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=== Background information ===
 
=== Background information ===
  +
==== Origins ====
 
Episode writers have maintained that the mirror universe is specifically a [[parallel universe]] in which the patterns of events move in similar manners, but the intentions and characterizations are different, so the people of the mirror side will always remain (and always have been) skewed versions of their "normal" counterparts. {{incite}}
 
Episode writers have maintained that the mirror universe is specifically a [[parallel universe]] in which the patterns of events move in similar manners, but the intentions and characterizations are different, so the people of the mirror side will always remain (and always have been) skewed versions of their "normal" counterparts. {{incite}}
   
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The mirror universe was drastically changed when [[Gene Roddenberry]] submitted a rewrite of the story treatment on {{d|1|April|1967}}. He had found a way to make a parallel universe comprehensible, also changing the name Tharn to that of an individual and renaming the race as the Halkans. Roddenberry had started to think of the mirror universe as analogous to a country under the political control of a fascist military junta. Expressing how he thought of the alternate reality, Roddenberry mused to [[Gene L. Coon]], "''Life is valueless, full of fear and terror, and never exploits the full potential of most of the citizens.''" (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two]]'')
 
The mirror universe was drastically changed when [[Gene Roddenberry]] submitted a rewrite of the story treatment on {{d|1|April|1967}}. He had found a way to make a parallel universe comprehensible, also changing the name Tharn to that of an individual and renaming the race as the Halkans. Roddenberry had started to think of the mirror universe as analogous to a country under the political control of a fascist military junta. Expressing how he thought of the alternate reality, Roddenberry mused to [[Gene L. Coon]], "''Life is valueless, full of fear and terror, and never exploits the full potential of most of the citizens.''" (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two]]'')
   
Some wording alterations still needed to be made. After Jerome Bixby proceeded from Gene Roddenberry's blueprint by turning in a first draft script for "Mirror, Mirror" on {{d|26|May|1967}}, some clarifications regarding the mirror universe were required. In a memo, Roddenberry told Gene Coon, "''Desperately needed are scenes where we, in effect, sit down and say, 'This is where we are; this is what we've seen; what does it add up to?' [....] For example, on Page 11, Kirk says, 'We’ve got two theories: massive change in our normal setting, or we’re someplace else.' I had to read this several times to understand what he meant.''" Following a second draft of the teleplay (submitted by Bixby in {{m|June|1967}}), [[NBC]] Broadcast Standards Department objected to the character of {{mu|Marlena Moreau}} referring to the mirror universe as "the damned universe," advising that either the word "damned" be deleted or that the phrase be changed to "the universe of the damned." (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two]]'')
+
A few wording alterations still needed to be made. After Jerome Bixby proceeded from Gene Roddenberry's blueprint by turning in a first draft script for "Mirror, Mirror" on {{d|26|May|1967}}, some clarifications regarding the mirror universe were required. In a memo, Roddenberry told Gene Coon, "''Desperately needed are scenes where we, in effect, sit down and say, 'This is where we are; this is what we've seen; what does it add up to?' [....] For example, on Page 11, Kirk says, 'We’ve got two theories: massive change in our normal setting, or we’re someplace else.' I had to read this several times to understand what he meant.''" Following a second draft of the teleplay (submitted by Bixby in {{m|June|1967}}), [[NBC]] Broadcast Standards Department objected to the character of {{mu|Marlena Moreau}} referring to the mirror universe as "the damned universe," advising that either the word "damned" be deleted or that the phrase be changed to "the universe of the damned." (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two]]'')
   
  +
==== First reappearance ====
 
Since "Mirror, Mirror" became a favorite episode with [[Trekkie|fans]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', it seemed only natural for the mirror universe to reappear in a later incarnation of ''[[Star Trek]]''. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143) The notion of revisiting the mirror universe on ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' was pitched to the series many times, ever since it began. However, [[Michael Piller]] was uninterested in that idea. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74)
 
Since "Mirror, Mirror" became a favorite episode with [[Trekkie|fans]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', it seemed only natural for the mirror universe to reappear in a later incarnation of ''[[Star Trek]]''. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143) The notion of revisiting the mirror universe on ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' was pitched to the series many times, ever since it began. However, [[Michael Piller]] was uninterested in that idea. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74)
   
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Several historical details of the mirror universe established in "Crossover" were thought up by [[Robert Hewitt Wolfe]]. "''I came up with some of the backstory, the idea that the mirror Spock took over after our Kirk left, and how that turned out to be a mistake,''" Wolfe recalled. He proceeded from observing that empires are usually only brutal if there's a reason for that, usually motivated by external or internal pressures. "''So I just thought that if the parallel [mirror] [[Earth]] [we saw in Kirk's time] was that brutal, there had to be a reason. And the reason was that the barbarians [the Klingons and the Cardassians] were at the gate.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143)
 
Several historical details of the mirror universe established in "Crossover" were thought up by [[Robert Hewitt Wolfe]]. "''I came up with some of the backstory, the idea that the mirror Spock took over after our Kirk left, and how that turned out to be a mistake,''" Wolfe recalled. He proceeded from observing that empires are usually only brutal if there's a reason for that, usually motivated by external or internal pressures. "''So I just thought that if the parallel [mirror] [[Earth]] [we saw in Kirk's time] was that brutal, there had to be a reason. And the reason was that the barbarians [the Klingons and the Cardassians] were at the gate.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143)
   
