The battle is no longer just about reaching space first. The new trailer for For All Mankind Season 5 shows the Martian colony done with taking orders from Earth, setting the stage for a full-blown interplanetary conflict when the show returns to Apple TV+ on March 27. The 10-episode season picks up in the 2010s with the Red Planet’s residents chanting “Mars is ours!” as they push for independence.
Trailer Shows Mars Done With Earth’s Control
Apple TV released the official Season 5 trailer on February 23, and it makes one thing clear: the colonists on Mars are tired of being told what to do. The footage shows Happy Valley has grown from a small outpost into a busy colony with thousands of people living and working there . But with that growth comes bigger problems.
Earth’s politicians are fed up with sending money and supplies to Mars. One voice in the trailer says their administration will “put Earth back in charge” and stop “funnelling money to Mars” . The Martians are not having it. The trailer shows protests and growing anger, with colonists making it known they want to run their own planet without interference from the home world .
The conflict gets personal when Earth threatens to cut the colony off completely. A warning in the trailer tells the Martians: “without allies, without aid, without your home planet, let’s see how long you can survive” . It sets up what looks like the most tense season yet for the space drama.
New Decade Brings Big Changes for Happy Valley
Season 5 jumps forward to the 2010s, continuing the show’s tradition of moving time ahead with each season. The Goldilocks asteroid heist from Season 4 changed everything, and now Happy Valley serves as the launching point for missions that go even deeper into the solar system . But success on Mars has created new problems with the people back on Earth who funded the whole thing.
The official synopsis explains that “nations of Earth now demanding law and order on the Red Planet” causes “friction continues to build between the people who live on Mars and their former home” . What started as a scientific mission has turned into a political nightmare, with Mars wanting independence and Earth refusing to let go.
Returning Cast and New Faces Joining the Fight
Joel Kinnaman returns as Ed Baldwin, though he looks very different now. The actor is playing Ed in his 80s with extensive prosthetics to show the character’s age . Given Ed’s declining health shown in previous seasons, this might be Kinnaman’s final run as the pioneering astronaut .
Other returning cast members include Toby Kebbell, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, and Wrenn Schmidt . The show also adds several new series regulars for Season 5.
Mireille Enos joins the cast as Celia Boyd, a member of the Peacekeeper Security Force on Mars . This pairs her up again with Kinnaman, as the two previously worked together on The Killing and Hanna . Costa Ronin (The Americans, Homeland) plays Lenya, a Soviet politician and former cosmonaut .
The Baldwin family tree grows with Sean Kaufman (The Summer I Turned Pretty) joining as Alex Poletov Baldwin, the son of Kelly (Cynthy Wu) and grandson of Ed . Ruby Cruz (Bottoms) plays Lily Dale, daughter of Miles (Toby Kebbell’s character) and his ex-wife Amanda. Ines Asserson (Royalteen) rounds out the new regulars as A.J. Jarrett, a US Marine training for a space mission .
Barrett Carnahan (Cobra Kai) also joins in a recurring role as Marcus, described as a recent high school graduate living on Mars .
What’s Driving the Mars Rebellion
The trailer shows the Martian colonists have had enough of being treated like an outpost. They see themselves as pioneers building a new world, not as employees of Earth-bound governments. The chants of “Mars is ours!” make it clear they want self-rule .
Earth sees it differently. Governments that poured money into the space program want control over what happens on Mars. They also want access to the resources and scientific discoveries coming from the colony. The standoff puts families against each other, with some characters caught between loyalty to Earth and their new lives on Mars.
The show also teases an ambitious new goal for the season: finding life in deep space, described as potentially “the greatest discovery in human history” . But getting there requires cooperation between Earth and Mars, and right now neither side wants to give an inch.
Season 5 Release Schedule and Streaming Details
For All Mankind Season 5 premieres Friday, March 27, 2026 on Apple TV+ . The first episode drops that day, with new episodes arriving every Friday through the finale on May 29, 2026 .
All 10 episodes will release weekly, giving viewers time to digest each chapter of the Mars conflict . For viewers in different regions, the episodes typically become available on Apple TV+ at midnight GMT or 8 PM Eastern Time the night before, depending on your location.
Apple TV+ costs $12.99 per month in the United States, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. An annual plan is available for $99 . The service is available in over 100 countries and regions.
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What Happened in Season 4
For viewers catching up, Season 4 centered on the Goldilocks asteroid crisis. Different factions fought over whether the valuable asteroid should benefit Earth or stay with Mars to fuel further expansion . A group on Mars successfully pulled off the heist, shifting the balance of power toward the colony.
The season ended with a time jump to 2012, setting up a future where Mars operations have grown massively and the consequences of the heist shape every decision . The show’s fourth season holds a perfect 100% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes .
For All Mankind comes from creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Wolpert and Nedivi serve as showrunners and executive produce alongside Moore and Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions, as well as Kira Snyder, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, and Seth Edelstein . Sony Pictures Television produces the series for Apple TV+.
All four previous seasons are streaming now on Apple TV+ for anyone needing to catch up before the March 27 premiere . A spin-off series called Star City is also in development, telling the alt-history story of the space program from the Soviet perspective .
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