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The Mirror Universe is a parallel world to the standard Star Trek universe, where instead of the Federation there was the Terran Empire. Following the events of an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, the Empire weakened and fell. Since then the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance has enslaved the Terrans. Deep Space Nine's counterpart, Terok Nor, is a seat of power for the Alliance in the formerly-Terran-occupied Bajoran sector and an ore processing facility ruled by Intendant Kira. Characters in the Mirror Universe resemble their standard universe counterparts but have radically different, often opposite character traits. The Mirror Universe is seen or referenced in "Crossover", "Through the Looking Glass", "Shattered Mirror", "Resurrection" and "The Emperor's New Cloak."
General Mirror Universe Tropes
- Alternate Self: An entire universe filled with alternate versions of the characters we know.
- Butt-Monkey: It's bad luck to be a Ferengi here, given that every major one who appears winds up dead before their debut episode's conclusion.
- Crapsack World: The DS9 Mirror episodes strongly imply that the Mirror Universe is perpetually doomed to be crapsack. Mirror-Spock's attempts to reform the Empire after his encounter with the main-universe Enterprise officers in "Mirror, Mirror" led to the collapse of the Empire and its conquest by an equally corrupt and savage Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, with the Bajorans also allied to them. The "good" Mirror characters are all far more deeply flawed and morally-questionable than the main-universe ones.
- Didn't See That Coming: Terok Nor's leaders would have realized that a slave revolt was imminent if they'd actually paid attention to what was going on around them. Several slave escapes combined with the growing frustration among the Terrans should have tipped them off. However, Intendant Kira was too absorbed in power and sensual indulgences, Gul Garak was too absorbed in trying to eliminate Intendant Kira, and Mirror Odo was too absorbed in indulging his sadism to notice.
- Evil Counterpart: Played with. Some of the Mirror Universe counterparts are evil and depraved. Others, while flawed, are not evil per se.
- Expy: In the first couple of episodes, the Mirror DS9 characters show strong resemblances to major characters from Blake's 7, another Darker and Edgier Black-and-Grey Morality space opera about rebels against an evil empire. In particular, Kira is Servalan, Sisko is Blake, "Smiley" is Vila, Garak is Travis, and Julian is Avon.
- Fantastic Racism: Several Non-Terran characters exhibit this toward the Terran slaves.
- Happy Ending Override: "Mirror, Mirror" implied that Spock was going to reform the Terran Empire. He did...but then the Klingons and Cardassians wiped them out and enslaved what was left.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Or text. The Mirror versions of Kira, Ezri and Leeta are explicitly lesbian (Ezri and Leeta) or bisexual (Kira), while there is also subtext about the Mirror version of Garak (mind you, there was lots of subtext about him in the main universe). This led to considerable criticism given that the executives in charge of the franchise at the time notoriously banned any out LGBT characters in the main universe.
- Hotter and Sexier: Eventually the fanservice aspects took over from the Darker and Edgier version.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: By 2370, the Terran Empire has fallen to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.
- Killed Off for Real: Given that this does not affect the main universe's characters, it happens often: the mirror versions of Sisko, Odo, Dax, Quark, Rom, Nog, Garak, Brunt, and Vic Fontaine all die. This becomes a key plot point when the "real" Benjamin Sisko is abducted to stand in for his mirror counterpart. Notably averted for prime-universe's usual Butt-Monkey, O'Brien.
- Mirror Universe: An alternate reality with all of the same people in it, but with vastly different societies and interactions with eachother.
- Motif Merger: The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance logo
◊ is a combination of the Klingon and Cardassian symbols. - Slave Race: The Terrans have been enslaved in revenge for the oppression exacted by the Terran Empire.
- Slave Liberation: The Terrans eventually revolt against the Alliance and wage an ongoing resistance.
- We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future: The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance seems to be technologically equal to the Federation and other prime counterparts, but tend to rely on slave labour for little obvious reason than as a means of enforcing their power.
Characters in the Mirror Universe
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Intendant Kira
- Depraved Bisexual: In her first appearance, Intendant Kira was intrigued by her doppelganger Major Kira; according to Nana Visitor, this was an expression of her narcissism. However, later Mirror Universe episodes depicted her as insatiably lusting after every attractive man or woman in sight.
- Fantastic Racism: She really despises Terrans.
- Faux Affably Evil: In her first appearance, she makes a show of hating violence and only using it as a necessity. When things stop going her way, her facade of affability gets thrown out the airlock.
- Flanderization: Nana Visitor considered that her shift from a narcissistic and specific interest in Major Kira in the first episode to indiscriminate Depraved Bisexuality later on was an example of this.
