History:
1564, April 23: William Shakespeare is born. Phlox
used the ship's computer to research classical
literature
of the Defiant's universe and compare it with his
own. He
discovered
that the stories were similar, but the
characters in the
classics of the
parallel universe showed weakness and compassion. Phlox notes that one
exception was William Shakespeare's plays, which
were equally "grim"
in both universes.
"In a Mirror Darkly" [ENT] (This specific
date is traditionally accepted for Shakespeare's birth,
though it is only known for
certain that he was baptised on April 26.
In "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part II," Phlox tells T'Pol that
"(Shakespeare's) plays were equally grim in both
universes," but not
all of "our" Shakespeare's
plays were grim, suggesting that Phlox may
have been looking at the histories and tragedies as
opposed to the
comedies. Given his description, however, one wonders what the latter
are like in
the Mirror Universe...]
1705: The
HMS Enterprise, a captured sixth-rate frigate, is the
first vessel to bear the name. (Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows the same
engraving of this sailing ship used in the
regular opening credits for Star Trek: Enterprise. In "our"
universe,
this was originally the French Navy ship l'Entreprise, but it is
unknown whether this
Enterprize had a similar history. The prefix "HMS"
implies the existence of a Royal Navy and, by
extension, a British
Empire, but this cannot be confirmed.)
1882, October 5:
Robert Hutchings Goddard is born to Nahum Danford Goddard and Fannie
Louise Hoyt.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows the same footage
of Goddard writing on a chalkboard used
in the regular opening credits for Star Trek: Enterprise,
suggesting
that his Mirror Universe counterpart played a similar role in the
history of rocketry.)
1936: The
Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber, also known as the Stuka
(Sturzkampfflugzeug), goes into production.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows several of these
aircraft in flight.)
Before 1955: The
Terran Empire is established.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly, Part II." Archer states that the Empire "has
endured for centuries," making it
at least this old. The precise
circumstances of the Empire's creation are unknown.)
1967, November 9:
The first Saturn V multistage rocket is launched.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage of this
model of rocket. This specific date
marked the launch of Apollo 4, but although the same opening
credits
depict a moon landing under the auspices of the Terran Empire, it is
unknown whether the
Mirror Universe's Saturn V was also developed for
its version of the Apollo program.)
1969: One of the
more notable scenes of the opening credits is a Terran Empire flag
being planted on the moon,
which may or may not be intended to be in 1969. (The spacesuit being worn is the same as
that which the Enterprise crew wears, but commentary on the
episodes by their producers indicates that this was simply a matter of
convenience, as the CGI model for that suit had already been created.)
1973: The F-5E
Tiger II light tactical fighter officially goes
into production.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage of this
aircraft.)
1976: The F-15
Eagle air superiority fighter officially goes into
production.
[Historical accounts. The opening
credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage of this aircraft.]
1977: The first
Project 705 Lyra submarine, also known as the
Alfa-class attack submarine, is commissioned.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage from
The Hunt for Red October of the V.K.
Konovalov, a fictional submarine of this class.)
1985: The B-1B
Lancer strategic bomber officially goes into
production.
[Historical accounts. The opening
credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage of this aircraft.]
1993:
The T-90 main battle tank goes into production.
(Historical
accounts. The opening credits sequence for "In A Mirror,
Darkly" shows footage of this armoured
fighting vehicle. In normal Star
Trek history, this year would be in the midst of the Eugenics Wars, but
it is
unknown whether the Mirror Universe experienced its
own version
of this conflict.)
April 5th, 2063:
Physicist
Zefram Cochrane launched a converted nuclear missile and made
humanity's first
warp journey. Later that evening a Vulcan spacecraft
landed outside of the town (possibly as part of an
invasion force). The first Vulcan stepped onto
Terran soil and used a strange gesture in
greeting, he also
said, "live long and prosper". Cochrane tried to
imitate the greeting but couldn't. Instead Zefram Cochrane
turned the tables on the Vulcans by using his
shotgun to kill their representative. Another in the crowd yelled,
"Board their ship, take everything you can!"
