Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Star Trek: Season II, Episode IV (33): Mirror, Mirror Directed by Marc Daniels, Written by Jerome Bixby, Created by Gene Roddenberry

Dr. McCoy: Jim, I think I liked him with a beard better. It gave him character. Of course almost any change would be a distinct improvement.
 Captain James T. Kirk: What worries me is the easy way his counterpart fitted into that other universe. I always thought Spock was a bit of a pirate at heart.
 Mr. Spock: Indeed, gentlemen. May I point out that I had an opportunity to observe your counterparts here quite closely. They were brutal, savage, unprincipled, uncivilized, treacherous - in every way splendid examples of homo sapiens, the very flower of humanity. I found them quite refreshing.
 Captain James T. Kirk: [to McCoy] I'm not sure, but I think we've been insulted.
 Dr. McCoy: I'm sure.
 
Another of the best episodes!  In fact, it is so popular, it has become a metaphor.

While negotiating with the extremely peaceful and ethical Halkins for Dilithium mining rights, a magnetic storm sweeps over the area.  When Captain Kirk, Mr. Scott, Dr. McCoy and Lt. Uhura (William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and Nichelle Nichols) find themselves back aboard the Enterprise, but one that is strangely twisted.  Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has a beard, and a knife at his hip, and uses an device to induce neural agony in Mr. Kyle (John Winston) for a slight infraction of proper beam up procedure.  It quickly becomes apparent to the foursome that they have entered a parallel universe, one that mirrors their own, but darkly.  The Empire awards promotion via assassination.  Mr. Sulu (George Takei, sporting a wicked scar) is a security officer who would have been at home in the Gestapo.  And Kirk has orders to wipe out the entire Halkin civilization for failing to accede to the Empire’s demands.  Can the quartet figure out a way back to their own universe without tipping their hands?  Can they survive the ISS Enterprise?

This episode is so iconic, it has entered the language as a metaphor for the familiar with a strange twist, or for a darker more sinister take on something.  “It was like Spock with a beard” means something that was familiar, but with an unexpected and malevolent twist.  It has been parodied countless times; South Park’s “Spookyfish”, MST3K Last of the Wild Horses, Hercules and Xena both utilized the premise, as did Sealab 2021.  It has been copied by Stargate SG1 “Ripple Effect” and Doctor Who “Inferno”.  In the Inferno book The Face of the Enemy, Sergeant Benton actually says "You mean like that Star Trek episode where Spock had a beard?”  And of course, there is the Futurama episode, “The Farnsworth Paradox.”

That’s a pretty powerful statement for a 45 year old television episode to make; “I am the metaphor for everything that resembles me.”  But as you watch it, you realize why it is that way; it’s brilliant.  Here you get to combine all those things that are bad for you, sex and violence, and nasty wish fulfillment.  Sex; let’s talk.  It has Captain Kirk showing off the guns, Lt. Uhura showing off her navel, and Lt. Marlena Moreau, an ambitious woman who has used sex as a weapon to claw her way to the top.  Now she is the Captain’s Woman.  Violence; you have the agonizer, the Agony Booth, and regular assassination attempts, enough to warrant walking around the ship with body guards.  And the fight scene in Sick Bay; Uhura was not a fainting flower, cringing.  She threw herself right at Spock, who flung her into the bulkhead.  Plan B; if you can’t hit them with your fist, use an implement.  She is the one who got the skull used to crack Spock’s skull.  Nasty Wish fulfillment; who hasn’t dreamed of killing the boss? Both Chekov and Sulu came dangerously close.  And Mirror Kirk’s Tantalus Field is the ultimate covert weapon.

And yet, it is the basic premise of Star Trek that saves the day, the view that we are stronger working together, that with good will, and a little luck, you can carry through, that cooperation beats self interest every time.  If only life were a little more like Star Trek.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8