Re-Watching DS9

[Lord Garth]

A long time ago, I often watched "Mirror, Mirror" on Halloween. Sure, there were more Halloween-ish episodes of TOS. "Catpsaw" being the most obvious one. There was also "Wolf in the Fold". But I always watched "Mirror, Mirror" even though it wasn't a Halloween Episode. There was something about the TOS characters dressed up to be evil. I always had a lot of fun watching this episode. Sometimes I'd mix it up. Whenever I didn't watch "Mirror, Mirror" on Halloween, I'd watch the first Alien movie. This was all a long time ago. So, watching "Mirror, Mirror" again tonight is bringing back an old tradition of mine, even though Halloween was two weeks ago.

We're actually lucky that TNG treated following up on TOS as if it was the Eighth Deadly Sin for most of its run. That meant DS9 could follow up on the Mirror Universe, since TNG didn't. And DS9 is the type of series that had a lot more fun with it than TNG would've.

Before we get into "Mirror, Mirror", I have to get something out of the way first. If you've followed my posts elsewhere, you know I consider the Discovery version of the Mirror Universe to be the Definitive Version. Period. It was raw, unfiltered, and could go much further than censored television ever could in either the '60s or '90s. But that doesn't make me like "Mirror, Mirror" any less.

As far as DS9's version of the Mirror Universe, I like it. Since the focus is on more than just the Federation, it makes sense to have all the other races evil. For this series' purposes, it works, and it makes for something more entertaining than we would've gotten if it were just the Terrans who were evil.

The only thing I don't like is that the Terran Empire is gone. Intellectually, I know it makes sense, since Mirror Spock pushed through the change that Kirk was urging for. But, I just like seeing the Terran Empire. So, this is where my preferences turn upside down. Normally, I prefer sequels. I want the story to go forward and keep going forward. In the Mirror Universe, I prefer prequels.

This is NOT a knock on the DS9 Mirror Universe Episodes. They're also a lot of fun. I like them in their own right. I like how they're more swashbuckling than what we normally see, I like the characters acting the opposite of how they normally act, and I like how much more theatrical it is. So, I still enjoy the DS9 Mirror Universe Episodes for what they're meant to be: a chance to see what these characters would be like in completely different situations and with inverted personalities.

This preface is getting long, so I'll review "Mirror, Mirror" in a separate post. But I just wanted to explain my perspective ahead of time before going in.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

We're actually lucky that TNG treated following up on TOS as if was the Eighth Deadly Sin for most of its run. That meant DS9 could follow up on the Mirror Universe, since TNG didn't. And DS9 is the type of series that had a lot more fun with it than TNG would've.

Deep Space Nine definitely embraced the Mirror Universe wholeheartedly. Though I think a lot of people agree that they maybe had a little too much fun with it. Like, 40% too much, maybe even 60% depending on what you think about Shattered Mirror. They just couldn't resist going back to it, which is usually Deep Space Nine's strength, but in the Mirror Universe it became a weakness.

 

[kkt]

Any of the stories could be true, or none of them. Garak could be making them up, or they could be implanted false memories. Only Tain knew for sure, and he's not saying.

 

[Farscape One]

Regarding Garak's stories, I think he was honest with Bashir when he said 'they're all true'. Garak doesn't fully tell lies... he gives pieces of truth that are surrounded by lies. (If you ever read Andrew Robinson's novel A STITCH IN TIME, you'll understand why I say this, even though much of my statement can be inferred from the series itself and what he does share.)

It's why he is so effective at what he does... there's just enough truth present to make it plausible. But the question that is always present when talking to Garak is, "Which part?" It's literally trying to solve a mystery with every conversation... and he makes it FUN!

A true credit to Robinson's skill as an actor... I normally would find a person like that detestable because I couldn't trust them at all. But he does it in such a way that I find it appealing.



Side note: a plea to the universe. He is on my short list of actors I have not met that I REALLY, REALLY want to meet. Get him to DragonCon at some point, please?

(hands out like Quark pleading)
Please?