The gathered mob of humans then boards the Vulcan ship.
conducted his warp flight, drawing the attention of a passing Vulcan
ship, as per the events shown in the standard Star Trek
universe in Star Trek: First Contact. When the Vulcans landed
and made their peaceful introduction, however, Cochrane killed the
leader with a concealed weapon, then led the townspeople in
commandeering the Vulcan ship. "In a Mirror, Darkly" implies that in
the Mirror Universe, the Vulcan vessel was either the vanguard of an
invasion fleet, or was interpreted to be so by humans. ["In A Mirror, Darkly." The date, place, and
events themselves are shown onscreen. The name of
the ship is based on the suggestion by Ronald D.
Moore, co-writer of Star Trek: First Contact, that
this was the name of the ship which landed in "our"
version of this incident, as seen in that film.
It is not clear whether Archer was being
historically accurate or simply hateful and paranoid in later
calling this an "invasion force" when talking to
T'Pol.]
2129, July 9: Hoshi Sato is born, the second child in a family of
three.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly, Part II." A biographical screen for "our" Hoshi
Sato called up by Archer
aboard the Defiant gives this as her date of
birth.)
???: Terran
domination was made possible by technology taken from the Vulcans and
(presumably) from other defeated races; thus, the Starfleet of the
Mirror Universe was somewhat more advanced than its regular
counterpart. By 2155, the Terran Empire had already enslaved the
Vulcans, Andorians, Orions, and Tellarites,
and launched successful attacks against the Klingons and the Xindi (as
seen in the opening credits). However, the Mirror Universe crew of Enterprise,
also known as the ISS Enterprise, is more racially diverse than
its "real" universe counterpart, with Vulcans and Tellarites serving as
crewmembers. The Mirror version of T'Pol, in particular, holds a
position of trusted authority, and as in the "real" universe, a Denobulan, Phlox, serves as Enterprise's
physician. The Mirror version of Soval is seen to be an enlisted
science crewman aboard the ISS Avenger,
another Starfleet vessel which is also seen to include Andorian and
Orion crewmembers.
2151: The Terran flagship ISS Enterprise (NX-01) leaves
Spacedock. Although
the ship could have been
Jonathan Archer's, Starfleet admirals conspire
behind his back, ultimately giving command to Captain
Maximilian
Forrest, with Commander Archer as his first officer.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." Hoshi talks about these events with Archer, and
Archer later describes it
as the Terran flagship. The prefix "ISS" can
be seen on the ship's hull, and the registry number can
be seen on the
ship's mission patch, while the date is based on when "our" Enterprise
was launched,
as seen in "Broken Bow" (ENT). It is unknown whether
this
Enterprise was involved in some version
of the Temporal Cold War
earlier in its mission, but Archer indicates that the ship is in
possession
of a Suliban cloaking device. Forrest's first name
is not
given in the episode itself, but writer Mike
Sussman indicated in its
podcast commentary that he "modified his first name in the script," as
"our" Forrest's first name is Maxwell.)
Admiral Black recommends Charles Tucker III for chief engineer, and
insists Captain Forrest replace his own
man with Tucker.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." Archer tells Tucker that he checked the records
and learned this, in the midst
of torturing Tucker in the agonizer
booth.)
2154: The
Tholians detonate a tricobalt warhead inside the gravity well of a
dead star. The explosion creates
an interphasic rift, providing a
doorway into a parallel universe, but the rift is unstable. It is too
dangerous
for the Tholians to send one of their own ships
through, so
they transmit a distress call into the opening,
hoping to lure a ship
from the other side. Their plan appears to work brilliantly, as the
starship USS Defiant
(NCC-1764) from that universe is drawn into the
rift.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." Archer describes what happened during his
briefing of the senior officers
on Enterprise. These events would've
taken place relatively recently, but long enough ago for the
Tholians
to bring the Defiant to their own dock and for Archer to find out about
the ship.)
The Tholians quantum-date a piece of the hull from the USS Defiant,
discovering that the ship is not only from
another universe, but from
another time--about a hundred years into the future.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." Archer also tells this to the senior officers,
explaining his motivation for
wanting to get at the ship in the first
place.)
