Star Trek Classics: The Mirror Universe Saga

Star Trek Archives #6

by Mike W. Barr, Tom Sutton (Illustrator), Ricardo Villagrán (Illustrator)

The Mirror Universe Saga is an omnibus edition gathering all eight installments of the story "New Frontiers" from the DC Comics Star Trek series. Captain Kirk and the members of the Enterprise crew once again have to face their doubles from "Mirror, Mirror". It includes an inroduction by A. C. Crispin, author of the Star Trek novels Yesterday's Son and Time for Yesterday.

Genres: Star Trek, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Dc Comics, Fiction

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels. Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 (Dec. 1974-Jan. 1975), for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man. Another Elongated Man story followed in Detective Comics #453 (November 1975). He wrote text articles and editorial replies in letter columns for the next few years. By mid-1980 he was writing regularly for both DC and Marvel, including stories for Marvel Team-Up, Mystery in Space, Green Lantern, and various Batman titles.

Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.

His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.

In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.

In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story arc was awesome! The writing was on point, very in line with both the style of TOS and with the characters' personalities - I could hear all the actors speaking in my head. :)
The art is also great. This was just such a great time!

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah it's... It's not good. It's not. Sorry.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Endearing but flawed

This is a charming alternate take on what happened after Star Trek III. Everyone always enjoys incorporating the Mirror Universe into stories, much the same way everyone enjoys contemplating great antagonists. To see the Evil Crew jump across the fabric of reality to exact revenge on our heroes is exactly what fans enjoy. And, credit to Barr & Co. for having the fortitude to have it cause an impact to the characters' fates, as opposed to returning things to the exact same setting as Star Trek has a tendency to do.

However, it's a bit of a jumble, and hard to find connection beyond the novelty. The hyperactive skips from plot point to plot point make it more of a stew than a story. I suppose that's an artifact of the comic styles of the day, but it doesn't make this any easier to connect with.

The art also has a slightly unfinished feel to it in the sense that the blocking of characters and elements aren't separated enough and the colors are too consistently close on the palette. As a result it's downright difficult to follow visually at times.

TL;DR I got a kick out of its zany embrace of the premise but it's undercut by the execution.

[Jeff Gudzune, M.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no canon in Star Trek. What is depicted on screen informs the continuity but can be changed by a simple plot twist—time warp, space rift, or a new generation of producers electing to noodle with perfection. However, Star Trek is a strong proponent of the multiverse—wherein decision points can create an alternate timeline where anything (and everything) is possible. Such is the nature of the multiverse. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the sub-genre known as the Mirror Universe—an alternate reality first depicted in the original series. In the Mirror Universe, humanity’s base nature runs amok. There is no benevolent United Federation of Planets—only the tyrannical Terran Empire. Starfleet is a conquering armada whose idea of diplomacy is to shoot first then take what's not on fire. It’s a departure from the norm and the reason why the fan base has loved it for over 50 years. While episodic television has returned to this realm numerous times, there are massive gaps in the story that leave fans wanting more. To fill those gaps, to slake our thirst, we turn to print media.

A Sorted History: Mirror Universe in Brief

Little is known of the origins of the Terran Empire. Its symbol, fashion, and gestures suggest that the Terran Empire is an extension of the Roman Empire. Whether imperial Rome never fell, or the founders of the Terran Empire decided to adopt its symbols is left to print media. There are theories on both. It’s clear from the visuals that there is a greater connection to Rome than to the Third Reich. In the Mirror Universe, First Contact with Vulcans went differently. Dr. Cochran did not offer his hand in a gesture of friendship. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a shotgun and killed the first Vulcan to set foot on Terran soil. The gathered Terrans then raided the ship and finished the job. One hundred years later, the Terran Empire was in the ascendancy. Another century later it controlled most of the known galaxy—an empire that was described as “cruel but strong.” Between 2267 and 2367, the Terran Empire fell and was replaced by an alliance of Klingons and Cardassians. Terrans and Vulcans were pariahs. What occurred between those two bookends is left to speculation save for one sorted detail. Spock was the cause of humanity’s downfall. Yes, Spock is the true villain of the Mirror Universe.

The Mirror Universe Saga: Filling the Gap

In “Mirror, Mirror,” Captain James T. Kirk was appalled by the world he witnessed. Before returning to his own universe, he urged the Mirror Spock to find a better way. The Mirror Spock stoically replied he would “consider it.” What happened after this point is purposely vague. Canon media states that Spock rose to become commander-in-chief and reformed the empire. This left them unprepared for an invasion and the empire fell. The bold action of one man would give rise to the Terran Resistance, a paramilitary force that would eventually overthrow the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. But I am getting ahead of myself. In The Mirror Universe Saga Mike Barr, Tom Sutton, and Ricardo Villagran return to the cracked reflection of our reality in a most dramatic fashion. A comic series set in 2285, The Mirror Universe Saga finds the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise exiled on Vulcan in the aftermath of Spock’s rescue and resurrection.

