The memory of thirty years ago is hazy, but I can look back through it and see one moment of clarity: my best friend Gil and I walking around during lunch period (we always skipped lunch in favor of roaming the campus), while I told him about this Star Trek book I’d found. we were the founding members of a very short lived Star Trek fan club, our respective codenames being Sisko and Data (he was Data), and he was REALLY into the premise of this. What could get two seventh graders so worked up?

The classic ST TOS episode “Mirror, Mirror” saw members of Captain Kirk’s crew accidentally swap places with their counterparts in the so-called Mirror Universe, a place where the Federation was rather different than the humanist paradise we know and love. Its officers were arrogant, mean, and avaricious; promotions were effected Klingon-style, and the women showed off their middriffs as well as their legs. Dark Mirror revisited the Mirror Universe long before Deep Space Nine did, and presented a darker and far more serious version of it. DS9 and ENT’s version of the Mirror Universe seemed loosely predicated on alternate history with random funhouse elements; the opening credits of the ENT episode in particular appeared to imply that the Terran Empire rose because the Nazis won World War 2. Dark Mirror, however, sees a mirror universe where reality and character are fundamentally altered: foul is fair. Human nature is mirrored, flipped; the noblest of characters in our universe is the most sinister and depraved: Picard is so shaken by his review of their literature (Achilles executes Priam in their Illiad) that he refuses to continue their version of Shakespeare or even open their Bible. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Enterprise is operating at the far reaches of space, there to facilitate a Cetacean scientist researching ‘hyperstrings’; they receive a message from another ship in the sector that is incomprehensible but strongly suggests bad things are in the offing, and then — a sudden dimming of reality, and a deep sense of unease among the crew. Nothing appears to have changed, but the Enterprise is no longer in its own universe. It has been sucked into the Mirror Universe by the triumphant Terran Empire, which has run out of worlds to conquer and is interested in seeing how it can project power into the ‘other’ universe — hours — and take it, as well. (Mind you, it hasn’t conquered the entire Milky Way, just the local ‘arm’ we’re in: given the scales involved, though, it’s evidently easier to invade another universe than travel to another arm of the galaxy.) This leads to some “Mirror, Mirror” style stealth and deceit, and is something of a psychological thriller as Picard and others realize how disturbing their counterparts are and work to foil their plans without being exposed and then tortured. There’s a strong undercurrent of sexual malice here, something the DS9 mirror universe stories played with in the person of The Intendant.

This was just as good as I remember, even more so because I’ve actually seen “Mirror, Mirror” and particularly enjoyed Duane’s writing — especially the time we spent in Picard’s head. Because I wasn’t able to watch a lot of TOS as a kid, this was my introduction to the Mirror Universe, and I found the premise completely thrilling. Duane’s worldbuilding, developing these Terrans’ history and culture, made the story even more effective. Duane actually tries to recreate what their alter-Shakespeare might have read like, but I was so unfamiliar with the plays discussed (“The Merchant of Venice” was one I recognized purely for the Shylock character) that I didn’t fully get the darkness there. Although this Mirror Universe is definitely un-canon, it’s more psychologically if not historically interesting than the one DS9 developed, and I say that as someone who loves DS9.

Quotations

“Captain,” Hwiii said in what sounded like complete satisfaction, “I am
going to be as happy as a clam in mud.”
“How does one go about quantifying the emotional state of mollusks,
Commander?” Data asked innocently as Picard headed back for the
turbolift.

“What kind of people are we there?” she said. Picard looked briefly off into the distance. “Another Enterprise…, he said softly. “Another Troi…”
“Another Picard,” Deanna said. “Cold, he saw you. A grim, quiet terror, hard, like iron. And another Riker—cruel, and liking the cruelty.” She breathed out, feeling Stewart’s fear still clawing at her back.
“And you?” Picard said.
“Death,” Deanna said, “in an odd uniform. And worse than either of you.”