Star City Episode 1 Recap and Review: Yana’s Fate Changes Everything

The premiere of Star City wastes no time establishing its alternate-history world. The episode begins with Lyudmilla and a group of soldiers arriving at a young woman’s home. She’s brought to a laboratory where a historic moment is about to unfold. Everyone watches as Alexei Leonov becomes the first person in history to walk on the Moon.

The achievement sparks celebrations throughout the Soviet Union. Leonov becomes a national icon, while the Chief Designer receives recognition for helping make the mission possible. Yet instead of celebrating, he is already focused on what comes next. His dream is to use the Moon as a launching point for future missions to Venus and Mars, but government officials appear more interested in enjoying their victory over the Americans.

That victory soon comes with a problem.

Lyudmilla informs the Chief Designer that the Americans somehow obtained plans for the Soviet lunar base. The documents should have been impossible to access from outside the program. The only logical explanation is that someone inside Star City is secretly providing information to the United States.

As suspicions grow, attention turns to another major milestone: sending the first woman to the Moon.

Among the candidates, Yana stands above the rest. During training exercises, she displays confidence and skill that separate her from her fellow cosmonauts. Everything points to her being the obvious choice for the mission.

The episode also introduces Irina Morozova, a new employee in the monitoring department. Her responsibilities involve listening to recordings gathered through surveillance devices hidden inside cosmonauts’ apartments.

While working with her colleague and friend Vika, Irina becomes aware of a troubling investigation involving Yana. Vika has uncovered information suggesting that Yana concealed the existence of her brother, Ivan. According to the evidence, Ivan was connected to Sintaksis, an underground publication viewed as a threat by authorities.

Because Yana never disclosed this relationship, officials suspect she deliberately hid information to secure her place in the program.

The accusations quickly change everything.

Even though the Chief Designer strongly believes in Yana, he is powerless to stop what follows. He refuses to accept that she is a spy, especially after hearing that her confession was extracted under torture. Despite his objections, Moscow has already made its decision.

Yana is removed from the mission.

Her replacement is Anastasia Belikova.

The Chief Designer is forced to train Anastasia despite his disagreement with the decision. The pressure eventually takes a physical toll, causing him to collapse due to heart-related problems.

The cosmonauts are equally frustrated. Many of them view Yana as the most capable candidate available. Anastasia, on the other hand, is seen as a political selection rather than the best person for the job.

Back in the monitoring department, Irina begins questioning the official narrative.

While listening to conversations among the cosmonauts, she hears information suggesting Yana has had no contact with her family for years. That detail creates a serious contradiction in the case against her.

Irina starts wondering whether Yana has been wrongly accused.

Vika wants no part of that discussion. Challenging the government’s conclusions could damage her own career, and she has no intention of taking that risk.

As the launch date arrives, the mission proceeds from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Anastasia and the crew head into space while Irina continues searching for answers. Her investigation eventually leads her to a cemetery, where she discovers evidence that completely changes the picture. The grave of Yana’s brother reveals that he died as a child.

The discovery suggests that the allegations against Yana may have been built on false assumptions.

Before Irina can present her findings to the Chief Designer, Lyudmilla intervenes.

She questions Irina about her behavior and her tendency to pursue matters beyond her assigned responsibilities. Lyudmilla also confronts her about failing to report a separate issue involving cosmonauts Sasha and Tanya.

Then the situation takes a much darker turn.

Lyudmilla brings Irina along to deal with Yana personally. The encounter becomes a brutal test of loyalty. Irina is expected to execute Yana herself, proving her devotion to the state.

She cannot do it.

Yana’s fate is instead sealed by Lyudmilla, who carries out the execution.

At the same time, a crisis develops during the lunar mission.

Anastasia’s spacesuit is damaged, creating a potentially deadly situation. Despite the danger, she refuses to abandon the mission. The Chief Designer, unwilling to remain in the hospital while the mission is at risk, joins efforts to find a solution.

Working with advice provided by Sergei, they devise a plan to release the suit’s pressure and get Anastasia safely back into the lander before carbon dioxide levels become fatal.

The plan works just in time.

After repairing the suit, Anastasia steps onto the Moon and prepares to deliver a speech to the Soviet people.

Things don’t go according to script.

She struggles with the prepared remarks and eventually abandons them. Instead, Anastasia chooses to speak in her own words.

Then she mentions Yana, describing her as a patriot.

The statement creates an immediate problem because Yana has already been executed. Officials quickly cut the transmission, but the comment has already been heard.

The episode closes with the possibility that Anastasia’s unscripted words could have major consequences.

The first episode succeeds at balancing political intrigue, space-race drama, and personal tragedy.

The strongest storyline revolves around Yana’s downfall. The more information that emerges, the less convincing the accusations against her become. By the end of the episode, it feels increasingly likely that the wrong person was punished, leaving a much larger mystery hanging over the series.

Irina also stands out as an effective audience viewpoint. She’s new to the system and still willing to ask questions that others avoid. Her growing doubts about the official version of events provide much of the episode’s tension.

I was especially invested once Irina discovered the truth about Yana’s brother. From that point forward, it became obvious that something wasn’t adding up, and the episode builds suspense around that realization quite well.

The Chief Designer’s storyline works too. His frustration with political interference gives the space program a human dimension, while his health problems add another layer of pressure to an already difficult situation.

The final Moon sequence is easily the highlight of the episode. Anastasia surviving the suit emergency is tense enough on its own, but her decision to honor Yana publicly turns a successful mission into a potential political disaster.

As a series opener, Star City does exactly what it needs to do. It introduces its main players, establishes a compelling mystery, and leaves plenty of unanswered questions for future episodes.

Next: Star City Episode 2