Star City Episode 1 Review: Apple TV+’s Soviet Space Race Thriller Launches with a Powerful Premiere

Star City Episode 1, “The Eyes,” delivers a gripping introduction to Apple TV+’s Soviet-focused For All Mankind spin-off. Shifting the space race behind the Iron Curtain, the premiere explores surveillance, political pressure, and the human cost of Soviet ambition through strong performances, compelling world-building, and exceptional production design. While the episode takes a deliberate approach to establishing its setting and characters, it successfully creates intrigue and lays a strong foundation for the series ahead.

How Star City Episode 1 Reimagines the Space Race Through a Soviet Lens

The Eyes Combines Cold War Paranoia, Political Intrigue, and Space Exploration in a Strong Premiere

Apple TV+ has built an impressive reputation for science fiction television over the past several years. From Severance to Silo and For All Mankind, the streaming service has consistently delivered ambitious genre storytelling that prioritizes character development and world-building over spectacle alone. With Star City, Apple returns to the alternate-history universe of For All Mankind, but this time the perspective shifts dramatically. Rather than following NASA and the American side of the space race, Star City takes viewers behind the Iron Curtain to explore the Soviet Union’s role in humanity’s push toward the stars.

The premiere episode, “The Eyes,” serves as both an introduction to this new series and a fascinating reexamination of a familiar timeline. While For All Mankind often balanced its alternate-history premise with optimism and a spirit of exploration, Star City immediately embraces a darker and more paranoid atmosphere. The result is a premiere that feels less like a traditional space drama and more like a Cold War espionage thriller set against the backdrop of the Soviet space program.

It’s a compelling start that successfully distinguishes itself from its predecessor while laying the foundation for what could become one of Apple’s most intriguing science fiction dramas.

A Different Side of the Space Race

One of the smartest decisions made by the creative team behind Star City is recognizing that the Soviet perspective fundamentally changes the tone of the story.

Viewers familiar with For All Mankind have spent years watching NASA astronauts, engineers, and administrators push technological boundaries in pursuit of discovery and national prestige. Even when political pressures emerged, there was usually a sense of possibility driving the narrative forward.

“The Eyes” presents a very different reality.

From the opening moments, the episode establishes a society built on secrecy, surveillance, and ideological conformity. Every interaction feels monitored. Every conversation carries an undercurrent of caution. Success is celebrated, but failure appears far more dangerous than it ever did on the American side of the space race.

The episode effectively uses this atmosphere to create tension before any rocket ever leaves the ground. Rather than relying on launch sequences or technical crises to generate suspense, Star City finds drama in the lives of the people trapped within a system where political loyalty is often just as important as technical competence.

The result is a fascinating shift in perspective that makes the alternate-history setting feel fresh again.

Rhys Ifans Delivers the Episode’s Best Performance

Among the premiere’s strongest elements is Rhys Ifans’ performance as the Chief Designer, the brilliant but enigmatic architect of the Soviet space program.

Inspired by the real-life Sergei Korolev, the Chief Designer occupies a unique position within the Soviet hierarchy. He is responsible for extraordinary achievements, yet remains constrained by politics and bureaucracy. Ifans portrays him as a man carrying the immense weight of national expectations while understanding the limitations imposed upon him by the system he serves.

What makes the performance so effective is its restraint.

Rather than playing the character as an eccentric genius, Ifans allows small moments of frustration, concern, and exhaustion to reveal themselves naturally. He commands attention whenever he appears on screen, often saying more through a brief expression than other characters manage through lengthy dialogue.

The Chief Designer quickly emerges as one of the most compelling figures introduced in the premiere, and his storyline alone provides ample reason to continue watching.

The Human Cost of Soviet Ambition

While rockets and lunar missions provide the backdrop, “The Eyes” remains focused on the people expected to carry the Soviet Union’s ambitions into space.

The introduction of Anastasia Belikova serves as one of the episode’s most effective narrative threads. As the Soviet Union prepares to pursue new milestones in the space race, Anastasia finds herself facing enormous pressure to represent not only herself but an entire political ideology.

The premiere does an excellent job highlighting the burden placed upon Soviet heroes. Success brings glory, but it also invites scrutiny. Public figures become symbols of state power rather than individuals with their own hopes and fears.

