Black Mirror Creator Unpacks Season 7’s Enigmatic Finale

The sixth and final episode of Black Mirror’s seventh season on Netflix revisits the starship saga of “USS Callister,” first introduced in the fourth season’s opener back in 2017. Fans anticipated closure for the crew of virtual voyagers, but the episode delivered an unexpected open ending, teasing further adventures. Series creator Charlie Brooker has shed light on the cryptic conclusion, suggesting that Captain Nannette Cole may anchor a trilogy.

In the original “USS Callister” (spoilers ahead), programmer Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons) plunged into a virtual realm where he reigned as captain over a crew of digital clones modeled after his colleagues. Drawing inspiration from the “Star Trek” franchise, the episode painted Daly as a tyrannical leader. His team rebelled, leading to his demise, and under the command of new captain Nannette Cole (Cristin Milioti), the clones broke free from Daly’s private universe, stepping into the expansive multiplayer game world of “Infinity.”

The sequel, titled “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” finds “Infinity” in decline. Overcrowded by players, the virtual universe faces a resource crisis. Nannette’s clone and her crew set out to restore order. Meanwhile, in the real world, the original Nannette catches a glimpse of her digital double and learns of rogue players. Alongside colleague James Walton (Jimmi Simpson), she enters the game to tackle the issue, only to confront their own clones.

Nannette seeks a peaceful resolution, but Walton opposes the clones’ existence, viewing them as illegal. Driven by self-preservation and fear of legal fallout, he even kills clone Karl Ploughman (Billy Magnussen). In an interview with The Wrap, Simpson shared that he drew inspiration from self-serving billionaire tycoons akin to Elon Musk to shape Walton’s callous demeanor.

Determined to secure their survival, the clones venture to the core of “Infinity” to persuade a cloned Robert Daly to craft a new, separate world where Nannette’s team could live free from the threat of deletion. Daly offers to transfer Nannette’s consciousness into her real-world counterpart’s body, but she refuses. When he attacks her, Nannette kills him and triggers an emergency shutdown, erasing “Infinity.” Awakening in reality, the real Nannette realizes the “USS Callister” crew now lingers in her mind.

The finale drops a clear hint that Nannette and her team may return in a potential eighth season or beyond. Brooker initially envisioned a softer ending reminiscent of “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), with Nannette bidding farewell to her crew like Dorothy Gale leaving Oz. Director Toby Haynes, however, found it too saccharine. They opted instead for a darker, wryly humorous close in true Black Mirror fashion. Brooker explained that the “USS Callister” crew became an indelible part of Nannette’s life, embedding themselves in her psyche. This ambiguity opens the door for future stories exploring the clones’ existence within her mind.

“Toby said to me, ‘Maybe we’ll do another one? How are they going to get out of her head?’ We figured out how to put them there. Now we need to work out how to get them out. There’s still unfinished business. We’ll see if it happens,” Brooker shared.

The episode also weaves in cameos from the fifth episode of season six, “Demon 79,” released in 2023. Brooker noted that such crossovers could appear in future seasons. As of now, Netflix has yet to greenlight an eighth season.