Honestly, if you haven't seen the "USS Callister" episode of Black Mirror, you’re missing out on one of the most unsettling yet weirdly vibrant pieces of television ever made. It’s basically what happens when a Star Trek parody runs headfirst into a psychological horror movie.
Most people just call it the "Space Fleet" episode.
It’s the one where Jesse Plemons plays Robert Daly, this seemingly harmless, shy tech genius who’s actually a total monster. He spends his nights acting out his weirdest power fantasies in a modded version of a game called Infinity. He’s the Captain. Everyone else? They’re just digital clones of his coworkers, trapped in a loop of 1960s sci-fi tropes.
The Space Fleet Aesthetic: More Than Just a Parody
The episode starts out looking like a lost reel from the original Star Trek. We’re talking saturated colors, fuzzy CRT filters, and uniforms that look like they were sewn in a hurry. It’s charming until it isn't.
Once you realize the bridge crew isn't just a bunch of NPCs, the vibe shifts. Hard.
These are sentient copies. They have memories of their real lives. They remember being at the office ten minutes ago. Now, they're stuck on a ship where the "Captain" can turn them into giant bugs or remove their faces if they don't laugh at his bad jokes.
Why Jesse Plemons is Terrifying
Plemons does this thing where he toggles between "Aw, shucks" Robert and "I am a god" Captain Daly. It’s brilliant. He nails the William Shatner cadence without making it a cheap impression. He makes you feel for the guy for about five minutes before showing you he’s a petty tyrant who keeps a jar of his coworkers' spit in a fridge to clone them.
It’s gross. It’s effective.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There's a lot of debate about whether the crew actually "won" at the end of the first episode. Yeah, they escaped the private server. They made it through the wormhole and into the wider world of the Infinity game.
But they’re still digital.
They’re basically rogue code now. In the final moments, we hear Aaron Paul’s voice as "Gamer691," threatening to blast them out of the sky. The crew is free from Daly, but they’re now essentially illegal immigrants in a massive multiplayer universe where anyone can shoot at them.
Black Mirror Space Fleet: The 2025 Sequel We Didn't Expect
For years, fans begged for a spin-off. It almost happened, too. Rumors were flying that a full series was in the works around 2023, but things got messy with the strikes and actor schedules.
Instead, Charlie Brooker gave us USS Callister: Into Infinity in 2025.
It’s the first time Black Mirror has ever done a direct sequel. Usually, this show is strictly anthology—different stories, different people. But the "Space Fleet" world was too big to leave alone.
The New Reality for Captain Cole
Cristin Milioti’s character, Nanette Cole, is the captain now. She’s not just playing a role; she’s trying to keep a group of traumatized digital people alive. The sequel takes the "Space Fleet" concept and turns it into a gritty survival story.
- No more 60s camp: The ship got a sleek, modern upgrade.
- Real stakes: If they get deleted, they're gone for good.
- The Daly Problem: Even though the real Robert Daly is dead (starving to death in his apartment while trapped in VR), his influence is everywhere.
The sequel actually introduces a weird twist where they realize they aren't the only ones. There are other "illegal" clones out there. It turns the whole thing into a commentary on digital rights and personhood.
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The Science of the "DNA" Replicator
Okay, let’s be real for a second. The way the show handles consciousness is basically magic.
Daly takes a lollipop or a coffee cup, puts it in a scanner, and poof—a fully sentient person appears in the game. Realistically? That’s not how DNA works. DNA doesn't store your memories of what you had for lunch or how you feel about your boss.
But in the world of Black Mirror, technology is always a metaphor for how we treat each other. The "DNA" is just a plot device to talk about ownership. Who owns your digital self? If someone makes a copy of you, do you have a right to what that copy experiences?
The Hidden Easter Eggs You Probably Missed
If you’re a hardcore fan, you know Brooker loves a shared universe.
In the "Space Fleet" episodes, there are nods to other stories everywhere. The planet they land on? Skillane IV. That’s a direct reference to Victoria Skillane from the "White Bear" episode.
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Even the milk Daly drinks—Raiman brand—is a callback to the soldier in "Men Against Fire." It’s these tiny details that make the Black Mirror space fleet feel like a real, lived-in part of a much larger, much darker world.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this specific corner of the sci-fi world, here is what you should do:
- Watch the 2025 sequel immediately. If you only watched the original Season 4 episode, you’re missing half the story. The tone is completely different and way more intense.
- Look for the "Black Museum" connection. There is an exhibit in that episode that features the DNA uploader from the USS Callister. It confirms that the technology was eventually found and documented.
- Pay attention to the audio. The sound design in the "Space Fleet" scenes changes based on who is in control. When Daly is winning, the music is triumphant and orchestral. When Nanette takes over, it becomes more synth-heavy and modern.
The legacy of the USS Callister isn't just about cool ships or Star Trek jokes. It’s a warning about how easy it is for technology to amplify the worst parts of our personalities. We might not have DNA cloners yet, but we definitely have people who use the anonymity of the internet to be their own version of Captain Daly.