WARNING: This thread WILL contain unhidden spoilers for this entry. Because this re-watch is in a slightly-subjective chronological order and not in production order, please refrain from talking about the content of other episodes or movies in this thread. If you do, please put that content inside spoiler tags. Some people here may be watching Star Trek for the first time.
#38: Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 4 "Mirror, Mirror"
Written by Jerome Bixby, directed by Marc Daniels.
Stardate unknown (December 2267)
(Some events take place in the Mirror Universe)
"In every revolution, there is one man with a vision." - Captain James Kirk
Captain James Kirk, Commander Scott, Doctor McCoy, and Lieutenant Uhura are on the Halken homeworld negotiating for dilithium mining rights. The Halkens absolutely refuse to allow it. The leader of the Halkin Council, Tharn (Vic Perrin) cites the possibility that, while the Federation is a peaceful organization now, they do not know how they might use the dilithium in the future. Dejected, but not defeated, Kirk insists on further talk in spite of the Halkins' unyielding code of ethics and the landing party returns to the ship due to a building ion storm. While beaming aboard, the ion storm causes interference and the landing party's patterns seem to disappear. Instead, they step off the transporter and onto an Enterprise that is the same... but different.
Originally released: 8 October 1967
"Mirror, Mirror" on Memory Alpha
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What did you think?
Whoops, missed this post.
Anyway, I'm not really in to 'top ten' lists, but I think I'd rate this ep right up there. The obvious, big point here is the examination of how the very same person can become normalised upon staggeringly different realities, given the opportunity.
And of course there's the outright story / adventure here, in which four characters are stuck in an absurd, volatile situation, forced to fake it until they make it (i.e. their escape). George Takei and Walter Koenig also get some really fun rope to play with, and do a great job IMO. To me it once again highlights how even though Shatner & Nimoy blazed like stars, the rest of the cast were damn good, too.
But the idea of parallel universes is also fascinating, as we don't even know what our own universe is, really. Could there be a multiverse? Are we living in a nested set of black holes..? We'll never actually know, of course.