Star Trek ’s Mirror Universe is one of — Inferno , the — most famous parallel universes in science fiction history . In fact , it almost has a timeline of its own as rich as the prime world of Trek itself . So if you ’ve been confused by all the Mirror - rhyme happenings in Discovery — and why would n’t you be?—we’re here to help put it all together .
The order of magnitude we ’ve explore the Mirror Universe in is , just like Trek as a whole , not precisely chronologically linear . As each Star Trek series has jumped rearward or forwards in time , so has our window into this most famous of alternate realities . Some of the “ newest ” info on the Mirror Universe is two decennary old , while new selective information about its early years been revealed repeatedly over the course of Star Trek : Discovery ’s ongoing first time of year , which has spent its back one-half on a Modern Mirror adventure . So , for convenience ’s rice beer , we ’ll be escape through this chronologically in terms of the Mirror Universe ’s timeline , not by the chronological order of Star Trek serial themselves .
Enterprise Era: Origins of an Empire
Just as Enterprise itself reflects some of the earliest years of Starfleet and the eventual birth of the Federation , much of what we learn of the Mirror Universe in both office of the time of year four news report “ In a Mirror , Darkly ” is from some of the former day of the rise of the Terran Empire .
Although not explicitly shown , the Terran Empire seemingly rise out of a political junto on Earth before humanity make to the stars . The Mirror version of Captain Archer described the Empire as having been around for 100 of years , and given Enterprise is set in the 2150s , it ’s in all likelihood some cast of it existed pre - human space travel or even before the uniting of Earth . Either way , the Terran Empire as we know it really began in 2063 , when Zefram Cochrane made liaison with the first Vulcans to down on Earth , as he does in Star Trek ’s prime reality . Instead of offering a handshake , Mirror Cochrane just sprout the first Vulcan he met and then pillaged their ship — stealing technology that sends human beings not just beyond Earth , but on a mission of conquest against the other sentient metal money of the cosmos .
Just under a century after that first encounter , the Terran Empire was fully found , and the Vulcans , Andorians , Tellarites , Orions , and Denobulans had all been conquered and repress by the human government . And that ’s when a temporal accident sent one of the U.S.S. Defiant — a twenty-third - century , Constitution - Class cruiser like Kirk ’s Enterprise — to the twenty-second - century Mirror Universe during the events of “ The Tholian internet . ” Although it was briefly captured by the Tholians , the Mirror adaptation of Archer ’s Enterprise gang require it by force out .
The Defiant was wildly more in advance than any other ship known to the Empire at the time , and Archer planned to use its Brobdingnagian world power to overthrow the current , unknown Emperor and rule the Terran Empire . alternatively , his former “ Captain ’s Woman ” Hoshi Sato betray him , poisoned him , and became Empress herself after threatening to bombard Earth with the Defiant ’s forward-looking weaponry , if the current ruling parliamentary procedure did n’t relegate to her will . They did .
Discovery Era: A New Hope
rough a C later , in the 2250s , not much has changed for the Empire when Star Trek : Discovery enters the Mirror Universe in its presently - ongoing story demarcation . The Empire was still the dominant force of the Alpha Quadrant , although evidently the title contribute upon its ruler had become sexuality - neutral since the daytime of Empress Sato , and the Mirror version of Phillipa Georgiou was the current “ Faceless Emperor ” of the regime . patently the Emperor no longer rule from Earth itself ( presumably to debar situations like , say , someone roll up with a big starship and threaten to bomb the satellite to bit ) , because Emperor Georgiou come out on a gigantic cityship that also serves as the Imperial Palace , the I.S.S. Charon , which looks like it’spowered by a giant , star - like nuclear reactor .
What we do live more about is the Empire ’s opposition . The ongoing rebellion against the Terrans by the races they ’d conquered hold up the arrival of the Defiant the century prior , and is now join by the Klingons . Unlike their prime counterparts of the same era , these Klingons successfully united the prevail Houses of their homeworld — direct by the Mirror interpretation of Voq , who became a prominent rebel pattern known as the “ Firewolf”—to form a individual front pushing back against the Terran Empire alongside the Tellarites , Andorians , Vulcans , and other species .