 

[Lord Garth]

"Mirror, Mirror" (TOS)

Kirk, Scotty, McCoy, and Uhura end up in the Mirror Universe because of an ion storm and have to blend in until they can figure out a way back. Eventually Mirror Spock sees right through them. Mirror Spock proves to be a formidable, though logical opponent. Unlike everyone else in the Mirror Universe, Spock doesn't want to rise to the top. He's content being a lesser target, but he will do what he believes is the correct course of action.

Kirk is right about Spock: He's a man of integrity in both universes. He's savage but only because of the situation he finds himself in and the society in which he lives. It's an interesting combination to see savagery tempered by logic and pragmatism.

Eventually Kirk gets through to Mirror Spock and convinces him to fight for change in his universe because eventually the Terran Empire will be overthrown. Spock can't argue with Kirk about how he's illogical to follow something that can't endure. "Mirror, Mirror" was open-ended for 27 years. All the way up until "Crossover" and it'll be interesting to re-watch what happens there. My memory of that episode is very fuzzy.

Throughout the body of "Mirror, Mirror", we see how ruthless people can be in the Mirror Universe, and we hear about the atrocities Mirror Kirk committed to gain and retain command of the ISS Enterprise. We see salutes, torture, and that mercy is completely frowned upon. Even here, in TOS, they'll level entire planets.

Mirror Sulu is fun and watching Uhura stand up to him is even better. Mirror Chekov isn't as fun as regular Chekov. This really is the Mirror Universe!

The oddest thing is Moreau. She seems to be all about being the Captain's Woman. Then, when she finds out it's not really her Kirk, she wants to go with him to his universe? Where the values are completely different? You'd think she'd want her Kirk back and to continue to live in her own universe.

Not everything is completely opposite. The Halkins act the same. This looks intentional, to contrast how the USS Enterprise and the ISS Enterprise would deal with the same, exact situation. It's more about people reacting oppositely for specific story reasons, rather than acting opposite for its own sake. It'll also be interesting to look at how the balance between what's the same and what's different works out in DS9's Mirror Universe Episodes.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What if Mirror, Mirror is just Marlena's self-insert fanfiction?

 

[Lord Garth]

"Crossover"

After a trip to New Bajor (first mention!), the first Bajoran colony in the Gamma Quadrant, Kira and Bashir are returning to DS9 on a Runabout. Kira wants peace and quiet. Bashir is Season 1 level annoying on steroids. Thankfully, Bashir is shut up when they enter the Wormhole and something strange happens. When they exit the Wormhole, they somehow end up in the Mirror Universe!

So much I forgot about this episode. Where to start? I'll start with The Alliance. The Klingons and Cardassians form an Alliance after the Terran Empire is reformed by Spock, and they bring the Empire down. All Terrans are slaves. What's so obvious I can't believe I forgot it is that Bajor used to be occupied by the Terrans. It's a natural fit for the Mirror Universe. Then Bajor joins The Alliance when they're freed and become highly influential.

The interesting thing is that the Klingons, Cardassians, and Bajorans are no better than the Terrans used to be. That, I did remember. It's why I've said elsewhere that in the Mirror Universe it's really Bad Guys vs. Bad Guys. And the rules of drama and my expectations as a viewer are completely different in that type of situation. Even though the Terran Empire is no longer around, I will say The Alliance makes up for it.

The Characters:
The Intendant is Kira if she were like Dukat. Wants to appear kind and understanding but is manipulative and ruthless. Yeah, she's like a Female Dukat. Except she has even more personality. Never a dull moment with her. Love the leather.

Garak is her second-in-command. While our Garak is very imaginative and resourceful, Mirror Garak seems to have a lack of imagination. And he's not that resourceful, otherwise he would've been able to kill the Intendant by now. Apparently, he's been trying for years.

Odo is still about maintaining order, but he doesn't care about justice. All he cares about is obedience. When he's killed, I'm actually glad.

Quark is moral and wants to help Terrans escape. He ends up being executed for it.

Sisko has no passion and has no drive. He's glad that he amuses the Intendent and lives in a life of vice. But one speech from our Kira and he changes his mind and decides to help other Terrans escape. I guess he's like the Spock of this episode.

