The cast includes prominent diverse actors in lead roles, such as Krys Marshall as Black NASA Mars mission commander Danielle Poole, who confronts racism and sexism; Edi Gathegi as Black billionaire space entrepreneur Dev Ayesa leading a private Mars venture; Coral Peña as Latina engineer Aleida Rosales; and Cynthy Wu as Vietnamese-American astronaut Kelly Baldwin. These are original characters in an alt-history where the prolonged space race accelerates social integration, making diversity feel somewhat organic but still prominently showcased.

A significant subplot centers on Jodi Balfour's Ellen Wilson, a Republican president and closeted lesbian, whose arc involves issuing an executive order ending military inquiries into sexuality amid HIV stigma, publicly coming out to avoid impeachment, and navigating her relationship—representing overt LGBTQ+ visibility in a high-stakes political role. Additional elements include mental health struggles, drug use, and international tensions with North Korean and Soviet elements.

While the core premise revolves around high-stakes Mars missions, competition between NASA, private enterprise, and the Soviets, and technical challenges like base-building and disasters, the progressive subplots influence key character developments and emotional beats without fully driving the narrative. Audience reception includes some backlash labeling it 'woke' due to these identity-focused arcs and diversity, as seen in Reddit and Metacritic user reviews criticizing gay/lesbian storylines and social issues, though critical acclaim remains high with no major 'go woke go broke' fallout.