Jonathan Archer buys off one of the humanoids working as an outside
labourer for the Tholians. This contact
provides Archer with
information on the Tholians' activities and transmits images of the
docked USS Defiant
before his signal is jammed.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." When Hoshi asks how Archer knows what the
Tholians are up to, he gives
this answer.)
There is a battle at Tau Ceti, part of an ongoing war. Things go very
badly for the Terran Empire, with Starfleet
losing twelve ships, but
Imperial propaganda conveys the message that the battle went well and
that the war
may be over soon.
("In A Mirror,
Darkly." Captain Forrest dissuades Hoshi of the mistaken
notions she has gathered.
The episode suggests that this war involves
the Terran Empire fighting off a rebellion, but few details
are
provided. It is also unclear how Forrest could have been involved in
this battle if Enterprise and
its crew have only heard about it.)
2155: Enterprise
leaves Gorlan Station and sets a course to rendez-vous with
their assault fleet.
(Just before "In A
Mirror, Darkly." Captain Forrest mentions this in
his Star Log.)
2155, January 13:
Mirror-Archer, Mirror-Forrest, and the rest of the crew discover that a
ship from 100 years in the future in an alternate universe, the U.S.S.
Defiant, has travelled to their universe through some kind of rip
in space. All of the crew members except Captain Forrest evacuate the I.S.S.
Enterprise as it is attacked by Tholians and board the Defiant.
The Enterprise blows up, and its transferred crew uses the
improved technology of the Defiant to chase away the Tholians.
Archer replaces Forrest as captain.
"In A Mirror, Darkly, part 1" [ENT]
(The date for this
episode is given by Captain Forrest in his Star
Log.)
2155, January 18:
The Mirror Enterprise crew find the Defiant littered
with the corpses of its former crew who murdered each other due to the
effects of Interphase which causes humans to become psychotic. The Tholians use slaves to strip
the ship. The overseer is a Gorn named Slar,
who sabotages the Defiant and kills some of the survivors of the ISS
Enterprise . Mirror Archer defeats the Gorn, and then his thoughts turn
to using the powerful Defiant to take control of the Terran
Empire. However, it is Mirror-Hoshi Sato who ultimately threatens
to use the Defiant's weapons on the Emperor of the Terran
Empire and replace him as Empress of the Empire.
"In
A Mirror, Darkly, Part 2"
[ENT] (The date for this
episode is given by Archer in his Defiant Star Log.) During the episode's stated date of January 2155, Archer steals the
USS Defiant, a Kirk-era Constitution-class starship
which disappears and is presumed destroyed in The Original Series
episode The Tholian Web, from the Tholians
(who are more aggressive than their non-Mirror counterparts), but is
later apparently killed by Hoshi Sato, who subsequently declares
herself Empress of the Terran Empire (though whether she succeeds in
this gambit is not revealed). 2262: During
an
ion storm,
a landing party beaming up to the "Enterprise" from the planet Halka
transposes
with their counterparts in an alternate "Mirror"
universe where an Empire exists in place of the Federation.
Lt. Commander Scott returns the landing party home
with the transporter. Four crew members from the USS Enterprise switch places with
their mirror universe counterparts and must get home while avoiding
being discovered by the mirror universe crew of the Enterprise.
"Mirror,
mirror" [TOS]
The Mirror Universe was first introduced in the original Star Trek
episode "Mirror, Mirror". It was
established that in the Mirror Universe the United Federation of
Planets counterpart was the brutal Terran Empire, run by humans and
their Vulcan allies. In the Mirror Universe, the term "Terran" is
predominantly used for humans. The Mirror-Captain Kirk of the Imperial
Starship Enterprise was a mass-murderer, who had been promoted to
Captain by assassinating Captain Christopher
Pike.
In the Terran Empire, officers were promoted for assassinating their
superiors and order was kept by use of the "Agonizer" pain-giving
devices. In some serious cases, the "Agony Booth" could also be used.
