Sergei Nikulov

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Sergei Nikulov

Full name

Sergei Orestovich Nikulov

Alias

Sergei Bezukhov

Personal Information

Gender

Male

Date of death

2003

Place of death

Travel Inn Motel room

Cause of death

Assassination disguised as suicide

Family

Muriel Bezukhov (wife)
Unknown (parents)
Unknown (ex-wife)

Nationality

United States

Soviet Union

Professional Information

Occupation

Physics teacher
Director of Roscosmos (former)
Engineer

Affiliations

Roscosmos (former)
Soviet Space Program (former)

Series Information

Actor

Piotr Adamczyk

Seasons

Two, Three, Four

Episodes

13

First seen	Last seen
2x06	4x09

We would also suggest 'Soyuz-Apollo' for the mission. For the sake of convenience.
Sergei Nikulov, in Season 2, Episode 6, "Best Laid Plans"

Dr. Sergei Orestovich Nikulov was a Soviet engineer for the Soviet space program, and later the director of its successor, Roscosmos. He worked closely with Margo Madison during the Apollo-Soyuz mission. Over the following years, the two engineers develop a close relationship that occasionally starts going beyond professional matters only. He was later replaced as director by Lenara Catiche and sent to a work camp, before defecting to the United States in 1995.

By 2003, Sergei is living under the name "Bezukhov" in Iowa, where he is teaching physics at a local high school. He is married to Muriel Bezukhov. He is assassinated by an unknown person after resuming contact with Margo Madison during her visit to the United States.

History[]

Season 2[]

Sergei is initially obstructive and hostile to the Americans due to the Soviets belief that Apollo-Soyuz is a ploy to learn Soviet military secrets, and he refuses to share even the most basic information with Margo Madison and her team, even insisting on the name to be changed to Soyuz-Apollo. However, after Margo speaks to him again, he reveals the Soviet's suspicions to her, and she arranges a secret meeting at the club "11:59".

There, he listens to Margo play piano and compliments her on the "lively" performance. He reveals he's on a long leash with the KGB because they know he would never defect, so it was easy to escape his minder and make it to "11:59". He then asks whether the club is a secret place for her, which she confirms, and when Margo tells him the club was named in reference to the Doomsday Clock^W, he tells her about the Soviets fears of nuclear war.

Inspired by the club's coasters, Sergei suddenly comes up with the idea for an androgynous docking system, and the two sketch out the initial designs before returning to JSC where Sergei (now rather drunk) finds Aleida Rosales in the docking model. He compliments her on her dedication, and she corrects a flaw in Sergei and Margo's design. The three work through the night to finish the design so that Margo and Aleida can present it the next day, and when the Soviets accept it, Sergei reveals the Soyuz frequencies. Margo does the same for Apollo.^[1]

The destruction of flight KAL-007 worsens tensions between the USA and the USSR, and with the other Soviets, Sergei is kept under guard in his room. Margo visits him with borscht^W to ask for help contacting Danielle Poole and Nathan Morrison in Star City. He tells her, he has no way of contacting anyone with the phone dead, so Margo promises to arrange a phone call and he agrees to do what he can to get them in touch with their astronauts.

Sergei is recalled to Moscow while it's decided whether Apollo-Soyuz will be continued. Before he goes, Margo visits him in his temporary office at JSC and manages to communicate the flaw with the Buran shuttle's O-ring, which could kill everyone onboard if the shuttle launched in cold weather, which is known to be common in Sakhalin^W. They express their hope of seeing each other again soon and become flustered. This is overheard by a KGB agent.^[2]

Sergei soon returns to Houston to continue working on Apollo-Soyuz. He compliments Margo on her appearance before revealing he has more directives from Moscow. They climb into the docking model to work out the details of the handshake. Sergei flips a coin to decide who will be the host, but they lose it and his pants get caught. Their faces are brought close together, only for Emma Jorgens to interrupt them.^[3]

Amid considerable tension between their countries, Sergei videophones Margo to announce the launch of Soyuz. Margo has become upset with him due to the launch of the armed Buran, and she coldly refers to him as "Mr. Nikulov".^[4] The Soviets continuously delay the docking between the two ships, however. The Americans become annoyed, and Sergei apologetically communicates the state vector for their next docking opportunity. This is in fact the number for a payphone outside of Star City's headquarters, and Sergei hurriedly answers it. He explains there is a mechanical difficulty on Soyuz, which Margo doubts. He asks her to trust him, but the last time she trusted him, the Soviets sent an armed Buran towards the Moon. He retorts that Pathfinder is also armed but says he is like her, on the outside, trying to do the best he can. But Margo can only hold off for one more orbit before calling Apollo 75 home.^[5]

The Apollo-Soyuz mission is completed, and Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov meet to diffuse tensions between their countries. Sergei calls Margo after the funeral of Gordo and Tracy Stevens to pay his respects, and he invites her to get a drink with him at the ICSE conference in the UK that summer. Margo does not know whether she can make it, though. When they hang up, it is revealed that Sergei was forced to make the call by the KGB. Their leader states that Margo opened the door with Buran and by the time she realizes she's working for them it will be too late.^[5]

Season 3[]

While working together during the Apollo-Soyuz mission, Sergei and Margo developed a relationship of both professional and personal kind. In the following years, they meet regularly at the IAC meetings. Beside sharing technical details, a romantic relationship starts to develop between the two engineers.^[6] Subsequently, Sergei is put under high pressure from the Soviet regime and the KGB to use this relation to get constantly more useful information from Margo.

