Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Section 31After 58 years, Star Trek: Section 31 shows that it’s time for Star Trek to abandon its oldest multiverse concept, the Mirror Universe. Star Trek pioneered the concept of the multiverse that’s so prevalent in modern franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Mirror Universe, a twisted alternate reality where Star Trek characters are sinister versions of themselves, was introduced in 1967’s Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode, “Mirror, Mirror.” Ever since, Star Trek has returned to the Mirror Universe time and again.
The Mirror Universe’s Terran Empire is the ruthless opposite of the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek’s Prime Timeline. After its initial appearance in Star Trek: The Original Series, almost 30 years pᴀssed before Star Trek: Deep Space Nine returned to the alternate reality. The Mirror Universe’s 22nd century was glimpsed in Star Trek: Enterprise, but it was Star Trek: Discovery that delivered an even more disturbing and prevalent vision of the evil parallel timeline.
Star Trek: Discovery introduced Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and explored the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1, 3, and 5. Even Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 took a detour into the Mirror Universe. However, Emperor Georgiou redefined the Mirror Universe, and Star Trek subsequently refashioned the alternate reality in Georgiou’s image. By the end of Star Trek: Section 31, the Mirror Universe has worn out its welcome.
Section 31 Proves It’s Time For Star Trek To Abandon The Mirror Universe
When The Terran Empire Becomes The Hunger Games, It’s Time To Call It A Day
Star Trek: Section 31 centers on Emperor Philippa Georgiou, so it’s unsurprising and inevitable that its main threat and enemy hail from the Mirror Universe and reflect Georgiou’s past sins. Star Trek: Section 31‘s flashbacks depict how the young Philippa Georgiou (Miku Martineau) won a brutal contest and murdered her own family to claim the throne of Terran Emperor. Georgiou denied her own love for San (James Huang) and enslaved him. It’s no great shock that San (James Hiroyuki Liao) returns to seek revenge on Emperor Georgiou.
It’s no coincidence that Emperor Georgiou’s Mirror Universe origin is derivative of The Hunger Games, with Philippa and San cast as the Terran Empire’s Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Yet Georgiou’s origin reflects a creative bankruptcy when it comes to the Mirror Universe. Numerous Star Trek characters have gone to the Mirror timeline, and Star Trek: Section 31 teases an invasion of the Federation by the Terran Empire that Emperor Georgiou thwarts. Georgiou herself turned her back on the Mirror Universe, and it’s a cue for Star Trek to do the same.
Star Trek’s Mirror Universe Has Run Its Course
What More Is There To Learn About The Terran Empire
Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe is an idea that’s fascinating enough to have endured and been expanded for nearly 60 years. Star Trek: The Original Series posited that the fascist Terran Empire was essentially doomed, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine proved Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) prophecy correct. Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Mirror Universe two-parter showed the limits of snarlingly evil Terrans. Every foray into the Mirror Universe only builds graтιтude for the enlightened, optimistic Federation in Star Trek‘s Prime Timeline.
A plan for William Shatner to reprise his evil Mirror Universe Tiberius Kirk character on Star Trek: Enterprise didn’t come to fruition.
Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Section 31 have collectively pulled enough water from the Mirror Universe’s well for it to run dry. Emperor Georgiou’s golden, malevolent Terran Empire is the most sadistic and violent incarnation of the Mirror Universe, complete with cannibalism and sadomasochism. After so many forays into the alternate reality, the Mirror Universe went from an exciting ‘What If?’ diversion to a series of one-dimensional “everyone is evil” clichés that subsтιтute shock value for character depth.
Star Trek’s Multiverse Is More Interesting Than The Mirror Universe
There Are Greater Possibilities For Alternate Star Trek Realities
The Mirror Universe is Star Trek’s first alternate reality, but its multiverse has become more interesting than the timeline where everyone is pure evil. Star Trek is no stranger to parallel timelines and futures that were erased, and J.J. Abrams even built a blockbuster trilogy of Star Trek movies set in the alternate Kelvin timeline with rebooted versions of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the crew of the Starship Enterprise. 9 years after Star Trek Beyond, audiences are still waiting to be reunited with Chris Pine and his Enterprise crew.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 briefly rebooted the Prime timeline into a reality ruled by the evil Confederation of Earth, which was essentially another Mirror Universe, but it only lasted 2 episodes.
With the giddy imagination and creative freedom that animation offers, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 and Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 offered more thrilling possibilities for Star Trek‘s multiverse. With the Traveler Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) as their guide, Star Trek: Prodigy‘s young crew of the USS Protostar went where no Starfleet heroes had gone before. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 proved the multiverse truly has infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ vision of seeing how humanity improves itself in different realities is more intriguing and uplifting than the Mirror Universe filled with villains.
Star Trek’s Next Shows Won’t Involve The Mirror Universe
No Mirror Universe in Strange New Worlds or Section 31
Star Trek on Paramount+’s next two years revolve around two TV series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Neither show is likely to involve the Mirror Universe. Strange New Worlds is a prequel set before Star Trek: The Original Series. Since the Mirror Universe has long been the purview of Star Trek: Discovery, and Strange New Worlds has prided itself on innovative, boundary-pushing big creative swings, Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise is expected to steer clear of the Mirror Universe.
Like Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, and it’s a direct sequel continuing Disco‘s 32nd century. Star Trek: Discovery established that due to the Temporal Wars, the Prime and Mirror timelines diverged, and there hadn’t been any crossovers for five hundred years. With Star Trek: Starfleet Academy involving a host of new faces, young Starfleet hopefuls, and Star Trek legacy characters meeting a new enemy threatening the Federation, the Mirror Universe looks to be in Star Trek‘s rearview mirror.
The Mirror Universe looks to be in Star Trek’s rearview mirror.
Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe has made an indelible mark on the franchise and posed fascinating questions that have since been answered. The fascist Terran Empire has risen, fallen, and risen again, and has reached its storytelling limits. In Star Trek: Discovery‘s far future, the Prime and Mirror Universes are no longer aligned, and it’s time for Star Trek to take that hint.