Portraying the mirror universe in "Crossover" involved production requirements that were extremely demanding. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74) The production staff had the responsibility of convincing the DS9 audience that they were once again viewing events in the mirror universe. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143) Outlining some of the extra needs, David Livingston said, "''We had more prosthesis makeup because the [[space station|[space] station]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>{{mu|Terok Nor}}<nowiki>]</nowiki> is inhabited by Klingons, Cardassians and Bajorans, and the humans are basically slaves so they're wearing different costumes.''" Other requirements involved altering the space station itself. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 75) Production Designer [[Herman Zimmerman]] noted, "''It was more lighting and costuming than anything physical that we needed to do.''" The alternate universe was deliberately depicted as "weird", such as by using skewed camera angles. "''It looked unusual and immediately told the viewer he was in another world,''" stated David Livingston, who devised the idea. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', pp. 143-144)
+
Portraying the mirror universe in "Crossover" involved production requirements that were extremely demanding. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74) The production staff had the responsibility of convincing the DS9 audience that they were once again viewing events in the mirror universe. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 143) Outlining some of the extra needs, David Livingston said, "''We had more prosthesis makeup because the [[space station|[space] station]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>{{mu|Terok Nor}}<nowiki>]</nowiki> is inhabited by Klingons, Cardassians and Bajorans, and the humans are basically slaves so they're wearing different costumes.''" Other requirements involved altering the space station itself. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 75) Production Designer [[Herman Zimmerman]] noted, "''It was more lighting and costuming than anything physical that we needed to do.''" The alternate universe was deliberately depicted as "weird", such as by using skewed camera angles. "''It looked unusual and immediately told the viewer he was in another world,''" stated David Livingston, who devised the idea and directed "Crossover". (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', pp. 143-144)
   
 
As for clothing the main characters in both "Mirror, Mirror" and "Crossover", many of the costumes were variations on the ones normally worn by the lead actors in their ''Star Trek'' roles. The performances of the characters obviously also changed. "''[It was] great fun to see everybody being different,''" reminisced [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] actor [[Alexander Siddig]]. "''It was fun to interact with people acting that way.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 144)
 
As for clothing the main characters in both "Mirror, Mirror" and "Crossover", many of the costumes were variations on the ones normally worn by the lead actors in their ''Star Trek'' roles. The performances of the characters obviously also changed. "''[It was] great fun to see everybody being different,''" reminisced [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] actor [[Alexander Siddig]]. "''It was fun to interact with people acting that way.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 144)
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When the mirror universe started being revisited on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', Jerome Bixby was very upset that he received no acknowledgement, in "Crossover", for the reuse of the concept. "''They did refer to the visit by Captain Kirk and his landing party, and I perked up when they mentioned that,''" he admitted. Bixby was so disappointed about not receiving on-screen credit for the recycling of what he felt was an idea he had originated that he consulted the Writer's Guild of America, whose policy was that &ndash; if a writer created an original character that was later reused &ndash; the writer was entitled to a royalty of some money. "''It's arguable,''" Bixby explained, "''that the Mirror universe itself might be termed a 'character' [....] I'm not sure that the 'Mirror, Mirror' spin-offs will [result in financial compensation] unless the Mirror universe itself can be deemed a character. That was mentioned in passing by the guy at the guild.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74)
 
When the mirror universe started being revisited on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', Jerome Bixby was very upset that he received no acknowledgement, in "Crossover", for the reuse of the concept. "''They did refer to the visit by Captain Kirk and his landing party, and I perked up when they mentioned that,''" he admitted. Bixby was so disappointed about not receiving on-screen credit for the recycling of what he felt was an idea he had originated that he consulted the Writer's Guild of America, whose policy was that &ndash; if a writer created an original character that was later reused &ndash; the writer was entitled to a royalty of some money. "''It's arguable,''" Bixby explained, "''that the Mirror universe itself might be termed a 'character' [....] I'm not sure that the 'Mirror, Mirror' spin-offs will [result in financial compensation] unless the Mirror universe itself can be deemed a character. That was mentioned in passing by the guy at the guild.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 74)
   
  +
==== Later appearances ====
According to the writers and producers of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' in their panel discussion at the {{y|2005}} Grand Slam XIII [[Star Trek convention|convention]], if they were to have agreed on financial compensation for a guest appearance for [[William Shatner]] during the [[ENT Season 4|fourth season]] of the series, there may have been an episode with a [[canon]]ical explanation of the origins of the mirror universe as an [[alternate timeline]]. {{brokenlink|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/10226.html}}
 
  +
DS9's second visit to "the other side" was proposed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe to [[Ira Steven Behr]] and they proceeded to write the episode, {{e|Through the Looking Glass}}, together. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 94) The writers were faced with a choice of how difficult (or easy) to make accessing the mirror universe. "''Every time we wanted to do a mirror universe show,''" said Behr, "''we had to come up with tech [to explain how they got there]. It came down to, did you want to spend half an act finding ways, or did you want to get in there and have fun? So, we made it easier to get in. But at least our [prime universe] people didn't come up with the way to do it. The mirror universe people did.''" Nonetheless, Wolfe added, "''I would say that it ''was'' probably extremely difficult to do, but [off screen].''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 230)
   
