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Mirror, Mirror (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"Mirror, Mirror" is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
. It is a second-season episode, #33, production #39, and was broadcast for the first time on October 6, 1967, and repeated on April 12, 1968. It was written by Jerome Bixby
and directed by Marc Daniels
. The title is an allusion to the phrase spoken by the Witch in the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
" by the Brothers Grimm
--"Mirror, mirror on the wall/Who in the land is fairest of all?"
The episode has a transporter
mishap swapping Captain Kirk and his companions with their evil counterparts
in a parallel universe
. In the so-called Mirror Universe
, the Enterprise is a ship of the Terran Empire, an organization as evil as the United Federation of Planets
is benevolent.
to mine dilithium
crystals on their planet, Captain James T. Kirk, along with Dr. McCoy
, Scotty
, and Lt. Uhura
, return to the Enterprise
. An unexpected ion storm causes a transporter malfunction, and the landing team beams aboard an unfamiliar Enterprise.
The group realizes something is amiss as they arrive on the transporter pad: a goateed Mr. Spock viciously tortures the transporter operator, Lt. Kyle, for carelessness in nearly losing the ship's captain. (Parallel universe crew members carry "agonizers", which superior officers use to punish them for dereliction of duty). Kirk deduces that they must have switched places with their mirror-universe counterparts, that the landing party from this universe must now be aboard his Enterprise, and that his landing party must impersonate their counterparts until they can find a way home. In this alternate universe, the USS Enterprise is called an "Imperial Starship" or ISS Enterprise, and a brutal Terran Empire has replaced the Federation. Officers rise in rank by assassinating their superiors (as Kirk discovers when Chekov nearly succeeds in assassinating him), and as a result all high ranking officers must hire a personal bodyguard. Uniforms in this alternate universe are very different; sidearms and daggers are standard issue, while the clothing itself is much more revealing. Torturing subordinates - by flogging, agonizer, or the 'Agony Booth' - is an acceptable form of discipline.
Meanwhile, on board the USS Enterprise Mr. Spock notices the changed personalities of the landing party and orders security to take them to a holding cell. The mirror Kirk tries to bribe Spock with rewards of "a command of (his) own" if he's freed, but Spock simply replies "fascinating" and continues investigating. Spock comes to the same conclusion as Kirk: the ion storm must have opened a barrier between parallel universes, and the two landing parties have switched places.
Back on the ISS Enterprise, Kirk goes to the captain's quarters, which are quite different from his own. He discovers that the mirror-Kirk has been ordered to annihilate the Halkans if they refuse the Empire's "request" to mine dilithium; horrified, he studies his counterpart's records further. In this universe, Kirk gained command of the ISS Enterprise by assassinating Captain Christopher Pike
and was responsible for massacring 5,000 colonists on Vega IX, among many other atrocities.
Mirror-Spock informs Kirk that the ship is ready to attack the Halkans. Desperately, Kirk orders a delay in the attack for 12 hours. This piques mirror-Spock's curiosity, but he obeys the order; he does report the suspicious activity of his Captain to Imperial Command, and receives orders to kill Captain Kirk if he does not carry out the order to destroy the uncooperative Halkans.
Having failed to sabotage the weapons systems, Scotty and McCoy work secretly to figure out what happened with the transporter. While Scotty searches for a way to return them to the correct universe, Kirk goes to his quarters and meets the beautiful Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who refers to herself as the "Captain's Woman". It appears that female crew members may attach themselves by agreement to particular men and gain protection and advancement through them. Kirk's hesitation to take Marlena has her growing concerned the captain may be tiring of her. Aware of the controversy on the bridge, she assumes Kirk has his own devious plans. Activating a device in Kirk's quarters known as the Tantalus Field, she laments the fast approaching demise of Mr. Spock, whom she is secretly monitoring with the device. As she reaches to silently "eliminate" him, Kirk pulls her hand back, startling and alarming her. What plans does the captain have? How ambitious could his latest schemes be, to defy starfleet itself?
Kirk stalls the mirror-Spock while his crew search for a way home, but Spock is suspicious. Spock, not wanting command of the ISS Enterprise as it would make him an instant target of assassination, decides instead to study the Captain as long as he can.
Scotty has, with the aid of McCoy, rigged up the necessary connections to make a return switch. Mirror-Sulu, the security chief, is distracted from his monitors at the vital moment of connection by Uhura seeming to encourage his previously rejected amorous advances. Kirk reaches the transporter room, but the mirror-Spock leads him at phaser-point to sick bay, where the landing party has gathered. In two ensuing fights, Kirk sequentially knocks the Vulcan and the mirror-Sulu unconscious (Marlena has "eliminated" Sulu's thugs with the Tantalus Field). Uhura, Kirk, and Scotty head for the transporter room again, while McCoy stays behind to make sure that mirror-Spock is all right. In the transporter room, they meet Marlena, who now knows the facts and asks them to take her with them. Kirk refuses on the grounds that the energy is set for four people. Marlena persists and is disarmed by Uhura.
