What is Your Favorite Mirror Universe Episode?

[BillJ]

"Mirror, Mirror", of course.

"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision."

 

[DevilEyes]

Mirror Universe, as seen in TOS "Mirror, Mirror", is actually a brilliant and very interesting idea, and can lead to wonderful stories if taken seriously

I finally have a use for this smiley:

Yeah, it's a great smiley to use in the place of an actual argument, if you're missing one.

When taken seriously it's absolutely laughable (as seen in TOS Mirror, Mirror and ENT In a Mirror, Darkly). It's just a universe where everyone's an asshole (Brunt and O'Brien notwithstanding).

...Spock, Quark, Forrest, Soval, even Trip and T'Pol. You might even make a case for Sisko, for all his faults he is a former slave who becomes a leader of a rebellion.

But hey, why not try to oversimplify things in order to try to make your position seem valid? I think we should do the same with all episodes of Trek and come to the conclusion that all main characters are one-dimensional do-gooders and the rest are one-dimensional assholes.

Crossover is a Piller/Fields script, whereas TtLG is RHW/Behr, so I guess I'll just blame the change of writers for the difference in perspective and subsequent degradation of the DS9 MU.

I never thought of that. Behr seemed to be in love with Ferengi episodes as well, he must have seen the MU as another opportunity to add some light-hearted fun and comedy to the show. "Crossover" was obviously not written with that intent.

This may be because I had recently read some Pocket Book novels involving the MU. It is quite simply a storytelling device that only works well in small doses, and quickly becomes predictable and repetitive, as its innate absurdity starts to outweigh the fun factor.

David Mack's The Sorrows of Empire is pretty good. I also liked a couple of Terran Empire-related stories from the Shards and Shadows anthology that I liked - though for every one I like, there's another one I find pointless or stupid.

As for Spock's reforms bringing the end to the Empire, I cannot shake off the feeling that it was Spock's plan all along. You cannot just change the Terran Empire, you have to change the Terrans. And the quickest, most efficient way is to make them taste a bit of their own medicine. In truly MU style.

Beside, I got the feeling that if the Empire had fallen in its own time (a few centuries, as Spock predicted), that would be the end of Humanity and its allies: I'm talking about total annihilation. A genocide on galactic scale. After a millennium of hate, I would not be surprised if their enemy would not have stopped before the last Human, Vulcan or Andorian would be toasted. In this case, by causing the fall of the Empire before its time, Spock actually saved his people: they were slaves, but they were alive, and with a chance of redemption.

I think some of the novels touched on that, but I've never actually read any of them.

Actually, you've just described the plot of The Sorrows of Empire.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

ENT's have grown on me, I do like seeing Archer in the green shirt and the set of a Constitution class starship. The tie in to TOS with the Defiant was excellent. But all machinations and evil hissing of the MU crew was tedious. Yeah we get, you are eeeevil..

And that is different from all the other MU episodes, how?

It isn't. I don't like that element in any of them, it was always overplayed and tedious. The exception is Mirror Mirror which for me always had an intensity to it that didn't veer into camp.

I'm only saying that the ENT eps had many great qualities, too bad about the overplaying. Still more watchable than some of the DS9 ones which never delivered anything worthwhile IMO.

 

[SFRabid]

I agree with the poll so far. Darkly and Mirror Mirror are far better than any of the DS9 Mirror episodes. Mirror episodes are one of the very few weaknesses for DS9. I give the edge to Darkly because the opening credits left me thinking "Awesome! What just happened?"

 

[sevenstars]

"Mirror, Mirror" is the only one I can even tolerate. Because Once was More Than Enough.

 

[C.E. Evans]

No contest. "Mirror, Mirror" followed very closely by the "In A Mirror Darkly" two-parter.

While I loved DS9, I really didn't care for any of the DS9 Mirror Universe episodes and each subsequent outing or crossover only made it worse for me. I just didn't like their take on it, didn't like that there wasn't a Mirror Starfleet anymore, and thought they should have left it alone after one or two episodes. When I learned the post TV-series DS9 books were going back to the Mirror Universe stuff, I said "Aw, hell no," and kept my distance...

 

[iguana_tonante]

I think some of the novels touched on that, but I've never actually read any of them.

Actually, you've just described the plot of The Sorrows of Empire.

Good ideas rarely go unattended.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

In a Mirror, Darkly. It's possibly the coolest episode of Trek ever.

Agreed.

 

[maneth]

In a Mirror, Darkly. It's possibly the coolest episode of Trek ever.

Oh, absolutely. I especially enjoyed the evil Reed and they really "put the 'ho' in Hoshi"!

 

[Piper]

Mirror, Mirror, but I'm one of those who likes all of them

 

[CommanderRaytas]

I like all of them as well, even the silly ones.

 

[Lor'Vela]

I'm going to be predictable and go with TOS Mirror Mirror.

 

[flemm]

I never thought of that. Behr seemed to be in love with Ferengi episodes as well, he must have seen the MU as another opportunity to add some light-hearted fun and comedy to the show. "Crossover" was obviously not written with that intent.

I think there's more to it than that, in fact now that I've had a chance to rewatch them I could write a book on why Crossover is awesome and TtLG is not. I guess I'll wait to this comes up in a rewatch thread to elaborate fully, but suffice it to say that Crossover is very funny, genuinely creepy and a bit disturbing with a serious subtext, whereas as TtLG is simultaneously too serious and not serious enough.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the Intendant's portrayal in TtLG, which totally undermines Fields' concept for the character and Visitor's brilliant double performance in Crossover (which seems to have been mostly a Fields script, though Michael Piller is co-credited for the teleplay). TtLG's Intendant is a sadist who executes Terran slaves to sooth her irritation about Mirror Sisko's betrayal. In Crossover, there is a lot more to be said about her characterization, which is more subtle than RHW and Behr apparently understood or cared to preserve. Also they start with the bisexual innuendo in TtLG, which rather misses the point of the Intendant's fascination with Kira in Crossover, which is about her narcissism, not her sexual orientation (she is straight by all appearances, and sleeping with Mirror Sisko).

 

[StarryEyed]

If I have to pick one of these, it's In A Mirror Darkly for its pure fan-wank value. The whole idea is far and away the most logically absurd thing in Star Trek - A completely different universe with completely different events yet the same people exist in both.

When ever I go through the DVDs and rewatch an entire series, I always skip the MU episodes. I guess my real favorite MU episode is a toss-up between the one they did in The Next Generation and the one they did in Voyager.

 

[Alienesse]

Here's a choice that's not hard to make! I've picked "Mirror, Mirror".

I haven't watched the DS9 ones in a long time and I may be talking nonsense, but "Mirror, Mirror" was the only mirror universe episode that didn't have that pronounced comic-book feel to it and thus was more believable. It made me want to see more.

"In A Mirror Darkly" is very cool, but it seemed too cartoonish and frankly, I didn't really like the ending... The DS9 episodes tied in better with the rest of the series, but Kira came off as extremely annoying, at least to me. Mirror Ezri, on the other hand, rocked. I wish regular Ezri had been as cool as her mirror counterpart.

In "Mirror, Mirror" I especially liked the treatment of Spock. He was different in the mirror universe and then he wasn't. He retained his main qualities when everyone else was the opposite of who they were in the regular universe. He kept his logical thinking and his integrity, and he could still be relied on to use his reason and make the right decision. I respect that. And the idea of a Spock-run Enterprise isn't all that unappealing. I can imagine him kick Kirk's ass for the nth and last time when evil Kirk got back.

 

[MikeSussman]

"Mirror, Mirror" without question. But I'm enjoying the "IAMD" love, much appreciated.