12 Episode Ideas For the New Season of 'Black Mirror'

We're more than a little excited about the fact that Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker's (very) dark dystopian sci fi series, is getting a new season on Netflix. Last year we took a look at how the speculative technologies in the series are slowly but surely becoming real, but we cover lots of futuristic tech here at Motherboard, so we decided to take a crack at how some of the trends in science, technology, and culture might influence Brooker's new season.

Admittedly, we aren't screenwriters, and Black Mirror is so good because it nails the details. Consider this, then, a bit of Motherboard brainstorming—12 episode ideas that take a look at what might happen if the future goes at least a little bit wrong.

- Thousands of prisoners are wired together using brain-to-brain devices to form "organic computers." Their collective neurological power is then used to heal those who have suffered strokes, have overstimulated themselves using an optogenetic device (more on that in a moment) or have otherwise suffered brain damage. The prisoners begin sharing thoughts and suffer from the same collective nightmare consisting of graphic details of the crimes they committed, eventually driving most of them mad. - Jason Koebler

- A distressed economy caused by overpopulation makes the sharing economy spike, ensuring that all your shit is being used all the time by complete randos. We look into the lives of a hard up family living in New York City with two children as their lives are overrun by people who need rides to work, places to cook, work, etc and watch their house turn more and more into a homeless shelter, to which the companies can command an even bigger commission. - Clinton Nguyen

- New brain hacking techniques such as sonogenetics and optogenetics begin to be used in humans. Junkies become addicted to baths of LED blue lights that trigger dopamine receptors. Criminals turn off pain receptors while they're committing crimes. Some people eschew sexual contact altogether by triggering on-demand orgasms in their brains; some men become sex addicts capable of triggering on-demand erections to have marathon sessions that last for days. - Jason Koebler

- In the not-too-distant future, all our jobs have become automated. The robots do all the work, and everyone lives off of a basic income. Sounds like paradise, but of course it's not. People are bored. They're restless. The creative souls are still creating, but the rest of us without an artist spark are left wondering how to fill the time. So we work for fun. All the jobs of the past are suddenly nostalgic novelties that have become our recreation. Instead of getting paid to work, now we pay for the chance to do hard labor. - Kaleigh Rogers

- A woman starts receiving concerning messages on social media from someone she doesn't know; initially she is scared (understandably) and imagines it's a particularly determined troll. She blocks one account and then another pops up, sending her more messages. Could it be one person? A network of assholes? The messages become more detailed until it becomes clear this person knows her very intimately. The egg A/V Twitter account claims to be her dead husband. Editor's note: This kind of happened in the Season 2 episode "Be Right Back" but Jordan swears he doesn't remember it, which, BLACK MIRROR. - Jordan Pearson

- The Amazon Dash Button - Jason Koebler

- The dark web is now a fully-fledged virtual world that basically looks like LA circa 2019 in Blade Runner. Maybe Harrison Ford makes a cameo or something, that would be dope. Anyway, it's basically like you buy drugs wearing this big dopey headset because Facebook wrangled a partnership with Netflix or something to get Oculus in there (this would definitely not happen in the future) from a virtual avatar of a neckbeard slinging Xanax in Hawaii but in the VR dark web he looks and sounds like the merchant in Resident Evil 4. - Jordan Pearson

- Widespread hacking makes connected transportation unsafe and unusable, rendering all driverless cars and tractor trailers, most trains, planes, and even newer "normal" cars unsafe. People resort to using bicycles (and in the case of the horribly outdated NYC system, the subway) within cities. Air travel is extremely limited, with only a handful of old planes able to be restored from aviation museums.

In an odd twist, countries such as Cuba, which have eschewed connected devices, are better off than ever with a fleet of old but usable American cars are now highly valuable. The United States and others start a bidding war for these well-maintained cars, making the country and its mechanics fabulously wealthy. - Jason Koebler

- Robots do not attain sentience, but robotic artists become so much better than humans at creating art that humans artwork is all but worthless. Holographic musicians perform music written by artificial intelligence, AI-written books top the bestseller lists, and AI-paintings take the art world by storm. All journalism is done by robots. Humans have no jobs. It is bad. - Jason Koebler

- Global food shortages caused by climate change mean people subsist on Soylent and other food replacements. An underground team of old world farmers grow and sell black market fruits, vegetables, and meats grown in illegal cyberpunk vertical farms powered by desperate human labor ala "15 Million Merits." -Jason Koebler

- Humanity has failed to heed the warnings of doctors and biologists about curbing our use of antibiotics and now there are no longer any effective antibiotics on Earth. Though there have been many medical advances since the fall of antibiotics, they haven't been able to close the gap. We're left with a futuristic, medically-advanced medieval society, where we can cure cancer with a pill, but a scraped knee can kill you. -Kaleigh Rogers

- A robot falls in love with a human who is cold and emotionally distant, LIKE A ROBOT - Jordan Pearson

What do you think Brooker will cover in the next season? Let us know in the comments.