TV Show review
November 1, 2019 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for For All Mankind.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse cast with women and minorities placed in prominent astronaut, leadership, and political roles from early seasons; the alternate-history premise justifies faster inclusion, but the visibility of female dominance in power positions and sustained ensemble diversity stands out to many viewers.
Woke political dialogue
Storylines touch on workplace gender equality, homophobia, and a public coming-out as president; Mars episodes include talks of workers' rights and resistance to corporate or Earth control, kept mostly within character drama rather than direct sermons.
Identity-driven story themes
Features strong female empowerment arcs across decades and a major multi-season storyline for a lesbian character who becomes president and advocates for LGBTQ equality after coming out; mixed-race families and evolving social norms appear as part of the world-building.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Later seasons portray corporate interests exploiting Mars resources, Earth governments exerting control, and colonists fighting for autonomy and better labor conditions; these elements echo real-world debates on power, immigration, and self-governance but stay grounded in sci-fi drama.
Review
For All Mankind is an alternate-history sci-fi drama that starts in 1969 when the Soviet Union lands on the Moon first. This sparks a never-ending space race that sends Americans to the Moon, builds lunar bases, and later establishes a colony on Mars across five seasons. The story follows astronauts, engineers, and their families through personal struggles, ambition, and major historical shifts in this faster-paced timeline. The premise leads to earlier and more visible roles for women and minorities in NASA and politics, including a prominent lesbian astronaut who rises to become the first female president and comes out publicly while pushing for LGBTQ equality. Later seasons add storylines about corporate power, workers' rights, and colonists seeking independence from Earth governments on Mars.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Viewers on forums and review sites repeatedly criticize the accelerated diversity, prominent lesbian president arc with equality messaging, female-led power structures, and Mars political plots as injecting modern identity and left-leaning themes into the space story.
Creator track record context
Ronald D. Moore's earlier sci-fi includes broad political and societal themes without a clear identity-politics focus; most writers and producers show professional credits centered on craft, while casting directors lean toward diverse ensembles in their body of work.
Production
