Star Trek #1449: Mirrored Part 1

1449. Mirrored Part 1

PUBLICATION: Star Trek #15, IDW Comics, November 2012

CREATORS: Mike Johnson (writer), Erfan Fajar (artist)

STARDATE: Framing sequence, after previous issue. Mirror Universe sequence, 2258.56 (concurrent with this series' Where No Man Has Gone Before)

PLOT: In a Mirror Universe based on the Star Trek reboot, the Terran Empire finally defeats the Klingons. Kirk finds Nero in a jail cell, kills him and steals his ship. Everybody betrays Captain Spock and joins Kirk on the Nerada.

CONTINUITY: The Mirror Universe idea, the Terran Empire and Spock's goatee are, of course, from Mirror, Mirror, though this story includes elements from the Star Trek film (Nero, Nerada, the basic relationships). We also see Chancellor Gorkon, Qo'noS, Praxis and Rura Penthe (The Undiscovered Country). In our timeline, Scotty evokes alternate versions of himself and McCoy which the art translates as the TOS actors.

DIVERGENCES: The stardate, later than the movie's, works in that the crew has already been assembled under Spock's leadership. Obviously, the circumstances of that have changed, having more to do, presumably, with the Terran-Klingon conflict, which seems to also have kept Nero a prisoner longer. All divergences in both timelines are a result of some version of Nero returning in time to destroy the Kelvan.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Evil Kirk is evil because he scratches at plot holes.

REVIEW: An interesting diversion that's sure not to interfere with stories planned for the movie franchise (or am I wrong?), seeing as alternate universe stories always offer a measure of fun. It's a bit of a what if on top of a what if since the Trek reboot timeline is already an "alternate universe", a point actually made by Scotty in this issue to explain why Old Spock can't return from whence he came. But in the original Mirror, Mirror, we had an entirely new story, with the MU acting as a familiar, but alien, world. In Mirrored, we go back in time and have a retread of what happened in the film. Kirk vs. Spock, Kirk vs. Nero, and the impending destruction of Vulcan, retold in a way that fits a morally dubious universe. It makes us expect certain beats and isn't wholly original. There's still fun, and it's in just how the elements are recombined. There are several twists on the story, like Kirk staying on the Nerada and scrapping the Enterprise, Uhura's betrayal (though that's very much in line with the MU's ambitious "captains' women" we've seen before), and how quickly Nero is dispatched. However, Fajar's painted art, which is very nice thank you, does tend to aerate the story something fierce. Large panels slow down the pacing. A lot happens, but did we need so much space devoted to Gorkon's execution, hardly central to the plot? I'm also questioning the idea of putting the new, Vulcan-free Starfleet in gray uniforms, since in comics like these, where likenesses tend to vary, it's going to be difficult to tell who's who down the road (note the dark-haired Kirk above). But overall, I don't want to come down to hard on it. It's a well executed issue, big on spectacle, but with some wit too, and certainly not content to leave it to talking heads. I'll be interested to see where Mirrored goes next, though I think I can guess. Surprise me.