Overview
- Star City, an Apple TV+ prequel to For All Mankind, premieres with two episodes on Friday, May 29 and will release new episodes weekly through July 10.
- Critics highlight a markedly darker, grittier tone than its parent series and single out Anna Maxwell Martin and Rhys Ifans for standout lead performances.
- The story centers on KGB audio surveillance and secrecy at the secret Soviet base Star City, with Lyudmilla Raskova heading intelligence operations that clash with the program’s Chief Designer.
- Rhys Ifans’ anonymous Chief Designer was shaped by the real-life dynamics around engineer Sergei Korolev, and showrunners cite films about audio surveillance as stylistic touchstones.
- The series blends historical Soviet practices with fiction, features younger versions of returning For All Mankind characters played by new actors, and focuses on how constant monitoring warps relationships and mission choices.