WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy, season 2, episode 14, “Cracked Mirror”
Summary
I’ve been waiting for aStar Trek: VoyagerMirror Universe episode for years, so of course, I’m thrilled thatStar Trek: Prodigyfinally delivered. Since its introduction inStar Trek: The Original Series, the Mirror universe has become a staple of the franchise, adding a great layer of intrigue totheStar Trektimeline. The appeal of seeing the dark side of your favorite characters is fairly universal, andI’ve always liked the fact thatStar Trekfound a way to make showing those dark sides a reality without damaging the reputations of some of its most popular characters.
As a long-timeVoyagerfan, however, I’ve also always been sad that the series never had an official Mirror Universe episode.Voyageris far from the onlyStar Trekseries not to explore the Mirror Universe.Star Trek: The Next Generationnever had a Mirror Universe episode, and still did very well for itself for seven seasons. Conversely,some of the best Mirror Universe lore wasn’t explored until the franchise’s modern era with shows likeStar Trek: Discovery. Still, I always felt as though not showing the Mirror Universe counterparts ofVoyager’s cast of characterswas a missed opportunity.
Star Trek’s Mirror Universe Is Back: What Happened After DS9 Explained
Star Trek: Prodigy co-executive producer Aaron J. Waltke explains the state of the Mirror Universe in the late 24th century after Deep Space Nine.
Star Trek: Prodigy Finally Revealed Voyager’s Mirror Universe
Prodigy season 2 featured Mirror Universe Janeway and Chakotay
Luckily, thanks toStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2,Voyager’s Mirror Universe is a mystery no more.Prodigyseason 2, episode 14, “Cracked Mirror,” finally introduced two Voyager Mirror Universe characters into the franchise, andthe series couldn’t have done a better job. After the USS Voyager-A was split into different timelines,Prodigy’s cast of characterscame face to face with Mirror Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), pitting themselves and Prime Chakotay against the two darker versions in several harrowing scenes.
Prodigyopening the door toVoyager’s Mirror Universe leaves room for future shows to explore other parallelVoyagercharacters, and “Cracked Mirror” left some tantalizing questions about Mirror Janeway and Chakotay.
For me, Mirror Janeway and Chakotay were incredibly fun to watch, andeven though they were only included in a few scenes,Prodigy’s establishment of them was a great addition to the series.Prodigyopening the door toVoyager’s Mirror Universe leaves room for future shows to explore other parallelVoyagercharacters, and “Cracked Mirror” left some tantalizing questions about Mirror Janeway and Chakotay, such as the extent of their obvious romance or why Mirror Janeway has a Borg implant over one eye, reminiscent of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
Voyager never included an official visit to the Mirror Universe
AlthoughStar Trekhas never offered a concrete explanation forVoyager’s lack of a Mirror Universe episode, there are some possibilities. For one thing,I can think of twoVoyagerepisodes that still explored darker versions of the characters. The most memorable was “Living Witness,” a season 4 episode that was set on a planet thousands of years in the future where the alien inhabitants remembered Voyager as a Warship and Captain Janeway as a tyrant. Likewise, the season 7 episode “Author, Author” sawthe Doctor (Robert Picardo)create a holonovel whose characters highlighted the worst qualities ofVoyager’s cast.
Star Trek: Prodigyseason 2 revealed that after his dabbling onVoyager, the Doctor had become a prolific holonovelist since the ship’s return to Earth.
More likely, however,Voyagersteered clear of the Mirror Universe because it was already being explored in other parts of the franchise.Star Trek: Deep Space Ninehad an ongoing Mirror Universe storyline in several episodes, exploring the universe for the first time sinceStar Trek: TOS. SinceDS9andVoyagerwere airing at the same time, andVoyageroften tried to distance itself fromDS9, leaving the Mirror Universe to be explored in its sister series would have only made sense. Whatever the reason, in my opinion,Star Trek: Prodigyhas more than made up for it.
