History Recap / StarTrekEnterpriseS04E18InAMirrorDarkly

* InSpiteOfANail: Zigzagged. Despite the different history, most of the ''Enterprise's'' crew are where they are in the regular universe, aside from Admiral Forrest now being the captain, and Reed and Mayweather being [=MACOs=].

** The episode ends with Hoshi threatening the powers that be with the ''Defiant'', and her declaration of herself as Empress, but it isn't made clear whether or not her attempted coup was successful given that in "Mirror, Mirror", the technology level of both ''Enterprise''s seem essentially identical.

In the teaser, set April 5, 2063, Zefram Cochrane greets the Vulcan emissary making [[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]] with the human race...only to draw a shotgun from under his coat and shoot him. The humans then storm the spaceship, intent on plundering its advanced technology. Yes, it's the MirrorUniverse, where HumansAreBastards and MightMakesRight.

In the year 2155, however, things aren't going well for the Terran Empire, which is facing a successful rebellion among the alien races they've conquered. On the I.S.S. ''Enterprise'', First Officer Jonathan Archer hopes to repeat history with a raid into Tholian space. The Tholians have opened a rift into a future AlternateUniverse from which they've seized the ''Constitution''-class starship U.S.S. ''Defiant''. With speed and firepower a hundred years in advance of anything in the Quadrant, and a database full of subversive ideals, the ''Defiant'' is a GameBreaker that could save the Terran Empire...or bring it to its knees.

In the year 2155, however, things aren't going well for the Terran Empire, which is facing a successful rebellion among the alien races they've conquered. On the [=ISS=] ''Enterprise'', First Officer Jonathan Archer hopes to repeat history with a raid into Tholian space. The Tholians have opened a rift into a future AlternateUniverse from which they've seized the ''Constitution''-class starship [=USS=] ''Defiant''. With speed and firepower a hundred years in advance of anything in the Quadrant, and a database full of subversive ideals, the ''Defiant'' is a GameBreaker that could save the Terran Empire...or bring it to its knees.

* ActivationSequence: Archer and his away team are required to power-up the TOS-era USS ''Defiant'', complete with a pan round the bridge as all the workstations light up and the familiar TOS sound effects come in one by one.

* AlternateRealityEpisode: The episode is set entirely in the MirrorUniverse, with the only hint of the prime universe being the USS ''Defiant'' from "The Tholian Web" and the library files from its computer detailing the fate of the prime universe NX-01 ''Enterprise'' crew.

* ArcWelding: There was no indication of any connection between the Defiant phasing into another dimension in "The Tholian Web" and the MirrorUniverse of "Mirror, Mirror." The episode throws in TimeTravel just to make things interesting.

* {{Fanservice}}: Has both the sexual kind and fanservice for actual fans. It brings back the evil Terran Empire from the [=TOS=] episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror Mirror Mirror]]," the USS ''Defiant'' is back ("The Tholian Web"), all the women have midriff-baring outfits (and later the 1960s-style miniskirt), Hoshi sleeps around and gets into a CatFight with T'Pol, and a Gorn is bought back and made into a credible threat.

* {{Interquel}}: PlayedWith. Due to the [[TimeTravel time-travelling]] and [[AlternateUniverse universe-crossing]] nature of the ''USS Defiant'', this episode serves as both a prequel to the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode "Mirror Mirror", as well as a sequel to the (later) TOS episode "The Tholian Web".

* NormalFishInATinyPond: The USS ''Defiant'' in its own time and universe is just one of several ''Constitution''-class ships. In the 22nd-century Mirror Universe, though, it's a unique superweapon capable of [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] an entire Empire into submission, and a prize worth killing for.

* OffTheShelfFX: Archer uses a TOS era phaser recovered from the Defiant, which was a licensed replica. That particular phaser, being screen used, fetched a nice price at auction.

* SeriesContinuityError: Back in "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E23TheOmegaGlory The Omega Glory]]", costumer William Theiss gave crew members of the USS ''Exeter'' their own uniform patch instead of the chevron worn by the ''Enterprise'' crew, under the mistaken impression that every starship had its own insignia. [[http://www.startrek.com/article/starfleet-insignia-explained He was corrected on this point by Robert Justman]], who explained that the chevron didn't denote the ''Enterprise'' but rather was branch insignia for personnel assigned to starships. Theiss didn't make the mistake again, but the error spawned a fan theory that in this episode evidently led the costumers to give dead ''Defiant'' crew members their own unit patch... despite them having worn the chevron when they disappeared from the prime universe in "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E9TheTholianWeb The Tholian Web]]".

* SlouchOfVillainy: Archer does this in the command chair of the Defiant as he demands Starfleet's surrender. As does T'Pol when we first see her in the captain's chair on ''Enterprise''. Thanks to her outfit she looks a good deal hotter doing so.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Forrest is one of the more [[VillainousValour honorable]] Terran Empire officers seen, even pulling a HeroicSacrifice by staying behind on ''Enterprise'' to distract the Tholians and buy the rest of the crew enough time to escape.

* PerpetualFrowner: Archer spends half the episode scowling, in contrast to his more amiable AlternateSelf.

%%ZCE * PerpetualFrowner: Archer.

* PeekABangs: Hoshi wears her hair over one eye, as befits her sexy yet deceptive nature. Also T'Pol after she's captured by Hoshi, presumably to show vulnerability (she brushes it aside when giving a BadassBoast).
* PerpetualFrowner: Archer.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: The USS ''Defiant'' in its own time and universe is just one of several ''Constitution''-class ships. In the 22nd-century Mirror Universe, though, it's a unique superweapon capable of [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] and entire Empire into submission, and a prize worth killing for.