Smiley, a.k.a. O'Brien. He's an engineer of sorts, but mentally beaten down, and when he finds out about what things are like in the other universe, "the other side", it brings back a spark in him and he tries to help our Bashir, and our Kira, escape.

The Station:
Just by using different lighting, they make the inside of Terok Nor look COMPLETELY different. It's very dark with only fluorescent lighting. Unlike Terok Nor in DS9 flashbacks in our universe where the fluorescents are only blue, they use several different colors in the Mirror Terok Nor. So, this version of the station is also very dark, but also a lot more colorful. A perfect fit for the Mirror Universe.

Having Terok Nor still be in orbit of Bajor makes the surroundings on the outside look different as well.

I noticed a lot of low angles inside the station, as if the camera is often facing upwards. There was also wider framing of shots to make the interiors seem more ominous.

TOS vs. DS9 Storytelling:
In "Mirror, Mirror" visiting the Mirror Universe is a one-time affair. We see the counterparts, our Kirk encourages Spock to make changes, Spock says he'll consider it. The end. In "Crossover", if I didn't know what would come later, I'd still be able to tell this wasn't going to be a one-time affair on DS9. Nothing really gets resolved. The status quo isn't upset. The Intendent is still in charge of Terok Nor. Garak is still trying to find a way to get ahead. Some of the Terrans escape, we don't know what will happen next, but we want to know. It's just asking for a follow-up.

Summing Up:
Even though I like this episode a lot, the streak we had where I gave four 10s in a row has now been broken. I "only" give this episode an 8.

 

[DonIago]

I don't quite know why, but I really, really like the shot of the runabout fleeing Terok Nor toward the end of "Crossover". It seems like a more dynamic shot than usual, and it conveys a real sense of how desperate Kira and Bashir are to get away from the hellscape they've just experienced.

Spoiler: MU Odo and the Novelverse

Something I really, really liked that the novelverse did with the MU was having the MU Founders turn out to be more benevolent than the Primeverse Founders. As with our Odo, they're more concerned with Justice than Order, and they speculate that our Odo and the MU Odo may have crossed universes when making their way through the wormhole, which kind of makes a lot of sense.

 

[Lord Garth]

Time to get "caught up" with B5. I'm five episodes behind of where I would've been if I hadn't put it on hold.

And time to get rid of the fake goatee in my avatar! I tried to grow a real beard once. Tried. After six days the stubble itched so much, I had to get rid of it. Guys with beards, I don't know how you do it.

 

[kkt]

Time to get "caught up" with B5. I'm five episodes behind of where I would've been if I hadn't put it on hold.

And time to get rid of the fake goatee in my avatar! I tried to grow a real beard once. Tried. After six days the stubble itched so much, I had to get rid of it. Guys with beards, I don't know how you do it.

After three or four weeks, the beard gets long enough to be soft and no longer itches.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm watching "The War Prayer" (B5) right now. Great quote: "Love?!!! What does love have to do with marriage?!" I'll just let that sit right there...

 

[Farscape One]

"My shoes are too tight and I have forgotten how to dance."

I love that one from Londo in this episode.

 

[Lord Garth]

"The War Prayer" (B5 S1E7)

Spoiler

This episode has a split personality. On the one hand, you have Earth xenophobes who want to disrupt life on Babylon 5 by harming, attacking, and wanting to kill non-Humans. On the other hand, we have a sitcom plot where Londo wants two young Centauri not to marry each other just because they're in love because marriages in their culture are pre-arranged.

Starting with the B-Story: I'll address the Londo plot first, since that's the easiest to get out of the way. I had fun with that part. Londo's great as comic relief. And, technically, yes, the concept of marriages began as a way to unite rich and powerful families. So, Londo is a traditionalist when it comes to marriage in technically the strictest sense. Not just among his people. But eventually he remembers what his father said about how he forgot to dance, and even Londo has forgotten how to dance. So he comes around and lets the two young Centauri, Kiron and Aria, be in love with each other.

