It's just one small step for humanity, but a huge one. spoiler to the finale of the 5th season of the series "For All Mankind".
It's finally happened. After a terrifying and thrilling journey to Titan that recalled the best moments of For All Mankind, the Apple TV sci-fi series introduced alien life. Are we about to enter Star Trek territory?
The search for life comprised half of Season 5's main storyline, with the other half centered on the war for independence on Mars, culminating in this episode after a Dune-like invasion. These two concepts feel like the show's deepest dive into the sci-fi genre and alternate timelines, but they were integral to the overall concept of "For All Mankind.".
/Film had the opportunity to speak with showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert about the Season 5 finale, the revelation of life, and what it means for Season 6. Nedivi emphasized how long the writers had been considering this revelation.
«"We always knew we'd get here, but we knew it was kind of the final revelation, the final path we'd have to take," Nedivi explained. "It felt like it had to be earned, and this journey to Titan, with all its twists and turns and the sacrifices it took, especially Kelly's, had become incredibly inspiring by the time of that revelation, even for us writers.".
«"I think we humans have always talked, thought, and told stories about whether there's life in the universe, whether we're alone," he continued. "I think that question has been so important not just to science fiction, but to all of us.".
Read also: Star Trek: The 10 Saddest Deaths in the Franchise, Ranked
Opening to all mankind
Kelly walks among alien life on Titan in "For All Mankind" — Apple TV
In the Season 5 finale, after climbing a mountain to rescue an injured crew member, Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu) takes samples that she later identifies as living microorganisms—methane-based life forms unlike anything on Earth. This discovery changes everything for the series, and its development has only intensified since then.
In the final scene, just before the time jump that leaves us in an ominous climax, we return to Kelly. She is left alone to die on Titan after volunteering to conserve oxygen and allow her two crewmates to return safely to Mars. Observing a methane lake, she sees a light emanating from it—bioluminescence—that reacts when she approaches it and begins walking on it.
«"When she steps into this lake, her footsteps cause the microbes to glow and surround her, just like what happens to people on Earth when they walk into the ocean and find themselves surrounded by these microbes," explained showrunner Matt Wolpert. "We think they've found this small sample of microbial life on Titan, and what she steps into at the end reveals that there's much more out there. It's not just a little puddle; this moon is teeming with life.".
So, there is alien life in the For All Mankind universe, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves and think we're about to make first contact.
As showrunner Ben Nedivi told us, the writers were well aware that the further the series progressed, the more it would move into science fiction and touch on "things so theoretical that it's unclear whether they'll even happen.".
«"We still try to be as data-driven as possible, we still drive our researchers crazy trying to make sure the physics principles make sense," he added.
Is For All Mankind really just a Star Trek reference?
The Mars 94 spacecraft drifting through space in the film "For All Mankind" — Apple TV
For All Mankind has always strived to remain realistic. The first two seasons focused primarily on existing technologies or projects that were considered and planned but never realized, such as the Sea Dragon. But now we've reached the point where humanity has landed on Jupiter's moon and discovered alien life—which elevates the series into the realm of Star Trek.
For Ben Nedivi, even the final scene, where Kelly discovers a lake full of life, doesn't hint at anything more.
«"When it came to this final discovery, we did a tremendous amount of research to make sure everything was plausible," Nedivi explained. "It became a little more science fiction, a little more fantastical, but I still think that, despite that, we're trying very hard to stay as close to science as possible at this stage.".
However, the situation may change slightly next season. It seems clear that alien civilizations will never appear in "For All Mankind," but the ending of Season 5 seems to hint at a sixth season that will take us even further to the stars.
The season ends on a cliffhanger: a scene set in 2020 shows a Russian spacecraft from the 1990s blasting off into space and now orbiting a ringed planet. It's logical to assume this is Saturn, but it could also be something outside our solar system. The scene concludes with a cryptic message that appears to indicate the ship is detecting gravity wells—potential clues to the next stage of navigation and propulsion technology. Season six will be the end of For All Mankind, so it's logical to assume it will end with an explosion, perhaps one outside our solar system.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm. .