10 Times Star Trek Appeared In Other TV Shows
9. Black Mirror
Black Mirror may be best known for its blackly comedic social satire, though writer Charlie Brooker managed to roll that into a pin-sharp Trek parody with the Emmy-winning season four episode, "USS Callister."
The episode follows video game programmer Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), who in order to take out his frustrations against his unappreciative co-workers, creates a modded version of the game and inserts digital clones of his co-workers into it by surreptitiously obtaining their DNA.
The modded game, modelled off Daly's favourite sci-fi TV show Space Fleet, bears a blinding resemblance to Trek's Original Series, right down to the costumes, hairstyles, and design of the USS Callister.
The scenes set within this modded game also adopt the stylistic tropes of classic Trek - the 4:3 aspect ratio, use of dutch angles, and by episode's end a shift towards the sleeker widescreen style of the J.J. Abrams reboot series. Jesse Plemons even worked with a vocal coach to approximate the delivery style of William Shatner.
In addition to winning four Emmys, the episode was widely acclaimed by critics and Trek fans alike, praising its clear admiration for the franchise and impressive attempt to recreate its style and tone.