Every episode of the highly-anticipated Season 7 of “Black Mirror” is streaming now on Netflix. Among these episodes, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” features a storyline that resonates with contemporary concerns regarding the unchecked power of tech billionaires. In this follow up, Jimmi Simpson stars as James Walton, the CEO of Callister Inc. He is willing to use shady, fictional, illegal digital cloning tech to recreate Robert Daly, a character originally played by Jesse Plemons. This lets Daly’s digital double keep developing the game Infinity even after his physical form has passed from this world.
In making the case for his role, Simpson pointed to the impact of real-world tech executives on the character he played. In the speech, he named Elon Musk one of his key influences. He continued, “I honestly think that Elon Musk does not realize the damage he is doing. This comment underscores the actor’s perception that some billionaires may lack awareness of the consequences their actions have on society.
In “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” viewers spend significant time with the digital clones created by Daly, rather than their real-world counterparts. With Walton, Simpson manifests a painful truth. He has never experienced something like Infinity until now. His ignorance about the game mirrors a broader theme in the episode: the disconnect between corporate leaders and the products their companies produce. Walton cares more about Callister’s bottom line than the lives of his employees, setting a dangerous precedent for corporate morality.
Simpson illustrated this approach with rhetoric when he said, “I mean all three of them have totally lost the feel for what is best. He continued on, saying that they repeatedly mix up their self-serving agendas with the public welfare, which has classically resulted in destruction of our society. This sentiment belies a new, and deepening, concern with how those at the top can become so morally disconnected from their roles in society.
The episode brings to a climax Walton’s arrest, serving as an emotional and narrative catharsis and reckoning for his crimes. Walton “hasn’t been tamed yet” according to Simpson, suggesting that remorselessness is the GOP’s preferred trait. He recommended that Walton serve a minimum of one year in prison. Only then, he insists, will Walton understand what his decisions mean.
“If he has any hope to recover, he’s going to start taking stock and understand that he put himself there — and that’s the only way anyone like that’s ever going to stop doing what they’re doing, is to understand that it hurts them.” – Jimmi Simpson
This story strikes a chord with ongoing calls for accountability from the powerful movers and shakers in the technology and political elite. Simpson’s performance highlights not only Walton’s personal failings but serves as a critique of broader societal issues. In particular, he underscored the tendency to see these billionaires as the ones holding all the cards. It’s this perception that enables them to continue making decisions that hurt all of us.
“With Trump, Musk, whoever it is, the idea that they’re in control empowers them to make choices that are bad for everyone, and so I think it’s the breaking of that belief.” – Jimmi Simpson
The narrative of digital cloning remains central to “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” as it explores themes of power, control, and the ethical dilemmas posed by advanced technology. The episode serves as a cautionary tale reminding us of the perils of uncontrolled ambition. Above all, it reaffirms the ethical imperatives of being a leader in the technology that powers the world.