In his interview with The Ringer, Joel Kinnaman also discussed how Ed Baldwin has changed over the show’s three seasons. He particularly pointed out that playing Baldwin in Season 3 was fascinating, as it reflected what was happening in the world today. The show’s third season sees Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger) select Ed to command NASA’s Mars mission, above fellow astronaut Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall). Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt), however, cancels Molly, putting Danielle in charge of the mission, leading Ed to leave NASA and join the private company Helios, run by Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) to command their competing private mission to Mars. .
Kinnaman pointed out that, much like members of an older generation today, Baldwin never had to question his privilege or his place in the world. He was able to take things for granted and never wonder if he was going to get a job despite his qualifications. So when he lost the NASA mission to Poole, it led him to rant and claim that Poole got the job despite his qualifications, and not because of it.
The interpreter concluded that while a level playing field between people would lead to a better society, it was still difficult for someone like Baldwin to come to terms with it, which led to his decision to join Helios.