The Emperor's New Cloak (DS9)

[Sir Will]

I maintain you could cut/skip all of the Mirror episodes in DS9 and loose nothing narratively. The Mirror episodes don't tie into the other arcs on DS9, so if you don't watch them, you miss nothing.

I'm going to be very honest: I didn't care for any of the Mirror Universe episodes after "Crossover." At all. Even the two Enterprise episodes; the only saving grace in those, IMHO, is the return of the Tholians and Gorn. I think part of it I always think the Mirror Universe was a nice novelty that got over played in the series to the point where I just got tired of them. I doesn't help that, as Chuck said, aside from a few characters, everyone seems just seemed dumber than a sack of rocks.

I found the Enterprise ones stupid fun. But I didn't like any of the MU DS9 episodes after Crossover either. They're disjointed, sometimes pretty random, and I didn't find the narrative compelling.

[J!!]

So, I've been rewatching DS9 over the past year or so, and something I've noticed is that the writers seemed to really enjoy giving the actors a chance to streach out and give different kinds of performances. Hence episodes like Our Man Bashier, Far Beyond The Stars, and the various mirror universe episodes. In fact, I think part of the reason they kept going back to the mirror universe is because it lets them do that, without having to keep coming up with increasingly contrived premises.

The other reason, I think, is that Nana Visitor is just fucking awesome as the Intendant. It's always great to watch skilled performers cut loose a bit and have fun, and she was clearly having a blast with the part. She does an amazing job of keeping the two characters distinct as well; I swear that Resurection was made just for her to show this off. The same actress, wearing the same costume & makeup, under the same lighting, in the same scene, and somehow it's always 100% clear which you're looking at; without even saying a word, through body-language alone, when you're looking at The Intendant. Story-wise, that episode's pretty unremarkable, but she just makes it so much fun to watch.

Which is, I think, roughly how I feel about DS9's mirror episodes in general: the stories are rather meh, but it's great to watch the actors cut loose and have some fun.

[FaxModem1]

Yeah, for me it's all good fun. A chance to enjoy a Star Wars style adventure in the Trek universe. Though I wasn't really a fan of the A Ferengi must die running gag from DS9. Though, this is probably why they stopped doing them for a while, they were running out of Ferengi.

Honestly, I think the only reason they skipped doing one in season 5 was that Nana Visitor was pregnant, and made doing the Intendant impossible.

And Resurrection was such a waste of potential. Yes, having a Mirror Universe story from the other side would be great, but they didn't do enough with it.

[bronnt]

Why do people keep frowning about shenanigans?
"These episodes lift right out..."
"They are just silly..."

Yeah... That is kind of the point. I liked watching Odo explode. That is cool. They should have used that effect on more changelings.

For me, the problem is that any episode that takes place in the mirror universe is about the mirror universe and about the characters in the mirror universe. That episode when Bareil shows up, it's kind of a Kira episode, but his character is the one with an arc in that story, and he's going to disappear completely from the story. I'm not interested in the journey.

The first one, "Crossover" does a lot with the alternate characters, but it remains heavily focused on Kira and her attempts to survive and find a way back. It makes it a better story for following our DS9 cast than something like "Shattered Mirror," which is very heavily focused on Jennifer Sisko.

I mean, it's fine. This episode has a few good moments, like when Quark and Rom are manipulating alternate-Garak, but this version of Worf is a buffoon and the Intendant is just a cartoon villain at this point, so it adds up to a lot of stuff I'm just forced to sit through.

[suburbantimewaster]

I've always enjoyed the DS9 mirror universe episodes as a guilty pleasure. However, I do agree with SFDebris that, more often than not, the people on the Mirror Universe are what TVTropes calls Too Dumb To Live. This episode is a prime example with the bad guys promising that they'll release Quark, Rom, Zek and his bodyguard after they help them install the cloaking device and then decide to kill them afterward. This is something that both Tywin Lannister and Roose Bolton pointed out that you don't do because no one's going to work with you. Even Gul Dukat knows that you reward Collaborators so they'll have motivation to collaborate with you. It's something the Intendent knew in Crossover but apparently forgot in this episode.

[Meushell]

I'm also a softie on Ferengi episodes so this one...didn't bother me that much. The only thing that makes me roll my eyes is the mentioned "gays only exist in the Mirror Universe", which to me is more of a Berman problem than a show problem. In-Universe (...ha) it does beg the question of why, which justputs fuel into the whole "Feddie camps to make you into a square peg!" conspiracies xD

I do think that by this point the idea was tired. DS9's Mirror Universe seemed to be very flowing, what with killing off Odo, Sisko, Quark, and shaking up the status quo in the first few outings. But we're STILL following the Regent, Garak, and Intendant around like the worst power ranger villains ever. And while the argument can be made they wrap it up in something of a bow here, I don't know anyone who would have lost sleep not knowing.

Overall, I enjoyed the mirror universes, but I got so sick of the Intendant. The Mirror Bareil episode would have been so much better if they didn’t shoehorn her in. They didn’t really do anything with her, so she just got boring and obnoxious.

Mirror Garak didn’t really bug me, but he seemed to just kind of be there. He could have been so much better. Imagine him having the layers and depth of Prime Garak, but his twisted and his impulses were encouraged by that universe. He could have been the one to truly fear.

[Akatama]

The Mirror Universe is weird and I love it. Makes me wonder what is different about the races we know of, but haven't seen on screen. Are the Ferengi a beacon of hope for the Alpha Quadrant? Are the Talaxians a wise and enlightened people? Are the Borg all about cuddles and getting new friends? As a bonus, did Mirror Sisko name his ship "USS My pimp hand"?

[Fianna]

Ezri shows up dressed in leather, and Quark takes this as a sign that his prayers have been answered, despite the way that she roughs him up.

I don't know how Chuck resisted adding "Or perhaps because of the way that she roughs him up."

[SuccubusYuri]

Ezri shows up dressed in leather, and Quark takes this as a sign that his prayers have been answered, despite the way that she roughs him up.

I don't know how Chuck resisted adding "Or perhaps because of the way that she roughs him up."

Chuck's made so many BDSM jokes maybe he's worried about overplaying his hand xD

As a side note, regarding that scene, I enjoy the idea that the Ferengi have a concept of religious sacrifice. And what would be the most sacred thing to offer the, blessed ancestors or whatever?

I know this isn't how Chuck meant his little tirade, but I always remember one of the most rage-inducing articles I ever read was this...buzzfeed scandal expose, or something...about how a wig-maker was getting its primary source of hair from temples in India. Missing the fact that "religious sacrifice" DOESN'T mean "the bearded man in the sky is eating your lamb" nor "priests are tricking women into thinking Vishnu has bags and bags of hair lying around", rather than the importance is the act of YOU sacrificing a comfort to show your devotion to your cause.

[cdrood]

Unfortunately, DS9 makes mirror universe episodes that highlight why the concept makes no sense. People die on one side, but not the other. Jake Sisko was never born. Too many things would be different from the point of divergence for all of these people to show up in the same place and the same time. Most of the human characters probably wouldn't exist and how the Terran Empire dealt with their enemies and subjects would make it difficult for every alien character to have an exact double, as well.