India, July 31 -- What if the Soviet Union had won the space race in 1969? This is the premise of the streaming series For All Mankind (2019-), in which creators Ronald D Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi imagine an alternate history in which America is forced to play catch-up after Soviet Russia becomes the first country to send a man to the moon.

Over five seasons, the series has established itself as one of the best science-fiction shows on streaming. So it's surprising that the spin-off, Star City, belongs to an entirely different genre. It is also a hidden gem, though: a story of heroes who don't get the spotlight.

Created by the same team of Nedivi, Wolpert and Moore, Star City is the Soviet side of the story, but with more espio...