So like the other Post-Dominion War videos I’ve made, this Video uses a lot of Memory
Beta content to flush out the history of the Mirror Universe (or the Terran Universe as
it was known to the Federation). It makes substantial appearances in Star Trek Online,
especially during the Cardassian Struggle arc and features as a recurring enemy. Things
is, by the time we re-encounter it in 2409, the Terran Empire has reformed and is making
headway in reassuming control of the Quadrants. On the surface, this is rather surprising
as last we saw of it, the Empire was long since fallen and only a handful of resistance
cells were fighting against the Alliance, the new ruling power.
The history of the Terran Empire is not explored that much in Star Trek Online and many of
the missions where it featured were removed from the game’s narrative. This means that
the contents of this video are equal parts speculation, in game information and sourced
from books, novels etcetera but I’ll try to cover what happened to the Mirror universe
after we last had contact with it in Deep Space Nine.
While at the same time, I’ll be taking my ship, the USS Dunkirk, to repel a Terran Invasion
of Bajoran space. This four-player battle sees us and our allies protecting Deep Space
Nine from waves of Terran ships as they cross over through interdimensional tears.
Back in 2293, Emperor Spock of the Mirror universe succeeded in reforming the Terran
Empire into a Republic based on peace and diplomacy rather than hostile conquest. However,
powers rose almost immediately to dethrone the former Empire.
After the Terran Republic’s collapse, many of the former Empire’s races, especially
humans, were now being treated as the slave caste of the Alliance. Despite the noble sounding
name, the Alliance was just as brutish as the Empire had been. It was formed out of
many of the oppressed races who had been unified by the anger they felt for the Terrans and
tempered under their heel. Missions such as this often descend into chaos
very quickly but the objectives remain simple. We are to keep Deep Space Nine at operational
health while repelling the invaders. More objectives are added as the battle continues.
Skipping ahead now. Terran Rebellions started in earnest in 2372 with the theft and construction
of a mirror universe version of the Defiant. Terak Nor, or Mirror Deep Space Nine was captured
by the Rebels and became a base of operations for pushing back against
the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance. What was I
saying about new objectives. Anyway. In 2375, Grand Nagus Zek of the Ferengi Alliance
wished to establish trade with the Mirror Universe. Many in Starfleet or who have had
dealings with the Mirror universe could easily point out how risky this was but marks an
important precedent of other races showing interest in the universe, despite the Federation’s
policing of access. Around this time, it’s unclear when but
must be post 2372 and I suspect a while after the Ferengi’s attempts to pioneer into its
realms, Vedek Eith quits the Vedek assembly to mount their own expedition into the mirror
universe to study the Mirror Bajor’s interpretation of the Prophets. Their visits remain unresolved
but establishes the existence of Mirror versions of the Orbs of the Prophets, suggesting a
separate pantheon of wormhole aliens. In 2377, Intendant Kira was killed by Iliana
Ghemor, who in a mirror twist had been surgically altered to resemble Kira Nerys. If the name
sounds familiar that is because the Prime version of Iliana Ghemor was the Obsidian
Order operative and Cardassian daughter of Tekeny Ghemor who Major Kira Nerys was forced
to impersonate. She was unstable from torture and had a plan to find the Mirror Celestial
Temple so she could be labelled as the Emissary and gain a cult following.
That would be the entire Terak Nor station. Now we need to beam assault teams to the invader’s
station to force them to retreat. Let’s wrap this up and get back to the history.
In 2378, a new alliance of planets, Known as the Galactic Commonwealth began to unify
the disparate rebel cells into a fledgling political movement and in 2379, the revolution
against the Alliance ended with the Terran Rebellion signing an armistice with the Cardassian-Klingon
Alliance. It made valiant strides over the years to mirror the United Federation of Planets
example for stability and for a time this worked out.
This year, Regent Worf of the Klingon Empire was offered freedom by the Terran Rebellion
as part of the treaty but instead, chose to end his own life rather than face the dishonour
of returning as a prisoner who sat in a cell for the majority of the conflict.
In 2381, Michael Eddington was the Chairman of the Commonwealth and by this time it encompassed
20 lightyears and twelve member planets, things were looking promising.
This is where records fall dark, however. In 2409, the Cardassian True Way movement,
a video on them can be found in the links, under the control of the New Founders was
searching for allies to support its anti-federation campaigns.
They eventually found the Orb of Possibilities, a Mirror universe Bajoran Orb that enabled
them to enter into the Mirror universe and when Gul Kardek crossed over, he discovered
that the Terran Empire had returned in full and was now pressing the Alliance to the brink
of destruction, perpetuating this cycle of conquest.
Gul Kardek was in the midst of forming a firm alliance with the Terran Empire in 2409 when
we encountered him during the Cardassian Struggle story arc. It may seem strange to turn to
the Mirror universe for help, but I think it’s a mix of opportunity and desperation.
Looking at the enemies of the Federation, who’s left for The True Way to turn to?
The Romulans had been fractured by the Hobus Supernova, the Klingons were engaged in a
war with the Federation, but were on the opposite side of Federation space and never exactly
fans of the Cardassians to begin with. Locally they have the Talarian Republic, but they
were being left behind in terms of technological development and the True Way had few resources
to share. As for the re-emergence of the Terran Empire?
If I had to guess, I’d say that the totalitarianism that was prevalent in the powers of the Mirror
universe made their way gradually into the Commonwealth in a gradual slip. A policy here,
a pre-emptive strike there. It’s a reoccurring trait of the mirror universe that even the
best of intentions gets twisted. DS9 showed that Spock’s Republic was a noble idea that
left itself open to the less-than-noble intentions of the numerous angry enemies the Empire had
made. It’s likely that the new Empire was forged
from the same resentment that forged the Alliance. Hate begets hate after all. It’s interesting
to see how Bajor has survived all this. It’s not doing that great, never has, but it loyalties
have flipped from a subject of the initial Empire, to a Republic state, to an Alliance
protectorate then part of the Commonwealth which eventually became the Terran Empire
again. One of the more prominent individuals of the
Empire Back is Captain Leeta. Back in 2375, we saw her as a member of the Terran Rebellion,
where she remained marrying Mirror Ezri Tigan. She refused repeated offers to return to Bajor,
from her father. He was a prominent political figure and disliked her involvement in the
Rebellion, worrying it could hurt his reputation. So naturally she instead became an officer
in the Terran Republic’s Army. As the republic was a member of the Commonwealth, it lends
further support to the idea that the Empire crept up from within the coalition rather
than a rival faction that overthrew it. When we meet her in 2409, she has reached
the rank of captain in the Imperial Starfleet, commands the ISS Fortuna and is in charge
of military operations in the Bajor sector. So eventually she did return to Bajor, arguably
in a more powerful position than her father so I imagine there was no small amount of
satisfaction to be had there. Personally I dislike that the Terrans fell
back into the cycle of conflict, but at the same time I get why from a story perspective.
The Terrans really could go either way, peace or war, but you’ev got this darker universe
that is basically an excuse for twisted “what-if” scenarios. So if it ultimately ends up becoming
a mirror of the Federation, this peaceful commonwealth, sure it shows some nice development,
but it wraps up the story. There’s not really much point revisiting the Mirror Universe
if you can’t have fun with this darker “evil twin” idea.
That’s my opinion anyway and I hope you enjoyed this lore dive into a potential future
of the Terran universe. After all. “Long live the Empire!”