43. Crossover

Summary

On their way back to the station, Kira and Bashir have some runabout problems in the wormhole and when they emerge, the station isn't where it's supposed to be, it's orbiting Bajor. They're taken aboard by Klingons and are shocked to find Garak in a Cardassian military uniform...and Kira in a rather slinky black getup. They soon realize they're in the mirror universe. On this side, Bajor is a member of the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance and Kira is the Intendant, the hedonistic Bajoran leader, and Garak is her first officer. Terrans are slave labor and Julian is immediately sent to the mines (under Odo's supervision) where he finds O'Brien. The Intendant, quite taken with her mirror self, explains the situation and has to be persuaded not to kill Julian. Kira tries to find a way back via transporter, but when she approaches Quark for help he's arrested and dragged away. A group of Terrans come into the bar...they're not slaves and they seem in much better spirits, and they're led by a callous Benjamin Sisko, who's allowed a certain freedom because he's the Intendant's plaything. Garak tries to enlist Kira's help in his assassination plot on the Intendant, promising to let her and Julian go if she helps, but when Kira tries to trade this information to Sisko in exchange for him getting them off the station he just laughs it off. Garak's been trying to kill the Intendant for years. She learns that Julian's probably going to be killed that very night and warns him while he tries, mostly unsuccessfully, to enlist O'Brien's help. The Intendant throws a party in Kira's honor but everything goes to hell when a thorium leak breaks out in the ore processing center. Julian grabs a phaser, kills Odo, and escapes into the conduits. He gets O'Brien to help him but they're both caught. The disillusioned Intendant is about to have them both executed when Sisko has a change of heart and busts them all out of Quark's and takes Kira and Bashir to their runabout, vowing to stir up some life in the beaten-down Terrans. Kira and Bashir go back through the wormhole and emerge in their own universe.

Analysis

Okay. Let's get one thing straight. I don't like mirror universe episodes. Never have, never will. I know some just love them, but they just don't do it for me. I think they're pointless exercises and an excuse to show off how far split-screening has come. I will say that there are entertaining elements to them. Nana Visitor is a delight to watch as she swings her hips and chews on the scenery. I gotta say that I think the person I find the most interesting in this particular episode is Sisko. I like Avery a lot better as the devil-may-care captain of a ragtag band of misfits than I do as the upright, over-enunciating station commander. Garak loses all interesting aspects of his character when he becomes just another garden-variety strutting Cardassian and it's somewhat disturbing to see Odo as the tyrannical overseer...probably because it's a lot easier to see how his orderly tendencies could be twisted in that direction than it is to see how Kira could ever become the hypersexual Intendant. O'Brien is also good, however...Colm Meaney (DS9's most underrated actor) really does a convincing job of portraying Smiley as the epitome of the downtrodden, exploited Terran. He just exudes defeatedness and despair with such convincing verisimilitude that it's almost a shock to see him sitting straight up at his console when the runabout returns to the regular universe. On the other hand, the mirror universe Quark is almost better than his regular counterpart...nobly helping Terrans, bravely pulling a phaser rifle on half a dozen Cardassian guards. Ironic. Of the mirror universe episodes I think this one's probably the best. The ones that have mirror people coming over to our side aren't nearly as successful (Resurrection springs to mind). Another one I had to force myself to re-watch. And that horrible purple gown Kira had to wear...shudder.

Rating: 5.0

Memorable Quote:

"Maybe it was a fairy tale, but it got me to thinking how each of us might have turned out if things had been just a little different. I don't know what their side is like, but it's gotta be better than this. There has to be something better than this." --O'Brien

Classic Scene:

The Intendant's bath...in what looks like milk and rose petals...is a master of precise editing. This is an all-ages show, remember.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"You must come with us." --Garak to Quark...whatever floats your boat, friend.

The O/K Status Report

Nothing...except the Intendant did seem pretty upset that Julian killed her overseer. There've been about half a dozen fanfics exploring THAT little angle.

Special Alerts

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