Abhiroop Das
Created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘For All Mankind‘ takes its fifth season further into the 21st century, charting an alternate history where the space race never ended. Though the Soviet Union bags an early win with the first moon landing in this story, by the fourth season, it is America that has access to some of the most precious resources in the universe. Following a timeskip, we enter a fully reformed Happy Valley colony, which is now several generations strong and has its own Martian culture and lifestyle. Ed Baldwin, now 80 years old and well into retirement, is happy with how his life with Kelly and Alex has turned out, but that doesn’t mean he carries no secrets.
Ed’s Cancer is Already at Stage Three by the Time Season 5 Begins
Season 5 of ‘For All Mankind’ begins with a rather grim revelation, confirming Ed Baldwin has stage three cancer, and likely does not have a lot of time left. This comes mere moments after we see just how far the Baldwin family has come, with three generations now calling Mars their home planet. While Ed kickstarted this grand journey with his Apollo 10 mission all the way back in 1969, time has not been kind to him since. The prolonged exposure to radiation over these years appears to have taken its toll on him, and the endpoint of that is cancer. In a cruel way, this calls back to the fates of Molly Cobb and Wubbo Ockels, who are hit with intense radiation in season 2 and have to bear the brunt of its side effects. While it is implied that Ockels dies of cancer, Molly slowly goes blind, showing just how deadly exposure can be in the long run.
What is perhaps even more heartbreaking than Ed’s diagnosis is the fact that he has kept it a secret from Kelly and Alex this entire time. Even though his doctor reminds him of the importance of familial support in these times, Ed appears to be determined to keep shut as long as he can. However, with his symptoms developing rapidly, it is but a matter of time before the truth comes out. While we don’t know the exact reason Ed has chosen to keep silent, it likely has to do with the future of his daughter and grandson. The season premiere tells us that Kelly is at a career low point, as a full decade of research and excavation still hasn’t gotten her any proof of life on Mars. Her son, on the other hand, appears to be at a turning point of his own, pondering whether to stay on Mars or carve out a new life on Earth.
Ed Hiding His Diagnosis From Kelly Reflects Deeper Psychological Hurdles
With both Kelly and Alex already burdened by the personal tides in their life, it is possible that Ed doesn’t want them to bother with his cancer. His self-deprecating nature has been a point of concern from the very start of the series, and this shows that he has hardly made any positive growth in all these decades. For both his family and the larger community of Happy Valley, Ed is more than just a distant, legendary figure of the past; he is a real person with his own joys and sadness. All of this contributes to how he is respected by every citizen of Mars, who will do everything in their power to help Ed throughout his battle with cancer. While he may be keeping things under wraps for now, his worsening cough means that Kelly will likely know the truth sooner rather than later.
While the fifth season is largely set in the late 2010s, the rapid scientific advancements in this alternate history narrative must mean that humanity already has ways to definitively deal with stage three cancer. That might just be the reason that Ed secretly wants to go to Earth, knowing the physical risk that comes with it at this stage. Another, grimmer possibility is that he simply wants to stand on Earth’s surface one last time before his death, and reminisce about how his life was before the space race took form. In either case, if Ed does pull this trip off, he will be the oldest person to ever don a space suit, which will definitely come with its own set of challenges, both logistical and on the home front. Whether Ed can be in sync with his family is a key step in his cancer treatment, and the first step in that is honesty.
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