9 Years Later, Black Mirror’s Most Haunting Episode Feels More Prophetic Than Ever

Let’s talk about 'Black Mirror'—because, honestly, nobody does dark speculative fiction quite like Charlie Brooker and company. If you’ve ever binge-watched this show, you know every episode is basically its own self-contained mess of tech, existential dread, and unease. But out of all of them, one episode keeps popping up as more relevant (and more fun) than ever: 'USS Callister'.

The Gist: Star Trek Meets Office Politics

So, 'USS Callister' isn’t just a wink at old-school sci-fi. It's got the basics of a workplace comedy… mashed up with a nightmare. The premise is as follows: Jesse Plemons plays Robert Daly, who’s the genius but socially-awkward CTO of a VR gaming company, Callister Inc. You’d think being the brains behind a super-successful multiplayer game (called Infinity) would make him a hero, but actually, he’s the office punching bag. Nobody respects him, and it bugs him—a lot.

Instead of just, I don’t know, sending an angry email, Daly takes revenge in the weirdest possible way: he creates a Star Trek-inspired universe inside the game, cloning his coworkers (using a suspiciously easy DNA sample process) to populate his virtual starship crew… and then basically torments them for not showing him enough respect in real life. It’s as dark as it sounds, but also strangely hilarious at times, which is not what you’d expect from 'Black Mirror'.

Things really start cooking when he brings in a new hire, Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti). She isn’t interested in playing victim, so she rallies the crew to try to break free from Daly's sadistic game.

Where the Wild Ideas Came From

Here’s a fun detail: screenwriter William Bridges—who confessed he’s a lifelong Star Trek nerd—threw in a bunch of homages, but not just to Star Trek itself. He also lifted some vibes from 'Galaxy Quest' (the movie where regular people get stuck in a very real sci-fi scenario), and from a classic 'Twilight Zone' episode called 'It’s a Good Life'. That’s the one with the kid who can control his whole town with his mind—so, basically, the original 'angry god' trope.

If all this sounds like just an excuse to nerd out over old shows, it's not. The episode jabs at toxic workplace culture, petty abuse of power, and what happens when a nerd with too much tech and not enough self-awareness gets total control over other people. There’s even a little dig at toxic fandom—something every fan community knows a bit about.

'He gets to be the all-powerful captain he wants to be, but only in this warped little digital universe he built for himself.'

How the Cast Leveled Up

One of the overlooked pleasures of watching 'USS Callister' now is seeing just how many of its stars have absolutely crushed it in the sci-fi and drama world since this episode aired. Here’s how the roster stacks up:

• Jesse Plemons: Since 'USS Callister', he’s been everywhere from Oscar-bait ('Killers of the Flower Moon', 'The Power of the Dog') to cult sci-fi ('Bugonia'), where, frankly, he deserved a statue.
• Cristin Milioti: She stayed on the genre path with 'Palm Springs' (basically a rom-com 'Groundhog Day'), then starring in HBO Max’s 'Made for Love' (as a woman who discovers her tech-mogul husband is tracking her brain), and now has an Emmy for 'The Penguin', where she absolutely owns the screen.
• William Bridges (writer): Penning episodes of 'Soulmates', pitching in on 'Stranger Things'—good sci-fi never lets you go.
• Toby Haynes (director): He’s found a home with stylish genre fare like 'Utopia' and 'Andor'. You like your sci-fi grungy and political? He’s your guy.

Basically, everyone who touched this episode has gone on to do cool and (usually) weird things. Even the supporting cast shows up all over the place in surprising roles if you keep your eyes peeled.

The Sequel Saga (Plus a Whole Bunch of Awards)

Here’s something you might not know: 'USS Callister' is basically the only 'Black Mirror' episode (besides 'Bandersnatch', if you count that as an episode) to get a full-on sequel. The follow-up, 'USS Callister: Into Infinity', showed up in Season 7 and people ate it up—it’s got an 8.1/10 IMDb rating and keeps the blend of humor, bleakness, and thrilling moments. If you bounced into the series somewhere in the last few years, this is the one to circle back to.

The sequel almost didn’t happen, though. Brooker and Haynes initially had a bigger plan: a separate series built around 'USS Callister'. Netflix was onboard, but the whole project got body-slammed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Plans changed, ideas got condensed, and what was going to be a new show became a single film… which then became the Season 7 sequel episode. Call it development hell, but with robots and space suits.

Also worth noting: 'USS Callister' is one of only a couple 'Black Mirror' episodes to clean up at the Emmys. Best TV Movie, best writing, best sound editing, best picture editing… the list goes on, with nominations across the board. Only 'San Junipero' has managed that level of love from the Television Academy. Take that, dystopia!

All this is to say: if you’re looking for a gateway into 'Black Mirror' or just want sci-fi that’s got bite and brains (plus a killer cast), make 'USS Callister' your next stop.