Shattered Mirror (episode)

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"Shattered Mirror"
DS9, Episode 4x20 Production number: 40510-492 First aired: 22 April 1996
←	90th of 173 produced in DS9	→
←	90th of 173 released in DS9	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 173 released in DS9 Remastered
←	412th of 726 released in all	→

Written By Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler Directed By James L. Conway
Unknown (2372)
←	Arc: Mirror universe (6 of 8)	→
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Professor Jennifer Sisko uses Jake to lure Sisko to the "mirror universe" to help the rebels build another starship Defiant.

1 Summary
2 Memorable Quotes
3 Background Information
- 3.1 Video and DVD releases
4 Links and References

[edit] Summary

Jennifer Sisko from the mirror universe visits Captain Sisko's quarters. Jake Sisko, although he knows Jennifer is not his mother, becomes very affectionate to her. Benjamin is then called to duty, and he is forced to leave the two alone.

When he returns, he discovers they have left the station, leaving behind a Multidimensional transporter device. Sisko tries to follow this trail, accompanied by Major Kira and Chief O'Brien, only to discover the device was programmed to transport him to the mirror universe alone.

On Terok Nor, Smiley explains they have built a copy of the Defiant based on the data and schematics that Smiley downloaded from Deep Space 9's computers. Like the original Defiant, this copy has structural problems, and Terrans need Sisko's help to prepare it for an upcoming battle with the Alliance. Smiley is willing to transport the Siskos back to their universe before the battle begins, but only after the modifications are complete. Benjamin agrees to help them and starts working hard. Meanwhile, Jake spends most of his time with the counterpart of his mother.

The Alliance attack, commanded by Regent Worf, is expected in four days--likely not enough time to finish the modifications to the Defiant. To stall for time for the much needed repairs, Bashir and Jadzia Dax pilot a smaller ship to intercept the Klingon ships. Jennifer approaches Sisko and offers to send Jake back home immediately, even though Sisko has not yet finished the repairs he promised. Sisko agrees that Jake should get home to his universe as quickly as possible. As Jennifer and Jake make their way through the airlock, they are trapped by Kira. Kira shoots Jennifer, but spares Jake's life once she realizes that he is Sisko's son. She tells Jake to give his father a message--that Sisko is now in her debt for sparing his son's life, and it is a debt on which she intends to collect. A short time later, Jennifer dies in the infirmary.

Upon suggestion of Garak, Worf opts for a faster transfer and arrives on the second day of repairs, while the Defiant's modifications are barely installed. Sisko then resolves to command the Defiant himself, which Smiley gladly accepts. In battle, the Defiant makes quick work of the smaller Klingon Birds-of-Prey and inflicts heavy damage on the larger Galor-class cruisers. Although the small Defiant was heavily outgunned by the Regent's flagship, under the piloting of Captain Sisko the Rebel ship inflicted major damage on the massive warship while avoiding most return fire. The small ship commanded by Bashir and Dax arrives just in time to assist the Defiant in the skirmish, and together the two ships force the Regent's fleet to abandon his goal of taking Terok Nor and retreat from the battlefield.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"You remember Captain Bashir."
"Captain?"
"Captain Bashir, Captain O'Brien, Captain Sisko. We may not have enough weapons or troops or ships but we have plenty of captains."

- Mirror O'Brien and Sisko

"When we first met, there was a... a connection between us. Now because of what I've done it's gone, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure it was real to begin with."

- Mirror Jennifer and Sisko

"That Cruiser has us in weapons range. Do we make a run for it?"
"We run alright, right at it!"
"Ahh! Pattern suicide."

- Mirror O'Brien and Captain Sisko

"You know, I bet if we put our... heads together, we could create a little excitement for ourselves."
"You sentenced my wife to death."
"Isn't that a coincidence? I was hoping you weren't married."

- Intendant Kira and guard

"Make it so!"

- Mirror Worf

[edit] Background Information

The working title of this episode was "Crossover III".
The mirror universe version of Worf makes his first appearance in this episode. He was originally to appear in "Crossover", but he was unable to do so because he was shooting Star Trek Generations at the time. All of his dialog was given to Garak, and the dialog that had been intended for Garak was used to create the character of Telok.
Nog is the third Ferengi to die in the mirror universe. Quark was killed by Garak in "Crossover" and Rom was killed by The Intendant in "Through the Looking Glass".
Director James L. Conway says of the mirror universe, "It's dark and sexy, and there's no subtlety over there." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
Each of the actors who portray their mirror universe counterparts in this episode had their own distinct interpretations of the differences between the usual character and the mirror character. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion lists some of them:

Nana Visitor says of The Intendant, "she and Kira are exactly the same person. But The Intendant's ego has been warped, so that everything that Kira would do for her people, The Intendant does for herself. She's self-serving with a capital S!"
Alexander Siddig says of his mirror universe counterpart, "I want him to be the inverse of Dr. Bashir, like a doppelgänger, the animus to his anima. Bashir wouldn't hurt a fly, but this guy is unstable, difficult, and stupid."
Colm Meaney says of Smiley, "I picture him as being a bit dirty and scuzzier than the regular O'Brien, just because of what he's had to go through. He's a trickster, and there's something sort of seedy about him. Miles, on the other hand, is straight as an arrow."
Aron Eisenberg says of Nog, "He was obnoxious and rude, so I played him like an edgy Quark."

As with "The Way of the Warrior", both Gary Hutzel and Glenn Neufeld worked on the visual effects for this episode. "Shattered Mirror" had five times the effects budget of a normal show, and a huge battle scene towards the end, and it was felt that it would be time-effective to bring in both visual effects supervisors. Indeed, one sequence in particular caused the effects teams a great deal of worry. During the battle sequence towards the end of the episode, the USS Defiant had to fly really close to the Klingon flagship, a massive ship which completely dwarfed the Defiant. The only suitable model the effects team had was the Negh'Var, which had been built for "All Good Things..." and modified slightly for "The Way of the Warrior", and the problem was that the Negh'Var model was only slightly bigger than the Defiant model, two and a half feet long, but to achieve the appropriate shots, the model for the Klingon ship would need to be roughly twenty-five times larger than the Defiant model, over 60 feet long. Obviously, creating a model this size wasn't an option. As such, Neufeld got approval from the producers to modify the battle sequence slightly. Originally, the Defiant had flown all around the Klingon ship, but Neufled changed it so that the Defiant only goes in close to the underbelly of the ship. This allowed model maker Tony Meininger to construct a twenty-five foot model of the underside of the ship only, which was then photographed in the standard way with the Defiant model. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
Aron Eisenberg, a trained martial artist, did all of his own stunts for this episode.
This is the only episode in DS9's mirror universe arc where Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) appears. This episode establishes that Jake was never born in the mirror universe.