Warning: contains spoilers forUSS Callister.
(Read our spoiler-filled review here).
We chatted to Brooker andBlack Mirrorproducer Annabel Jones about its development.
How did the layers of that story evolve?
Whats aBlack Mirrorspace episode?
Its like a nightmare, hes a tyrant, hes mad!
[laughs]
CB:Relatively quickly those thoughts came together.
His warped version of it.
Hes like actually, its about ethics in space exploration!
Was that intended as a comment on online fandom and that sort of character?
CB:Not really.
Its interesting because that is a thing that a couple of people have said.
It must be the most effects-heavyBlack Mirrorepisode yet?
CB:By quite a long chalk.
That was partly why it came about.
It was Framestore who did the effects.
Did the creatures come out as youd written them?
It was a bitStarship Troopersin my head, and it is a bit.
Was that an inspiration or just somewhere in the back of your head?
Certainly you could draw a parallel there.
Are you aStar Trekfan?
Whats your relationship with that franchise?
I never really watched the 90sStar Trekseries.
He knew a lot of the lingo.
The episode has a lot of fun with early Star Trek…
CB:Tropes, yes.
A lot of that came from Will, he was like Oh, I know!
This and that can happen, so he was having a lot of fun in that respect.
I watchedThe Original Serieswhen I was a kid and would find it terrifying a lot of the time.
Theres a bit of piss-taking going on but really its aimed at Daly.
So incurring the wrath ofStar Trekfans isnt something youre worried about?
CB:Well its worrying, because you dont want to upset people unnecessarily.
He says at one point that it was visionary, and thats true!
Read Mirror season 4 here.