- The Hedonist: The only thing she loves more than power is receiving as much pleasure as her heart desires.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Mirror Kira is seen more often than not in a skin tight leather under piece.
- Karma Houdini: Last seen heading for an escape pod.
- Mood-Swinger: Despite maintaining the same tone of voice, she can go from lustful and merciful to psychotic and murderous at the drop of a hat, especially if you piss her off.
- Narcissist: What else do you call someone who literally falls in love with herself?
- Screw Yourself: She wants to screw regular Kira at least, but it doesn't actually happen.
- Shadow Archetype:
- Intendant Kira is who Kira Nerys might have become had she lived as an oppressor and not one of the oppressed.
- One can draw parallels between Intendant Kira and standard universe Gul Dukat, whom standard universe Kira despises. For instance, both take lovers from the groups they oppress (Bajoran "comfort women" for Dukat; Mirror Sisko for Intendant Kira). Also, both condescendingly see themselves as kinder to those they oppress than their colleagues, and seem incapable of understanding why their "benevolence" is not reciprocated with devotion.
- Supermodel Strut: Fittingly as The Vamp, she often moves with a seductive strut that has her rocking her hips. Particularly noticeable in "Resurrection" where the Intendant dresses up like Major Kira to pull a heist, and the only means of telling them apart is Mirror Kira's vampish walk.
Gul Garak
- Asshole Victim: Nobody mourned when Mirror Ezri put him down. Even his actor Andrew Robinson was glad he died.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Where he demonstrates the petty vindictiveness and fondness for torture that the 'prime' Garak possessed before his exile, Mirror Garak lacks any of the subtlety or intelligence of his counterpart, making more blatant power grabs and resorting to explicit torture for the sake of it where 'prime' Garak operated in the shadows and was so discreet even his closest friend on the station was never entirely sure what he was going to do next, even when he was officially working with Starfleet.
- Continuity Nod: "I do admire a well-tailored gown."
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Is injected with a virus that literally boils his internal organs, courtesy of Mirror Ezri.
- Depraved Bisexual: He bragged to Regent Worf about his ability to "please" Intendant Kira in a bid to offer similar services for his new boss to save his skin. Worf is quick to inform him he wasn't his type.
- I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: He threatens to have Bashir killed if Kira doesn't assist him in a plot to eliminate Intendant Kira.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: Mirror Ezri injects him with the agonizing instant-death virus he was threatening Quark and Rom with.
- Make an Example of Them: He has a fondness for it, so much so that Intendant Kira chided him for doing it too often.
- Shadow Archetype: To Garak. He has many of the traits Enabrain Tain and Mila mention Garak displayed pre-exile: pettiness, vindictiveness, and a fondness for torture. The difference is he lacks regular Garak's sophistication and subtlety (and going by his actions, any of Garak's intelligence).
- Smug Snake: He's more or less a Card-Carrying Villain who's too obsessed with taking Kira's job to be competent. Quark and Rom mock him for being nowhere near as good as the Garak they know.
- The Sociopath: Take away Prime!Garak's sympathetic qualities and you have this guy.
- The Starscream: Mirror Sisko mentions Garak spent every moment on Terok Nor trying to overthrow the Intendant, to absolutely no success. Going by his comments, the attempts weren't anywhere near subtle.
Regent Worf
Intendant Kira's boss. A high ranking member of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.
- Ax-Crazy: He's prone to fits of violent rage whenever anything doesn't go his way.
- Bad Boss: At one point, he kills a subordinate just to test out a spiked gauntlet. Judging from everyone's lack of reaction, it's a fairly regular occurrence for the Regent.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": A somewhat more authoritative version than most, as he's only ever referred to by his title of Regent (although it's a safe bet that his name is indeed Worf, like his counterpart).
- Evil Is Bigger: His flagship is a monstrously scaled-up version of the Negh'var, the battleship used by Gowron and Martok in the main universe.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Just about the only thing he has in common with the prime universe Worf is his signature deep voice.
- Greater-Scope Villain: As the Intendant's boss, he's supposedly the true villain of the mirror universe episodes. However, the Intendant is almost always the more immediate threat.
- Never My Fault: After he fails to retake Terok Nor, Garak suggests that he blame Kira for his defeat. Worf quickly runs with it.
- Shadow Archetype: To the main universe's Worf. Both are fiercely proud Klingon warriors, but Mirror Worf is completely unbound by his main universe counterpart's constraints of honor and restraint, being a vicious and unscrupulous warlord.
