In a Mirror, Darkly

This Story: Season 4 Episodes 18 & 19 (production codes 194 & 195)
ENT Overall: Episodes 94 & 95
Trek Overall: Story 682, Episodes 722 & 723
Airdates: 22 Apr – 29 Apr 2005
Story by Manny Coto (Part I only)
Written by Michael Sussman (Parts I & II)
Directed by James L. Conway (Part I) & Marvin V. Rush (Part II)

Notes (Part I)

• This episode is a prequel to the TOS episode ‘Mirror, Mirror” and a sequel to “The Tholian Web“.
• The original genesis of this story was that it was going to have William Shatner as James T. Kirk.  There is so,e more detail on this stuff on the Wikipedia entry.
• The pre-title sequence re-uses footage of the Human/Vulcan first contact from the movie “Star Trek: First Contact” (for the majority of it).  While he doesn’t appear in any newly filmed footage, Zefram Cochrane actor James Cromwell had to give his permission for the footage to be used.
• To that, the set showing the lower part of the Vulcan craft was kept by Herman Zimmerman, and brought out of storage to be used again in the newly filmed footage here.
• This episode (and the second) feature a completely reworked title sequence (and theme).  It’s loosely based around the structure of the traditional Enterprise credits – but it’s based around military conquest and the Empire.  There are a huge amount of reused footage from prior Star Trek episodes and several Paramount movies.  There’s a detailed list of that on the Memory Alpha site.  Also below in the photos area is a picture from the script for Part II which describes the montage in the updated titles.  Thanks to re4mat on Bluesky for the picture.
• We get to see what happens when the Tholians create a web properly.  In their original appearance, there were just two ships and one was damaged.  This time they have multiple ships and they’re all functioning correctly.
• The first time we ever see a Tholian in the flesh fully.  In their original appearance we saw just a head.
• Unlike other Mirror Universe episodes before this, we didn’t see any other characters besides our own – and most of them were killed. This apparently was done so to preserve the “first contact” made in the original series episode with the wider mirror universe.
• The scarring that Tucker had in this episode was supposed to be an homage to Pike’s disfigurement.
• Apparently the Enterprise crew beaming to the Defiant in space suits was an excuse to have them wear TOS uniforms once they got control of the ship.
• The Defiant Bridge set was rebuilt in full for this episode (and the next).  It was the first time that had existed since 1969 and the cancellation of the original series.  The TNG episode “Relics” and the DS9 episode “Trials & Tribble-ations” rebuilt part of the TOS bridge set, but not the full one like done here.
• The final appearance (of fifteen) for Vaughn Armstrong in the series.  He plays Mirror Forrest after his Prime Universe character was killed in “The Forge“.
• The director of this episode (James Conway) had directed the DS9 episode “Shattered Mirror”, also set in the Mirror Universe.
• An episode of Star Trek: Discovery (“Vaulting Ambition“) references the events of this episode.

Notes (Part II)

• We finally get to see what’s at the top of a TOS era Jeffries tube.
• We get to see a Gorn in this episode, although they look radically different than what they looked like in the TOS episode “Arena“.  The Gorn’s voice sounded pretty much like the original did, however.
• T’Pol’s line that humanity would pay for their arrogance.  This was apparently an intentional reference to the events of the DS9 mirror universe episodes, and how they played out for humanity.
• Numerous things in this episode were left unresolved (Archer being drugged vs killed, Reed surviving, and the Defiant itself).  This was due to the expectation that they’d do a sequel in the fifth season that didn’t happen.
• One of the outfits worn by actress Nicole Malgarini as a deceased officer was also used in the DS9 episode “Trials & Tribble-ations“.
• Some of the rods that Phlox tries to use to disable the Defiant were props used as control rods for the Xindi weapon in the episode “Zero Hour“.
• In the Defiant meeting room there is a painting of an HMS Defiant.  Apparently this ship does not exist in real life.
• A display screen establishes many things about our characters – including numerous things about Jonathan Archer.  It does also reveal the first name of Shran for the first time – Thy’lek.
• Majel Barrett provides the voice of the Defiant computer in both episodes.
• It was during the production of this episode that it was decided that the show would be canceled and there would be no fifth season.

Links

[ Wikipedia | Memory Alpha (Part I | Part II) | IMDB (Part I | Part II) | First Flight Podcast (not yet available) | Amazon US DVD | Amazon US Blu-Ray ]