First, it was the Moon. Then Mars. And now, on For All Mankind, everyone is looking even further into space. Could we get to Jupiter? Saturn? Beyond? How would that even work with Earth so far away?
In the current season of the excellent Apple TV show, humanity has built a home on Mars. That means, for the first time in the show’s history, the center of space operations is actually located on Mars, not Earth. No more “Houston, we have a problem.” It’s “Mars, we have a problem.” Huge pieces of the story this season take place in the Mars Mission Control epicenter, and last month, io9 was among a group of journalists and influencers invited to check it out in person on the Sony Pictures lot in Los Angeles, CA.
“For the history of the show, season one, mission control, the basis of everything was in Houston,” co-creator Ben Nedivi said. “And this is the first time our mission control, the center of operations, is on Mars. So building this set really represents where the show is, how the show has grown, how it’s evolved over the season. So we really felt like this is the place for you guys to see how the show has changed and evolved.”
The set is, frankly, awe-inspiring. It’s a full 360-degree immersion with every button and screen fully operational. “We are pretty sure we can actually launch a spaceship from this room,” co-creator Matt Wolpert joked. Binders and notepads fill every desk, each chock full of data. Screens are on every surface and flash all types of information, such as how strong the communication signals are between Mars and other bases. Others track active missions around the area. And some spoil things to come later in the season, so we won’t talk about those. But here are a few images:
“There’s not a button here that wasn’t thought through,” Nedivi continued. “Everything on these sets is thought through in terms of why it’s there, what purpose it serves, and that goes to almost every set on the show. It’s getting harder as the show becomes more science fiction, but this year is especially exciting because it’s the buildup of identity. People living on Mars, it’s a home.”
But, because of that one event that sparked the entire concept of the show—the Soviet Union beating the United States to the moon—home has never been enough for this group of characters. They’ve always wanted to go higher, further, and faster.
“What’s very cool about this season in particular is for the history of the show, it’s been about going to the Moon, going to Mars, and really for the first time, we are now going beyond Mars,” Nedivi said. “And the reason there’s a mission control on Mars is [that] from the very beginning, when Ron [Moore], Matt, and I came up with this crazy idea, we always saw this as a launch pad for going further into the solar system. So this is the season when we do. The idea of going to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter was something we always dreamed about when we started this show. And the fact that we’re able to tell that story and get to the end is incredible.”
The show will actually end with the sixth season of the show, likely to be released in 2027. As we were on set, Nedivi, Wolpert, and their team were gearing up to start filming that, so most of the other sets used in season five were gone. Except for Mission Control on Mars. That’s still there because it’ll still be important as these characters go further into their future.
Season 5 of For All Mankind is now airing on Apple TV. It goes through May 29, which is when Star City, the Russian-centric spinoff, debuts. Then, as we mentioned, the show was renewed for a sixth and final season that will start filming soon, with the hope of being released in 2027.
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