USS Callister: Into Infinity reintroduces Black Mirror viewers to Nanette (Cristin Milioti) and her space-faring crew – but one character isn’t just missing… they died.
At the end of USS Callister, Nanette and the crew managed to escape Daly’s (Jesse Plemons) private server, leaving him alone and drifting through a pitch-black virtual cosmos while his real-life body lay limp and destined for death in his apartment.
It was a rare happy ending for Black Mirror, with the crew respawning safe and sound in the main Infinity server – this included Walton (Jimmi Simpson), Karl (Billy Magnussen), Elena (Milanka Brooks), Nate (Osy Ikhile), Kabir (Paul G. Raymond), and Shania (Michaela Cole).
When we reunite with them in Season 7, everyone seems to be doing okay – but one person is missing.
Why Michaela Cole didn’t return for Black Mirror’s USS Callister sequel
Cole’s Shania doesn’t appear in USS Callister: Into Infinity, and it’s briefly revealed that her character died off-screen.
Speaking to EW, the show’s creator Charlie Brooker explained: “We do tell you exactly where she is. Unfortunately, she died in a mission. It’s quite quick.
“[One character] says, ‘Shania was blasted apart right in front of me two weeks ago and I can still smell her f**king blood.’”
The line is spoken by Nanette at around the 7:50 mark, as Nate confronts her about her plans to keep the crew alive. “Shania was blasted apart right in front of me, what, four weeks ago?” she says.
“I don’t know about you, but I can still smell her f**king blood,” Nanette adds, and Nate responds: “Losing her was hard on all of us, okay?”
NetflixSadly, there was a practical reason she was killed off: Cole was busy working on another project.
“As you can imagine, it’s a gargantuan feat to get everyone’s schedule to align,” Brooker explained.
“We couldn’t get everyone’s schedules to align. I’ve always been a fan. I think she’s wonderful. We’ve had her in two episodes before, it would be greedy to get her back for a third.”
That’s not to say she couldn’t return down the line. “Hopefully all bets are off as to what the f**k we’re going to do,” Brooker said.
We’ve also got explainers for the rest of Black Mirror Season 7, so feel free to read more about ‘Common People’, ‘Bête Noire’, ‘Hotel Reverie’, ‘Plaything’, and ‘Eulogy’. We’ve also compiled the Black Mirror Season 7 soundtrack and the best Easter eggs.
Source link
