Imagine if astronauts from the Soviet Union landed on the moon first, beating the U.S. by just a matter of weeks — imagine how different the world might be as a result. That's the premise of a new alt-history drama, called "For All Mankind" from the mind of Ronald D. Moore, one of the creators of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the man who reimagined "Battlestar Galactica," resulting in arguably the best sci-fi ever written for television.
A brand new trailer for the so-called "science faction" series shows the US space agency getting more than a little rattled as they watch footage almost identical to what we're so familiar with — Neil Armstrong slowly making his way down the lunar module ladder — except it's not NASA astronauts that we're watching, it's a Soviet cosmonaut.
Related: 'For All Mankind' Trailer Teases Apple TV+ Alternate Space Race Series
Furious that the Soviet Union has beaten them to the lunar surface, Nixon demands that NASA puts the first woman on the moon — a refreshing angle to take and that's what we get a glimpse of in this latest trailer.
In the 1-minute, 57-second trailer, we get a glimpse of NASA's call to land the first woman on the moon at a time when the space agency has no female astronauts. What follows appears to be a scramble to recruit, train and launch a cadre of American women astronauts.
"History will be rewritten. Boundaries will be shattered. Convention will be redefined," reads an Apple TV Twitter post announcing the new series.
The idea of an "alternative history" is not new in science fiction, take "Watchmen," "The Man in the High Castle" and the work of Harry Turtledove for example, but "For All Mankind" is slightly different. Many alternate history shows or novels place you into that world straightaway.
Take the "Watchmen" for example, Nixon has won his third term, the U.S. has defeated Vietnam and Doctor Manhattan already exists. Or "The Man in the High Castle," the Nazis have already won World War II divided up the the U.S. with Japan. "For All Mankind" is an opportunity to see history actually skew and watch how it develops.
The cast for "For All Mankind" includes, Joel Kinnaman ("Altered Carbon,") Michael Dorman ("Patriot,") Sarah Jones ("Alcatraz,") Shantel VanSanten ("The Flash,") Wrenn Schmidt ("The Americans,") and Jodi Balfour ("True Detective.")
Season 1 of “For All Mankind” will comprise of 10, 1-hour-long episodes and will be available on the SVOD service Apple TV+ when it launches on Nov. 1. Apple TV+ will cost $5 a month and offer a seven-day free trial. People who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch or Mac starting Sept. 10 will qualify for a free subscription for one year.
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