Get ready to return to the dystopian universe of Black Mirror. The sci-fi anthology series will return for its seventh season in 2025, Netflix announced this week.
The new season will consist of six new episodes, one of which will a sequel to the season 4 sci-fi adventure, "USS Callister."
"USS Callister" is one of the standout episodes in Black Mirror. Written by series creators Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode starred Jesse Plemons as Robert Daly, a brilliant but troubled programmer who co-founded a popular online video game.
"Unhappy with a perceived lack of recognition at his gaming company, Robert created a simulated reality within the game, giving himself the role of a Captain Kirk–like figure aboard a starship and leading an adoring crew — based on his real-life co-workers — on zany sci-fi adventures. Of course, because this is Black Mirror, things took an unexpected and sinister turn."
The unexpected twist and sinister turn was the fact that Daly used the DNA of his coworkers to create sentient digital clones of them within the game. As captain of the USS Calister starship, Daly took out his life's frustrations on the crew. It ultimately didn't end well for Daly and while the ending of the episode provided hope for the crew, this is, after all, Black Mirror. Nothing good can last.
“Robert Daly is dead, but for the crew of the USS Callister, their problems are just beginning,” the company teased at the Next on Netflix event in London on Thursday.
Netflix also dropped a brief teaser online that announced the series' return. The streamer hinted in the post that "one looks a little familiar," referencing the "USS Callister" sequel.
Black Mirror is a British anthology series that explores a variety of genres and uses themes of technology and media to comment on social issues. The series debuted in 2011 on the British network Channel 4, but moved to Netflix in 2016.
Following season 5's release in 2019, Black Mirror went on a bit of a hiatus before returning in 2023 for its sixth season, which featured five new episodes. The latest season was met with mixed reception and sits at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes with just a 43% Audience Score.
"With a yield of installments that range from instant classic to woefully undercooked, Black Mirror's sixth volume indicates a series that's no longer on the bleeding edge of sci-fi but hardly resting on its lofty laurels," the critics' consensus reads.
Casting and plot details for the upcoming seventh season of Black Mirror have not yet been announced.