This theme resonates throughout the episode. Nearly every major character appears trapped between personal desires and institutional expectations. Whether they are cosmonauts, engineers, or government officials, everyone operates under the constant awareness that their actions may have consequences extending far beyond their own lives.

This focus on human cost gives the episode emotional depth and prevents it from becoming merely an exercise in alternate-history world-building.

Surveillance Defines the World of Star City

If there is a central theme running throughout the premiere, it is surveillance.

The episode’s title, “The Eyes,” proves particularly fitting as viewers are repeatedly reminded that somebody is always watching.

The KGB’s influence permeates nearly every aspect of life within Star City. Private conversations feel anything but private. Friendships are viewed with suspicion. Trust becomes a rare commodity.

This atmosphere of observation creates a unique form of tension. Unlike many modern dramas that rely heavily on action sequences or shocking twists, Star City derives suspense from uncertainty. Characters must constantly evaluate what they can safely say and whom they can trust.

The presence of Colonel Lyudmilla Raskova further amplifies this dynamic. As a representative of state authority, she embodies the power of the surveillance apparatus without resorting to cartoonish villainy. Her calm demeanor often feels more threatening than open hostility.

The episode wisely avoids simplistic depictions of good versus evil. Instead, it presents a system in which ordinary people become participants in structures of control, often believing they are acting in service of a greater cause.

That moral complexity adds considerable weight to the narrative.

Exceptional Production Design and Atmosphere

One area where Star City immediately matches the high standards established by For All Mankind is production quality.

The series looks fantastic.

The creative team has meticulously recreated the visual identity of the Soviet space program. Control rooms, training facilities, apartments, and government offices all feel authentic and lived-in. Every set contributes to the impression that viewers are observing a functioning society rather than a collection of television backdrops.

The show’s visual palette deserves particular praise.

Muted colors, harsh lighting, and imposing architecture reinforce the sense of a world defined by discipline and control. Even scenes involving technological triumphs carry an undercurrent of unease.

This visual approach distinguishes Star City from its predecessor while maintaining continuity within the broader alternate-history universe.

The costumes are equally impressive, helping establish social hierarchies and institutional identities without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.

Combined with strong cinematography and a subtle musical score, the production design becomes one of the premiere’s greatest strengths.

Deliberate Pacing with Strong Results

Some viewers may find “The Eyes” slower than expected.

The premiere dedicates substantial time to introducing characters, establishing relationships, and explaining the political dynamics that shape life within Star City. As a result, the episode occasionally prioritizes atmosphere over momentum.

However, this deliberate pacing ultimately works in the episode’s favor.

Rather than rushing through exposition or relying on spectacle to maintain interest, the writers allow viewers to absorb the complexities of this world. By the end of the episode, audiences have a much clearer understanding of the social and political forces influencing the story.

The premiere trusts viewers to engage with its ideas, and that confidence pays off.

While future episodes will undoubtedly need to expand the narrative and increase the stakes, “The Eyes” succeeds in accomplishing its primary objective: making viewers interested in spending more time within this world.

A Promising Beginning

The greatest accomplishment of Star City’s premiere is that it successfully justifies its own existence.

Spin-offs often struggle to establish unique identities, particularly when they emerge from successful franchises. Yet “The Eyes” never feels like a retread of For All Mankind. Instead, it offers a distinct perspective on familiar events while introducing compelling new characters and themes.

The episode transforms the space race into something more than a competition between superpowers. It becomes a story about surveillance, sacrifice, ideology, and the individuals caught between history and politics.

By shifting the focus away from exploration and toward control, Star City finds fertile new ground within an already established universe.

If the rest of the season can build upon the foundation established here, Apple may have another science fiction hit on its hands.

Final Verdict

Star City Episode 1 delivers a strong and confident introduction to Apple’s newest science fiction drama. Featuring outstanding performances, exceptional production design, rich world-building, and a pervasive atmosphere of Cold War paranoia, “The Eyes” offers a fascinating new perspective on the alternate-history universe established by For All Mankind.

While its measured pacing may not appeal to every viewer, the premiere rewards patience with compelling characters, intelligent storytelling, and a setting unlike anything else currently on television.

The space race may be familiar territory, but Star City proves there are still new stories worth telling among the stars.

Score: 8.5/10

A tense and atmospheric premiere that trades NASA’s optimism for Soviet paranoia and is all the better for it.