What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe ?

[at Quark's]

Just watched part of 'Shattered Mirror' (DS9). In this episode, Sisko is coerced at first in helping to build the Defiant, but later takes action on account of his own free will in captaining the Defiant to help the rebels secure a victory and alter the balance of power (somewhat).

So, I was wondering: wouldn't that have caused some problems for him with Starfleet once he was back in the prime universe ? I mean, I suppose he had to report his actions, just like he had to in 'Trials and Tribble-ations', and for that, he got Temporal Investigations on his back. Of course the difference being that those actions could directly have influenced the timeline, whereas the mirror universe should have no direct bearing on the events in 'our' universe. But still ...

Or are starfleet officers free to muck around doing whatever they'd like to do in the mirror universe , at least as long as they are helping the 'good guys'?

(Edit: reason for putting this in general is that my question is meant as such, even though I only 'use' DS9 eps in my post. )

 

[Melakon]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

I've not seen all of DS9's MU episodes in years. Their version of the universe doesn't conform to how I interpret "Mirror, Mirror". In the original TOS version, only the landing parties' consciousness seems to switch between the universe, they don't appear in the uniforms they were originally wearing. It's not a physical transference of bodies. DS9 makes it possible to physically breach the wall between the universes. Their use of transporters has them arriving in their original clothing. They don't exchange places with their counterparts. That breaks the premise of "Mirror, Mirror" for me. I think ENT comes closer to getting it right because there's no transfer taking place at all.

Now, in regards to the question. It definitely seems there should be some sort of violation of regulations. It's interfering with the government of another power they are not officially at war with, without authorization of any kind. Sisko's actions could have started an inter-dimensional war. He's gone rogue.

 

[Push The Button]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

What happens in the mirror universe, stays in the mirror universe.

 

[The Wormhole]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

According to the novels, Starfleet officers are forbidden from travelling to the MU. I don't think anything is established about what to do if they end up there accidently. Presumably try to get back to Prime without upsetting the balance of power in the MU.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

I don't know if Starfleet has a policy but in general people seem to act like alternate dimensions are not places of consequence.

The events of DS9 do seem to make MU policy murky. Because in TOS it seemed like a one time fluke event that they were transferred to the MU and nobody would be able to intentionally reproduce, and in DS9 they learn how to adjust the transporters to get there whenever they want.

So there's no reason somebody in the MU couldn't start up a company that travels to the PU, makes a full report of what kind of life your double has, and then if they like the life better, helps you steal your original's life. Or if they find a PU copy of their dead loved one, kidnap the loved one. Or if they find their PU copy is dead but their loved one is still alive, just offer to leave them in the PU so they can replace each other's loved one.

If I ever wrote a Trek parallel universe novel, I might take a character like Tom Paris, and say, Tom Paris's duplicate made the same mistakes he did when he was young, only he lived in a universe where he was never offered a chance to redeem himself, so he finds his way to the PU and switches places with Paris, so Paris just wakes up one day in a version of his life where he's been in and out of prisons for petty crimes and his entire life is defined by his mistakes. So whatever he tries to do, everybody in his life just sees him as a scumbag running some kind of scam. And meanwhile alternate Paris gets more and more angry and frustrated when he sees all the good things PU Paris has in his life, like even when he's running a scam, his father and wife defend him and give him the benefit of the doubt.

I guess that story would work better in a different parallel universe and not the MU.

 

[Chronos]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

Starfleet may have been under the impression, from the events of Mirror Mirror, that visiting the Mirror Universe is impractical and, therefore, not worth investigating seriously. They also didn't see any real threat of events in the Mirror Universe impacting the Prime Universe, and so didn't think it necessary to extend the Prime Directive to this alternate universe.

If the Prime Directive doesn't cover the Mirror Universe, Sisko would have free reign in the Mirror Universe to do whatever he felt necessary to protect the Prime Universe.

 

[Lance]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

I've not seen all of DS9's MU episodes in years. Their version of the universe doesn't conform to how I interpret "Mirror, Mirror". In the original TOS version, only the landing parties' consciousness seems to switch between the universe, they don't appear in the uniforms they were originally wearing. It's not a physical transference of bodies. DS9 makes it possible to physically breach the wall between the universes. Their use of transporters has them arriving in their original clothing. They don't exchange places with their counterparts. That breaks the premise of "Mirror, Mirror" for me. I think ENT comes closer to getting it right because there's no transfer taking place at all.

Now, in regards to the question. It definitely seems there should be some sort of violation of regulations. It's interfering with the government of another power they are not officially at war with, without authorization of any kind. Sisko's actions could have started an inter-dimensional war. He's gone rogue.

I agree with Melakon here on all counts.

 

[Melakon]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

I agree with Melakon here on all counts.

One of my pet theories is the Halkans were actually responsible for what happened in "Mirror, Mirror", just to test whether the motives of these strangers were genuine. There's something fishy about them seeming to be primitive people who sit outside in long tunics watching ion storms, yet have the ability to communicate with a starship.

 

[plynch]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

That Tom Paris premise sounds good.

 

[Tim Walker]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

Could there be different Mirror Universes, with alternate timelines?

 

[Melakon]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

Could there be different Mirror Universes, with alternate timelines?

We saw alternate universes throughout the franchise, like in VOY: Non Sequitur, that weren't in the traditional MU. It's possible it has its own set of branches. Sometimes I think each series and each film is in its own separate universe, that there's no "Prime" at all.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

It definitely seems there should be some sort of violation of regulations. It's interfering with the government of another power they are not officially at war with.

Then again, it could be argued that the MU is just another hostile power (or grouping of same), and that the RU is effectively always at war with them.

I mean, if hostile forces from the MU have no qualms about invading the RU whenever they want, wouldn't the Federation want to be prepared for that?

 

[Silvercrest]

Re: What is starfleet's official policy regarding the mirror universe

I agree with Melakon here on all counts.

One of my pet theories is the Halkans were actually responsible for what happened in "Mirror, Mirror", just to test whether the motives of these strangers were genuine. There's something fishy about them seeming to be primitive people who sit outside in long tunics watching ion storms, yet have the ability to communicate with a starship.

I've liked this since I first saw it.

As to the OP, I suspect Starfleet's official policy regarding the MU is the same as that of the Vulcan Science Directorate on time travel.