Apple TV has dropped the full trailer for season five of ‘For All Mankind‘, and if the footage is anything to go by, the alt-history space drama is heading into its most politically charged territory yet, with Mars on the verge of all-out rebellion against Earth.
The new season picks up in the 2010s, years after the Goldilocks asteroid heist that dominated season four. Happy Valley has grown from a frontier outpost into a full-blown colony of thousands, now serving as a launchpad for missions pushing even further into the solar system. The trailer teases an ambitious new goal for the season: finding life in the far reaches of space, described as potentially “the greatest discovery in human history.” But getting there is going to be complicated, because Earth’s governments have had just about enough of bankrolling Mars.
The trailer lays out the central conflict pretty bluntly. On one side, a political voice declaring that their administration will “put Earth back in charge” and stop “funnelling money to Mars.” On the other, the Martian colonists themselves, increasingly determined to be self-sufficient, no longer reliant on shipments and supplies from home. The chants of “Mars is ours!” that ring out across the trailer suggest that tension is well past the boiling point. With Peacekeepers on the ground and Earth threatening to cut the colony off entirely (“without allies, without aid, without your home planet, let’s see how long you can survive”), season five is shaping up to be the show’s most explosive run yet.
Returning for the new season are Joel Kinnaman, Toby Kebbell, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, and Wrenn Schmidt. It’s worth noting that this could well be Kinnaman‘s final outing as Ed Baldwin, one of the show’s few remaining original characters. Ed was already in poor health and well into old age by the end of season four, and the show has never been shy about moving time forward in big leaps. Unless the writers decide to take things in a particularly sci-fi direction and shove him into a robot body or upload him to an AI (which, honestly, wouldn’t be the most outlandish thing this show has ever done), it feels like this could be farewell.
Joining the returning cast are several new series regulars with some serious pedigree. Mireille Enos (The Killing, Hanna) steps into the role of Celia Boyd, a member of the Peacekeeper Security Force on Mars. It’s actually a reunion for her and Kinnaman, having previously worked together on both of those shows. Costa Ronin (The Americans, Homeland) plays Lenya, a Soviet politician and former cosmonaut. Sean Kaufman (The Summer I Turned Pretty) takes on the role of Alex Poletov Baldwin, son of Kelly (played by Cynthy Wu) and grandson of Ed himself, meaning there’s a whole new generation of Baldwins in the mix. Ruby Cruz (Bottoms) plays Lily Dale, the youngest daughter of Miles (Tobby Kebbell’s fan-favourite rock smuggler) and his ex Amanda. And Ines Asserson (Royalteen) is A.J. Jarrett, a US Marine in training for a space mission. Also recurring this season is Tyler Labine (New Amsterdam) as Fred, another member of the Mars Peacekeeper forces.
‘For All Mankind‘ was created by Emmy Award winner Ronald D. Moore, alongside Emmy Award nominees Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, who also serve as showrunners. Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions, Kira Snyder, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, and Seth Edelstein all executive produce. The series is produced for Apple TV by Sony Pictures Television.
If you’ve not caught up yet, all four previous seasons are available on Apple TV now. It’s worth knowing that season four holds a perfect 100% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, so no pressure. There’s also a spin-off, ‘Star City’, in the works, which will tell the alt-history story of the space programme from behind the Iron Curtain, though that one doesn’t have a premiere date yet.
‘For All Mankind‘ Season 5 premieres Friday, 27th March 2026 on Apple TV, with one new episode dropping every Friday.
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