Into Infinity Unpacked By Black Mirror’s Cristin Milioti

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for the Black Mirror episode “USS Callister: Into Infinity.”As her return resulted in a life-changing decision for two people, Cristin Milioti is breaking down Nanette’s final decision in Black Mirror season 7’s USS Callister: Into Infinity. The original USS Callister episode aired in 2017 as part of season 4, earning critical acclaim for its chilling depiction of digital tyranny set in a Star Trek-inspired scenario. Set in the aftermath of their rebellion, USS Callister: Into Infinity follows Nanette and the rest of the surviving crew, focusing on their existential journeys after escaping Daly’s (Jesse Plemons) rule in the altered version of his game, Infinity.

In a recent roundtable interview attended by ScreenRant, Milioti explained the garage scene, as it centers on Nanette confronting Bob, a digital clone of her abuser, Daly, in an attempt to save her crew and was presented with the choice to either copy and paste them into a new server, or upload herself into the real Nanette’s body, for which she chose the latter. Milioti acknowledged that Daly is a “loose cannon” and “a ticking time bomb“, particularly with the powers his digital clone has over the game world:

First of all, I love that you compare it to a bomb because that’s something that we played with. I think what was so exciting about getting to work on that scene and explore it for the few days that we spent filming it was [thinking about] in what ways to calibrate how held she has to be.

She’s meeting the person who has ruined her life, but she understands that she’s dealing with a loose cannon; with a ticking time bomb, and she has to somehow placate him while swallowing her own rage. She has to get in and get out, and she has to have him do this thing, and she doesn’t know what his powers are. That stuff is so much fun to explore. It’s just fun to play with those stakes, and then also the subtext of that.

There are so many parallels to their dynamic from the first one in this revisiting of them, but there’s also some key differences as well. She’s a different person now, and I had so much fun exploring that. And even that set; that garage was as claustrophobic to shoot in as it looks. It was like a true garage that we were trapped in for four days, working on that extremely intense high-stakes scene. It was just really cool. When you read things like that as an actor, you just get so excited to get in there.

Reflecting on Nanette’s decision, Milioti delved more into the moral ambiguity the character faces in Into Infinity, questioning whether Nanette’s decision was truly the right one while also noting the show’s ability to explore ethical dilemmas. While acknowledging that she “really loved that moment“, she does question if Nan should have allowed the rest of her crew to stop existing to be at peace, rather than sentencing them “to this other weird, s—tty reality” of sharing her body with her consciousness. See the rest of Milioti’s comments below:

I really loved that moment. I think Nanette has such a strong moral compass, and yet you completely understand that it’s so manipulative what [Daly] does. If you play out the real scenario, if you are watching yourself in a coma, and you are also understanding that you are about to be sentenced to being stuck in this thing truly forever, you would probably take it. I love that she really struggles with it, and yet does the right thing.

Although you could argue: is that the right thing? Should she get out of there and then just delete them, so that this can end for them too? I don’t know. It’s a real quandary, as he says. I just thought that was a horrible thing to be faced with. And obviously, she does what she thinks is the most compassionate in the moment. But then by way of doing that, she also sentences them to this other weird, sh–ty reality of being stuck in her head. But that’s why Charlie is so great.

What This Means For Black Mirror’s USS Callister Ending

Its Legacy Is Evolving With More Moral Complexity

In USS Callister: Into Infinity‘s ending, Nanette kills Daly’s clone during their confrontation in the Heart of Infinity, eliminating his consciousness from the digital realm and seizing control of the situation that once rendered her powerless. This act of rebellion and liberation echoes the themes of the original USS Callister and pushes them further, as instead of tricking or escaping Daly once again, she actively ended the cycle of abuse. This pivotal moment highlights Nanette’s firm decision to protect herself and her crew, but also sets a darker precedent for the show’s depiction of AI ethics and simulated reality.

While Nanette’s actions save her crew, the entire game collapses after Nanette kills Robert and ultimately traps the crew in a pocket universe that ends up existing in her head, raising questions about whether she’s creating a new ethical gray area or simply doing what was necessary. Black Mirror has always thrived on ambiguous endings, but this one is especially impactful as it demonstrates that survival in a virtual hell might require real-world ruthlessness.

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Although everything seems to end well for Nanette and her crew, one of the final scenes seems to hint at a potential plot point for a future installment of USS Callister, this time focusing on the crew and Nanette’s relationship once she’s out in the real world.

Our Take On Nanette’s Decision

A Worthy Sequel That Keeps the Moral Tension Intact

Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti) and Walton (Jimmi Simpson) in spacesuits, exploring a new planet in Black Mirror Season 7 Ep 6 — Image via Netflix

Cristin Milioti’s return as Nanette is one of the strongest aspects of Into Infinity, as she delivers a quietly furious yet deeply compassionate performance, keeping the viewer on edge even when no clear villain is in sight. The garage scene felt like a demonstration of Nanette’s evolution from a victim seeking closure and freedom to a leader navigating a broken system.

While USS Callister: Into Infinity might be one of the more introspective entries in the Black Mirror canon, it proves the show can still reimagine prior episodes with purpose and power, and seemingly sets up what could be an exciting third installment. Although Black Mirror season 8 has not been confirmed, if it does, the show could explore how Nanette is affected by living on the outside and if she will maintain her moral ground or will ultimately be corrupted and make a 180-degree change, turning into what she once fought against.