‘For All Mankind’ Creators Officially Explain How [Spoiler]'s Death Was Planned Seasons Ago

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for For All Mankind Season 5, Episode 3.

For five seasons, Joel Kinnaman’s Ed Baldwin has been a constant on Apple TV’s masterpiece sci-fi series For All Mankind. Between NASA politics and interplanetary crises, he’s become a stalwart figure, embodying the spirit of progress. That’s why his passing in Season 5, Episode 3 presents an important turning point for the show, which comes not as a shock, but a heartbreaking farewell.

As Season 5 stays the course for the sixth and final season, the new generation is taking its turn in the spotlight, centering Ed’s grandson Alex (Sean Kaufman) at the forefront of the fight for Happy Valley’s future.

Speaking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, co-creators Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert discuss why they chose to end Ed’s journey midseason and reveal how far back this decision was made. They also discuss Kinnaman’s emotional final day on set, bringing back Michael Dorman and Shantel VanSanten, and how Ed’s presence continues to be felt "in almost every episode, in almost every way."

Ed Baldwin's Presence Is Still Felt in "Almost Every Episode"

"This show does not happen if Joel Kinnaman didn't sign on to it."

COLLIDER: Fans had a feeling Ed's journey would end in Season 5, and when you started Episode 1 by saying he has health issues, it was confirmed. Why did you decide to end his journey in Episode 3, and after rescuing Lee, was it almost something else?

BEN NEDIVI: Was it almost something else? What does that mean?

Did you think maybe he'll make it six episodes?

NEDIVI: No, we knew before the season started. In fact, I think we knew early, like probably Season 4, that this is where we're going. We didn't know exactly what episode or where, but I think in our conversations with Joel [Kinnaman], we felt like it would happen somewhere in the middle of the season, rather than at the end of the season. One, because I think our audience is almost expecting, now, for these things to happen in the finale, so there's that element of don't do the expected.

On the other side, I think in working on Season 5, what we realized more and more with this younger generation, especially Ed's grandson Alex, is that it gave power to that storyline of his and of his mother's, for Ed's passing to inform it and to inform the second half of the season, and it does that. So even after he dies, his presence is felt in almost every episode, in almost every way.

It was definitely not an easy decision, because Ed Baldwin is as close to our hearts as any character has been on this show. And Joel Kinnaman, this show does not happen if Joel Kinnaman didn't sign on to it. It would not have gotten greenlit. So, we owe him everything. This was a decision that we all made together. It's something that he kind of accepted and embraced, as well. And like everything else he's done on this show, he did it like a champ. I mean, he pulled this off. I thought it was his best season. No one else, I think, could have played this role the way he did.

He's fantastic.

The Emotional Story Behind Joel Kinnaman’s Final Day on ‘For All Mankind’

"We've all become so close."

What was it like filming with him on his final day of filming, and how tough was it to get Gordo and Karen back to film for a day or a few days?

MATT WOLPERT: That scene of him walking down the hallway, where you see Gordo and Karen and Shane, was actually Joel's last day of filming. It was incredibly emotional for everyone. The fact that Michael [Dorman] and Shantel [VanSanten] made time to do this in their very busy schedules meant the world to everybody. It just speaks very highly of how close they are to those characters. It was honestly one of the most emotional days I've ever had on a set just because we've all become so close. The arc we gave Joel is like a series of five photographs of him in each season, and the arc of that character and the arc of our personal relationship has grown so much over time that it just meant so much to be able to share that with him.

For All Mankind Season 5 is streaming now on Apple TV+. New episodes are released every Friday.