Netflix's 'Black Mirror' Is Doing a 'Star-Trek'-Themed Episode!

Black Mirror Star Trek-themed episode
The science-fiction show "Black Mirror" ventures where no one has gone before in the "Star Trek"-themed Season 4 episode called "USS Callister," coming in 2018. (Image credit: Netflix)

A smarmy captain oversees a space crew filled with people wearing bizarre hairstyles and clothing. Yup, it's got to have something to do with "Star Trek." 

Netflix's "Black Mirror" series, which is sort of like a modern "Twilight Zone" that looks at strange tech in the near future, just released the YouTube trailer for a new Season 4 episode called "USS Callister." No release date was published, but we assume it will warp to your television screen sometime in 2018.

We don't learn much in the 44-second trailer, except that Capt. Kelly (Jesse Plemons, of "Breaking Bad" and "Fargo") welcomes a new crewmember aboard his starship. But before long, the crew finds itself stranded on the surface of an alien planet, trapped by a villain wielding a gigantic bizarre-looking gun or laser. Oddly, the hairstyles look like they're from the 1970s, even though the show is set in the near future. [The 10 Best 'Star Trek' Episodes Ever]

The episode boasts several well-known television stars, including Cristin Milioti ("How I Met Your Mother"), Michaela Coel ("Chewing Gum") and Jimmi Simpson ("Westworld"). Stay tuned for more details on when Season 4 and "USS Callister" will be released.

This isn't the only recent "Star Trek" TV parody. "The Orville," a Seth MacFarlane space spoof that clearly borrows from Trekkie lore, premiered this fall. The show follows the adventures of a crew, including an ex-husband and ex-wife who must work together in the confined quarters of the captain's bridge. It was recently renewed for Season 2.

Traditional "Star Trek" episodes are also continuing on television. This fall, "Star Trek: Discovery" premiered on CBS All Access. It follows the adventures of renegade crewmember Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green, of "The Walking Dead"). The series wrapped up its midseason finale in November and is also preparing for a second season.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace