Quark jealously watches Ezri laugh with Bashir, upset that he hasn't made a proper move on the Trill. He's too distracted to worry when Rom bursts in announcing that Grand Nagus Zek has gone missing. After going home, he receives a surprise visitor: Ezri in an Evil Costume Switch. She reveals that she's from the Mirror Universe, and that Zek is being held by the Alliance with the ransom of one cloaking device. It will be up to Quark to steal and deliver it to rescue his Nagus.
Quark and Rom break into Martok's ship and carry the invisible cloaking device away, right under Sisko and Martok's noses. But just as an irate Martok chases them down, Quark, Rom and Ezri all transport to the Mirror Universe version of Terok Nor. There, they watch Mirror Bashir gun down a real version of Vic Fontaine before getting captured by the Resistance. Bashir and Smiley criticize Ezri for being a mercenary, confiscate the cloaking device, and throw the trio in a cell. There, Quark talks about his sense of loyalty to the Nagus that transcends profit, something Ezri can't understand. But then her partner in crime, Brunt, arrives to rescue them. They steal back the cloaking device and head out on his ship. Along the way, Brunt admits that he also has a crush on Ezri, but she has different tastes.
They all arrive at Regent Worf's flagship and deliver the cloaking device. Worf backs out on their deal and frees Intendent Kira from the ship's brig as payment for thinking up the idea. He tosses the two Ferengi in the brig to be killed later. Kira welcomes Ezri back with a kiss. Brunt criticizes Kira for betraying the Ferengi, so she stabs him, which shocks Ezri. In the brig, Zek admits that he stole Rom's data PADD to get the schematics of the interdimensional transporter. On the bridge, Worf orders that the cloaking device be installed and sets out to find the Defiant. But Garak and company can't figure out how to install the device. Ezri recruits Rom to install it in hopes of getting the Ferengi freed, but upon completion, Worf orders the prisoners' execution.
Garak prepares to kill the prisoners with painful poison, but the Ferengi taunt him for not interrogating him first for all of their valuable information. As they stall for time, Worf finds the Defiant and ambushes it, but when he tries to fire, he finds that his ship has become completely helpless due to Rom's sabotage. Worf delivers the Alliance's unconditional surrender to save his own hide. With the brig force fields now down, the Ferengi attack Garak. He manages to fight them off until Ezri surprises him and injects him with his own poison. Kira confronts them, but she and Ezri decide to lower their phasers and let the other go. Ezri then leads the group to her ship, and they all hightail it to the Alliance. The Mirror version of Leeta arrives to debrief Ezri, and the two share a seductive smirk as they leave. The Ferengi all agree that it's time to go home.
Tropes
- Asshole Victim: Even Andrew Robinson was overjoyed when Mirror Garak was killed.
- Bizarro Universe: Discussed Trope, though when a Mirror Universe Vic appears, Guns Akimbo, everyone just gives up.
- Casual Kink: When a black-clad Ezri puts a knife to his throat, Quark assumes she's into fantasy roleplay. He doesn't appear averse to the idea.
- Contrived Coincidence:
- The most contrived of them all. Somehow, there's a Mirror Universe counterpart of Vic Fontaine, even though the circumstances of the creation of the Prime Universe's Vic couldn't possibly have happened.
- Mirror Jadzia happens to have died around the same time as her counterpart while Mirror Ezri suddenly comes into the picture as a long-time associate (and lover) of the Intendant.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Mirror Garak's poison causes this.Garak: What we have here, gentlemen, is ten ccs of concentrated Ulcartic virus. It's very deadly and quite painful. It elevates the temperature of your body, heating your internal organs until they literally boil.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: When Mirror Worf's flagship shuts down due to Rom's sabotage, the Defiant shoots the crap out of it.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: Quark reminds Rom that their mirror universe counterparts are both dead. Rom is disappointed, as he would have liked to have met himself.
- Depraved Bisexual: Intendant Kira has already proven to be this in the previous Mirror Universe episodes, but here she's depraved to the point of stupidity. Mirror Ezri has feelings for Kira, and she's using that to make Ezri do what she wants, but she also makes out with Regent Worf right in front of Ezri's eyes. Nana Visitor was actually quite displeased by this, having seen the Intendant's flirting with our Kira to be a purely narcissistic thing that had nothing to do with sexuality.
- Didn't Think This Through: Exploring business opportunities in the Mirror Universe is definitely not one of Zek's brightest ideas.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: For a bit of a twist on "good" and "evil", but Mirror Ezri can't understand why Quark and Rom would risk their lives for Zek without expecting anything in return.
- Evil Costume Switch: Mirror Ezri wears punk/goth style clothes with black leather and all. This gets subverted though, as she's revealed to be not so evil after all (though she's still much more amoral than the regular universe Ezri).
