In a Mirror, Darkly, Part I
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 22 April 2005
- ON
- UPN
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- James L. Conway
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 094
WRITTEN BYWritten by Mike Sussman
In a brutal mirror universe ruled by the Terran Empire, a ruthless Commander Archer plots to seize a legendary prize hidden deep in Tholian space.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
In an alternate history, Zefram Cochrane greets Earth's first Vulcan visitors in 2063 by shooting their leader, and humans loot their ship. By 2155 the Terran Empire rules through fear, and the ISS Enterprise is commanded by Captain Forrest, with a scheming Archer as his first officer. Archer has learned that the Tholians hold a starship from another universe and a century in the future: the USS Defiant. He stages a mutiny, locks Forrest in the brig, installs a cloaking device and sets course deep into Tholian space. T'Pol helps Forrest retake command, but Archer's plan is already under way. At the Tholian base, the Enterprise is surrounded by an energy web and attacked. Forrest orders the ship abandoned and dies as it is destroyed, while Archer's boarding party reaches the Defiant and its bridge comes to life around them.
- 01The usual opening titles are replaced by a militaristic sequence with different music, including footage of a submarine from The Hunt for Red October.
- 02Mike Sussman first pitched a story featuring William Shatner, but when negotiations failed he turned to the Defiant from the original series episode “The Tholian Web”.