Mirror-Spock suddenly comes to, and quickly mind melds
with McCoy in order to read his mind. He discovers the switch, and decides to operate the transporter so that the entire landing party may return to their own universe. This convinces Kirk that this universe's Mr. Spock is still an ethical Vulcan guided by logic. He suggests to mirror-Spock that a Federation-like system is more logical than the ruthless barbarian Empire. Spock objects that one must have power; Kirk informs him of the Tantalus Field, and Mirror-Spock agrees to consider the idea (Marlena is presumably now on his side).
Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura beam out and the switch with their counterparts is successful. As the episode ends, Kirk meets his own universe's Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who is quite a different woman from her counterpart in the other universe. Kirk tells Spock that Moreau "seems like a nice, likable girl" and that he thinks they "could be friends". The real Spock also comments that the ruthless attitude of the Mirror Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura were refreshing, and "the very flower of humanity".
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Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. It is a second-season episode, #33, production #39, and was broadcast for the first time on October 6, 1967, and repeated on April 12, 1968. It was written by Jerome Bixby
Jerome Bixby
Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby was an American short story writer, editor and scriptwriter, best known for his work in science fiction. He also wrote many westerns and used the pseudonyms D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St...
and directed by Marc Daniels
Marc Daniels
Marc Daniels , born Danny Marcus, was an American television director.-Life and Career:After serving in World War II, Daniels was hired by CBS to direct its first dramatic anthology program, Ford Theater. He mastered live television directing, and was hired to direct the first 38 episodes of I...
. The title is an allusion to the phrase spoken by the Witch in the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
" by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
--"Mirror, mirror on the wall/Who in the land is fairest of all?"
The episode has a transporter
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
mishap swapping Captain Kirk and his companions with their evil counterparts
Evil twin
The evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. They are physical copies of protagonists, but with radically inverted moralities. In filmed entertainment, they can have obvious physical differences with the protagonist—such as facial hair, eyepatches, scars or distinctive...
in a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
. In the so-called Mirror Universe
Mirror Universe (Star Trek)
The Mirror Universe is a fictional parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place...
, the Enterprise is a ship of the Terran Empire, an organization as evil as the United Federation of Planets
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
is benevolent.
Plot
After failing to persuade the Halkan Council to allow the FederationUnited Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
to mine dilithium
Dilithium (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, dilithium is a fictional chemical element, although dilithium is also the scientific name for a molecule composed of two lithium atoms....
crystals on their planet, Captain James T. Kirk, along with Dr. McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
, Scotty
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
, and Lt. Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
, return to the Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
. An unexpected ion storm causes a transporter malfunction, and the landing team beams aboard an unfamiliar Enterprise.
The group realizes something is amiss as they arrive on the transporter pad: a goateed Mr. Spock viciously tortures the transporter operator, Lt. Kyle, for carelessness in nearly losing the ship's captain. (Parallel universe crew members carry "agonizers", which superior officers use to punish them for dereliction of duty). Kirk deduces that they must have switched places with their mirror-universe counterparts, that the landing party from this universe must now be aboard his Enterprise, and that his landing party must impersonate their counterparts until they can find a way home. In this alternate universe, the USS Enterprise is called an "Imperial Starship" or ISS Enterprise, and a brutal Terran Empire has replaced the Federation. Officers rise in rank by assassinating their superiors (as Kirk discovers when Chekov nearly succeeds in assassinating him), and as a result all high ranking officers must hire a personal bodyguard. Uniforms in this alternate universe are very different; sidearms and daggers are standard issue, while the clothing itself is much more revealing. Torturing subordinates - by flogging, agonizer, or the 'Agony Booth' - is an acceptable form of discipline.
Meanwhile, on board the USS Enterprise Mr. Spock notices the changed personalities of the landing party and orders security to take them to a holding cell. The mirror Kirk tries to bribe Spock with rewards of "a command of (his) own" if he's freed, but Spock simply replies "fascinating" and continues investigating. Spock comes to the same conclusion as Kirk: the ion storm must have opened a barrier between parallel universes, and the two landing parties have switched places.
