Abhiroop Das
Created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore, Apple TV’s ‘Star City ‘expands on the world of ‘For All Mankind,’ by taking the story back almost a full century. While the Soviet Union manages to gain the upper hand in the space race with a human lunar mission, the fight is still far from over. As most executives and politicians gather to consolidate their control over the moon, a group of visionary scientists, engineers, and cosmonauts dream of something others cannot even perceive: a trip to Venus. Cosmonaut Valya Mironov is one of those chosen few, but his role in this secret mission gets doubly complicated as it is discovered that he has secretly been working with the United States. However, as he sneakily boards the Venera ship and steers the mission, the truth about his past takes a backseat compared to how well he can serve his country and keep his teammates safe in the unforgiving outer space. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Valya Redeems Himself by Making a Self-Sacrificial Journey to Venus
‘Star City’ ends its first season with the heroic sacrifice of Valya Mironov, as he descends on a one-way trip to Venus to make sure his comrades reach home. Though we are initially led to believe that the trio met its ghastly end after the Venera ship caught fire, reality turns out to be far more complicated. Valya, Sasha, and Lakshmi were able to get the fire under control just before it got out of hand, but not before it moved the ship several degrees off-course. Instead of going around Venus, the ship was now making its way towards the sun, eliminating whatever little chance of survival that was left. However, there is still one way to get the ship back on track, and that is to use its exit capsule as a sort of aerial anchor to shift the ship’s weight distribution and force it to change directions. But there is a catch.
The exit capsule, while tough enough to momentarily survive the extreme pressures of Venus’ surface, can only be operated if someone is present inside. This means that the recalibration attempt is practically a suicide mission. Before the three of them can even begin to discuss the implications, though, Valya jumps at the opportunity, locking himself into the capsule and making the mission unavoidable. The reason he does this isn’t a death drive; on the contrary, his truest wish is to return home and look for his wife, Tanya. However, at that moment, Valya recognizes that his sacrifice can let two innocent people have a second chance at life.
Thus, Valya’s sacrifice is in many ways a redemptive stroke for his character arc, proving that, despite his actions, his solidarity lay with the people he cared for in his life. The most impressive part about his journey to Venus, however, is that the capsule manages to actually land without burning out or breaking down. While the world may never remember it, Valya is the first person in history to make it to the surface of Venus, and as the weight of that accomplishment sets in, he cannot do anything but laugh at the jubilation and simultaneous tragedy of it all. By then, however, the capsule seems to have reached its limit, and Valya makes sure that the last thing he ever does is take a long look at a picture of Tanya before the capsule crumples into itself, killing him in the process.
Adam Nagaitis Has Bid the Character of Valya Mironov Goodbye
The death of Valya Mironov means that actor Adam Nagaitis’ journey with the show has come to a cathartic finish. While ‘Star City’ does not claim to have a single protagonist. Valya is consistently one of, if not the most well-developed, characters in the show, and it is in no small part due to the efforts put in by Nagaitis. While we have already had a couple of fakeouts for the character’s demise, this one seems quite permanent. The show also doesn’t rely on extended flashbacks or hallucinatory sequences, which makes any chance of Adam coming back to the show even less likely. That said, fans may get a tease in the form of photographs every now and then, as the show particularly enjoys playing with the idea of nostalgia and how it is captured.
When stepping into the role of Valya, Nagaitis found himself captured by the nuanced characterization. In a conversation with Space, he described Valya as “resilient and dedicated, and he’s specific and reliable, adding that those “things are useful for an actor because they give you a focal point.” To put himself into the mind of a character as sincerely as possible, Nagaitis read up on Soviet history and shed all preconceived notions. He understood that Valya would have a very different perspective on his homeland when compared to a dissident, and that incorporated interiority is why his scenes come to life so well. While the actor may not return in an active capacity, the show’s narrative has been significantly molded by his understanding of this world and its grayest characters.
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