We also find out here that Londo has three wives. When he thinks of them, it drives him to stay in space. And two episodes ago he had a love interested. Extra marital affair! The more I think about it, it slowly dawns on me that Londo is like Harry Mudd! Except Londo is an Ambassador, not a criminal.

On to the A-Story: A movement of xenophobic Earth people, called the Homeguard, who hate aliens makes sense as something to have, like it or not, unfortunately. Hate Groups aren't something that are going go away among Humans in the future. So, this is another area where Babylon 5 is more realistic than Star Trek. Eventually they had xenophobic Human extremists on Enterprise, but that was way after this, and ENT takes place in the 22nd Century before the Federation was founded. Humanity in Star Trek's 23rd Century, 24th Century, and beyond doesn't have anything like that.

It has to be really disturbing for Ivanova when she realizes that Biggs, who she had a love affair with eight years ago, is part of the Homeguard.

Biggs is truly delusional. I can't believe he thought that he'd be able to get Sinclair on his side. Really think about it, Biggs (even though thinking probably isn't your strong suit): Sinclair's all about different races coming together in peace. That's Babylon 5's mission statement! The place he's in charge of! And Ivanova's right there with Sinclair as his second-in-command! But Biggs doesn't think about any of this at all. All he sees is, "You're Human! I'm Human! Let's fight Aliens together!" Sounds about right for someone like him.

When the Homeguard activity on the station causes a stir, other races want to know what Sinclair is doing to stop the Homeguard. Sinclair not being able to talk about it only makes things worse for him. Everyone else thinks G'Kar is legimately concerned about safety on Bablyon 5 and he uses what's going on as an excuse to grand-stand. He knows an opportunity when he sees one and he'll take advantage of anything that makes Sinclair look bad. Luckily, Biggs does get caught in the end.

Still the A-Story: At first I thought this was going to be more of a Delenn episode than it was going to be. I feel bad for the poet friend she had over, Shaal Mayan, who was attacked and branded by the Homeguard. On that note, I can't not say that the branding and the xenophobia make the Homeguard sound like the Circle. Fortunately, from what I can tell, the similarities stop there.

On Another Front: It's finally addressed what happened to Dr. Kyle and Lyta from "The Gathering". They were recalled to Earth after the pilot for knowing too much about the Vorlon. I'm going to assume the mystery behind the Vorlon is going to be followed up upon in later episodes and they're planting the seeds here.

Summing Up: Even though DC Fontana was the writer, and I thought a lot of what was in here was interesting, this feels like two episodes jammed together into one. I liked what I saw, but I think they could've done more with both the A-Story and the B-Story if they'd have been allowed to have full episodes devoted to them. I'm going to give this episode a 7.

Do I want to do one more right now? Nah, I don't have it in me, I'm getting tired. I'll do it tomorrow. My mind wants to do one thing. My body's telling me another.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Spoiler: The War Prayer

The War Prayer is definitely an early season one story in its vibe and content, and obnoxious comedy music. Though I'm not sure exactly how early. I mean, Londo's attitude in the story seems very strange for a guy who'd found love with Adira a couple of episodes back in Born to the Purple. It's like his character development is backwards.

Also, that newspaper in Born to the Purple has an interesting headline:

There are a few episodes in the show that should pretty blatantly be swapped around to fix continuity, but I honestly can't tell if these two are in the wrong order or not.

Anyway, at the risk of raising your expectations, I would put this in my bottom 10 for the whole show, along with most of the other episodes so far. I found it to be a pretty unsubtle 'hate is bad, love is good, except for when your lover turns out to be a hater with stealth camouflage' story without much to grab my interest or engage my brain.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm going to re-watch and re-rate every episode of Season 1 before going into Season 2.

If I'd watched Babylon 5 as a teenager in the '90s, I would've watched every episode at least twice anyway, so I want to keep it as close to what the experience would've been as possible.

In the '90s, I would've called going through every episode again a marathon. Now, I'll call it a binge.

 

[Farscape One]

Spoiler: The War Prayer

The War Prayer is definitely an early season one story in its vibe and content, and obnoxious comedy music. Though I'm not sure exactly how early. I mean, Londo's attitude in the story seems very strange for a guy who'd found love with Adira a couple of episodes back in Born to the Purple. It's like his character development is backwards.