- Sore Loser: He's prone to throwing tantrums whenever he's been bested. In "The Emperor's New Cloak", he rips his command chair out of the ground and throws it across the bridge when the Terran rebels defeat him.
- Villains Out Shopping: At one point, he is shown enjoying Zek's beetle snuff.
- You Are Not My Type: Not interested in using Garak as his Sex Slave, despite him being chained to his chair.
"Smiley" O'Brien
A Terran slave who was one of the first to join Mirror Sisko's rebellion. Following Mirror Sisko's death, Smiley took over as the rebellion's leader.
- Anti-Hero: He's a nice guy by Mirror Universe standards, but he's not above kidnapping people to force them to help him.
- Big Good: After taking over the rebellion.
- Butt-Monkey: One constant between universes is how overworked O'Brien is. In this case, his warnings about a thorium leak go unheeded until everything goes to hell.
- Ironic Nickname: Mirror Sisko named him "Smiley" because he hardly ever smiled back when he was a slave.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's just as level headed as his normal universe counterpart, so he becomes this once he becomes the rebellion's leader.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from a submissive slave to the courageous leader of the Terran rebellion.
Odo
A brutal slave overseer who supervises the ore processing operations of Terok Nor.
- Asshole Victim: Acting as a cruel enforcer to the Mirror Universe Terok Nor, he was only mourned by the Intendant when Bashir killed him.
- The Bully: He takes perverse delight in taunting and physically abusing Bashir.
- Control Freak: He's a sadistic overseer who imposes his "Rules of Obedience" on the slaves, so he's got some serious control issues. One of his "Rules of Obedience" even forbids joking.
- Doesn't Like Guns: Noticeably averted, in contrast to his counterpart.
- Evil Is Petty: He bullies Bashir and imposes arbitrary rules on the slaves simply because he can.
- Informed Ability: Intendant Kira praised his ability to run an efficient ore processing operation and maintain order among the slaves. However, he allowed a thorium containment unit to go unrepaired, despite Mirror O'Brien's warning, resulting in a catastrophic thorium leak. Furthermore, at least three Terran slaves escaped under his watch. Finally, he assigned Bashir to a task for which Bashir was physically unsuited, as Mirror Odo lampshaded later in the episode.
- Killed Off for Real: The first casualty in the Mirror Universe, when Bashir kills him with a phaser during a slave revolt.
- Ludicrous Gibs: When Bashir shoots him with a phaser during the Terran slave uprising, Mirror Odo messily explodes.
- Psychotic Smirk: As seen here◊.
- Shadow Archetype: Mirror Odo is who Odo might have become if his deep-seated need for order were not restrained by empathy or morality. Also, whereas Odo was a fair and reasonable security officer during the Cardassian occupation, Mirror Odo is a petty bully who clearly enjoys abusing his power. In other words, Mirror Odo embodies everything that Odo hated about the Cardassian occupation of Bajor.
Benjamin Sisko
- Beautiful Slave Girl: A rare male version. Intendant Kira takes him as her lover; being a slave, Mirror Sisko wasn't in any position to refuse.
- Dead Person Impersonation: After Mirror Sisko dies, Mirror O'Brien brings standard universe Sisko into the Mirror Universe to impersonate him.
- Happiness in Slavery: Subverted. While he appears happy on the surface, he admits to standard universe Kira that he's merely made the best of a bad life for himself.
- Heel–Face Turn: Turns from being a pawn of the Intendant to sparking off the Terran rebellion.
- Killed Off for Real: Was apparently killed after the first episode (although spin-off novels suggests that he faked his death to get away from his responsibilities).
- Shadow Archetype: To the main universe's Sisko. Both are highly charismatic leaders, the chief difference being the main universe's Sisko is far more diplomatic to his Mirror counterpart, a brutish pirate. Mirror Sisko was also a crappy husband, in contrast to the Happily Married main universe Sisko.
- Sudden Principled Stand: Listening to Kira, Bashir and Smiley's words about the original universe inspired him to reject his role as a privileged slave and take a stand for his own species.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Even after starting the rebellion, he retains his thuggish demeanor. Smiley remarks that this would have caused trouble if he had lived longer.
Jennifer Sisko
- Heel–Face Turn: Normal Sisko convinces her to switch sides.
- The Quisling: A sympathetic version. She's working with the Alliance because she does not trust her husband's motives in starting the rebellion.
- Redemption Equals Death: In "Shattered Mirror", after manipulating Jake into coming to the Mirror Universe and blackmailing Benjamin into a making a Defiant for the rebellion, she sacrifices herself to protect Jake from the Intendant.