Through the Looking Glass: A Tyrant’s Obsession

The ruthless Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the I.S.S. Enterprise has not forgotten the masquerade performed by his counterpart when they switched places in 2267. Learning of the vast exploitable resources of the Prime Universe, Kirk hatches a plan to cross over and infiltrate Starfleet. Finding the Federation weak and pacifist, at least compared to his own Empire, Kirk goes after his doppelganger with unhinged fury. At the same time, Prime Kirk and company are on their way back to Earth to stand trial for numerous violations of Starfleet Regulations. For some reason, the vessel sent to collect the crew and their captured Klingon Bird-of-Prey is the U.S.S. Excelsior. En route to Earth, Admiral Kirk and his companions are attacked by the I.S.S. Enterprise. Prime Kirk and company are shocked to see the Mirror Kirk and Spock leading the boarding party.

Mirror Wars:

In this continuity, Spock considered Kirk’s words but rejected them as illogical. He is depicted as a willing partner in his captain’s plan. Ravaging the unprepared Federation vessels sent to intercept him, the Mirror Kirk soon encounters his doppelganger. Turnabout being fair play, Prime Kirk slips into the Mirror Universe and once again impersonates his counterpart. He stands before the rulers of the Terran Empire and proposes a full-scale invasion. In the meantime, Mirror Spock and Prime Spock work to undermine the rising power of the Terran Empire by allying with rebel elements led by Mirror David Marcus. It is here where the continuity starts to blend in with what is depicted in the episodes.

Analysis:

The Mirror Universe Saga would have worked better as a novel. While the story is good, the visuals are less than impressive. The continuity from panel to panel suffers to the point where it’s muddled and confusing. It doesn’t help that Prime Kirk once more dons an Imperial uniform to infiltrate the highest levels of the Terran Starfleet. The iconic symbol of the Terran Empire (Earth with the double-edged sword thrust through it) appears on characters at random, even when depicting events in the Prime Universe. Despite the lack of uniform continuity, the space scenes are well done and the likeness to the actors is good. While the series disappoints visually, the narrative is captivating and leads to a denouement that could easily work with established canon. No spoilers here, but Mirror Spock’s path to control of the Imperial Starfleet is laid out before the Prime Universe crew departs.

This book comes from my personal collection, but I am leaving a professional review

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

lo de separar a Kirk y Spock al final fatal, son un pack, do not separate them

[Christopher Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This twenty-year-old Mirror Universe saga stands up impressively well. Before the elaborations and developments during DS9, the Mirror Universe was a mysteriously empty place, ripe for revisiting. Barr and Co. do a pretty good job paying homage to the TOS episode without going too overboard on the details and "insider" tidbits. The pacing of this storyline is rapid, and while this strains the credulity a bit for things like the willingness of Klingons and Romulans to team up and attack the Empire (and I acknowledge the untenable position of describing the straining of credulity within the Star Trek universe), but even so it makes for a fairly-gripping story with very little downtime. The reader not familiar with the DC Comics supporting characters/crew will not be as lost as readers of, say, The Best of Star Trek TPB from roughly the same time, and so shouldn't hesitate to read it on that account. The character moments are believable, which is more than can be said for a lot of Star Trek novelists in the decade before this was originally written. Don't let the lack of continuity with the DS9 and post-relaunch crossover novels dissuade you from reading this good story.

[Rick Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, this story is set immediately after Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, but before Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This is a difficult space to find a place for a previously unknown adventure, but the writers make it work. I thought the story was interesting and well thought out. The use of the mirror universe and its characters was clever and fun.

The dialogue was so-so, sometimes spot-on and sometimes awkward.

The art...well that's a different matter. The scenery, ships, etc. were all good, but the people were very inconsistent. Sometimes the characters' faces were so different from panel to panel that only the costumes they're wearing and their dialogue make it clear who they are. David Marcus's hair even switches color from light blond to dark auburn a few times in between panels. It's always hard for illustrators who are doing a comic based on real people, however it's not impossible to do well. Just 5 years after this series was released, Marvel published a Star Trek/X-Men crossover with fantastic art that perfectly captured each character on every page without looking wooden or stilted.

[Chris Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

With current Star Trek becoming unwatchable woke garbage, I have been forced to get my fix from older content. Unfortunately, I stepped in a turd on this one. Bad art will pull you straight out of a comics story, especially when beloved characters are rendered too far off; this series, the covers look nice, but the interior panels are just poor and inconsistent. Then to the plot….it really meanders. I normally torch lots of modern comics for being mindless page flippers, but this one just plods along with too many perils and too many false resolutions. I kept wishing it would just end.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set between the events of Star Trek 3 and Star Trek 4, this arc from DC's spin at the Star Trek wheel (which, if nothing else, looks a hell of a lot better than the Marvel ones did) pits an older Kirk against his Mirror Universe doppelganger once more, as the latter realizes there's a chance to take over a second galaxy if he plays his cards right. But just as always, Spock is the wild card, and it will take all of "our" Kirk's wits and guile to find a way to save the day against his evil counterpart, superior firepower, and an angry, vengeful Federation that wants his head, too.