  +
Although [[Ronald D. Moore]] hardly had anything to do with "Through the Looking Glass", he highly valued the revisit to the mirror universe, later remarking, "''It's a cool universe, and it's kind of fun to go over there and see the world turned inside out [....] If anything, you want to see more and more of that world. I want to know more of what happened. It loosens up the characters a little bit.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 94)
According to [[Judith Reeves-Stevens|Judith]] and [[Garfield Reeves-Stevens]], an episode idea William Shatner had pitched would have featured him as "Tiberius", the mirror universe {{mu|James T. Kirk}} last seen in {{e|Mirror, Mirror}}. Supposedly killed by mirror-{{mu|Spock}} in his rise to power, it would have been revealed that the [[Tantalus field]] did not disintegrate, but in fact relocated its victims to a penal colony in the prime universe. If this story were to have been filmed, {{EnterpriseNX}} would have encountered Tiberius in the [[22nd century]], having been deposited there forty years earlier. In an attempt to return to the mirror universe using ''Enterprise''{{'}}s [[transporter]], [[Jonathan Archer|Archer]] and Tiberius end up creating the mirror universe in the first place, as a diverging timeline. {{brokenlink|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/10226.html}}
 
  +
  +
The use of the "alternate dimension" in "Through the Looking Glass" allowed for a cameo appearance by [[Tim Russ]] as {{mu|Tuvok}}. "''You're dealing with a basic physics concept, theoretical physics &ndash; the concept of an alternate universe &ndash; and I thought it was wonderful,''" Russ commented. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 94)
  +
  +
The mirror universe setting of "Through the Looking Glass" meant the episode took an unusually long time to produce. "''These shows have to be shot in a certain style because it's an alternate universe,''" observed David Livingston. "''Even though ''Deep Space Nine'' is already moody and dark, this universe has a certain sinewy look to it, and [Director of Photography] [[Jonathan West|Jonathan [West]]] said, 'If you want it then I have to take the time to do it.' We all kind of bit the bullet, and it went over tremendously. It [the extra time needed to portray the mirror universe] was not a surprise to me. It might have been a surprise to some people, but I had been there.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 95)
  +
  +
Some viewers seemed concerned that accessing the mirror universe in "Through the Looking Glass" appeared to be too easy. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 230)
  +
  +
Everyone working on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' enjoyed the "Crossover" episodes, which is how they generally referred to installments set in the mirror universe. Writers, actors, and directors alike relished the opportunities to take the characters in a direction which could be completely different from their norm. There was obviously a temptation to go as far afield as possible, though there were seemingly limits to this. For example, mirror universe characters that apparently remained much the same as their prime universe counterparts include Spock, Tuvok, and Jadzia Dax. Alternatively, some characters (such as {{mu|Rom}}) could be vastly different in the mirror universe to how they were otherwise portrayed, according to [[Winrich Kolbe]], who directed "Through the Looking Glass". Because the mirror universe episodes of DS9 had a high [[Mirror universe casualties|body count]] of familiar characters who were eliminated, the writers occasionally worried about running out of characters to populate the alternate realm. "''It's a brutal universe,''" acknowledged Robert Hewitt Wolfe, laughing. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', pp. 229 & 230)
  +
  +
According to the writers and producers of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' in a panel discussion at the {{y|2005}} Grand Slam XIII [[Star Trek convention|convention]], the [[ENT Season 4|fourth season]] mirror-universe two-parter {{e|In a Mirror, Darkly}} and {{e|In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II}} had a long gestation period. "''We had talked about doing a mirror universe episode ever since we got into Season Four,''" recalled [[Manny Coto]].
  +
 
It turned out that a story for a mirror universe two-parter, concocted in the hopes of enabling [[William Shatner]] to appear, had been pitched by him to [[Judith Reeves-Stevens|Judith]] and [[Garfield Reeves-Stevens]]. The idea would have featured Shatner as "Tiberius", the mirror universe {{mu|James T. Kirk}} last seen in {{e|Mirror, Mirror}}. Even though he had supposedly been killed by mirror-{{mu|Spock}} in his rise to power, it would have been revealed that the [[Tantalus field]] did not disintegrate, but in fact relocated its victims to a penal colony in the prime universe. If this story were to have been filmed, {{EnterpriseNX}} would have encountered Tiberius in the [[22nd century]], having been deposited there forty years earlier. In an attempt to return to the mirror universe using ''Enterprise''{{'}}s [[transporter]], [[Jonathan Archer|Archer]] and Tiberius end up creating the mirror universe in the first place, as an [[alternate timeline]].
  +
  +
Although negotiations between William Shatner and Paramount failed to reach an agreement, the ENT team of writer-producers still wanted to do a mirror universe story. Another hurdle was a continuity issue caused by the fact that the visit to the mirror universe in "Mirror, Mirror" had clearly been its first contact with the prime universe. Manny Coto said, "''We started bandying about ideas, trying to figure out a way to get our characters into the mirror universe.''" {{brokenlink|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/10226.html}} Coto further explained, "''When we were playing with the idea we kept going back to the old 'okay, they're beaming over and they get transported there' thing [....] I hit upon the idea that why don't we just do the story in the Mirror Universe? Not a crossover, but the whole episode in there, and then it hit me that we could treat it like the whole episode sort of beamed over from the Mirror Universe, and that turned into a two-parter.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 41) Speaking from the viewpoint of the mirror universe, he concluded, "''There's very little interaction with our regular universe.''" {{brokenlink|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/10226.html}}
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The use of the mirror universe as the only setting of the "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter meant that aliens (such as the Gorn and Tholian species) which were otherwise prohibited from appearing on ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', without violating [[canon]], could be depicted in the two-parter. Hence, Garfield Reeves-Stevens related, "''One of the great attractions that Manny had for why he wanted to do a Mirror episode was that there were very few continuity issues [within it].''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 69)
   
 
In a [[deleted scene|cut scene]] from "[[In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II (episode)#Story and Script|In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II]]", Archer gives a motivational speech to the assembled crews of the former ISS ''Enterprise'' and the ''Avenger''.
 
