Enterprise In a Mirror, Darkly part
2
original airdate: 04-29-2005
After Enterprise
goes into dry dock and leaves the squinted public eye forever
we’ll have a handful of rather memorable episodes. The
“In a Mirror Darkly” two parter will be on that
short list.
Unlike
any other Mirror Universe story, no one hopped from one
universe to the other. And really, thanks to the prequel
nature of the show, no one could. Kirk was the first to
discover it. Instead we begin and end in the Mirror Universe
with only the 23rd century Defiant connecting the two realms.
The
first half of “Mirror” focused on the premise.
This week we delve deeper into the characters. Commander
Archer is mad for power and wrestles with the ghost of the
good universe Captain Archer. Dr. Phlox showcases his character
arc from Empire patriot to unsuspected rebel. And Sato lands
a starring role as she rolls around with Archer.
There
hasn’t been a more shockingly gratuitous sex scene
since Trip rubbed down T’Pol in the pilot episode.
Archer plots to remove all the alien crew members from the
Defiant while Sato gives him a tongue bath. This one must
have passed the censors since it was all in silhouette.
But later Sato plays America’s Next Top Model as she
races around the bedroom in the most revealing outfit EVER
on Star Trek. Two words. Black. Thong.
But
she’s not the only one that gets to wear a cool costume.
Phlox and Sato aside, all the lead characters don old school
solid color uniforms of red, blue and gold (and that weird
green color the captain wears). And since it’s the
Mirror Universe, Vulcan males, like Soval, wear a beard.
Which strangely makes him look older and less intelligent.
“Mirror”
pays close attention to the small details. The set is no
exception. The Defiant’s bridge, Captain’s quarters
and engineering are spot on replicas from Star Trek. But
to make things more dynamic, the lighting director kept
everything at half power.
After
all, it can’t be an exact replica of the original
show. Look at the Gorn stow-away. Kirk fought a crappy plastic
suit with glittering discoball eyes. Archer gets to tangle
with a CGI reptile that could’ve passed as Jar Jar
Binks. Remember when people used to use PUPPETS to create
aliens?
In the
end, Sato used her black thong to conquer the Defiant…
but history never told us if she conquered Star Fleet. If
we had another season or two we could’ve expected
a return to the story line…
But
we all know how that story ends.
Only
three episodes left. Hopefully they’ll be in “our”
universe.
