For All Mankind recap: everything to remember before season 5

Season 5 picks up in 2012, and if you're struggling to remember how we got here from the Moon landing, here's a quick refresher.

Season 1 — the late 1960s and early 1970s

The entire premise hinges on one change: the Soviet Union lands on the Moon before the United States. Instead of the space race cooling down after Apollo 11, it intensifies. NASA scrambles to catch up, fast-tracks its lunar programme, and establishes Jamestown Base on the Moon. The core characters are introduced: astronaut Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), NASA engineer Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt), and astronaut Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), among others.

Season 2 — the 1980s

Cold War tensions escalate on the Moon itself. Both American and Soviet bases are now operational, and a confrontation nearly spirals into nuclear war. Marines are deployed to the lunar surface. Ed Baldwin cements his reputation as a fearless (and stubborn) astronaut. Margo rises within NASA's ranks. By the end of the season, conflict is narrowly averted, but the space race has become something far more dangerous than anyone anticipated.

Season 3 — the 1990s

The race moves to Mars. Three ships compete to get there first: NASA's Sojourner, the private Helios corporation's Phoenix, and Russia's Mars-94. The Russian ship suffers engine failure and is abandoned in space. The season is full of tragedy — Ed's ex-wife Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten) is killed. Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu), Ed's daughter, becomes a key character as a scientist. A permanent Mars presence is established by season's end.

Season 4 — the 2000s

By 2003, an international coalition (M-7) oversees Mars operations from the Happy Valley colony. An asteroid dubbed Goldilocks, rich in iridium, becomes the new prize. Worker conditions on Mars are terrible, leading to unrest. Miles Dale (Toby Kebbell) arrives hoping to earn money for his family and instead becomes a key figure in a growing rebellion. Ed and others stage an uprising. Meanwhile on Earth, Margo Madison is arrested after taking responsibility for leaking classified code to the Soviets — a sacrifice to protect her protégée Aleida Rosales (Coral Peña). The season ends with a time jump to 2012.

Where things stand going into season 5

• Ed Baldwin is elderly and still on Mars, but has been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.
• Margo Madison is in prison on Earth.
• Mars is increasingly demanding autonomy from Earth's coalition (now called M-6 after North Korea's departure).
• Miles Dale is a political figure on Mars.
• Kelly Baldwin is pursuing research on Titan, Saturn's moon.
• Aleida Rosales is one of the top engineers in the programme.