Seeing red: Deepanjana Pal writes on the Soviet-era space-race show Star City

Star City is a spin-off of the streaming series For All Mankind, created by Ronald D Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi.

The show is set in an alternate history where the Soviet Union won the space race in 1969, focusing on the Soviet side with espionage and earthbound drama.

The plot centers on chief designer Sergei Korolev (Rhys Ifans) and KGB colonel Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), who clashes when she learns of an American mole in Korolev's team.

Astronaut Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert) becomes the first woman on the moon and goes off-script by acknowledging Yana Akhmatova (Niamh Algar), a disgraced astronaut branded an American spy.

The series blends fact and fiction, telling the stories of overlooked heroes, and has been praised for its performances.