Hi, I'm Allie. In case you're new here, I love Star Wars. And if there is a Star Wars reference in something, you better believe I will sniff it TF out.
So this past weekend (like most of the world), I binge-watched the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix, and was immediately infatuated with the "USS Callister" episode.
For those who've not yet seen the now-iconic mini film, it pays obvious homage to Star Trek, but something told me there HAD TO BE some sort of Star Wars reference in it, as well.
And, sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed thanks to an interview with the episode's director, Toby Haynes, in the Hollywood Reporter.
"There are three Star Wars references," Haynes shared. "I don’t know when I’m going to do sci-fi again, so I try to put everything in there."
A quick, friendly warning before we continue: Due to the intricate nature of my investigation, the rest of this post does contain SPOILERS for the "USS Callister" episode of Black Mirror.
"One of the references is when Cristin [Milioti, the actor playing Nanette] wakes up in the medical bay."
"The way the lights came on was a reference to Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One trailer — the shot that never made the movie."
"Then, the tube that Jimmi goes into when he reactivates the engines of the spaceship..."
"...I wanted that to look like the tubes of the Bespin in Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back, the tubes that Luke Skywalker falls down inspired that."
"And there's one line when Daly has just turned Michaela into an alien where he says, 'Take that thing to the bridge.'"
"That’s the same line they say about Chewbacca when they are on the Death Star in A New Hope."
So there you have it! Three Star Wars references tucked delicately into a Star Trek love ballad, proving that sci-fi Easter eggs can coexist in harmony (or at least in a Black Mirror episode).
