to have any concerns about Star City and how frequently it might feature stars from For All Mankind.
It's also worth noting that Star City won't be the only spinoff of a successful show that Ronald D. Moore will help produce soon. He's also part of the team working on the upcoming Outlander: Blood of My Blood while also wrapping up the final season of the flagship series. As for the latter, Moore told CinemaBlend a bit about the ending and keeping author Diana Gabaldon "in the loop" regarding creative changes.
Mr. Moore is definitely busy these days, and I haven't even mentioned that For All Mankind will return for Season 5. The show built 100% new sets for Season 4, and it's reached the point at which the show's timeline is primed to jump ahead of the 21st century as it continues . The only detail I'm disappointed about is that none of these shows will be on the 2024 TV schedule, but I can be patient if it means more quality sci-fi offerings to watch in the future. Here's hoping Star City manages to be unique while maintaining clear continuity with its parent show.
For All Mankind, Seasons 1 through 4 are available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription.
