TheStar Trekfranchise has a long history of using various sci-fi tropes to augment the sprawling space opera’s generational narrative, and this decades-long trend has resulted in two episodes from different shows sharing an identical twist. All theStar TrekTV showscombine to tell one massive story - as do theStar Trekmovies. Althoughcertain installments take place away from the Prime Universe, they remain part of the franchise’s multiversal canon. Crossovers between these different realities aren’t all that common, but they do happen.
Of all the series' alternate realities,Star Trek’s Mirror Universeis the most widely visited by its characters and is well-known among fans. Although it shares many similarities with the Prime Universe,the Mirror Universe is also far darker than the saga’s primary setting. Instead of reaching out to the galaxy with an open hand of friendship, humanity has instead swept through space and established a dominant empire - known as the Terran Empire - that is incredibly xenophobic to alien life and generally villainous. Not every show visits the Mirror Universe, but it’s exciting when they do.
Two Different Star Trek Episodes Involved 23rd-Century Constitution-Class Ships Swapping Universes
The USS Defiant & ISS Enterprise eventually changed places
Star Trek: Enterprise’s season 4 two-parter, “In A Mirror, Darkly,” andStar Trek: Discoveryseason 5’s, “Mirrors,” both aired in April 2005 and April 2024 respectively.Enterprise’s Mirror Universe story was largely standalone, but it also included a powerful connection toStar Trek: The Original Seriesin the form of the USS Defiant - which had last been seen in 1968’s “The Tholian Web.” The Prime Universe vessel had been pulled into the Mirror Universe and salvaged by Scott Bakula’s Captain Archer and the crew of the ISS Enterprise, which was an exciting turn of events forThe Original Seriesfans.
The USS Defiant was far more advanced than Captain Archer’s 22nd-century Mirror Universe ship, whereas Captain Burnham’s USS Discovery was upgraded to 32nd-century standards and was therefore superior to the ISS Enterprise in “Mirrors.”
19 years later in the real world (but centuries later in theStar Trektimeline), Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery experienced something that would have been exactly the same if it weren’t also the exact opposite. Just as the Terran Archer discovers the USS Defiant,Captain Burnham stumbles across the abandoned ISS Enterprise in “Mirrors,“which debuted inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 4, “Mirror, Mirror.” So, both 23rd-century Constitution class ships canonically swapped universes.
“In A Mirror, Darkly” & “Mirrors” Show One Of Modern Star Trek’s Biggest Changes
Star Trek: Discovery updated the look of the Constitution class (& Star Trek: Enterprise didn’t)
Star Trek: Enterprisewas the last franchise TV show before the space opera took a lengthy break between 2005 and 2017. WhenStar Trek: Discoveryrebooted the saga, it had a completely different aesthetic - despite keeping all the canon of the classic era intact. So, althoughDiscoverybegan as a prequel toThe Original Series, all the ships and technology looked and acted in a far more advanced manner. It created an odd sort of dissonance within the lore, but it was a necessary compromise forStar Trekto thrive in the modern age.
Modern Star Trek Fixes A Problem That Killed The Franchise 20 Years Ago
There’s no questioning the overall success of the Star Trek franchise, but its modern era has perhaps unexpectedly pushed the saga onward.
So, the USS Defiant and the ISS Enterprise are depicted very differently in their new universes. “In a Mirror, Darkly” shows the Defiant exactly how it would have looked inStar Trek: The Original Series, which allows for a direct sense of continuity between the ship’s appearances. Inversely,the ISS Enterprise in “Mirrors” is just theStar Trek: Strange New Worldsset repurposed.Strange New Worlds' take on Constitution-class starships is far more modern, and although it looks far more sleek than itsOriginal Seriescounterpart, the look had to be updated to adhere toStar Trek’s modern ethos.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Cast
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