I've generally felt a little iffy about 1980s licensed comics. But these issues at least, by Mike W. Barr, Tom Sutton, Ricardo Villagran, and Julianna Ferriter, are really good. Barr picks a popular villain from the old series and uses them well, expanding the world of the Mirror Universe and bringing the other star powers into play, which is really clever. "Our" Kirk dances through the raindrops, improvising, taking wild gambles, and generally doing things no other Captain save Sisko might try. Barr gets these characters extremely well, and that shows. He also does a good job of making sense of what might happen to Kirk after he and the crew went rogue to save Spock. The dialog feels like what we want from these characters, and while the focus is obviously on Kirk, the supporting cast is used well.

Plus, it's always fun to see the Mirror folks. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of them.

I do want to make sure I mention that Sutton and Villagran do an amazing job on the likenesses here. While some don't bother (*cough Marvel's first try cough*) and others basically trace over stills, which is just as bad if not worse, this pair make our characters look familiar without doing it to the point of losing the action and fluid nature of a comic. It's a great job, especially for the time period and given I don't recognize either of them from other work.

Overall, this was a lot of fun to read and highly recommended for Trek fans.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set immediately after Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, this trade paperback--reprinting issues 9-16 from DC Comics' 1984 Star Trek series--pits Kirk and crew against their "evil" counterparts from the Mirror, Mirror episode of Star Trek: TOS. It leaves a lot to be desired. In spite of the fanfare that A.C. Crispin gives it in her introduction, this story was more like a tangled ball o rubber bands than a smooth transition from the movie into its visual medium cousin. The initial chapters of the book contain a lot of pathos dealing with the death of Kirk's son and the crew reacclimating to Spock's resurrection. However, the brief reuniting of Kirk and David was just kind of flat, sweeping most of the emotional context of that significant encounter to make room for the hole-ridden main story. Female characters are relegated to 1960s background status: Marlena Moreau reappears to remind us that "Kirk's still got it" where one-night stands are concerned, and Saavik's doppelganger infiltrates the crew proper to hardly any noticeable effect other than a flaming instrument panel. Uhura barely registers in the story. Meanwhie, most of the other Mirror, Mirror counterparts are held unconscious in stasis through most of the story only to receive a closed-ended death in the end. The climactic battle has double and triple crosses and ridiculous bad science that just didn't hold my attention.

[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun enough story, though some of the potential conflicts and issues get resolved way too quickly.
It also doesn't align at all with the beginning of The Voyage Home but funnily enough sets up some later developments.

Ultimately I wanted to like the story more than I ended up doing, there are some neat parts and situations, I just wish everything had a little more room to breathe.
There were also some big liberties taken with starship operations, at some point Kirk and his crew deploy some kind of "intruder field" which basically knocks out all unauthorized personnel aboard the vessel, which is something that really could have come in handy several times on the show and in the movies.

The dialogue was mostly fine and on point, I could easily read the book with the character's voices in mind and nothing sounded out of place.
The artwork unfortunately is inconsistent, while characters looked mostly fine and distinguishable (though towards the end of the book 2 characters inexplicably switched places from one panel to the other), some of the ships looked incredibly wonky, the Excelsior features heavily in this story and at some point the art was so crooked, it looked like she was undergoing saucer separation.

I do have a soft spot for comicbooks from this era, but I also have to admit with a grandios title like the Mirror Universe Saga, I was expecting a little bit more, this was a fine Star Trek adventure but not what I would expect from a 'saga'.

[Natira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich finde das Mirror-Universum faszinierend und als ich diesen Titel gesehen hatte, wollte ich ihn lesen. Die Mirror Universe Saga basiert auf der Classic-Folge, spielt nach "Search for Spock" und erschien erstmals von 1984 bis 1985 (laut memory alpha), was dazu führt, dass es keine Kontinuität zu dem folgenden Film (Voyage Home) und der Show (DS9) besteht. Die Teile bzw. das von mir gelesene Buch (alle Teile, erschienenen 1991), sollten daher als eigenständige Geschichte gelesen werden.

