TNG: Dark Mirror by Diane Duane Review Thread (Spoilers!)

It's probably been 20 years since I read it but I remember liking it.
I always kind of hated that DS9 destroyed the terran empire
I realize Kirk's dialog to Spock set it in motion but I still don't like it

 

That existed alongside the belief that the Empire's forces were becoming too spread out to be able to enforce Imperial rule throughout. The two factors were both ones Picard was thinking of.

 

In Q & A we do know that Will Riker doesn't make it to 2380, as Lore assassinates Riker (I forget the reason for Data not appearing in "Dark Mirror", but if Soong did not exist or did not create androids in the DM MU, then Q & A's Terran Empire is from a completely different MU).

 

Apologies for the bump...

I'm not a TrekLit guy - after the Shatnerverse Mirror Trilogy, this is the first Trek book I've read in at least a decade. But, it's been challenging me from the Screen Junkies set for a while now, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Fine, fine, I see you; heading to the library now...​

First thing: it's too damn long. The first third is mostly dry astrobabble setting up the cross-universe mechanism by way of mysterious natural interstellar strings, which, zzzzzz. It also spends a lot of time on a sentient dolphin character, who floats around on a levitating field of water, with robotic hands. What does this have to do with the Mirror Universe? Not much.

When the plot finally starts up, it's a slow burn even then. Only Picard, Troi, and Geordi actually interact with the Mirror crew, and then mostly separately. Indeed, dolphin character aside, the entirety of the action could easily have been an episode (probably a two-parter, but possibly a single one, with enough trims), leading me to wonder if author Duane (who co-wrote TNG 1x6, "Where No One Has Gone Before") was trying to pitch it as such, but it was published too late for that - maybe this was a re-use of a spec script? Anyhow, the story does eventually build up considerable tension, with the standout character being the terrifying and sexy Mirror Troi. And then things conclude with a lengthy starship chase, which, for unconvincing reasons, threatens to destroy either the Mirror or Prime galaxies. (The idea is that imported mass from another reality, if left around, will cause a cosmological apocalypse within a century or so, but it's hard to believe that there isn't enough natural cross-universe particle migration to have done that already - and the ENT ep "In a Mirror, Darkly" shreds that idea anyway.) The chase on its own would have been just fine without that extra element.

Conclusion: the latter middle half and climax make the whole thing worthwhile, but it could have stood to lose a good third of its volume in editing. And while I wouldn't call it mindless, there's really only one mirror character that the heroes make an effort to reach out to, and it's an interesting choice. That Mirror Troi, though...

B-

 

It can tie the Kirk comic book were the empire is still there and the mirror counterparts cross over Kirk mirror can get revenge on Kirk prime and the U.S.S. Excelsior is used in the mirror were the I.S.S. Excelsior was having trouble working and with Kirk prime going to the mirror universe with it the I.S.S. Excelsior get into working order. And the Two Excelsior face off . And in the end the mirror Kirk and company are in a shuttlecraft and are killed off by the I.S.S. Nixon. They are many possibilities unverses and some of the other unverses could have the main characters of the story to be of different backgrounds or different sexs too. With all of the possibilities out there and then add in unverses being at different speeds. It would overwhelm anyone who tries to fit all together.

 

What was the name of the comic?

 

If I remember it was the Mirror Saga by DC or Marvel Comics I came across if in 1990's

 

Thanks I'll look that up.

 

IN 1991 the Mirror Universe Saga by DC Comics it was from DC Comics 1984 9-16

 

Funny... of all the fanmade Star Trek ships out there, it doesn't seem as though anyone ever did art of the Dark Mirror E-D, beyond someone taking an AGT E-Dreadnought and coloring it grey. (I believe the configuration is different, and I remember the saucer section being described as thicker and possibly curved differently as well.) That's too bad.

 

True one would think that the mirror universe ships could have more firepower and others might be more peaceful and have less firepower

 

I'd just like to have an image as a visual aid for my multiverse campaign. Just a Grey E-D isn't threatening enough. I want my players' to Oh, Crap! when they see it.

 

OK for the more dangerous how if the E-D had phaser rings and ball phasers mounts and photon torpedoes for all directions. And those of peaceful wouldn't have that much firepower

 

I feel like I saw someone draw up one at one point. If I did, it would've been here, in all likelihood...

I'm not sure this is what I was thinking of, but the silhouette is similar to what I was remembering, if the actual drawing isn't.