Key examples include Krys Marshall as Danielle Poole, a black female veteran astronaut who demands and earns command of a critical Apollo-Soyuz mission, highlighting barriers overcome in a militarized NASA; Jodi Balfour as Ellen Wilson, a central character whose acting NASA administrator role drives geopolitical crisis responses while her subplot revolves around rekindling a secret lesbian romance with Pam amid a sham marriage to gay Larry, culminating in personal heartbreak and implicit 1980s homophobia tensions. Other women like Molly Cobb and Tracy Stevens hold significant space roles, and Latina engineer Aleida Rosales faces workplace hurdles tied to immigration status.

These elements influence subplots and arcs—Ellen's personal turmoil affects her leadership, Danielle's pushback addresses tokenism—but remain secondary to the core Cold War lunar conflicts, nuclear brinkmanship, and technological feats. No race- or gender-swapping of established figures occurs, as characters are original to the alternate timeline where prolonged space competition accelerates inclusion.

Creator interviews emphasize space history over activism. Audience reception includes critical acclaim but user backlash on Metacritic and social media decrying 'woke' inclusions like gay relationships, female empowerment, and diversity as forced messaging distracting from sci-fi focus, with some dropping the show over Earth drama prioritizing identity politics.