Sadly , it seems like much of this momentaneous rebellion might have been destroyed , after Emperor Georgiou unfeelingly bombed its main base of operations before Voq and his fellow allies could evacuate . Who knows , maybe we ’ll hear they survived by the time Discovery ’s first season has come to an end ?
Speaking of Discovery , the crew , currently trapped in the Mirror universe , spent this weekend ’s episode trying to get ahold of the Defiant ’s records , go for to figure out how it cryptically appeared in the Mirror - verse in the previous one C in hopes of using that info to repay to the choice universe . you’re able to determine more about how that depart inour most recent Star Trek : Discovery review .
Star Trek: The Original Series Era: Changing Fortunes
Our first - ever encounter with the Mirror Universe in the original series installment “ Mirror , Mirror ” is set just a decade after the events of Discovery . But we still get some new information , like the fact that despite the Vulcans had been subjugated centuries ago by the Empire , by the 2260s they could serve aboard Imperial spaceship — in fact , Spock was n’t just allowed on - board the I.S.S. Enterprise , but served as its second - in - control . His sire Sarek , revealed as a rebel against the Empire in Discovery’sMirror Universe risky venture , was likely whatever the Vulcan eq of “ like kings pissed ” is about it .
Otherwise , everything ’s the same . The Terran Empire still ruled the quarter-circle , gleefully putting down rebellion when they arise with an iron clenched fist . It ’s not until the death of “ Mirror , Mirror ” that the seeds are sown for a major variety in the future of the Mirror Univers . Near the end of the prime Kirk and team ’s sojourn into the malicious alt - reality , Kirk managed to convert Mirror Spock that it ’s disordered to serve an Empire that ’s doomed to fall one day , and that no galactic rule could perpetually support itself on care and cruelty . The words pose with Mirror Spock , who went on to overthrow Mirror Kirk and eventually spark a revolution that would essentially alter the Mirror Universe forever .
Prime Kirk also chip in Spock access to a mysterious secret weapon system his Mirror counterpart had , called the Tantalus Field , which Kirk presents like it can kill literally anyone in the universe remotely — which seems like it would be a very convenient bit of gear for anyone planning a violent gyration . Yay ?
Deep Space Nine Era: New Foes, New Rebels
By the late 24th - century , the Mirror Universe had undergone the most dramatic changes it had ever seen . upright news : Mirror Spock took Kirk ’s content to spirit , using his position of powerfulness ( and aforementioned superweapon ) to rise to rule the Terran Empire , act out a wrapping of reforms that brought about disarming and a more peaceful , less warlike version of itself . Bad newsworthiness : That less fast-growing and demilitarized Empire got overthrown by an confederation between the Klingons and Cardassians , which liberated the globe ruled by the Empire , and go to enslave the Vulcans and Terrans themselves . The Alliance then became the dominating rulers of the Alpha Quadrant , go by Regent Worf .
dead finding themselves prevail instead of ruling , Terrans take form a rebellion quite like the ones they ’d spend the prior centuries ruthlessly put down . Inspired by an accidental trip into the Mirror Universe by Dr. Bashir and Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine ’s “ Crossover , ” the Mirror version of Benjamin Sisko lead an organized gyration against the Alliance forces , striking out at the major planet Bajor , a key member of the Alliance following its liberation from Terran hands , and the Cardassian station it was ruled from . Mirror Sisko fall in battle , and was replaced by the Mirror interlingual rendition of Miles O’Brien . With a trivial assist from the Prime world in the form of plans to for a new I.S.S. Defiant , the Terran Resistance finally captured Mirror Worf , sign the downfall of the Alliance ’s dominion .
Though we last saw the “ modish ” from the Mirror Universe all the room back in 1999 on TV , ancillary Star Trek material has attempted to try and fill in some extra gaps in the alt - realness ’s centuries - prospicient timeline . Everything from Book , to video games , to even strip have slot themselves into the spans of ten left uninfluenced by Trek series , but beyond Deep Space Nine , we do n’t really have an theme of where the Mirror Universe decease after the Alliance ’s downfall .
For the foreseeable time to come , that ’s potential to be the font . The only way we ’ll see the future of the Mirror Universe is if Star Trek ’s television escapade locomote beyond where past display have gone before . With Discoveryhere to remain , that ’s in all likelihood not going to happen any fourth dimension soon .
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