Aesthetic differences included: the Mirror-crew's uniforms were
flamboyant and somewhat robe-like, with ceremonial daggers for the
officers; Mirror-Sulu was a Gestapo-like political
officer with a disfiguring facial scar; Mirror-Spock had a goatee
(which has led to a number of pop culture references of people from
"evil alternate universes" having goatees, whereas the regular
character does not); the "United Nations" emblem of the Federation was
replaced in the Terran Empire symbol, which was a vertical sword of
conquest savagely thrust through the Earth.
In this original encounter, Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Lieutenant Uhura,
and Chief Engineer Scott had been turned down by the peaceful Halkans,
who did not want to trade for dilithium. They feared the use of the
material for war. An ion storm causes a beam-up to go awry, switching
the crew with their alternates.
Kirk tries to save the alternate-Halkans from destruction; the
common tactic used by the Terran Empire when meeting resistance. He
suffers several assassination attempts.
Both Spocks find out the dual nature of the affected officers and
work on a way to get them home in time; there is a limit.
Before leaving the Mirror Universe, Kirk gave an impassioned speech
in which he told Mirror-Spock that because the Empire would die in a
few hundred years, that it was illogical, and Mirror-Spock was
illogical for supporting the Empire. He asks Mirror-Spock to work for
change, and Mirror-Spock replied that he would consider Kirk's proposal.
About a year after his first crossover, Kirk unknowingly experienced
a second encounter with the mirror universe. In "The Tholian Web", the Enterprise
encounters the crippled Constitution-class U.S.S. Defiant,
which is phasing in and out of existence with Kirk's reality as a
result of a localized spatial anomaly. Kirk leads an away team and
discovers the crew is dead as a result of the anomaly's effect on the
brain. As the Defiant begins to shift out of reality, the away
team is beamed out, but Kirk is somehow trapped in the interphase. The
Tholians claim this particular area of space and attempt to ensnare the
Enterprise in their energy web, but the Enterprise,
under the command of Spock, is able to escape and retrieve Kirk from
between dimensions. Kirk remarks that during his experience the Defiant
was pulled away into another dimension. The USS Defiant
(NCC-1764) is trapped in Interphase in Tholian Space and vanishes.
Note: Until "In a Mirror, Darkly" there was no obvious connection
between this episode and the Mirror Universe. No elements from the
Mirror Universe are shown or mentioned anywhere in this episode.
"The Tholian Web" [TOS]
What Kirk never knew, but which was established in the Enterprise
episode "In a Mirror, Darkly", was the Tholians of the Mirror Universe
managed to open a dimensional rift hoping to steal technology from
alternate realities. Their efforts also created a temporal rift,
connecting from a universe 110 years in Kirk's past. The mirror
Tholians sent out a distress call to lure a spacecraft and ensnared the
Defiant in their trap, eventually pulling it completely into the mirror
universe. So determined were the Tholians to unlock the technological
secrets of the future ship that work crews began dismantling the ship
before moving the bodies of the crew, several of whom were discovered
by the ISS Enterprise away team in the same positions as Kirk
had found them.
2367:
World after world joins the Alliance and Terrans and Vulcans become
slaves
under the bloody fist of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.
Escaped refugees hide in the Badlands and begin work
to overthrow the Alliance.
Dr. Bashir and Major Kira are transported to the Mirror Universe 100
years after the events of "Mirror, Mirror". They find that the Terran
Empire has been replaced by the Alliance of Klingons, Cardassians, and
Bajorans and that humans are slaves.
"Crossover" [DS9]
On Deep Space Nine, which takes place over 100 years after
the original contact with the Mirror Universe, it was revealed that
drastic changes had occurred in the Mirror Universe, ironically because
of the interference of the regular universe's Kirk. Before he left the
Mirror Universe, James T. Kirk planted seeds of doubt in the
Mirror-Spock's mind about the Terran Empire's brutal tactics. Kirk
noted that Spock was a man of honor in both universes, and the
Mirror-Spock listened to Kirk's urging for reform. Mirror-Spock's
future role on Enterprise and the fate of Mirror-Kirk are unclear,
though some have suggested that Mirror-Kirk was assassinated (and was
shown in a non-canon Star Trek comic). Mirror-Spock then went on to
become Chief of State of the Terran Empire. Mirror-Spock introduced
many popular reforms that largely ended the iron-fisted rule of the
Terran Empire, especially a vast demilitarization
program. However, these reforms were very ill-timed.
