‘Black Mirror’ Season 7 Episode 6: ‘USS Callister’: Into Infinity – Recap and Ending Explained
‘Black Mirror’ Season 7 wraps up with a bang in Episode 6, ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity,’ bringing back the starship crew we first met years ago. Charlie Brooker revisits this fan-favorite world, flipping the script on a tale we thought was done. It’s a wild ride packed with space battles, betrayal, and that dark ‘Black Mirror’ edge, stretching into a feature-length finale that feels like a proper send-off—or maybe a new start.
Jesse Plemons returns as Robert Daly, the unhinged captain, joined by Cristin Milioti as Nanette Cole, the coder who broke free last time. Jimmi Simpson’s back as Walton, and we’ve got fresh faces like Milanka Brooks as Elena, a new crew member with her own spark. It’s a love letter to sci-fi nerds and a gut punch to anyone who thought these characters were safe. Here’s how it all plays out.
Recap of ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’
We pick up with Nanette and the crew—Walton, Valdack, Shania, and the rest—living it up in their liberated game world after escaping Daly’s grip in Season 4. They’ve turned the USS Callister into a real ship, cruising a sprawling digital galaxy with other freed avatars. Nanette’s captain now, keeping things tight, but trouble brews when Elena joins, glitchy and sharp-tongued. She’s from a pirated copy of the game, and her code’s unstable, sparking fights and weird system hiccups.
Then Daly crashes the party. He’s back, resurrected by a rogue update from a fan server, and he’s got a new ship—the Infinity—loaded with twisted versions of the crew he’s tortured into loyalty. A massive space chase kicks off, with Nanette dodging his attacks while Elena’s glitches threaten to sink them. Walton sacrifices himself to overload Daly’s engines, and Nanette lures the Infinity into a collapsing star. In the chaos, Daly traps her in a mind-link, forcing her to relive her worst fears—until Elena, half-broken, fries the link and drags them both out.
Ending Explained
The Callister’s a wreck, but Daly’s ship goes down with him—again. Nanette and Elena limp back to the crew, who’ve patched into a wider network of game worlds. They’re free, sort of, but the catch hits hard: Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti carry this showdown, and the last scene’s a kicker. As they toast to Walton, the screen flickers—Daly’s face pops up in the static, grinning, hinting he’s not gone for good. The crew doesn’t see it, but we do.
It’s not a clean win. Daly’s like a virus now, bouncing between servers, and the crew’s stuck in a game that’s growing beyond them. Nanette’s still fighting, but that flicker says the battle’s never over. It’s ‘Black Mirror’ leaving the door cracked—freedom’s real, but so’s the shadow waiting to pull them back.
A Sci-Fi Epic With Teeth
This one’s got it all—blaster fights, a swelling score, and nods to ‘Star Trek’ that’ll make geeks grin. Plemons plays Daly with this quiet menace that’s scarier than any explosion, while Milioti’s Nanette is all grit and heart. Brooks’ Elena adds a chaotic spark, like she’s half-ready to burn it all down. The visuals are huge—think swirling nebulas and crumbling ships—but it’s the crew’s bond that keeps you locked in.
What gets me is how it twists the original. Back in Season 4, they broke out of Daly’s toybox; now, they’re facing a bigger cage—one they helped build. It’s less about him and more about what freedom costs when the system’s endless. For a finale, it’s loud, messy, and leaves you wondering who’s really steering the ship. ‘Into Infinity’ doesn’t tie it up neat—it rockets off into the dark, and I’m still chewing on where it might land next.