Also, that newspaper in Born to the Purple has an interesting headline:

There are a few episodes in the show that should pretty blatantly be swapped around to fix continuity, but I honestly can't tell if these two are in the wrong order or not.

Anyway, at the risk of raising your expectations, I would put this in my bottom 10 for the whole show, along with most of the other episodes so far. I found it to be a pretty unsubtle 'hate is bad, love is good, except for when your lover turns out to be a hater with stealth camouflage' story without much to grab my interest or engage my brain.

Regarding the two episodes possibly being in the wrong order...

Spoiler

"BORN TO THE PURPLE" was the 4th produced episode, and "THE WAR PRAYER" was the 7th produced.

That headline could be because of "AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS", which was the 6th produced episode. I won't go into detail why since Lord Garth has not watched it yet. (If I remember the airdate order right, it's either the next episode or the one after. I tend to go by production order when I organize my brain for episodes.)

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Spoiler: The War Prayer

It doesn't seem like the production order will give us any clues, as the first season in particular was filmed way out of order. I mean the unambiguous finale was filmed 12th.

 

[Lord Garth]

"And the Sky Full of Stars" (B5 S1E8)

Spoiler

Now I think I'm starting to get a sense of where this season might be going. But I'll get to that. First the small stuff. Benson, a B5 officer, is into gambling. Way into gambling. To the point where he owes a lot of money and the Space Mafia's after him. They're probably racketeering. Babylon 5's covering all the bases. Last episode we had a hate group; this episode we've got gangsters. Benson feels the pressure. Both from the mob and from Sinclair and Garabaldi who want to investigate his gambling. Sinclair and Garabaldi can tell Benson's lying when he denies illegal, against-regulations levels of gambling, and how deep he's in.

Then Sinclair delivers a line to Garabaldi in private that cuts to the very heart of the episode. "The innocent lie because they don't want to be blamed for something they didn't do and the guilty lie because they don't have any other choice." More on that later.

Benson, with his back against the wall, helps two mysterious people known only as Knight One and Knight Two. The Knights have their own agenda. They kidnap Sinclair, hook up him to some weird mind-reading contraption, and then he ends up in a VR setting where Knight Two tries to find out what happened to Sinclair during his 10-hour blackout that he mentioned in "The Gathering". Two follow-ups to "The Gathering" in a row! This was a real chance to get inside Sinclair's head and the Knights almost find out, until Sinclair breaks free.

It's been hinted at for a while that Delenn knows something and isn't telling. With that subplot running parallel to the Knights wanting to find out what Sinclair can't remember, I put two-and-two together and figured out there was a connection. Then the episode confirmed it! Delenn was there during Sinclair's black-out right before the end of the Earth-Minbari War. And now Sinclair finally remembers that Delenn was there.

When Delenn asks Sinclair if remembers anything, he lies and says he doesn't. After he leaves, we see another Minbari who looks like a force to reckon with who tells Delenn she'll have to kill Sinclair if he ever remembers. Does Sinclair lie because he's innocent of something and doesn't want to be blamed? Does he lie because he did something he feels guility about and thinks he has no choice? At this point, it's left up to the viewer to decide. But count me in as intrigued!

The only fault I can find with the episode is that Benson is killed right off when he finds out Knight One and Knight Two are trying to extract information from Sinclair. But that's a very minor thing.

Overall, I give this episode an 8.

Putting on another one tonight. I think things are heating up!

Speaking of Benson. I'm only doing this just because!

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[Lord Garth]

"Deathwalker" isn't grabbing me. My attention is wandering too much. I'm also very tired. As it is, I feel like giving it a 5. In Lord Garth world, that's pretty low. I don't know if it's another "Move Along Home" situation, where I'm not in the right frame of mind. So, I'm going to have to watch this again after I wake up. I don't feel I can review it fairly at the moment.

 

[DonIago]

I don't know what the right frame of mind to appreciate "Move Along Home" would be. Drunk? Stoned? Cross-faded? Something stronger?