Lee Stegler (played by James Caan) is a protagonist in Countdown.
Selected for the secret one-way Pilgrim Project to the Moon. Undergoes intense training from commander Chiz, launches successfully, and encounters a power drain malfunction en route. After lying about seeing the shelter beacon to ensure a landing, he walks on the lunar surface, discovers a crashed Russian lander with dead cosmonauts, exchanges flags, and follows a toy mouse and a locator beacon toward the shelter pod for survival. Mickey Stegler (played by Joanna Moore) is a protagonist in Countdown.
Chiz (played by Robert Duvall) appears in Countdown.
NASA mission commander who oversees the Pilgrim Project. Despite initial outrage at Lee's selection, he agrees to train him intensively in a matter of days, pushing hard both to prepare Lee and secretly hoping he will quit so Chiz can take his place on the one-way mission. Jean (played by Barbara Baxley) appears in Countdown.
Seidel (played by Charles Irving) appears in Countdown.
Gus (played by Charles Aidman) appears in Countdown.
Party Guest (uncredited) (played by Robert Buckingham) appears in Countdown.
Ross's Secretary (uncredited) (played by Betty Bresler) appears in Countdown.
Countdown (1967) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Lee Stegler
(played by James Caan) — protagonist
Selected for the secret one-way Pilgrim Project to the Moon. Undergoes intense training from commander Chiz, launches successfully, and encounters a power drain malfunction en route. After lying about...
Mickey Stegler
(played by Joanna Moore) — protagonist
Chiz
(played by Robert Duvall) — supporting
NASA mission commander who oversees the Pilgrim Project. Despite initial outrage at Lee's selection, he agrees to train him intensively in a matter of days, pushing hard both to prepare Lee and secret...
Jean
(played by Barbara Baxley) — supporting
Seidel
(played by Charles Irving) — supporting
Gus
(played by Charles Aidman) — supporting
Party Guest (uncredited)
(played by Robert Buckingham) — minor
Ross's Secretary (uncredited)
(played by Betty Bresler) — minor
Technician (uncredited)
(played by Benjie Bancroft) — minor
Technician (uncredited)
(played by Robert Cunningham) — minor
Reporter (uncredited)
(played by George Blagoi) — minor
Manager (uncredited)
(played by Ray Ballard) — minor
Coopersmith (uncredited)
(played by Arthur Bernard) — minor
Stevie Stegler
(played by Bobby Riha) — minor
Nogrady (uncredited)
(played by Ivan Bonar) — minor
Ross Duellan
(played by Steve Ihnat) — supporting
TV Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)
(played by William Conrad) — minor
Walter Larson
(played by Ted Knight) — supporting
Rick
(played by Michael Murphy) — supporting
Ehrman
(played by Stephen Coit) — supporting
Story Analysis
A one-way lunar mission driven by Cold War rivalry, testing human endurance and moral compromise.
