Priya Kansara Joins ‘Star City,’ Bringing Brains to For All Mankind Spinoff

Apple TV+ is heading back into orbit with Star City, the Cold War spinoff of For All Mankind, and the latest addition to the cast is Priya Kansara. Best known for her breakout role in Polite Society, Kansara has been cast as Lakshmi, a Soviet scientist working inside the USSR’s space program. The series promises to dive deep into the Soviet side of the space race, and casting Kansara hints that emotional intelligence and scientific brilliance will play a big role in how the show explores its alt-history.

The casting announcement arrived just as production is ramping up. Star City reimagines the space race from the other side of the Iron Curtain, exploring what it meant for cosmonauts, KGB agents, and engineers to operate in a high-stakes game of global influence. Priya Kansara’s Lakshmi is expected to be a pivotal figure in this world, balancing loyalty to the Soviet system with the desire to push scientific boundaries. It’s a fertile setup for drama, and fans of For All Mankind know just how much moral complexity the show thrives on.

Kansara’s casting is a huge win for the series. She brings energy, warmth, and sharpness to every role. If you’ve seen her take down bad guys in a sari, you already know she can carry a scene with both grit and grace. That same mix of emotional range and charisma will likely make Lakshmi a fan favorite. Whether she’s conducting experiments in orbit or navigating pressure from the Party, there’s no doubt Kansara will bring a spark to the show’s brainy side.

The cast surrounding her is stacked, including Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Solly McLeod, and Ruby Ashbourne Serkis. With this ensemble, Star City feels less like a side project and more like a prestige series of its own. Everything about the setup suggests a bold, cerebral, and politically-charged character drama set against the backdrop of rockets, surveillance, and impossible ambition.

Fans of For All Mankind should be especially excited. That show carved a space of its own in the alt-history genre, mixing character-first storytelling with big ideas. Star City looks to do the same, but with a new setting and tone. Where FAM leans into American optimism and generational progress, Star City will likely spotlight paranoia, state control, and sacrifice. And in the middle of that ideological tension is Lakshmi, who could become the beating heart of the show.

This is the kind of casting news that kicks a project into must-watch status. The showrunners have a strong creative track record, and the concept is ripe for the kind of slow-burn storytelling that Apple TV+ does best. If the original series explored the space race as a metaphor for progress, Star City might turn it into a metaphor for resilience under pressure.

Priya Kansara heading to orbit? We’re fully onboard.