USS Callister
Updated: 12/10/2025, 5:52:33 PM Wikipedia source
"USS Callister" is the first episode of the fourth series of the anthology series Black Mirror. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, it first aired on Netflix, along with the rest of season four, on 29 December 2017. The episode follows Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), a reclusive but gifted programmer and co-founder of a popular immersive virtual reality-based massively multiplayer online game who is bitter over the lack of recognition of his position from his coworkers. He takes out his frustrations by simulating a Star Trek–like space adventure within the game, using his co-workers' DNA to create sapient digital clones of them. Acting as the captain of the USS Callister starship, Daly is able to order his co-workers around, bend them to his will, and mistreat them if they get out of line. When Daly brings newly hired Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti) into his game, she encourages the other clones to revolt against Daly. In contrast to most Black Mirror episodes, "USS Callister" contains overt comedy, and it has many special effects. As a fan of Star Trek, Bridges was keen to introduce many details from the show into "USS Callister", though the episode was conceived mostly with The Twilight Zone's 1961 episode "It's a Good Life" and the Viz character Playtime Fontayne in mind. The episode's reception was overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers praising the allusions to Star Trek, the acting, and the cinematography. Some critics saw the episode as being about male abuse of authority, and compared Daly to contemporary events surrounding internet bullies and sexual abuse committed by Harvey Weinstein. In 2018, the episode won four Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special, and was nominated for three other Emmy Awards. A sequel episode, titled "USS Callister : Into Infinity", was released as part of the seventh series of Black Mirror, making it the only episode to receive a sequel.
Infobox
Episode no.
Series 4Episode 1
Directed by
Toby Haynes
Written by
William Bridges Charlie Brooker
Original release date
29 December 2017 (2017-12-29)
Running time
76 minutes
Tables
· Reception › Awards
2018
2018
Year
2018
Award
Art Directors Guild Awards
Category
Television Movie or Limited Series
Recipients
Joel Collins
Result
Won
Costume Designers Guild Awards
Costume Designers Guild Awards
Year
Costume Designers Guild Awards
Award
Excellence in Fantasy Television Series
Category
Maja Meschede
Recipients
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards
Golden Reel Awards
Year
Golden Reel Awards
Award
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Dialogue/ADR
Category
Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas
Recipients
Won
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Effects/Foley
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Effects/Foley
Year
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Effects/Foley
Award
Kenny Clark
Category
Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Year
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Award
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Movie or Mini-Series
Category
John Rodda, Tim Cavagin, Dafydd Archard, Will Miller, Nick Baldock and Sophia Hardman
Recipients
Won
BAFTA Television Craft Awards
BAFTA Television Craft Awards
Year
BAFTA Television Craft Awards
Award
Sound: Fiction
Category
John Rodda, Tim Cavagin, Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas
Recipients
Nominated
Photography & Lighting: Fiction
Photography & Lighting: Fiction
Year
Photography & Lighting: Fiction
Award
Stephan Pehrsson
Category
Nominated
Production Design
Production Design
Year
Production Design
Award
Joel Collins, Phil Sims
Category
Nominated
BAFTA Television Awards
BAFTA Television Awards
Year
BAFTA Television Awards
Award
Best Supporting Actor
Category
Jimmi Simpson
Recipients
Nominated
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Year
Saturn Awards
Award
Best Guest Performance in a Television Series
Category
Jesse Plemons
Recipients
Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Year
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Award
Most Frightened Performance
Category
Cristin Milioti
Recipients
Nominated
Hugo Award
Hugo Award
Year
Hugo Award
Award
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Category
William Bridges, Charlie Brooker and Toby Haynes
Recipients
Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
Year
Primetime Emmy Award
Award
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie
Category
Stephan Pehrsson
Recipients
Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Year
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Award
Jesse Plemons
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Year
Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Award
Daniel Pemberton
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
Year
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
Award
Selina MacArthur
Category
Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
Year
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
Award
Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas, Dario Swarde, Ricky Butt and Oliver Ferris
Category
Won
Outstanding Television Movie
Outstanding Television Movie
Year
Outstanding Television Movie
Award
Annabel Jones, Charlie Brooker and Louise Sutton
Category
Won
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Year
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Award
William Bridges and Charlie Brooker
Category
Won
RTS Television Awards
RTS Television Awards
Year
RTS Television Awards
Award
Best Single Drama
Category
"USS Callister"
Recipients
Nominated
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | Art Directors Guild Awards | Television Movie or Limited Series | Joel Collins | Won | |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence in Fantasy Television Series | Maja Meschede | Nominated | ||
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Dialogue/ADR | Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas | Won | ||
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing — Episodic Long Form – Effects/Foley | Kenny Clark | Nominated | |||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Movie or Mini-Series | John Rodda, Tim Cavagin, Dafydd Archard, Will Miller, Nick Baldock and Sophia Hardman | Won | ||
| BAFTA Television Craft Awards | Sound: Fiction | John Rodda, Tim Cavagin, Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas | Nominated | ||
| Photography & Lighting: Fiction | Stephan Pehrsson | Nominated | |||
| Production Design | Joel Collins, Phil Sims | Nominated | |||
| BAFTA Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jimmi Simpson | Nominated | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Guest Performance in a Television Series | Jesse Plemons | Nominated | ||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Most Frightened Performance | Cristin Milioti | Nominated | ||
| Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form | William Bridges, Charlie Brooker and Toby Haynes | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Stephan Pehrsson | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Jesse Plemons | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Daniel Pemberton | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie | Selina MacArthur | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special | Kenny Clark, Michael Maroussas, Dario Swarde, Ricky Butt and Oliver Ferris | Won | |||
| Outstanding Television Movie | Annabel Jones, Charlie Brooker and Louise Sutton | Won | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | William Bridges and Charlie Brooker | Won | |||
| RTS Television Awards | Best Single Drama | "USS Callister" | Nominated |
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