Not long after Mirror-Spock's demilitarization drive, the Terran
Empire encountered the Alliance. In the Mirror Universe, the Alliance
is a unified government of the Klingons and the Cardassians, presumably
ruled by the Klingon Emperor. The Alliance conquered the ill-prepared
Terran Empire and enslaved the Terrans and Vulcans. Terrans became
pariahs and a slave race, often subjected to mass forced physical labor.
The Alliance does not have cloaking device technology (although a
ship was seen decloaking in an earlier episode, an episode in the
seventh season established that the Mirror Universe does not have
cloaking devices, and the earlier appearance was retconned out as a graphical error).
However, cloak technology did exist in the 22nd century on at least one
Terran ship (who in turn took it from the Suliban).
The Mirror-O'Brien kidnaps Sisko where Sisko must impersonate his late
counterpart in order to save the mirror version of his late wife.
"Through the Looking Glass" [DS9]
2372:
Terran
rebels steal plans for the USS Defiant using a crossover device.
Rebels in the Badlands construct
the ship and with the help of the Benjamin
Sisko of the benevolent Federation becomes operational and
soon captures Terok
Nor.
After the Mirror-Jennifer Sisko kidnaps Jake,
Captain Sisko must travel to the Mirror Universe to retrieve his son.
While there the Mirror-O'Brien wishes for Sisko to help him prepare
their version of the Defiant for battle against the Alliance in
what could mean freedom for the Terrans.
"Shattered Mirror" [DS9]
The Mirror version of Vedek Bareil arrives on DS9
as he flees from the Alliance. His real reason for being in our
universe is to steal the Bajoran Orb of Prophecy and Change for the
Intendant, the mirror Kira. However, before he can complete this
mission, he has a change of conscience, convinced by Kira, leaving the
Orb behind and returning to the Mirror Universe with the Intendant.
"Resurrection" [DS9]
It is unknown what role the Romulans play in the Mirror Universe.
However, there is evidence of their existence. When Sisko was finished
impersonating Mirror-Sisko, he told Mirror-Jennifer
Sisko that he was leaving to see the Romulans, to get them to
join the fight against the Alliance. This implies that the Romulans are
an independent empire, much like they are in the "prime" reality or
universe. It also means that, unlike other races such as the Vulcans
and Andorians, the Romulans were able to resist the Terran Empire and
to survive the mirror equivalent of the Earth-Romulan
War, assuming that one took place to begin with.
The Bajorans of the Mirror Universe were ruled by the Terran Empire
but later sided with the Alliance and became masters of Terran slave
forces. Notable among them was Intendant Kira, the counterpart to the
normal universe's Kira Nerys.
Intendant Kira was a ruthless, sadistic hedonist; she was outwardly
bisexual and sexually aggressive — characteristics apparently more
common in Mirror Universe females than in normal universe ones. She
maintained power in her sector of the Alliance from Terok Nor, the counterpart of Deep Space
Nine.
When Deep Space Nine officers Julian Bashir and Kira Nerys visited
the Mirror Universe, they sparked a rebellion among the Terran slaves
led by the Mirror-Sisko and Mirror-O'Brien. Over the next five years,
the Terran Rebellion would drag on and was not conclusively finished.
However, Regent Worf was eventually taken as a prisoner of war by the
rebellion.
<>The Klingon Empire of the normal Star Trek universe hasn't actually
had an Emperor in 300 years; they were replaced by the Chancellor and
the High Council. But in the Mirror-Klingon Empire there are still
ruling Emperors. The Mirror-Imperial Family is House Duras, who were
deposed in disgrace in the normal Trek universe. However, during Deep
Space Nine, a Regent currently ruled as the true power behind the
throne: the brutal Regent Worf.
