The Emperor's New Cloak (DS9)

[SuccubusYuri]

http://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/d562.php

Let the Hate flow through you!

[SuccubusYuri]

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.

[Madner Kami]

Huh. I do not remember this episode. Like, at all. You'd think that two of the hottest actresses on set making out with each other would at least leave some impression or anything else from this episode, but there just isn't anything. Huh.

[Mickey_Rat15]

So, Rom keeps calling it the Alternate Universe and is confused about why the people there are not necessarily opposites of their counterparts, despite that alternate just implies different, while "mirror" implies reversed. Were the writers taking a swipe at nitpickers?

And again, the MU does not really bear up to repeated trips there and increasingly became an insufferably darkly silly place in DS9's run.

[CharlesPhipps]

The problem with the Mirror Universe is that they made it into Star Wars and then had the Galactic Civil War take place from the perspective of Mos Eisley.

[Archanubis]

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.

[FaxModem1]

I must be the exception, as the Mirror Universe stories were a delight for me, with Shattered Mirror being full of Swashbuckler fun. But then I also own all the Mirror Universe books and love the idea of seeing how people might have turned out if things were slightly different.

But Resurrection and Emperor's New Cloak were showing that they didn't really care what happened there anymore, and combining it with the Ferengi was like combining orange juice and milk. Good separately, but together, it shows the worst qualities of both.

It also became problematic the clumsy way they wrote out Mirror Jadzia due to Terry Ferrell leaving.

[Darth Wedgius]

So, Rom keeps calling it the Alternate Universe and is confused about why the people there are not necessarily opposites of their counterparts, despite that alternate just implies different, while "mirror" implies reversed. Were the writers taking a swipe at nitpickers?

That's the way I took it.

After all the talk of a controversial score, I would have given the episode the same score Chuck did. I enjoyed the episode, and I've re-watched it a couple times, but I didn't think it quite matched DS9's average.

[bronnt]

So, Rom keeps calling it the Alternate Universe and is confused about why the people there are not necessarily opposites of their counterparts, despite that alternate just implies different, while "mirror" implies reversed. Were the writers taking a swipe at nitpickers?

That was actually the only thing I really enjoyed in this episode. To me it seemed like the writers saying, "Yeah, we know. It's not opposite world. Just roll with it."

As a whole, though, the mirror universe arc fell pretty flat. It felt like DS9's equivalent of a holodeck malfunction episode; the set-up is just an excuse for whatever shenanigans. That way they can bring back Jennifer Sisko or Bareil for cheap drama and divorce themselves from any ongoing consequences.

[Rocketboy1313]

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.