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Zek decides the Mirror Universe isn't so bad after seeing Mirror Leeta promising to 'debrief' Mirror Ezri.
- Groin Attack: Kira hits Maihar'du with a groin attack after he objects to her roughing up Zek.
- Here We Go Again!: Despite everything, the episode ends with Zek planning his next expedition into the Mirror Universe.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Mirror Garak is killed by his own poison.
- Incompatible Orientation: Mirror Brunt clearly has a crush on Mirror Ezri, but he's not at all her type.
- Invisibility Flicker: The cloaked cloaking device appears a couple times.
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Why Zek tried to go into business with the Mirror Universe.
- Karma Houdini: Intendent Kira, one of the series' most long-spanning villains, gets away scot-free in her final episode.
- Killed Offscreen: Mirror O'Brien remarks to Quark and Rom that Mirror Jadzia was killed in a skirmish sometime after "Shattered Mirror".
- Lampshade Hanging: The absurd qualities of the Mirror Universe trope are lampshaded, as Rom gets very confused about which things are reversed in the Mirror Universe and which aren't. He spends the entire episode pointing out all of the weird little things about the Mirror Universe, from Smiley being just as nice as the main universe's O'Brien (thus making no sense if everything in the Mirror Universe is opposite to the main universe, so Smiley should be mean) to Mirror Brunt being a nice guy offering tube grubs (... so what if Mirror tube grubs are poisonous, because the main universe's tube grubs are safe to eat?).
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Ira Steven Behr had grown quite bemused with all the fans who seemed to take the Mirror Universe with deadly seriousness and demanded everything in the inherently silly idea make perfect logical sense. In this episode, Rom keeps lampshading the confusing logic of the universe and repeating how none of it makes sense.
- Mandatory Line: Odo pops in for a few lines at the very beginning to listen to Quark complain about his love life, though Odo is usually the person he talks to about that.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Mirror Kira killing Mirror Brunt is what makes Mirror Ezri turn against the Alliance.
- Never My Fault: Zek got to the Mirror Universe by stealing the specs for the multidimensional transporter from Rom, so of course it's all Rom's fault!
- Nice Guy: Mirror Brunt may be jaded and cynical, but he's a lot more pleasant than the regular Brunt.
- Out-Gambitted: Rom figures that Regent Worf will have everyone executed once the cloaking device is installed, so he sabotages it to shut down the flagship's power grid. Similarly, Mirror Ezri and the three Ferengi turn the tables on Mirror Garak and kill him with his own poison.
- Properly Paranoid: Smiley worries that with the Invisibility Cloak, Worf could have the Defiant in his sights without them knowing. He's right; Worf is at that moment right behind the Defiant and preparing to attack.
- Psycho Lesbian: Subverted. Mirror Ezri is gay, and when we meet her, she's also a ruthless mercenary working for the Regent, even though Trill is one of the planets conquered by the Alliance. But later on, we find out she's not without a conscience after all, and by the end of the episode she ends up joining the Rebellion.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Quark and Rom's decision to go to the Mirror Universe is exacerbated when Martok shows up, having discovered their theft of the cloaking device.Martok: FERENGI! I'll have you hanging by your ears!
- See You in Hell:Mirror Bashir: Throw down your phasers, Fontaine!
Mirror Fontaine: I'll see you in hell first. (gets shot) - Series Continuity Error: This episode is all about stealing a cloak for the Mirror Universe, which doesn't have them. Except in the first DS9 Mirror Universe episode "Through the Looking Glass", one of the first things to happen in the MU was Klingon ships decloaking to capture the Terran fighter.
- Shout-Out: Quark nearly quotes Sam Spade when explaining why he's trying to rescue Zek: "He's my Nagus. When something happens to your Nagus, you have to do something about it."
- Stock Footage: From "Shattered Mirror"—specifically, the scene where the Mirror Defiant shoots up Mirror Worf's flagship, but without Worf shooting back.
- Tantrum Throwing: When Mirror Worf is forced to surrender, he rips his command chair from the deck and throws it across the bridge.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Zek's message to Quark.Zek: Hello, Quark. It's me, your Grand Nagus. You'll never guess where I am.
Quark: Risa?
Zek: If you said "Risa," guess again! I'm in the alternate universe. - Threat Backfire: When Rom snaps at Mirror Garak for giving him the wrong tool.Garak: I'd advise you to watch your tone of voice, Ferengi!
Rom: Or what? You won't let me install the cloaking device? - You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once the Invisibility Cloak is installed, Mirror Worf decides to have the Ferengi executed. (Quark even predicts that this might happen.)Worf: Do we have any further use for them?
Garak: Not that I can think of.
Worf: Then get rid of them.
Rom: You mean we're going home?
Garak: No, he means you're going to die.
