In the 3rd episode of the 5th season of Apple TV's space series "For All Mankind," the iconic astronaut Ed Baldwin, played by Joel Kinnaman, passed away. The episode aired on the same day as NASA's Artemis II mission's return from the Moon in real life. This coincidence emotionally impacted fans of the alternate history narrative where the 1960s space race never ended. The series presented an optimistic vision of America surpassing the Soviet Union to reach the Moon and then Mars over five seasons.

Ed Baldwin had been diagnosed with an aggressive illness during his exit trajectory, and despite his doctor recommending rest, he led a mission to rescue his friend Lee Jung-Gil from prison, a physical burden that ultimately affected him beyond recovery. After sharing his final moments with his daughter Kelly and grandson Alex, Ed quietly passed away in his bed at the end of the episode. Due to the character being in his 80s, his death was attributed to old age and the wear and tear on his body.

The show's creators, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi, and Ronald D. Moore, admitted that Ed's death was the hardest narrative decision they had to make. Nedivi stated that they made this decision considering the plans for the season, where new generation characters and grandson Alex's story would take the forefront. "Even though Ed was portrayed as indestructible and at the center of everything, he became the character whose conclusion was the hardest to achieve," Nedivi said. The producers explained that they made the decision by questioning whether they could tell more stories with the character and what would be the best option for the series as a whole.

Kinnaman's last day of shooting was emotional and intense. A scene was filmed where he reunites with his best friend Gordo (Michael Dorman), who died many years ago, and his wife Karen (Shantel VanSanten) during the early years of the space program. Kinnaman was deeply affected while filming with Michael Dorman and shed tears during his farewell speech to the crew at the end of the period. "I was a complete wreck," the actor recounted. Filming wrapped up at 1 AM, and when he arrived home, his six Swedish friends and wife were preparing to embark on a journey to the Burning Man festival in California.

Kinnaman has been part of the cast since the show's inception, and the producers acknowledged his significant role in getting one of the first series greenlit during the launch of the Apple TV platform in 2019. Therefore, accurately portraying the death of the main character was a critical task. The actor emphasized that he loved the series' optimistic tone and its courage to appeal to the better sides of humanity, stating, "I think that's a beautiful thing."