The Mirror Universe storyline and small-universe syndrome

[Awesome Possum]

In fiction events and situations tend to be connected to the main character usually for increased dramatic results. Burnham is our main character, the drama revolves around her arc. It makes more sense for the evil emperor to be her beloved captain and mother figure than some random guy with a goatee. It’s not realistic, but it’s called fiction for a reason.

Does it make sense that Spider-Man’s arch nemesis is his best friend’s father? Or that of all the people in the galaxy, the guy who blew up the Death Star is the son of Darth Vader, who happens to rescue his twin sister after meeting his dad’s old droids and the mentor who failed his father? Or how No, but that makes the story more interesting for the audience. Ever notice how the Enterprise was always the only ship in the area when trouble brewed? It was coincidental, it’s because it would be boring if they were just scanning rocks all day. You want to see things happen with personal stakes connected to the characters. These aren’t valid complaints, it’s nitpicking how basic storytelling works.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Usually alternate worlds in fiction have the same people doing similar things despite HUGE differences in circumstances (see: Before and After/Year of Hell, Yesterday's Enterprise/Generations, Wrath of Khan/Into Darkness). Discovery actually subverted it by having everyone be in similar places to their MU counterparts because of Lorca's meddling.

 

[jaime]

The Mirror Universe has never made any sense if you put even the slightest thought into it. You can't just change the history of Earth into a violent fascist dictatorship and expect, centuries later, the same people to be born at the same time, with the same genes. Then all those people end up on the same ship, or in vicinity of each other. It's ludicrous in Mirror Mirror, it's ludicrous on DS9 (where the ship sailed in terms of people you already know being in important positions, Regent Worf), it's ludicrous on ENT. DSC is no more so. DSC even kind of, sort of, tried to explain it in that Mirror!Lorca deliberately recruited Burnham, Georgiou's protege in both universes, onto his Prime!Discovery, exactly because of her connection to the Empress. So it at least wasn't a complete coincidence. Without that intervention, Prime!Burnham is in some prison somewhere, not in the MU at all, and so the small universe connections to her don't apply.

The only way that the whole concept makes any sense is if you swallow the destiny pill. It is easier just to suspend disbelief and take it as a fun 'what if' story.

Maybe we can call it the spooky universe instead. Like the particle physics thingy.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Maybe we can call it the spooky universe instead. Like the particle physics thingy.

I'd call it "destiny." Except:

Discovery actually subverted it by having everyone be in similar places to their MU counterparts because of Lorca's meddling.

"Destiny didn't bring me here, Captain. You did that."

 

[jaime]

I'd call it "destiny." Except:


"Destiny didn't bring me here, Captain. You did that."

Lorca makes his own Destiny, and they never outright said he was behind her shuttle accident on the way to stir.

 

[Greg Cox]

In fiction events and situations tend to be connected to the main character usually for increased dramatic results. Burnham is our main character, the drama revolves around her arc. It makes more sense for the evil emperor to be her beloved captain and mother figure than some random guy with a goatee. It’s not realistic, but it’s called fiction for a reason.

Does it make sense that Spider-Man’s arch nemesis is his best friend’s father? Or that of all the people in the galaxy, the guy who blew up the Death Star is the son of Darth Vader, who happens to rescue his twin sister after meeting his dad’s old droids and the mentor who failed his father? Or how No, but that makes the story more interesting for the audience. Ever notice how the Enterprise was always the only ship in the area when trouble brewed? It was coincidental, it’s because it would be boring if they were just scanning rocks all day. You want to see things happen with personal stakes connected to the characters. These aren’t valid complaints, it’s nitpicking how basic storytelling works.

Or that the burglar who killed Uncle Ben just happened to be the same crook Spidey declined to capture earlier? Or that the Genesis Device just happens to be designed by Kirk's old flame and his long-lost, hitherto-unmentioned son, who come under attack by Kirk's old nemesis at the same time Kirk just happens to be overseeing a training mission on the Enterprise . . .. .?

Heck, look at any old Edgar Rice Burroughs space opera. You could drop the hero, the heroine, and the villain in three different places across an entire planet and they would all end up in the same torture chamber in the same lost city at the same time.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Lorca makes his own Destiny, and they never outright said he was behind her shuttle accident on the way to stir.

I thought that was obvious? Mirror Lorca and Prime Lorca switched places right as the Buran was trying to escape. Lorca made it pretty clear that he was BEAMING back to the ship at the time, which is how the switch happened. Which means it was PRIME Lorca in that shuttle with Mirror Burnham.

Mirror Burnham was probably trying to help Prime Lorca get back to his own universe when the shuttle was destroyed, and the Emperor, in grief and rage, assumed she had been trying to help him escape.

Or maybe I should use "destroyed" in quotes?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I'm not criticizing the MU as a concept. It's a hard pill to swallow in logical terms, no question. I'm just saying that DSC handled it very differently than TOS, and made it an even harder pill.

There's no significant dealbreaking difference in the manner the Mirror Universe was handled between TOS, ENT, and DSC.

No kidding. The number of story beats that DSC has "pre-borrowed" from TOS in just 15 episodes is really kind of amazing.

Prevailing against enemies with cloaking devices? The Enterprise did that. But wait!... Discovery did it first!

No, ENT did it first, chronologically.

Making an adversary of Harry Mudd? Discovery was first!

Star Trek Into Darkness with the "Mudd incident" and seizing his ship.

First contact with the Mirror Universe? Discovery got there first!

ENT again, if you count the original Defiant crossing over, though it wasn't reported back to the Primeverse.

 

[jaime]

I thought that was obvious? Mirror Lorca and Prime Lorca switched places right as the Buran was trying to escape. Lorca made it pretty clear that he was BEAMING back to the ship at the time, which is how the switch happened. Which means it was PRIME Lorca in that shuttle with Mirror Burnham.

Mirror Burnham was probably trying to help Prime Lorca get back to his own universe when the shuttle was destroyed, and the Emperor, in grief and rage, assumed she had been trying to help him escape.

Or maybe I should use "destroyed" in quotes?

Burnhams shuttle, the disco picks her up from.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Burnhams shuttle, the disco picks her up from.

Discovery wasn't involved in the operation where Mirror Burnham and Mirror Lorca were supposedly killed. The Emperor's ship was pursing them at the time.

My point is that Lorca later tells Burnham that he was BEAMING back to the Buran when they were attacked. But Mirror Burnham was killed trying to apprehend him, apparently on a shuttlecraft that was destroyed in transit. Which means the shuttle fiasco happened AFTER the switch, and the Lorca who is wanted for Mirror Burnham's murder is, in fact, Lorca Prime.

 

[Kor]

DSC handled the MU almost exactly like DS9 did.

Kor

 

[F. King Daniel]

DSC handled the MU almost exactly like DS9 did.

Not seeing it, aside from Georgiou's Orion orgy.

I thought Discovery's Mirror arc felt most like DC Comics' awesome The Mirror Universe Saga arc from the 1980's.