After failing to negotiate with the Halkans for the right to mine their dilithium crystals, Kirk, McCoy, Scott, and Uhura are accidentally beamed to an alternate universe. In this reality, the Federation is no more, and instead the Terran empire wreaks havoc across the universe. They are everything that Star Fleet is not. They are terrorists. They commit genocide. They steal, they lie, cheat, and kill to get what they want. Rank is advanced when one kills his superior. Sexual harassment is expected and condoned. Each person carries an agonizer, which can be activated by superiors for the most minor of offenses. Major offenses result in being put in an agonizer booth, sometimes until death takes over. Also, Spock has a goatee.
The crew does their best to blend in while planning a way back, but Kirk cannot condone the killing of the Halkans, and stalls the order. This draws attention from Mirror Spock, who is ordered by Terran command to kill Kirk and take his position if he fails to call the death strike onto the Halkans. This results in a showdown between the displaced foursome and Mirror Spock, which ends in a cartoonish breaking of a clay pot over Spock's head. This injury apparently is fatal without treatment, and the crew risk not making their well-crafted escape back to reality by taking time to save Mirror Spock's life. When he comes to, he melds with McCoy and learns that their intentions are true. Safe in this knowledge, he helps them to follow through with their plan. Kirk takes time to try to get Mirror Spock to see how illogical the course of killing the Halkans would be. Spock's logic tells him that the act will result in a revolt that will eventually end the Terran's reign. Kirk gives Mirror Spock access to a device that can instantly obliterate any single foe, and encourages him to use it against Mirror Kirk when he comes back, so that Mirror Spock can seize control and spare the Halkans. Mirror Spock says that he will consider it.
To me the most interesting part of "Mirror, Mirror" is that Kirk so easily gives up on Mirror Kirk as lost, even though the two never meet. In fact, he encourages Mirror Spock to kill his alter-ego, as a first step in a revolution of altruism. This reveals that Kirk has always thought that Spock, even Mirror Spock, is a better man than himself.
Oh by the way, meanwhile on the prime universe Enterprise, the four imposters were easily spotted and put in the brig. In the end, Spock comments that it was much easier for the prime universe foursome to pretend to be barbarians than for their mirror universe counterparts to act civilized. This is another biting social commentary that points out that our primal selves are are always in there, just under the surface and ready to take over when necessary, and that rising above ourselves is always the much harder act. Of course, there are typical TOS goofy moments along the way, like the clay pot, Kirk making out with the "captain's woman" and then hitting on her prime universe counterpart, and some red-shirts getting obliterated while even the mirror universe versions of the main characters are spared. But all in all, "Mirror, Mirror" is a Fantastic episode of Trek. However, I'm not sure that a mirror universe as presented really makes sense. How would a society advance to such a level under these circumstances? If everyone is out for themselves, and a violent overthrow is always the next move, how could they ever have even banded together as a team to achieve any mutual goals at all? We do not learn whether or not the Halkans in the prime universe agree to having their planet plundered, nor do we find out if Mirror Spock follows logic and leads a revolution. Yet the episode does not feel unresolved. The episodic goal of making it back to the correct universe was attained, and we had some bonus lessons along the way. This is the epitome of the journey that any episode of Star Trek should take us on.Published February 22, 2018
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