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Warning: This post contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Black Mirror Season 7.
The last time viewers saw the USS Callister crew, they had successfully escaped the grasp of their cruel commander, Robert Daly (), by traversing a wormhole to another dimension. Nanette Cole (), their new leader, took her rightful place as captain, and the ship warped into hyperspace.
This all occurred within the online game Infinity, while the real-world counterparts of the crew worked at Callister Inc., the game’s developer. Only Daly, the head programmer, was aware of the digital avatars. He had created an offline version of the game where he tormented clones of his colleagues. This twist was central to the episode, which was highly praised when it premiered in 2017 as the first episode of season four.
Now, the crew returns in a feature-length sequel, providing a satisfying conclusion to Season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi series. “USS Callister: Into Infinity” resumes with Nanette and her crew—Nate (Osy Ikhile), Kabir (Paul G. Raymond), Elena (Milanka Brooks), and Karl (Billy Magnussen)—struggling to survive in Infinity after leaving Daly to perish in his deleted universe, which also resulted in his real-world death. The Callister crew, without gamertags, steals credits to buy supplies, which Callister Inc. CEO James Walton (Jimmi Simpson) has monetized to increase profits. Unlike normal players, the clones can be injured and killed. Their activities have led to complaints about bandits and a New York Times reporter suspecting the truth about Daly’s cloning technology.
Realizing they cannot continue this way, the crew plans to create their own build by accessing the game’s source code within the “Heart of Infinity.” Meanwhile, in the real world, the original Nanette realizes the rogue players are likenesses of herself and her colleagues, including Walton (whose clone respawned in Infinity after sacrificing himself in the first episode). She informs Walton, and they enter the game. However, Walton has a hidden agenda.
It’s revealed that Walton recruited Daly to develop Infinity and they used cloning technology to upload Daly into the game to expand its universe. Walton wants to eliminate the clones to avoid being exposed and imprisoned. After learning his intentions, Nanette tries to stop Walton but is hit by a car and falls into a coma.
Walton reenters the game and informs the robbed players of the Callister crew’s location as clone Nanette confronts Daly in the Heart of Infinity. He tests her morality, then offers to upload her consciousness into her comatose real-world self and copy her crew into a new universe, if she stays with him forever. This moment touches on the sinister logic behind “nice guy syndrome,” similar to the first episode’s themes of toxic masculinity.
Ultimately, clone Nanette defeats Daly, merges her consciousnesses, and seemingly saves her crew before Infinity is deleted due to Daly’s death. However, the Callister crew were uploaded into real-world Nanette’s head and now see through her eyes. This ending, typical of Black Mirror, leaves the story open for a sequel, according to Brooker.
“It does mean there’s still unfinished business potentially. We’ll see,” he told . “Never say never!”