An Upcoming Strange New Worlds Episode Is A Direct Response To Black Mirror's Star Trek Parody

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

An upcoming instalment ofStar Trek : Strange New Worldslooks like a direct response to a pair ofBlack Mirrorepisodes that parodiedStar Trek : The Original Series . Star Trek : unknown New Worldsseason 3 ’s mystifier trailerhints at the crew of Captain Christopher Pike ’s ( Anson Mount ) USS Enterprise participate in a " show - within - a - show " . snip show Lieutenants James Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) , Erica Ortegas ( Melissa Navia ) , and Nurse Christine Chapel ( Jess Bush ) on a modest - budget starship set , snip up in retro - futuristic mid - century costume . It feels a draw likeTOS , but these scenes might actually be referencingBlack Mirror ’s take onStar Trek .

InBlack Mirror ’s season 4 opener , " USS Callister " , and its season 7 subsequence , " USS Callister Into Infinity " , coder Robert Daly ( Jesse Plemons ) is an perfervid devotee of the fancied showSpace Fleet , a clear stand - in forStar Trek : The Original Series . Robert imports sentient digital dead ringer of co - workers into his immersive online game free-base onSpace Fleet , andtortures them so they ’ll play along with his phantasy . Through Robert Daly ’s sadistic gameplay in aStar Trekworld , Black Mirrorcalls out toxicStar Trekfanswho have missed the whole point ofStar Trek ’s idealistic Sion .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3’s Show-Within-A-Show Episode Feels Like A Response To Black Mirror’s “USS Callister”

Star Trek Is Supposed To Be Hopeful, Not Mean

Star Trek : Strange New Worldsseason 3 ’s show - within - a - show feels like a reply toBlack Mirror ’s " USS Callister " . Instead of using a 1960sStar Trek - style show as a backcloth for cruelty , like Robert Daly does inBlack Mirror , Strange New Worldsreminds us thatStar Trek ’s legacy is a nett plus for humanity . InStrange New Worldsseason 3 ’s trailer , Ensign Nyota Uhura ( Celia Rose Gooding ) describesStar Trek ’s rendering of itself by explaining , " We desire to give audiences a reflexion of their own world through the lens of fantasy … you bang , science fiction . " In other words , the design ofStar Trekis to inspire hope .

Star Trekhas used the holodeck to search mid - century scientific discipline fiction serials , with Lt . Tom Paris ' ( Robert Duncan McNeill ) " Adventures of Captain Proton " syllabus inStar Trek : Voyager .

If given the fortune to play the USS Callister programme fromBlack Mirror , I’d stake mostStar Trekfans would bring through the galaxy without being cruel to our digital gang . Most of us have seen episodes likeStar Trek : The Next Generation ’s " The Measure of a Man " , contend for Lt . Commander Data ’s ( Brent Spiner ) personhood . We believeStar Trek : Voyager ’s Doctor ( Robert Picardo ) and othersentient holograph inStar Trekare people , too — so we ’re not pass to abuse them for our own amusement like Robert on the USS Callister . AndStar Trek : Strange New Worldscan point this out .

Strange New Worlds Doing Its Own Star Trek Parody Is Admirable, But A Big Risk

Strange New Worlds Treating Star Trek As Another Genre Could Work

I love whenStar Trektakes grown risks , so I thinkStar Trek : Strange New Worldsparodying itself is admirable , but I be intimate that ’s not a oecumenical sentiment . chemical reaction toStrange New Worlds ' riskier episodes , likeStar Trek ’s first musical , " Subspace Rhapsody " , have been a mixed dish , so there ’s a chance of alienating someStar Trekfans withStrange New Worlds ' data-based takeoff . So while I ’m 100 % in favor ofStar Trekgetting weird , Strange New Worldswill have to tread a fine short letter between playing it good and going off the railsif it wants to conciliate everybody .

unusual New Worlds has done a outstanding occupation of telling original Star Trek stories , but I ’m disturbed the genre - deflection in season 3 will go too far .

Star Trek : Strange New Worldsis , in some way , like a verso - anthology series that keeps the same cast and storylines , but shifts whole tone and style with each instalment . That practice has helpedStrange New Worldsrevisit and recontextualizeTrektropes like court play and aliens - of - the - week . have a mid - century place opera inStar Trek ’s past means thatStrange New Worldscan , essentially , treatStar Treklike another literary genre to explore . Strange New Worlds ' jeopardy have paid off so far , so I ’m excited to see howStar Trek : Strange New Worldsresponds toBlack Mirror ’s commentary onStar Trekfandom .