In a [[deleted scene|cut scene]] from "[[In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II (episode)#Story and Script|In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II]]", Archer gives a motivational speech to the assembled crews of the former ISS ''Enterprise'' and the ''Avenger''.
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[[ru:Зеркальная вселенная]]
 
[[ru:Зеркальная вселенная]]
 
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[[sr:Огледало свемир]]
 
[[Category:Mirror universe| ]]

Revision as of 07:01, 1 May 2015

AT: "mu"

File:Terran-Empire-Insignia.jpg

Terran Empire insignia with marching soldiers in the background

"They were brutal, savage, unprincipled, uncivilized, treacherous..."
– Spock, 2267 ("Mirror, Mirror")

The "mirror universe" is the informal name for the parallel universe first recorded as visited by James T. Kirk and several officers from the USS Enterprise in 2267. This parallel universe coexists with the prime universe on another dimensional plane. The mirror universe was so named because many people and places seemed to be opposites of their characteristics in the prime universe, with numerous good aspects now evil and vice versa, thus "mirror"-like. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

The term "mirror universe" has never been used on screen and is only derived from behind-the-scenes production sources, such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia. On screen, only general terminology has been used of both universes in relation to each other, such as "parallel universe" and "the other universe" in TOS: "Mirror, Mirror" and DS9: "Through the Looking Glass", "alternate reality" in ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", "the other side" in DS9: "Crossover" and "Shattered Mirror", and "the alternate universe" in DS9: "Resurrection" and "The Emperor's New Cloak".

History

For the main article, see mirror universe history.

Terran Empire

In the mirror universe, much of known history is dominated by the Terran Empire. It is not clear when the Empire began. Captain Jonathan Archer once stated that the Empire had existed for "centuries" as of 2155. Archer did not mention how many centuries, but by his statement, the Empire can be traced back to at least 1955, suggesting that it was a Terran political unit before it became an interstellar empire. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

First Contact between Vulcans and the Terran Empire took place in 2063, as it did in the prime universe. The long history of nations warring with each other, the stronger overcoming the weaker, led the people of Earth to believe that conquest was the only means of surviving in the universe. Peace was only a ruse used to determine an enemy's weaknesses and to enable the one offering peace a chance to conquer from within. So, when the Vulcans landed and made their peaceful introduction, Zefram Cochrane shot the first Vulcan to step onto Terran soil instead of welcoming them with open arms (as in the prime universe), and the Terrans, interpreting the landing as prelude to an invasion, raided the Vulcan ship. The shotgun used by Zefram Cochrane later came into the possession of Jonathan Archer, who wondered what would have happened had Cochrane not "turned the tables" on the Vulcans' "invasion force." With advanced Vulcan technology at their disposal, the Terran Empire expanded and conquered other races, including the Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Orions, and Denobulans.

It is hinted at in the novel Preserver that Cochrane had instead told the Vulcans about the Borg, thus forming a military alliance.

In 2155, the ISS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Maximilian Forrest, was the flagship of the Terran Empire's Starfleet. In January of that year, Commander Jonathan Archer mutinied against Forrest in order to take the ship into Tholian space to capture the USS Defiant, which had traveled through a spatial interphase from the year 2268 in the prime universe. While the mutiny was ultimately unsuccessful, Captain Forrest had no choice but to continue the mission, since the ship's helm had been locked on auto-pilot. The Enterprise was later destroyed by Tholian ships, but not before Archer was able to take control of the Defiant. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly") Archer tried to use the Defiant in a grab for power, intending to replace the Emperor, but was betrayed by Hoshi Sato, who declared herself Empress. However, it remains unclear as to whether Sato actually established herself as Empress, or if the Defiant played any further role in the mirror universe (particularly given that the mirror universe showed no signs of being any further ahead of the "standard" universe when the first crossover between the universes took place). (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")

The events following Sato's power grab are covered in the novel Age of the Empress, which is contained in the first book in the mirror universe series Glass Empires.

Sometime between 2155 and 2267, the symbol of the Empire appears to have been altered. The earlier symbol closely resembles that of the United Earth government, depicting all of Earth's continents, though replacing a laurel of peace with an aggressive sword. However, by the mid-23rd century, the symbol, while remaining essentially the same, depicted only the continents of Earth's western hemisphere.

The original symbol was seen in the episode "Mirror, Mirror", predating its appearance in "In a Mirror, Darkly".
Uhura distracts Hikaru Sulu (mirror)

Uhura and the mirror Sulu

By 2267, the Terran Empire was the dominant power in the Alpha Quadrant. When four Starfleet officers (Captain James T. Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, and Doctor Leonard McCoy) from the USS Enterprise were exchanged with those same officers from the ISS Enterprise in the mirror universe because of transporter interference from an ion storm, they discovered a brutal regime, almost dictatorial in its command structure. Advancement through assassination was commonplace.

