Apple TV Is Officially Launching Its First Shared Sci-Fi Universe Tomorrow

Apple TV‘s first shared sci-fi universe is finally arriving tomorrow.

The streaming platform is entering the world of sci-fi franchises with the release of a highly-anticipated, space-faring spinoff show. Apple TV has a number of highly-anticipated, forthcoming sci-fi shows, from Silo season 3 to Dark Matter season 2. Many of these shows have become critical and commercial success stories, with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series Pluribus becoming the most-watched show of all time on the platform. The streaming service is also no stranger to shared universes, producing the Godzilla-led Monsterverse’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, alongside multiple other shows in the franchise in development.

But one of the most popular TV shows on the platform is about to become the springboard for Apple TV’s first in-house sci-fi shared universe. Tomorrow, May 29, 2026, For All Mankind season 5 will bring an end to the penultimate season of the space race alternate history series. However, it will also bring about the beginning of a new show in the series’ universe: Star City. While the original series focuses on the United States’ attempts to outdo the Soviets in a space race that never ended, Star City will focus on Soviet efforts for space travel in the same setting.

Star City has been confirmed for one, eight-episode season as of writing, and will also premiere tomorrow, May 29, 2026, coinciding with the end of For All Mankind season 5. The story of Star City will take viewers back to 1969, when the Soviets landed the first man on the Moon. It follows the story of characters integral to this mission, alongside the competitive nature of the Soviet Union’s approach to space travel.

Image courtesy of Apple TV

The cast of Star City includes Rhys Ifans as a Chief Designer, whose work helped the Soviets reach the Moon first. Other core characters include KGB surveillance head Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), cosmonauts Valya Markelov (Adam Nagaitis) and Sasha Polivanov (Solly McLeod), scientist Lakshmi (Priya Kansara), and cosmonaut’s wife Tanya Markelova (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis).

A number of Soviet characters previously featured in For All Mankind will also be present, albeit played by different actors. This includes Irina Morozova (Agnes O’Casey), Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert), and Sergei Nikulov (Josef Davies). In addition, Eadie Johnson has been cast as Zoya, though her role remains unknown.

Just like For All Mankind, Star City was created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. All three of them serve as executive producers on the show, while Wolpert and Nedivi are credited with writing the first and last episode of the forthcoming season. Other executive producers include Maril Davis, Andrew Chambliss, and Steve Oster. The story promises a much deeper look at the Soviet Union’s early days of the space race, with a key focus on both their attempts at progress, and the difficulties faced under their government.

Since Star City is going to premiere soon, it won’t be long until the larger story it’ll tell in For All Mankind‘s universe gets explained. Described as a thriller, this will be a very different approach in contrast to the original show, with a distinct tone and way of presenting itself. But, either way, it’ll help to expand Apple TV‘s first in-house sci-fi franchise, mapping out an even richer alternate history for the space-faring TV shows.