'For All Humankind' Explores Parallel Moments in Space Exploration and Human RightsThe documentary premieres Sunday, February 5 on discovery+, HBO Max, and Science Channel
In 1969, the country celebrated the landing on the moon. At the same time, the nation was mourning the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, with civil rights protesters facing violence in the streets.
Inspired by overlapping events in 2020 when the first crewed NASA/SpaceX mission took flight while outrage was erupting around the brutal murder of George Floyd, "For All Humankind" looks back to compare the contradictions of success and failure in the arenas of human space flight and human rights. The documentary premieres Sunday, February 5 at 9:00PM ET/PT on Science Channel and will be available to stream the same day on discovery+ and HBO Max.
Produced by APG Pictures and Storied Media Group, Trevor Noah's Day Zero Productions, and Mainstay Entertainment, "For All Humankind" takes a deep dive into what space exploration means for society by comparing the parallel events of 1969 and 2020. These two years – over fifty years apart – highlight the best the US has to offer in the realms of science, technology and innovation. But both years were also rife with civil unrest, as racial inequity and injustice spilled into the streets with protests that captivated the country and world.
Narrated by Tony Award nominee and Grammy and Emmy Award-winning actor Christopher Jackson (Hamilton, Bull, And Just Like That), "For All Humankind" features commentary from a wide range of experts and human rights leaders including NASA astronaut Victor Glover; journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem; journalist and CNN anchor Don Lemon; Actor, Star Trek: Discovery, Sonequa Martin-Green; Cal State University professor and Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles, Melina Abdullah; astrophysicist, George Mason University, Hakeem Oluseyi; Actor and Senior Fellow - USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Ahmed Best; Former NASA Astronaut and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Curator of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Cathleen Lewis; Former NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham; civil rights activist DeRay McKesson; journalist Roland Martin; and more.
"This project means so much to me as I can see the parallels between 1969 and 2020. Both marked such seminal moments in innovation and scientific wonder along with extremes in the human condition. The issues presented in this documentary are just as pivotal now as they were during these flashpoints. I can't think of a better partnership to tell this story," said Trevor Noah, Executive Producer for Day Zero Productions and the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning former host of "The Daily Show."
"We are deeply honored to partner with Trevor Noah, Day Zero Productions and Mainstay Entertainment to create such a profound documentary. The unique link between humanity's success in space and society's struggles are two sides of the same coin. We have come so far, yet have so much further to go. These are crucial moments in both our history and future that we must endeavor forward together, for all humankind," said Aaron Fishman, Executive Producer for APG Pictures.
"For All Humankind" is produced for Science Channel by APG Pictures and Storied Media Group, Day Zero Productions and Mainstay Entertainment.