During the encounter, Captain Kirk convinced the counterpart of his first officer, Spock, that the Empire could not sustain itself. Indeed, Spock predicted that in its current form, the Empire had 240 years before total collapse. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

Shortly thereafter, Spock rose to become leader of the Terran Empire, proposing a series of reforms designed to make the Empire more secure and less dictatorial in nature. These included a significant disarmament program. Unfortunately, once these reforms were complete, the Empire was unable to defend itself against the equally aggressive and powerful forces surrounding it. The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance overran the Empire, conquering Earth and leaving Terrans and Vulcans enslaved, and freeing several worlds that still remained under Terran occupation, including Bajor. (DS9: "Crossover")

Klingon-Cardassian Alliance

The official emblem of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance

With the fall of the Terran Empire, the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance became the dominant power in the Alpha Quadrant. Bajor, which before had been enslaved by the Terrans, soon joined the Alliance. The command post and ore processing facility Terok Nor was constructed in orbit.

Also during this time, the forces of the mirror universe began implementing safeguards to prevent another crossover event. Transporter design was altered to prevent inter-dimensional travel, requiring the creation of devices specifically for that purpose, including the multidimensional transporter. In the event of another crossover, those involved would be killed to prevent further interference. (DS9: "Crossover", "Through the Looking Glass")

Kira and Kira

Kira Nerys and... Kira Nerys

By 2370, Terok Nor was commanded by Intendant Kira Nerys, with Elim Garak as her second-in-command. It was at this point in time that the second known contact with the prime universe took place. A runabout from station Deep Space 9 entered the mirror universe following an incident in the Bajoran wormhole. Kira Nerys and Julian Bashir were captured by forces from Terok Nor, and interrogated by the intendant. Bashir was sent to work in the ore processing plant, where he befriended "Smiley" O'Brien. After instigating a series of incidents aboard the station, including the death of Odo during a slave uprising, Kira and Bashir convinced privateer Benjamin Sisko to rebel against the Alliance and help them to escape back to the prime universe. (DS9: "Crossover")

A year later, Smiley crossed over to the Federation's universe and impersonated his counterpart long enough to capture the prime Sisko, and brought him back to the mirror universe, where he convinced Sisko to impersonate the leader of the Terran Rebellion. The mirror Sisko had been killed in a skirmish with Alliance ships, and the rebels needed the other Sisko to win over Jennifer Sisko, Sisko's wife, who in the mirror universe was a scientist working for the Alliance. Jennifer had been developing a transpectral sensor array, which would have allowed the Alliance to locate rebel hideouts in the Badlands. Sisko convinced his wife's mirror-counterpart to defect to the side of the rebels. (DS9: "Through the Looking Glass")

While in the Federation's universe, Smiley downloaded information from Deep Space 9's computers, including the plans for the USS Defiant. In 2372 the rebels constructed their own version of the Defiant, but had trouble getting it to function properly. Jennifer lured Sisko back into the mirror universe to help, though Kira Nerys killed her a short time thereafter. By this time the rebellion had grown in strength, culminating in the capture of Terok Nor, which became a rebel base of operations. (DS9: "Shattered Mirror")

In 2374, Intendant Kira sent a thief, Bareil Antos, to the prime universe to steal one of the Bajoran orbs, believing it would permit Kira to unite Bajor under her rule. The attempt failed, and Bareil returned to the mirror universe without the orb. (DS9: "Resurrection")

In 2375, Grand Nagus Zek, the leader of the Ferengi Alliance in the prime universe, used the multidimensional transporter to travel to the mirror universe along with his Hupyrian manservant, Maihar'du, hoping to open up business opportunities, but they were captured and held hostage by the Alliance. Kira made arrangements with Worf, the regent of the Alliance, to obtain the prime universe's version of the Klingon cloaking device in exchange for Zek's return.

She sent Ezri Tigan, a Trill mercenary and Kira's lover, to the prime side to give Quark the ransom demand. Quark and his brother Rom stole the cloaking device from Klingon General Martok's ship and delivered it to Ezri, but decided at the last minute that they couldn't trust her to keep her side of the deal, and accompanied her to the mirror universe, where all three were captured by the Terran rebels, who planned to keep the cloaking device, until Ezri's companion Brunt freed them, delivering them to Regent Worf. Aboard Worf's flagship, Quark and Rom were imprisoned along with Zek upon discovering Kira's plan, only to be later rescued by Ezri as revenge against Kira for killing Brunt. Ezri ended up joining the rebel cause. Quark, Rom, Zek and Maihar'du were allowed to return to the primary universe for having aided the rebels' defeat of Worf, a major victory for the rebellion. During the escape from Worf's ship, Garak was killed. When last seen, the rebels' march towards victory showed no apparent signs of slowing. (DS9: "The Emperor's New Cloak")

Cultures

Technology

Starships

See also: Mirror universe starships

Appendices

Related topics

Appearances

Background information

Origins

Episode writers have maintained that the mirror universe is specifically a parallel universe in which the patterns of events move in similar manners, but the intentions and characterizations are different, so the people of the mirror side will always remain (and always have been) skewed versions of their "normal" counterparts. (citation needededit)

According to "Mirror, Mirror" writer Jerome Bixby, he thought of the mirror universe as a parallel universe. "The universe I created," he said, "was a very savage counterpart, virtually a pirate ship, into which I could transpose a landing party." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 74) However, Bixby’s original version of "Mirror, Mirror" didn't actually depict the parallel universe as "a very savage counterpart", with only subtle differences from the prime universe, such as the fact the Enterprise therein was manned by a benevolent crew. Harlan Ellison had proposed including a savage alternate universe in his original take on "The City on the Edge of Forever" and the parallel universe setting in the story that became "Mirror, Mirror" initially worried Robert Justman that it might be too similar to the antimatter universe from "The Alternative Factor". (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