Grand Nagus Zek, financial leader of the Ferengi Alliance, is
captured and taken to the Mirror Universe as a hostage. Quark and Rom
must pay a ransom of a cloaking device to free Zek, but Regent Worf
imprisons them all in his quest to crush the Terran rebels.
"The Emperor's New
Cloak" [DS9]
<>2375: Under
the
leadership of Miles "Smiley" O'Brien the Terran
Rebellion captures Regent Worf of the
Imperial Klingon House of Mogh. With this
achievement, the rebels' march towards victory showed no
apparent signs of
slowing.
Individuals of Note: Archer - male. Commander. First officer of the ISS
Enterprise. In this universe, Archer serves under the command
of Captain Maximilian Forrest. He and Forrest do not
get along well - Archer (like most characters in the Terran
Empire) is treacherous, cunning and scheming. Archer
even leads a mutiny against Forrest and takes over the
ISS Enterprise. However, Archer is forced to trust
his captain and releases him from the brig when the crew
discovers the USS Defiant, a Starfleet ship from the
normal Trek universe which had crossed the dimensional barriers.
Archer leads a team to take control of the Defiant,
and - after successfully crushing a rebellion against the Empire -
attempted to take the futuristic vessel to Earth
where he would proclaim himself Emperor. However, before he could
do so, Archer is killed by his universe's Hoshi
Sato, who poisons him and takes the ship for herself.
"In a Mirror Darkly, parts 1 & 2" [ENT]
Cochrane - As in our universe, a
Vulcan ship, attracted by Cochrane's first warp flight, landed on
Earth.
A member of the Vulcan crew greeted Zefram Cochrane
with the Vulcan salute and "Live long and
prosper". Cochrane tried to copy the Vulcan's
salute. After his attempt is unsuccessful, he lowered
his hand and, instead of holding it for a handshake
(which is what happened in the "real" universe),
he reached into his jacket and pulled out a shotgun,
killing the Vulcan. The crowd then boarded the
Vulcan craft, and took everything they could.
The shotgun eventually came into the posession of
Jonathan
Archer.
"In A Mirror Darkly, part 1" [ENT]
Other characters in the Mirror Universe:
Garak was Intendant
Kira's first officer.
Odo was the cruel
foreman of the human slaves on Terok Nor, and was killed by the Dr.
Bashir of the normal universe.
Sisko was something of
a shady pirate, but later started the Terran Rebellion, although he was
later killed.
Tuvok never got lost
in the Delta Quadrant and was a member of the Resistance.
Quark and Rom were
both Rebel-sympathizers and were killed by Intendant Kira.
Nog and Brunt were
also later killed by Intendant Kira (it almost seemed to be a rule that
one mirror-Ferengi had to be killed in each Mirror Universe episode).
Sisko's wife Jennifer
never died at the hands of the Borg in the Mirror Universe, and she had
to be convinced to join the Resistance. She was later killed by the
Mirror-Kira.
Julian Bashir was an uncouth, unshaven and aggressive member of the
Resistance, although he was quite loyal. It is unclear if this Bashir
was genetically enhanced, but humanity's status as a conquered slave
race make it unlikely that he was.
Jadzia Dax was the
lover of Mirror-Sisko, although she later died (roughly the same time
her counterpart in the normal universe died).
Ezri (who did not have
the Dax symbiote) was a double-agent working both sides, somewhat
promiscuous and bisexual.
Leeta was a member of
the Resistance, also somewhat promiscuous.
Jake Sisko was never
born in this reality.
Miles O'Brien was a
somewhat depressed character, so Mirror-Sisko dubbed him "Smiley" as a
play on his first name 'Miles', and the name stuck to distinguish him
from the normal O'Brien. Smiley never married or had children, but
eventually became a high ranking cell leader in the Terran Resistance —
and after Mirror-Sisko's death, perhaps the leader.
Bareil Antos is also
still alive, but never became a Vedek (religious leader). In the mirror
universe, Bareil was a thief and petty criminal.
Vic Fontaine also
makes an appearance, working alongside Mirror-Ezri. Inexplicably, he is
not a hologram in the Mirror Universe, and the moment is played as
comical. He was killed by Bashir shortly after making his appearance.
