Star City: Complete Episode Index, For All Mankind Spinoff Plot, and Star Cast Breakdown

**By Piyush** | November 2026 | 7 min read

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Apple TV+’s alternate-history space thriller *Star City* premiered on May 29, 2026, delivering an espionage-infused look at the space race behind the Iron Curtain. Created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore, the eight-episode companion series to *For All Mankind* explores the high-stakes sacrifices of Soviet cosmonauts, engineers, and KGB intelligence officers in closed military facilities.

I tracked the alternate-history space franchise since its 2019 inception. *Star City* reframes the famous 1969 Soviet moon landing from inside the secretive Star City cosmonaut training complex outside Moscow, shifting the point of view to the engineers and officers who beat America to the lunar surface.

This comprehensive guide provides the complete episode index, narrative progression, critical review, and star cast directory for *Star City*.

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What Is Star City?

*Star City* is a companion series and direct spin-off to Apple TV+’s hit franchise *For All Mankind*.

While the parent show followed NASA astronauts in Houston, *Star City* takes viewers behind the Soviet space curtain into Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City). The drama reveals how Soviet Chief Designer Sergei Korolev worked under relentless KGB surveillance and Kremlin political ultimatums to launch cosmonaut Alexei Leonov onto the moon first.

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Production Details & Streaming Snapshot

Here are the confirmed production details and broadcast metrics for the Apple TV+ series:

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Complete Episode Index: Season 1 Progression

The series released its first two episodes on May 29, 2026, followed by weekly Friday drops:

Episode 1: “The Red Moon” (Air Date: May 29, 2026)

Chief Designer Sergei Korolev works feverishly inside the OKB-1 design bureau as the N1 rocket prepares for launch. KGB director Lyudmilla Raskova tightens ideological surveillance on senior engineers to prevent western leaks.

Episode 2: “Zvyozdny Gorodok” (Air Date: May 29, 2026)

Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov undergoes grueling high-altitude centrifuge simulations. Inside the Star City residential blocks, families of flight engineers live under constant eavesdropping by KGB wiretappers.

Episode 3: “The Chief Designer” (Air Date: June 5, 2026)

Korolev conceals his deteriorating heart condition to prevent Kremlin officials from replacing him. Rival design bureaus lobby Politburo ministers to scrap the lunar lander program in favor of military satellites.

Episode 4: “Iron Sky” (Air Date: June 12, 2026)

A catastrophic testing explosion at Baikonur Cosmodrome leaves three technical specialists dead. KGB investigator Irina Morozova conducts interrogations, suspecting deliberate sabotage by Western defectors.

Episode 5: “Echoes of Tyuratam” (Air Date: June 19, 2026)

Flight controllers struggle with telemetry dropouts during an unmanned lunar probe mission. Engineer Valya Mironov risks his freedom by altering rocket telemetry equations to guarantee crew survivability.

Episode 6: “The Watchers” (Air Date: June 26, 2026)

Surveillance paranoia grips the training barracks as American intelligence services step up covert contact. Sasha Polivanov faces moral crisis when asked to inform on his flight commander.

Episode 7: “Stepping into the Dark” (Air Date: July 3, 2026)

Final launch preparations conclude on the launch pad under military security lockdown. Cosmonauts exchange quiet farewells with their families before boarding the Soyuz lunar module.

Episode 8: “The Red Dawn” (Air Date: July 10, 2026 – Season Finale)

The tense lunar descent unfolds minute by minute as telemetry systems fail near the lunar surface. Leonov touches down, cementing Soviet victory and forever altering 20th-century history.

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Star Cast & Character Directory

The series features an acclaimed international cast portraying Soviet historical and fictional figures:

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Critical Appraisal: Cold War Claustrophobia & Technical Realism

*Star City* distinguishes itself from *For All Mankind* through its claustrophobic, paranoid Cold War atmosphere. Rhys Ifans delivers a career-defining performance as Sergei Korolev, capturing the crushing physical toll and political tightrope of running the Soviet space program.

Watch the official Apple TV+ preview trailer below:

For readers exploring streaming catalogs and fantasy epics, check our breakdown of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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*How do you think the Soviet perspective compares to the American Houston team in For All Mankind? Share your thoughts in the comments below.*