While the story gradually began to develop into "Mirror, Mirror", the imagined universe evolved too. In a revised story outline (submitted on 2 March 1967), the universe contained a version of Rigel IV and a war which the duplicate Federation, including the alternate Enterprise, was losing against a race called the Tharn, to the point where surrender of the Federation was proclaimed as imminently necessary. Under orders from Admiral McNulty, Kirk took the Enterprise to rendezvous with elements of the Tharn fleet and submitted the ship to them. As Kirk soon realized, however, the Tharn vessels didn't have shields to withstand a phaser blast and the Federation had no knowledge of phaser technology. Next, ten Tharn ships followed the Enterprise, still acting under orders from McNulty, to the nearest starbase, which was Starbase One. During transit, the existence of the other universe, and the fact Kirk had originated there, was discovered by Mirror Spock and Mirror Scott. The crew of the Mirror Enterprise finally managed to create a phaser weapon, with Kirk's help, and used it to defeat the Tharn, before Kirk was returned to his own reality. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

Some aspects of the mirror universe were subsequently influenced by comments from Script Consultant D.C. Fontana. For example, she suggested distinguishing the parallel universe from the prime one by doing "something optically or photographically." Thus, the first on-screen view from the mirror universe, depicting the ISS Enterprise and the Halkan homeworld, is a flipped rendition of identical footage from the prime universe. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

The mirror universe was drastically changed when Gene Roddenberry submitted a rewrite of the story treatment on 1 April 1967. He had found a way to make a parallel universe comprehensible, also changing the name Tharn to that of an individual and renaming the race as the Halkans. Roddenberry had started to think of the mirror universe as analogous to a country under the political control of a fascist military junta. Expressing how he thought of the alternate reality, Roddenberry mused to Gene L. Coon, "Life is valueless, full of fear and terror, and never exploits the full potential of most of the citizens." (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

A few wording alterations still needed to be made. After Jerome Bixby proceeded from Gene Roddenberry's blueprint by turning in a first draft script for "Mirror, Mirror" on 26 May 1967, some clarifications regarding the mirror universe were required. In a memo, Roddenberry told Gene Coon, "Desperately needed are scenes where we, in effect, sit down and say, 'This is where we are; this is what we've seen; what does it add up to?' [....] For example, on Page 11, Kirk says, 'We’ve got two theories: massive change in our normal setting, or we’re someplace else.' I had to read this several times to understand what he meant." Following a second draft of the teleplay (submitted by Bixby in June 1967), NBC Broadcast Standards Department objected to the character of Marlena Moreau referring to the mirror universe as "the damned universe," advising that either the word "damned" be deleted or that the phrase be changed to "the universe of the damned." (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

First reappearance

Since "Mirror, Mirror" became a favorite episode with fans of Star Trek: The Original Series, it seemed only natural for the mirror universe to reappear in a later incarnation of Star Trek. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 143) The notion of revisiting the mirror universe on Star Trek: The Next Generation was pitched to the series many times, ever since it began. However, Michael Piller was uninterested in that idea. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 74)

Even the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine talked, for a while, about returning to the mirror universe, prior to setting any such plans in motion. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 143) The parallel universe reappeared in the DS9 episode "Crossover" because Michael Piller was intrigued by the possibility of finding out how the reality had been altered since its introduction. "I couldn't get away from the fact that it would be interesting to know what happened after 'Mirror, Mirror' finished," he said. "I couldn't escape the idea that Kirk's influence in the world that he left might have been profound and changed history. What would be more of a gross violation of the Prime Directive? Ira [Behr] said, 'What if he actually screwed things up?'" Influenced by watching Schindler's List, Piller was additionally fascinated by the what-if aspect of the grim alternate realm. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 74)

Several historical details of the mirror universe established in "Crossover" were thought up by Robert Hewitt Wolfe. "I came up with some of the backstory, the idea that the mirror Spock took over after our Kirk left, and how that turned out to be a mistake," Wolfe recalled. He proceeded from observing that empires are usually only brutal if there's a reason for that, usually motivated by external or internal pressures. "So I just thought that if the parallel [mirror] Earth [we saw in Kirk's time] was that brutal, there had to be a reason. And the reason was that the barbarians [the Klingons and the Cardassians] were at the gate." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 143)

Portraying the mirror universe in "Crossover" involved production requirements that were extremely demanding. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 74) The production staff had the responsibility of convincing the DS9 audience that they were once again viewing events in the mirror universe. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 143) Outlining some of the extra needs, David Livingston said, "We had more prosthesis makeup because the [space] station [Terok Nor] is inhabited by Klingons, Cardassians and Bajorans, and the humans are basically slaves so they're wearing different costumes." Other requirements involved altering the space station itself. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 75) Production Designer Herman Zimmerman noted, "It was more lighting and costuming than anything physical that we needed to do." The alternate universe was deliberately depicted as "weird", such as by using skewed camera angles. "It looked unusual and immediately told the viewer he was in another world," stated David Livingston, who devised the idea and directed "Crossover". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, pp. 143-144)

As for clothing the main characters in both "Mirror, Mirror" and "Crossover", many of the costumes were variations on the ones normally worn by the lead actors in their Star Trek roles. The performances of the characters obviously also changed. "[It was] great fun to see everybody being different," reminisced Bashir actor Alexander Siddig. "It was fun to interact with people acting that way." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 144)

