Apple TV’s Stellar 6-Part Sci-Fi Is Officially Switching Main Characters

Published Sep 26, 2026, 7:47 AM EDT Julio is a Senior Author for Collider. He studied History and International Relations at university, but found his calling in cultural journalism. When he isn't writing, Julio also teaches English at a nearby school. He has lived in São Paulo most of his life, where he covers CCXP and other big events. Having loved movies, music, and TV from an early age, he prides himself in knowing every minute detail about the things he loves. When he is older, he dreams of owning a movie theater in a small countryside town. One of the best science fiction series ever made is coming to an end, and everything will change. Since its debut in 2019, Apple TV's For All Mankind has followed an alternate timeline in which the Soviets landed on the Moon before the U.S., leading to profound differences in how many historical events occur. Although it features an incredible ensemble cast, the show's initial protagonist is astronaut Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman). As For All Mankind enters its sixth and final season, the series will feature a roster of completely different characters from when it began — and, for the first time, Ed isn't among them. For most shows, switching main characters this late in the game poses a challenge and is often the consequence of some kind of production problem, but in For All Mankind, it's actually part of the plan. ‘For All Mankind’ Season 6 Will Follow a New Protagonist From the start, For All Mankind fans have joked that Ed would outlive everyone else as the show's main character. The series covers roughly five decades of alternate history, beginning in June 1969, and Ed Baldwin is front and center until he finally dies in early Season 5. The series' transition to a new main character has already begun, since Ed's daughter Kelly (Cynthy Wu) and grandson Alex (Sean Kaufman) take over for more than half a season afterward. What caught viewers by surprise, however, was that Kelly wasn't meant to be Ed's replacement after all. As a supporting character, she was defined by the struggle to find her own way in the world while living up to her family's reputation. She more than fulfills her purpose by discovering microbial life on Titan, but circumstances prevent her from returning home to Alex, effectively making him the heir to the Baldwin legacy and, as it stands, For All Mankind's new main character. Surprising as it is, though, Alex's promotion works perfectly. He has lived up to the Baldwins' legacy of "pushing the envelope" from the very start as the first human ever born off Earth. In Season 5, he joins the Happy Valley rebellion against the M-6 on Earth to protect the rights of Mars' residents. That makes Alex the personification of everything For All Mankind is about: humanity's potential to reach further into the unknown to make a better future. ‘For All Mankind’s Premise Brings Different Characters Into the Spotlight Image via Apple TV Since For All Mankind takes place over five decades, the series doesn't limit itself to telling the stories of the same people introduced in Season 1. Instead, it's a generational saga, and just as Alex is set to take over as the show's main character after Ed, other characters are also replaced by their descendants down the line. The Baldwins aren't the only family that introduces new faces over the course of the series — it also happens to the Stevens, the Dales, and so on. In that sense, Alex's role in the final season seems to have been part of the plan all along. Series co-creators Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi previously mentioned that For All Mankind was always intended to end in Season 6 and reach the present day, so the story had to have a generational aspect to it. It doesn't seem reasonable to map five decades of a story at once before you even start telling it, so Alex probably didn't exist as a character when the whole thing was conceived, but he was the inevitable endgame. As For All Mankind heads toward Season 6, Alex will take his place among other younger characters who have inherited their own legacies, like Avery Jarrett (Ines Asserson) and Lily Dale (Ruby Cruz). His close relationships with older characters like Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) and Aleida Rosales (Coral Peña) also make him the perfect "bridge" between the show's past and present. There's Only 1 Character in ‘For All Mankind’ Who Has Been Around From the Start For All Mankind's ever-rotating character roster does have one exception, though, and it's not Ed Baldwin. So far, Aleida is the only character who has been around since Season 1, appearing in the very first scene of the series. By Season 5, Aleida, now 51, serves as the CEO of Helios Aerospace, so she still has enough room to play a big role in the final season. While Aleida isn't initially a main character in the show, she inherits her own legacy through her mentor, Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt), who, in turn, was Wernher von Braun's (Colm Feore) pupil. So, in a way, Aleida is a living account of humanity's journey into the stars, having witnessed everything and played an active role in several of the show's most significant events, so it stands to reason that she might show up in the very last scene of For All Mankind, too.