In 1992, Sergei is the director of Roscosmos, the successor to the former Soviet Space Program. He announces that the Soviets will compete in the upcoming race to Mars and plan their own mission for 1996, using the same launch window as NASA.^[7]

At the 1992 IAC meeting in London, after drinking together at the hotel bar, Margo invites Sergei to her room, where she straightforwardly asks him to kiss her. After following her request first, he suddenly stops, telling her that he's sorry and that he is under massive pressure by his superiors. He tells her, that they have problems with the cooling system of the nuclear engine for their Mars spacecraft, and that he has no other option than to ask her for their engine designs. Margo tells him, that this is way over their agreement of helping each other and that they were always very clear, that nothing of potential military use would be shared. Sergei begs for help, but then he gives up and apologizes again. Someone starts knocking on the door of Margo's room, not answering her question who it is. KGB agents enter the room and show Margo photographs of her and Sergei meeting and calling each other. When she still refuses to give them what they want, one of the agents starts strangling Sergei. He stops, and the other agent gives Margo one day to think about it and hands her a number she should call if she will change her mind.^[6]

After Margo passes over information on NASA's NERVA engines, Sergei is saved from death, although he is replaced as directer of Roscosmos by Lenara Catiche. The engine designs are used for Mars-94, the Soviet spacecraft for their mission to Mars.^[6] During this mission, in a vain attempt to take the lead in the race, Mars-94's crew overworks their engines, leading them to burn out and a nuclear meltdown to occur, necessitating a rescue of the crew. Due to Helios Aerospace CEO and founder Dev Ayesa's refusal to rescue the crew, Sojourner-1 is required to launch the rescue mission, succeeding, although with the deaths of 2 astronauts and 1 cosmonaut. Due to the now joint crew onboard Sojouner-1, Roscosmos personnel arrive in Houston and begin to work at NASA's Mission Control. As part of this deal, Margo insists on Sergei's release, leading to them be reunited. However, he has spent the last two years in a prison camp, leaving him bald and a shadow of his former self, as he has been tortured in ways that do not leave visible damage, instead effecting his lungs. During this time, Aleida Rosales begins to suspect that the Soviets have stolen the NERVA designs.^[8]

After the joint Sojouner-1 landing, Sergei is no longer needed for Margo's cooperation, and he is sent back to the Soviet Union.^[9] Although Margo works with Nelson Bradford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff^W and former military liason with NASA, to rescue him and bring both he and his family to the United States. Margo is warned by Lenara Catiche that she is about to be arrested for passing information on the NERVA engines, and that they can faciliate her own defection to the Soviet Union. Shortly before the Johnson Space Center bombing, Sergei is rescued, and calls Margo from Ramstein Air Base^W in West Germany, thanking her, and is excited that they will soon be able to see each other once again. This is the last time he speaks to her before Margo herself defects, with everyone believing her to have died in the bombing.^[10]

After arriving in the United States, Sergei settles into suburban life.^[10]

Season 4[]

In 2003, Irina Morozova, the new director of Roscosmos, gives Margo a photo of the engineering team for the first Moon landing in 1969. Margo notes that Sergei is in the photo, asking if Morozova knew him, to which she replies that he was an old friend.^[11]

By 2003 Sergei is a physics teacher at 'Spiro T. Agnew High School' in Iowa, sharing a home with his new wife Muriel. He has taken the name Sergei Bezuhkov, seemingly content with his new life. This is broken when he overhears Margo's defection speech on the TV. His wife is surprised to hear of the news, although she does not know of the connection between her husband and Margo. Sergei is distracted from that moment on, being unable to pay attention in his classes or at home. He eventually discovers that Margo will be visiting Houston as part of the Goldilocks capturing mission, and impulsively decides to travel to Houston to see her.

He finds Aleida's house and shares the true story behind Margo's defection, helping Aleida forgive her. She provides a note to Margo setting up a meeting between Sergei and her at a diner. Sergei at first believes that she has stood him up, leaving the entire contents of his wallet for the waitress as he leaves, but finds Margo waiting at his car. She admonishes him, insisting that they can't do this. He shares that the woman she knows as Irina Morozova was his KGB handler and that Margo is not safe.^[12]

Margo and Sergei continue to communicate over the following month, using Aleida as an intermediary, before Margo organizes a meeting at Aleida's house between the two. Sergei travels through backyards and arrives hours early to avoid detection, the meeting allows for the mining of Goldilocks to provide returns within 9 months instead of 2 years, as well as the opportunity for Sergei to gift a jazz CD to her. He then proposes for them to run away and work for the Brazilian space program. she says it would be like the old Apollo-Soyuz days, but he says to call it Soyuz-Apollo, for the sake of convenience. The two leave and travel back to their own lodgings, Margo in an upmarket hotel, while Sergei in a dingy motel. As Margo eats her room service hamburger and researches Brazil, Sergei has his own McDonalds hamburger, but before he can enjoy it. He is shot in the head by an unknown assassin, who places the pistol in his hand to make it appear as a suicide.^[13]