When the mirror universe started being revisited on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Jerome Bixby was very upset that he received no acknowledgement, in "Crossover", for the reuse of the concept. "They did refer to the visit by Captain Kirk and his landing party, and I perked up when they mentioned that," he admitted. Bixby was so disappointed about not receiving on-screen credit for the recycling of what he felt was an idea he had originated that he consulted the Writer's Guild of America, whose policy was that – if a writer created an original character that was later reused – the writer was entitled to a royalty of some money. "It's arguable," Bixby explained, "that the Mirror universe itself might be termed a 'character' [....] I'm not sure that the 'Mirror, Mirror' spin-offs will [result in financial compensation] unless the Mirror universe itself can be deemed a character. That was mentioned in passing by the guy at the guild." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 74)

Later appearances

DS9's second visit to "the other side" was proposed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe to Ira Steven Behr and they proceeded to write the episode, "Through the Looking Glass", together. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 94) The writers were faced with a choice of how difficult (or easy) to make accessing the mirror universe. "Every time we wanted to do a mirror universe show," said Behr, "we had to come up with tech [to explain how they got there]. It came down to, did you want to spend half an act finding ways, or did you want to get in there and have fun? So, we made it easier to get in. But at least our [prime universe] people didn't come up with the way to do it. The mirror universe people did." Nonetheless, Wolfe added, "I would say that it was probably extremely difficult to do, but [off screen]." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 230)

Although Ronald D. Moore hardly had anything to do with "Through the Looking Glass", he highly valued the revisit to the mirror universe, later remarking, "It's a cool universe, and it's kind of fun to go over there and see the world turned inside out [....] If anything, you want to see more and more of that world. I want to know more of what happened. It loosens up the characters a little bit." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 94)

The use of the "alternate dimension" in "Through the Looking Glass" allowed for a cameo appearance by Tim Russ as Tuvok. "You're dealing with a basic physics concept, theoretical physics – the concept of an alternate universe – and I thought it was wonderful," Russ commented. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 94)

The mirror universe setting of "Through the Looking Glass" meant the episode took an unusually long time to produce. "These shows have to be shot in a certain style because it's an alternate universe," observed David Livingston. "Even though Deep Space Nine is already moody and dark, this universe has a certain sinewy look to it, and [Director of Photography] Jonathan [West] said, 'If you want it then I have to take the time to do it.' We all kind of bit the bullet, and it went over tremendously. It [the extra time needed to portray the mirror universe] was not a surprise to me. It might have been a surprise to some people, but I had been there." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 95)

Some viewers seemed concerned that accessing the mirror universe in "Through the Looking Glass" appeared to be too easy. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 230)

Everyone working on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine enjoyed the "Crossover" episodes, which is how they generally referred to installments set in the mirror universe. Writers, actors, and directors alike relished the opportunities to take the characters in a direction which could be completely different from their norm. There was obviously a temptation to go as far afield as possible, though there were seemingly limits to this. For example, mirror universe characters that apparently remained much the same as their prime universe counterparts include Spock, Tuvok, and Jadzia Dax. Alternatively, some characters (such as Rom) could be vastly different in the mirror universe to how they were otherwise portrayed, according to Winrich Kolbe, who directed "Through the Looking Glass". Because the mirror universe episodes of DS9 had a high body count of familiar characters who were eliminated, the writers occasionally worried about running out of characters to populate the alternate realm. "It's a brutal universe," acknowledged Robert Hewitt Wolfe, laughing. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, pp. 229 & 230)

According to the writers and producers of Star Trek: Enterprise in a panel discussion at the 2005 Grand Slam XIII convention, the fourth season mirror-universe two-parter "In a Mirror, Darkly" and "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" had a long gestation period. "We had talked about doing a mirror universe episode ever since we got into Season Four," recalled Manny Coto.

It turned out that a story for a mirror universe two-parter, concocted in the hopes of enabling William Shatner to appear, had been pitched by him to Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. The idea would have featured Shatner as "Tiberius", the mirror universe James T. Kirk last seen in "Mirror, Mirror". Even though he had supposedly been killed by mirror-Spock in his rise to power, it would have been revealed that the Tantalus field did not disintegrate, but in fact relocated its victims to a penal colony in the prime universe. If this story were to have been filmed, Enterprise NX-01 would have encountered Tiberius in the 22nd century, having been deposited there forty years earlier. In an attempt to return to the mirror universe using Enterprise's transporter, Archer and Tiberius end up creating the mirror universe in the first place, as an alternate timeline.

Although negotiations between William Shatner and Paramount failed to reach an agreement, the ENT team of writer-producers still wanted to do a mirror universe story. Another hurdle was a continuity issue caused by the fact that the visit to the mirror universe in "Mirror, Mirror" had clearly been its first contact with the prime universe. Manny Coto said, "We started bandying about ideas, trying to figure out a way to get our characters into the mirror universe." Template:Brokenlink Coto further explained, "When we were playing with the idea we kept going back to the old 'okay, they're beaming over and they get transported there' thing [....] I hit upon the idea that why don't we just do the story in the Mirror Universe? Not a crossover, but the whole episode in there, and then it hit me that we could treat it like the whole episode sort of beamed over from the Mirror Universe, and that turned into a two-parter." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 41) Speaking from the viewpoint of the mirror universe, he concluded, "There's very little interaction with our regular universe." Template:Brokenlink

The use of the mirror universe as the only setting of the "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter meant that aliens (such as the Gorn and Tholian species) which were otherwise prohibited from appearing on Star Trek: Enterprise, without violating canon, could be depicted in the two-parter. Hence, Garfield Reeves-Stevens related, "One of the great attractions that Manny had for why he wanted to do a Mirror episode was that there were very few continuity issues [within it]." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 69)

In a cut scene from "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", Archer gives a motivational speech to the assembled crews of the former ISS Enterprise and the Avenger.