* CustomUniformOfSexy: The crew still wear the standard Starfleet jumpsuits (with added BlingOfWar) but, in homage to Uhura's outfit in "Mirror Mirror", the women wear a two-piece, including a [[BareYourMidriff high-cut shirt that shows off their taut abs]] and is kept permanently unzipped to show the cleavage. Given the blatant use of sex by the female characters to advance their interests, you could say this is a JustifiedTrope.

* {{Fanservice}}: Has both the sexual kind and fanservice for actual fans. It brings back the evil Terran Empire from the [=TOS=] episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror Mirror Mirror]]," the USS ''Defiant'' is back ("The Tholian Web"), all the women have BareYourMidriff outfits (and later the 1960s-style miniskirt), Hoshi sleeps around and gets into a CatFight with T'Pol, and a Gorn is bought back and made into a credible threat.

* SlouchOfVillainy: Archer does this in the command chair of the Defiant as he demands Starfleet's surrender. As does T'Pol when we first see her in the captain's chair on ''Enterprise''. [[BareYourMidriff Thanks to her outfit]], she looks a good deal hotter doing so.

* VillainEpisode: One that focuses entirely on the MU characters.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Forrest is one of the more honorable Terran Empire officers seen, even pulling a HeroicSacrifice by staying behind on ''Enterprise'' to distract the Tholians and buy the rest of the crew enough time to escape.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority:

* SexyWalk: Thanks to T'Pol's BareYourMidriff outfit, her hip movements have a lot of emphasis.

* KillEmAll: The only main characters still alive and well by the end are Hoshi and Mayweather; Archer and Reed's fates are not definitive but appear fatal, T'Pol and Phlox are both slated for execution, and while Trip isn't actively in harm's way, he himself acknowledges that he doesn't have long to live regardless due to his Delta Radition poisoning.

* MsFanservice: T'Pol has her hair down past her shoulders and [[ShesGotLegs wears a TOS miniskirt]], while Hoshi lounges about in black lingerie. Both women wear ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow and CustomUniformOfSexy. And they CatFight.

* {{Corpsing}}: A DeletedScene shows Jolene Blalock breaking down in nervous giggles when Scott Bakula advances on her with his DeathGlare on full power.

* KlingonPromotion: Much like "Mirror, Mirror" in TOS, assassinating your superiors seems like an accepted way to advance yourself. Archer does it to Forrest to become Captain (though he stops short of actually killing Forrest), and then it turns UpToEleven when Hoshi Sato poisons him and uses the ''Defiant'' to become '''Empress'''!

** The Tholians also gain the ability to spin a web around a ship in moments, whereas two of their vessels had to take their time constructing one around the ''Enterprise'' in the Original Series.

** The episode ends with Hoshi threatening the powers that be with the ''Defiant'', and her declaration of herself as Empress, but it isn't made clear whether or not her attempted coup was successful given that in "Mirror, Mirror", the technology level of both ''Enterprise''s seem essentially identical. ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' eventually reveals that Hoshi did succeed, and that the ''Defiant'' is still in service as late as 2257.

* BittersweetEnding: On one hand, Soval and the rebels die and the ''Defiant'' makes it to Earth, ensuring [[Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror another]] [[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS1E10DespiteYourself century]] of Terran hegemony. On the other hand, [[TheCaligula Archer]] is defeated, so he won't be able to wipe out Vulcan as T'Pol had feared. Only time will tell whether [[TheChessmaster Empress Sato]] is any better than he was.

* DoomedByCanon:
** The rebellion against the Terran Empire is locked into inevitable failure, as the Empire is still going strong a hundred years later. Still, there's enough of a rebellion hanging on by [[Series/StarTrekDiscovery Emperor Georgiou's era]] that "the Firewolf" (mirror-Voq) and Mirror-Sarek are still a thorn in the side of the Empire.
** Conversely, the Terran Empire is bolstered by the addition of the ''Defiant'', but by the 23rd century in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'', its strength is referred to as being stagnant "painted rust" and a "facade". By the era of ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' a hundred years after that, the Empire has collapsed and is long gone after conquest by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance and the mirror Bajorans.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: The events of this two-parter turn out to be crucial in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'''s first season.

* OutsideContextProblem: The ''Defiant'' quickly proves itself as one to the rebels when it effortlessly destroys three of their ships without taking any damage whatsoever. It halts the rebellion in its tracks, and presumably keeps the Terran Empire in power for [[Series/StarTrekDiscovery the next]] [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries hundred years]].

* SavedByCanon: Obviously the Terran Empire won't be overthrown (yet), as it's still going strong, despite sporadic rebellions, in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' and ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery''. That said, by [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine the 24th century]], it will have long since collapsed and been conquered.

* RedRightHand: Trip is TwoFaced due to scarring from Delta radiation, with a SkunkStripe and yellow eye.

* DangerouslyShortSkirt: In the DVDCommentary, it's mentioned that they had to keep telling the actress playing a [[DropDeadGorgeous dead Original Series yeoman]]: "Yes, the skirt really IS supposed to be that short."

* StabTheScorpion: Played with; when T'Pol tells Trip how she set him up, [[WallPinOfLove he slams his hand into the wall next to her]]. Turns out he's activating the intercom to let the Captain know the repairs have been completed.