Everybody knows that Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came out in the summer of 1982. But, what the alternate history Apple TV+ series For All Mankind presupposes is… maybe it came out in 1983?
In episode 5 of For All Mankind’s second season—“The Weight”—the writers of the show slipped in a hilarious Easter egg to the most famous Trek movie of them all. And, in doing so, confirmed that the alternate history of the show impacts the growth of popular science fiction as well as politics. The premise of For All Mankind might be fixated on an alternate development of NASA during the late ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, but the context takes place amid some pop culture that is different from our own.
Mild spoilers about For All Mankind seasons 1 and 2 ahead. Plus, a very old 1982 spoiler from The Wrath of Khan.