Brannon Braga revealed – via his Twitter account – that, before the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, there was even some talk about setting the entire fifth season in the mirror universe. [1]

Dating divergence

The credits sequence for the mirror universe Star Trek: Enterprise television series used footage of battles going back at least to the "Age of Sail". The mirror Phlox noted that the "great works" of literature in both universes were roughly the same, except that their characters were "soft and weak" (except for Shakespeare), pushing back the earliest possible date for a divergence to the 16th century. In mirror-Archer's deleted speech from "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", he invokes the favor of the "gods." This, together with Marlena Moreau's statement about "being the woman of a Caesar", in "Mirror, Mirror", suggests that the Terran Imperial tradition extends at least back to ancient Rome. However, given the nature of the mirror universe, these statements should be taken with a grain of salt.

Apocrypha

The existence of a "point of divergence" from the traditional Star Trek universe has not been confirmed, though according to the novel Fearful Symmetry, the mirror universe is in fact a parallel quantum universe, as quantum signature scans used to match Worf with his USS Enterprise-D in TNG: "Parallels" were also able to differentiate natives of the mirror universe from those of the prime reality. This suggests that even though the two universes were always separate, they shared a similar past up to some point in their history.

According to the FASA role-playing games and The Best of Trek, the mirror universe diverges from the prime timeline around the Eugenics Wars, while DC Comics' The Mirror Universe Saga comics speculate the Earth-Romulan War was the point of divergence, with Earth having lost that war, and then embarking on a policy of conquest after overthrowing the Romulans (it is not known what kind of contact Sato's Empire had with the Romulans). Still other works, the novels of William Shatner's Star Trek: The Mirror Universe Trilogy (co-written with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens) and the novelization of Star Trek: First Contact seem to indicate that time travel of the Borg to Zefram Cochrane's era might be responsible. This explanation would tie in with ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly" when the Vulcans first arrived and were killed by Cochrane.

Dark Mirror, a Pocket TNG novel by Diane Duane, places the mirror universe as parallel since at least the end of Homer's Iliad, where the mirror universe parallel of Achilles kills old King Priam after the death of Hector when asked to return Hector's body for funeral rites, instead of showing one moment of Humanity. Picard thought that that moment in the original prime universe version as the one time in the poem when "that terrible man showed mercy... but not here." After this there seems to be some sort of "moral inversion". For instance, according to Plato the perfect government is now one in which fear is meted out to the people in proper proportion by a wise ruler. Picard notes that the ending of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice is drastically different: Shylock is awarded, and accepts, the owed pound of flesh.

This universe is inconsistent with the others in that it was written before the DS9 mirror episodes and references the Terran Empire as still being active in 2367. Alternate mirror universes might however explain some of the costume and effects inconsistencies in the DS9 mirror episodes. For example in "Through the Looking Glass", Alliance ships were seen de-cloaking, and in "The Emperor's New Cloak" the Alliance didn't have a cloaking technology.

The mirror universe is mentioned a few times in the Deep Space Nine book trilogy Millennium. During the second novel, it was revealed that Dukat, possessed by the Pah-wraiths, has taken over the mirror Terok Nor, where he is awaiting a final confrontation with Kai Weyoun. Also, General Martok crafted an invasion strategy that would have involved moving the entire Klingon fleet to the mirror universe.

In the novel The Soul Key by Olivia Woods, it is revealed that the mirror Benjamin Sisko staged his death. In addition, the Bajoran wormhole is discovered by the mirror version of Iliana Ghemor.

The mirror universe made an appearance in Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, a video game released for PCs. Voyager, having been pulled into a starship scrapyard, encounters hostile Humans working with various aliens, including Malons, Klingons, and Hirogen. These Human "scavengers" are from the mirror universe and operate from a station made up of the remains of a mirror universe Constitution-class starship, among other things.

The mirror universe also features prominently in Star Trek: Shattered Universe, a video game released on PS2 and Xbox. It depicts an Empire Starfleet of the 2290s, and a crossover to the adventures of Captain Sulu on the ISS Excelsior.

According to the novella Age of the Empress, World War II occurred in the mirror universe, with Japan as one as its participants. One of the results appears to have been a lessening of the power of Japan's emperor, as the Kyoto Imperial Palace was turned into a tourist attraction.

A mirror universe of the alternate reality is introduced in issue fifteen of IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Ongoing comic series. In this version of events, Nero at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works's incursion results in a timeline where the Terran Empire conquers the Klingons in 2258, and James T. Kirk at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works recovers the Narada at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works from Rura Penthe at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works. Having destroyed the ISS Enterprise at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works and proclaimed himself captain of the 'new' Terran flagship, Kirk subsequently tracks down another anomaly similar to that which brought the Narada into their universe and discovers another version of 'Spock Prime', who recognizes this world as the mirror universe. Kirk subsequently attempts to use the red matter from the Jellyfish to destroy Vulcan, but this plan is prevented by the treachery of Uhura at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works, who beamed Spock at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works to safety at the last minute. The two Spocks decide to remain on Vulcan to help their people, while Uhura departs as the new captain of the Narada.

The mirror universe plays a role in Star Trek Online. It appears in three main missions - "Tear of the Prophets", "Crack in the Mirror", and "The Other Side", in which you deal with the Terran Empire's incursions into the prime universe and prevent their actions from ravaging both universes.

Apocryphal appearances

Comics
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Novels

See also

External links