Ich fand das Tempo der Geschichte gut und die Hauptstory grundsätzlich auch gut zu Ende gebracht, den nachfolgenden Abschluss allerdings weniger; für mich fühlte sich letzterer nicht richtig an.* Die Zeichnungen... Nun, die Charaktere waren für mich nicht immer deutlich erkennbar und manchmal brauchte ich einen Moment um zu sehen, ob ich gerade mit der Mirror-Crew oder unserer zu tun hatte bzw. in welchem Universum ich mich gerade befand, weil auf der Seite geswitcht wurde. Trotzdem wurde auch hier die Dynamik der Story für mich transportiert.

*Kreatives Denken und Anpassen von Regeln ist eine Sache, aber es fühlt sich für mich nicht richtig an, dass Kirk über das Leaken der Story seine Position positiv beeinflusst; ich sehe Kirk einfach nicht als solch einen Charakter, das hätte für mich eher zu Styles gepasst.

[Chad]

This book is really interesting as a time piece as it was released after Star Trek III but before Star Trek IV. So it’s a kind of possible alternative route that the franchise could have taken. And while I do think the mirror universe has become a little stale for as much as Star Trek has tapped into it, at the time this was written it was still a pretty fresh concept.

We get to see the return of some classic cinematic characters and they get to have a more meaty role. For as iconic as David Marcus is to Kirk’s story, I always felt like in the movies he becomes basically just something Kirk is mourning. But in the comic here we get maybe a slightly more interesting arc to the story between Kirk and David.

I wasn’t wild about the artwork, particularly how Kirk was rendered, who at times looks like a genetic ripped comic book character. But the writing was good enough that I was able to overlook it. In all, I wouldn’t rate it as my favorite Trek comic but it’s definitely good and entertaining.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this saga originally as a teenager and became a fan time Trekkie due to watching the 1st 2 films and the comics adaptation of the 3rd film. This storyarc was a great follow up to the classic TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror" and set the standard for future adaptations from DS9 to Star Trek Discovery. The story doesn't disappoint and love the artwork.
Despite their current situation, Kirk and Company don't hesitate to do their duty. The saga shows the difference between the Federation and the Terran Empire although they are reflections of each other. I highly recommend reading this gem and you won't be disappointed.

[sonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yea uh… I guess it was entertaining somewhat but in the end I just did not enjoy it. It’s the same reason why I don’t like Star Trek AOS and refuse to watch Star Wars: I don’t like action. Idk what I expected, because I did want something about the mirror universe, but this was not it. Also, I felt that the Kirk here was mischaracterised in the same way that AOS Kirk mischaracterised the character.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, DC has to figure out how to adapt stories that take place between the movies, and again, I like their ideas for changes. I'm not as enamored of Mirror Universe stories as most Star Trek fans, but this is a good, solid story.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barr was faced with a tie-in challenge - how does one write a set of stories set after _Star Trek III_ but before _Star Trek IV_, which assumably would pick up at the same point? It requires some twists and turns, but Barr pulls it off (if you don't ask too many hard questions of a comic book).

[Gerard DONAHUE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent graphic novel dealing with Star Trek: The Original Series Mirror Mirror and the post parts of it. I have always liked Mike Barr's work in comics, and this one he did was no exception. I highly recommend it.

[James Atkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

To boldly go

This is an interesting aside to one of my favorite movies in the Star Trek franchise. Using the Mirrorverse, my favorite dimension, to help repair the damage of the genesis device is brilliant. I have always enjoyed this series and this book is great.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a trade paperback collecting 8 issues of the DC Comics Star Trek series from the '90s. It features a mirror universe storyline. Very, very good. Well told and highly entertaining.

[Donavon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable sequel to Mirror episode of TOS set shortly after ST3 movie. Being the first to expand on that story means that some of it was continued in other media and much of it wasn't.

[Jesse Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

To bad it's not a movie!

Excellent storyline and artwork that was enjoyable to read for me and anyone who is a Star Trek fan. A fan!

[spockito · Rating 2 out of 5]

comment je suis déçu bouh

[Paul Cafiso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic Fun

A fun story in a nostalgic style. If you are a fan of the original series this a must read.

[Maurice Ryder · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok for its time I suppose. An interesting alternate sequel to search for Spock.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good but overall I think they went the wrong direction on alot of the mirror universe.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always fun.

The Mirror Universe is always fun but this story got a bit too convoluted. I wasn't a fan of the artwork but that might have been because of the resolution on my Fire.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 3 out of 5]

.Interesting plot line of parallel universes interacting.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a treat to read a story based on ST:TOS. The fact that it is based on the Mirror Universe makes it all that much sweeter. Highly recommended for any and all Star Trek fans.

[Alex Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art varies from impressive to slightly wonky, but it's hard to not get caught up in an epic adventure with the crew, particularly when the characters feel exactly right. It's a story originally done in the 1980s and picks up from the end of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, providing an alternative continuation. The story has its minor flaws and feels a trifle rushed, but in some ways it's a more appropriate conclusion to the trilogy than the next film turned out to be, considering the characters we get to see.