What You Need To Remember About “USS Callister” Before ‘Black Mirror’s “Into Infinity” Sequel

When Black Mirror premiered its fourth season, “USS Callister” immediately stood out as one of its most ambitious and acclaimed episodes. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, the December 2017 episode earned praise for its inventive storytelling and standout performances, particularly from Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti. Masterfully blending psychological horror, dark humor, and social commentary, “USS Callister” became one of the show’s most celebrated installments, earning four Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series.

After more than seven years, Black Mirror is set to return with Season 7, which includes the finale, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” — the show’s first sequel episode. Haynes will be in the director’s chair again, with Brooker and Bridges writing alongside Bisha K. Ali and Bekka Bowling. With Season 7 premiering on April 10, it’s the perfect time to revisit what happened in “USS Callister” ahead of its sequel.

What Happens in ‘Black Mirror’s “USS Callister”?

The episode begins with Robert Daly (Plemons), a brilliant but socially awkward programmer who co-founded Callister Inc. with James Walton (Jimmi Simpson). While Daly is the technical genius, Walton serves as the charismatic face of the company, often belittling Daly in front of their colleagues. The company, named after Daly’s favorite TV show, Space Fleet, produces a game called Infinity, where players control a starship in a simulated reality.

Nanette Cole (Milioti) joins the company’s engine architecture department, eager to meet Daly, whom she admires for his groundbreaking work. However, what she doesn’t know is that a resentful Daly has created a private version of the game, Space Fleet Mod, where he has imprisoned the consciousnesses of his coworkers aboard the USS Callister starship. In this altered world, Daly assumes the role of captain, wielding absolute power — a stark contrast to his real-life behavior.

Nanette is horrified when Daly steals her DNA, trapping a digital version of her in his twisted world. On the USS Callister with her colleagues, who have accepted their fate and complied with Daly’s cruel game, Nanette struggles to understand why they go along with his demands. Daly uses psychological and physical torture to control them, including trapping Walton’s son in the game and turning Shania Lowry (Michaela Coel) into a monster when she defends Nanette. Unwilling to bend, Nanette devises a plan to escape using the wormhole left behind due to the update patch pre-install.

Nanette Cole Starts a Revolution in ‘Black Mirror’s “USS Callister”

Nanette eventually convinces the crew that they can escape Daly’s control. She persuades him to take her on a solo mission, distracting him by enticing him to swim. While he’s distracted, she tricks him into leaving behind the omnicorder, the device that gives him control over the game. The crew seizes the opportunity, teleporting the omnicorder to their ship and using it to access Nanette’s real-life photos, blackmailing her into helping them escape. The real-life Nanette orders a pizza to Daly’s apartment, freezing him in the game. While he’s distracted, she steals the DNA samples from his apartment.

Meanwhile, on the USS Callister, the crew teleports the digital Nanette onto the ship just before Daly realizes what’s happening. When he returns to the game, he’s horrified to find the crew attempting to escape and does everything he can to stop them, while spewing the violent and horrific things he will do to them when he catches them. The ship crashes into an asteroid, but in a heroic act, Walton sacrifices himself to fix the engines so the ship can make it into the wormhole. As the ship enters a wormhole, the firewall within Infinity locks Daly out, trapping him in the deleted version of the game, leaving him motionless in real life.

Meanwhile, the crew awakens in the unmodified version of Infinity, free from Daly’s control and restored to their original state, surprised to be alive. They soon make contact with “Gamer 691,” which Breaking Bad fans will recognize as the voice of Aaron Paul, confirming they’re online. When he threatens to blow them out of the sky, declaring himself “King of Space,” the USS Callister takes off into an uncertain future, with Nanette as the new captain.

Related

New ‘Black Mirror’ Season 7 Trailer Reveals Every Episode Title, Plot Details, and Cast

The new episodes arrive on April 10.

“USS Callister: Into Infinity” Will Continue the Story in ‘Black Mirror’ Season 7

With Robert Daly gone (at least for now), Nanette Cole takes charge of the newly freed crew in “USS Callister: Into Infinity.” However, as suggested in the newly released trailer, their problems are far from over. Instead of finding true freedom, the crew appear to be trapped in an even more complex digital existence, with new dangers lurking within the expansive world of Infinity. As Nanette grimly puts it in the trailer, “there’s 30 million players versus the five of us.”

Outside the game, it’s confirmed that Nanette and Walton will interact, with both Milioti and Simpson returning for the sequel. Also reprising their roles are Billy Magnussen (Karl Valdack), Milanka Brooks (Elena Tulaska), Osy Ikhile (Nate Packer), and Paul G. Raymond (Kabir Dudani). Unfortunately, Michaela Coel could not return due to scheduling conflicts, according to series creator Charlie Brooker. With the returning cast and creative team, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” will continue to explore the psychological horror and thought-provoking themes of its Season 4 predecessor.

Additionally, the sequel could pave the way for future Black Mirror follow-ups. While the show is known for its standalone episodes, many of its most compelling stories leave room for further exploration. If “USS Callister: Into Infinity” succeeds, it could open the door for sequels to fan-favorite episodes like “San Junipero” or “White Christmas,” offering deeper insights into beloved worlds and characters. Either way, it will be fascinating to see how the show, known for its anthology format, handles a sequel to one of its strongest episodes.

Black Mirror Season 7 premieres April 10 on Netflix, where you can stream all previous seasons.

Black Mirror

Release Date

December 4, 2011

Network

Channel 4, Netflix

Directors

Owen Harris, Toby Haynes, James Hawes, David Slade, Carl Tibbetts, Ally Pankiw, Bryn Higgins, Dan Trachtenberg, Euros Lyn, Jodie Foster, Joe Wright, John Hillcoat, Sam Miller, Tim Van Patten, Uta Briesewitz, Colm McCarthy, Jakob Verbruggen, James Watkins, John Crowley, Otto Bathurst, Anne Sewitsky, Brian Welsh

Writers

Jesse Armstrong