Why Michaela Coel Didn't Return For Black Mirror's USS Callister Sequel Episode

Although "USS Callister: Into Infinity" takes place only a few weeks after the original "USS Callister" episode ended, in real life, almost seven years have passed for the actors involved. The season 7 episode does an admirable job covering up the signs of time, but there was one hiccup that prevents everything from feeling seamless: Michaela Coel, who played Nanette's coworker Shania, is missing. Her absence is notable given how sympathetic a character she was, and how she ended her original episode excited to start a new chapter in the game. She'd just escaped a fate that would've left her an ugly tentacle monster forever, and it would've been nice to see her enjoy her freedom going forward. 

The reason for Shania's absence is simple: Michaela Coel is a much bigger name now than she was in 2017, so it was a lot harder for her and the show to get their schedules worked out. "That was due to scheduling issues," confirmed director Toby Haynes in a recent interview. "She's a big star now — they all are! It would have been wonderful to get everybody back, but you can't be that lucky. She was poised to be in it, and at the last minute, we had to work out her story." 

It's understandable. Whereas a lot of the actors involved in this episode are famous now, Coel and Shania are that awkward combination of a busy actress playing a relatively minor character. Shania was cool, of course, but she was not the sort of character the sequel absolutely needed, like Nanette or Walton were. It's a bummer that Coel's not here for the sequel, but it's not a total dealbreaker as far as the story's concerned.

There's a throwaway line early into "Into Infinity" explaining that Shania — at least, the digital Shania — was killed in the weeks between episodes. Nanette's crew is living dangerous lives inside the games; unlike everyone else, if they die in here, they'll die for real. By the sound of it, Shania got "fragged" by another player a few weeks back, and Nanette can still "smell her blood" all these weeks later. It's a pretty brutal end for poor Shania, so in a way, it's good that we don't have to watch it on-screen. 

The bigger question concerns the real-life Shania, who was last seen in "USS Callister" still working at the office as usual. Why isn't the real Shania in the sequel either? Wouldn't it have been cool to see her react to the news that her clone is dead, as a dark mirror to digital Nanette learning that her real self is in a coma? 

The episode doesn't explain her absence, but there's a pretty reasonable assumption viewers could make: real Shania probably quit her job because Walton (Jimmi Simpson) is an abusive boss. Walton, who was already a jerk in the first "USS Callister," reaches new levels of sociopathy in the sequel. He is not vindictive in the way Robert Daly was, but he is increasingly rude and selfish, willing to throw anyone under the bus to keep himself on top. It's very believable that he inspired real-life Shania to quit out of frustration, just like Kabir (Paul G. Raymond) did earlier in the episode. 

This at least provides some solace for Shania fans; her character may have died in the game, but at least Shania's real-life self was no longer associated with Callister Inc. by the time the company went bankrupt. All the other employees will have to spend a while looking for a new job, but real-life Shania's probably already found a new company to work for, maybe one without any evil bosses involved.