The Alternative Factor (episode rating and discussion)

[Magic_Al]

Aquehonga said:
How come in "Mirror,Mirror" Kirk seems to have forgotten his encounter with the Lazarus Twins In "M,M",Kirk acts as though he'd never been to or seen an alternate universe,when he had done both over a year earlier when he met the exisence-threatening Lazaruses.

Kirk actually deduces the situation in "Mirror, Mirror" pretty quickly, almost as soon as his group has privacy to talk about it. He guesses it's a parallel universe, not alien mind control or some kind of kidnapping/brainwashing attempt using illusion as psychological warfare. I'd say it's just as likely he is drawing upon his experience with Lazarus.

 

[Aquehonga]

Magic_Al said:Kirk actually deduces the situation in "Mirror, Mirror" pretty quickly, almost as soon as his group has privacy to talk about it. He guesses it's a parallel universe, not alien mind control or some kind of kidnapping/brainwashing attempt using illusion as psychological warfare. I'd say it's just as likely he is drawing upon his experience with Lazarus.

^You make a valid observation & a good point here. I guess I would've liked it better had Kirk or someone else mentioned their meeting with the existence-threatening Lazaruses the previous year.

 

[Magic_Al]

It's also noteworthy in "Mirror, Mirror" that Mirror Kirk does not correctly surmise his predicament; he seems to think Spock orchestrated all the changes on the ship as part of a plot to seize power and doesn't even accept Spock's parallel universe explanation. This suggests Mirror Kirk has no experience with parallel universes and never dealt with Mirror Lazarus.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Gorn66 said:
If the old Star Trek Compendium is right, this episode was torn apart and redone at the 11th hour to remove the romantic subplot. Sane Lazarus getting romantically involved with Lt. Masters, and insane Lazarus abusing that relationship to get the dilithium. Would be nice if that footage really exists in the vault somewhere.

The Final Draft of the script which was shot has no such relationship, so it was never filmed. It must have been in an earlier draft. The few differences between the script and what was aired are detailed in my review (see link in my sig line).

Sir Rhosis

 

[Sulu_Love_child]

barely watchable
the story is very weak and inconsistent

 

[Tralah]

Ugh, this is by far my least favorite TOS episode. Usually when TOS is bad it's at least bad in an entertaining campy way. I was bored crazy by it, and only finished watching it through sheer force of will.

 

[Kegek]

Great episode. Totally weird, knocked out idea: Cosmological war of dopplegangers, one mad, one self-sacrificing, to save two entire universes.

That's weird, and it's executed in a strane, freakish build-up. Oddly enough, I even like the confusion between Lazari - it's still a little spotty to me which one is which when in certain places, and this adds to the twisted, crooked plot.

Plus some great tense scenes with Kirk and Spock about matter... and antimatter... and the threat to the universe that sells this idea.

Yes. I am in the total goddamn minority. But this is definately an episode I like.