Back on the ISS Enterprise, Kirk goes to the captain's quarters, which are quite different from his own. He discovers that the mirror-Kirk has been ordered to annihilate the Halkans if they refuse the Empire's "request" to mine dilithium; horrified, he studies his counterpart's records further. In this universe, Kirk gained command of the ISS Enterprise by assassinating Captain Christopher Pike
Christopher Pike (Star Trek)
Christopher Pike is a character in the Star Trek franchise. He was portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in the original Star Trek pilot episode, "The Cage", as captain of the USS Enterprise. The pilot was rejected, and the character was dropped during development of the second pilot when Hunter decided that...
and was responsible for massacring 5,000 colonists on Vega IX, among many other atrocities.
Mirror-Spock informs Kirk that the ship is ready to attack the Halkans. Desperately, Kirk orders a delay in the attack for 12 hours. This piques mirror-Spock's curiosity, but he obeys the order; he does report the suspicious activity of his Captain to Imperial Command, and receives orders to kill Captain Kirk if he does not carry out the order to destroy the uncooperative Halkans.
Having failed to sabotage the weapons systems, Scotty and McCoy work secretly to figure out what happened with the transporter. While Scotty searches for a way to return them to the correct universe, Kirk goes to his quarters and meets the beautiful Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who refers to herself as the "Captain's Woman". It appears that female crew members may attach themselves by agreement to particular men and gain protection and advancement through them. Kirk's hesitation to take Marlena has her growing concerned the captain may be tiring of her. Aware of the controversy on the bridge, she assumes Kirk has his own devious plans. Activating a device in Kirk's quarters known as the Tantalus Field, she laments the fast approaching demise of Mr. Spock, whom she is secretly monitoring with the device. As she reaches to silently "eliminate" him, Kirk pulls her hand back, startling and alarming her. What plans does the captain have? How ambitious could his latest schemes be, to defy starfleet itself?
Kirk stalls the mirror-Spock while his crew search for a way home, but Spock is suspicious. Spock, not wanting command of the ISS Enterprise as it would make him an instant target of assassination, decides instead to study the Captain as long as he can.
Scotty has, with the aid of McCoy, rigged up the necessary connections to make a return switch. Mirror-Sulu, the security chief, is distracted from his monitors at the vital moment of connection by Uhura seeming to encourage his previously rejected amorous advances. Kirk reaches the transporter room, but the mirror-Spock leads him at phaser-point to sick bay, where the landing party has gathered. In two ensuing fights, Kirk sequentially knocks the Vulcan and the mirror-Sulu unconscious (Marlena has "eliminated" Sulu's thugs with the Tantalus Field). Uhura, Kirk, and Scotty head for the transporter room again, while McCoy stays behind to make sure that mirror-Spock is all right. In the transporter room, they meet Marlena, who now knows the facts and asks them to take her with them. Kirk refuses on the grounds that the energy is set for four people. Marlena persists and is disarmed by Uhura.
Mirror-Spock suddenly comes to, and quickly mind melds
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
with McCoy in order to read his mind. He discovers the switch, and decides to operate the transporter so that the entire landing party may return to their own universe. This convinces Kirk that this universe's Mr. Spock is still an ethical Vulcan guided by logic. He suggests to mirror-Spock that a Federation-like system is more logical than the ruthless barbarian Empire. Spock objects that one must have power; Kirk informs him of the Tantalus Field, and Mirror-Spock agrees to consider the idea (Marlena is presumably now on his side).
Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura beam out and the switch with their counterparts is successful. As the episode ends, Kirk meets his own universe's Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who is quite a different woman from her counterpart in the other universe. Kirk tells Spock that Moreau "seems like a nice, likable girl" and that he thinks they "could be friends". The real Spock also comments that the ruthless attitude of the Mirror Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura were refreshing, and "the very flower of humanity".
40th anniversary remastering
This episode was remastered in 2006 and first aired November 11, 2006 as part of the remastered Original Series. It was preceded a week earlier by "The Trouble With Tribbles" and followed a week later by "Space Seed". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:- The Halkan homeworld has been updated to look more realistic.
- The transition effect between the mirror universes has been smoothed and reworked with a zooming video effect.
- The ISS Enterprise was changed, now more closely resembling the second pilot USS Enterprise. The Bussard collectors in front of the warp nacelles lack the swirling light effects of the USS Enterprise and include antennas. The ends of the nacelles have the earlier version series of exhaust ports instead of a dome. The bridge is taller, and the larger deflector dish is present. The hull is gun-metal gray, with the name "ISS ENTERPRISE" shown on the saucer.
- The agonizer that Spock uses on Mr. Kyle glows and sparks with red energy when activated.
- The agony booth that Mr. Chekov is placed in now glows with red energy and includes an image warping effect.
- The Tantalus Field effects have been enhanced.
External links
- "Mirror, Mirror" original script analysis