- Working with the Ex: Defied. She's working with the Alliance because she refuses to do this.
Bareil Antos
- Heel–Faith Turn: An orb experience convinces him to turn against the Intendant.
- It's What I Do: Although tempted by the prospect of a normal life with Kira, he knows he'll stuff it up and so returns to the Mirror Universe to be a thief.
- Lovable Rogue: He may be a criminal, but he still has the charm of the normal universe's Bareil, perhaps even more-so, being a bit more laid back and worldly.
- The Mole: He's working with the Intendant to steal the Orb of Contemplation.
- Outlaw Couple: With Intendant Kira.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's confident that he can talk the Intendant out of executing him, but we never see him again, so he might not have.
Ezri Tigan
- Action Girl: She's considerably more dangerous than her normal universe counterpart.
- Butch Lesbian: She was at one point Intendant Kira's lover before her Heel–Face Turn, and was last seen being invited to a "debriefing" by Leeta. Not once during the episode did she show any interest in any male character. It's revealed in one Mirror Universe novel that Ezri becomes Leeta's wife after the events of The Emperor's New Cloak, and then widow in another novel.
- Fetish: Quark's first assumption is Ezri is acting out a fantasy roleplay. Quark is entirely willing to play along.
- Heel–Face Turn: After the Intendant kills Mirror Brunt, she betrays her and saves the Ferengi.
- Only in It for the Money: She's a true mercenary, which has not endeared her to the rebellion. Subverted when it turns out she's working for her lover, the Intendant.
Julian Bashir
- Evil Counterpart: He's how "our" Bashir would be if his arrogance and lust for adventure were not tempered by his doctor-compassion and general chivalry. Which leads to potential Fridge Horror if one speculates Mirror Bashir also has genetic enhancements....
- Hair-Trigger Temper: The man always seems a stone's throw away from snapping and lashing out at someone.
- Number Two: By "The Emperor's New Cloak", he has become this to Smiley.
- Token Evil Teammate: Out of all the members of the rebellion, he tends to favor the most brutal answers to problems such as torturing the Intendant in "Shattered Mirror".
Jadzia
- Action Girl: It's implied that she's just as capable of kicking ass as her normal universe counterpart.
- Dropped a Bridge on Her: She's killed off between Mirror Universe episodes.
Quark
- Arrested for Heroism: He's beaten and executed for helping Terran slaves escape from Terok Nor.
- The Bartender: Like standard universe Quark, he runs a bar aboard Terok Nor.
- Evil Counterpart: Inverted. He's much like Quark, except that he embodies more courage and compassion by quietly trying to help the slaves.
- Slave Liberation: He runs an Underground Railroad for Terran slaves on Terok Nor.
Rom
- Dead Guy on Display: His ultimate fate is ending up pinned to a door with a spike.
- Fake Defector: He pretends to rat out Sisko and Smiley to the Intendant so he can get an escape ship for them. Unfortunately, Gul Garak sees through this.
Nog
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Unlike most Ferengi, he's pretty good in a fight.
- Jerkass: In addition to being quite abrasive, he has no issue with the Alliance killing his family, as it allows him to inherit the bar.
- He Knows Too Much: The Intendant kills him after he mentions that he's the only one who knows she's escaped.
Brunt
- Incompatible Orientation: He's in love with Mirror Ezri, who, in Brunt's words is "very selective when it comes to men." Brunt has long since accepted it though.
- Morality Pet: To Mirror Ezri. His death at the hands of the Intendant convinces her to pull a Heel–Face Turn.
- Nice Guy: In a jarring contrast to his normal universe counterpart, Mirror Brunt is quite possibly the nicest person in the Mirror Universe.
Tuvok
- The Cameo: His normal universe counterpart is the tactical officer on the U.S.S. Voyager. Tuvok is the only character from Voyager whose mirror universe counterpart is accounted for.
Vic Fontaine
- Mind Screw: The normal universe characters are completely baffled as to how Vic could even exist in the first place.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He's killed by Mirror Bashir shortly after his first appearance, mostly so Rom will realize how different the Mirror Universe is.
Leeta
- Hidden Depths: Though she expresses little of her personality and ambitions on TV, Star Trek Online went on to depict her as a full-on Card-Carrying Villain in the true spirit of the Terran Empire, wherein she would rise to power in a rejuvenated Empire and command her own ISS Enterprise in many a battle with Prime Universe captains, Chase Masterson hamming up her performance all the while.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Promises to 'debrief' Ezri, who entirely willing to play along.
- Ship Tease: She and Mirror Ezri were last seen flirting with one another.
