One Star Trek: Enterprise Cast Member Thought The Mirror Episodes Were 'Ridiculous'
While "Star Trek: The Next Generation" explores the cosmos after the events of "Star Trek: The Original Series," "Star Trek: Enterprise" does the opposite. For four seasons and 98 episodes, the program sets the stage for the groundbreaking original "Star Trek" series. In doing so, it features new characters, worlds, and concepts while referencing some from the program that started it all. One of the most notable callbacks to the first "Star Trek" show is the presence of the mirror universe in the "Enterprise" episodes "In a Mirror, Darkly" and "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II."
Though one might think the "Enterprise" cast had fun playing around with mirror universe versions of their respective characters, some despised it. Case in point, Connor Trinneer, who found playing a mirror version of Trip Tucker pretty miserable. "The entire time, I'm like, 'I think this is just ridiculous' ... I don't really know what to do," Trinneer recalled during an appearance on "The Shuttlepod Show." As he searched for a way to present his mirror universe take on Tucker, he sarcastically suggested he talk like a pirate. Unfortunately for Trinneer, director James L. Conway liked the idea, resulting in him having to keep up the over-the-top pirate voice for roughly three weeks of filming.
Sure, the pirate accent was cumbersome to act around and the mirror universe concept was a bit daunting. Still, Trinneer and his co-stars' hard work in "In a Mirror, Darkly" and "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" hasn't gone unnoticed.
Many Star Trek fans enjoy Enterprise's take on the mirror universe
In film and television, pulling off an alternate universe story can be tricky. If one's not careful, such a feature or episode can fall into tacky territory and come across as more of a gimmick than an essential story. The use of the mirror universe throughout the Star Trek franchise has occasionally led to some hokiness, but there are plenty of strong examples of how to use it properly. In the eyes of many fans, even with Connor Trinneer putting on an exaggerated pirate voice, the "Enterprise" mirror universe episodes do the concept justice.
In a thread by Redditor u/annoymousVolunteer, Star Trek fans discussed the "In a Mirror, Darkly" episodes, and though some didn't have much love for the two-part story, others offered high praise. "It's one of my favorite episodes of all ST series. Eas[ily] on my top 10," commented u/ArtCoati, while a now-deleted user called the story one of their favorite tie-ins to the original series. Redditor u/Iblis_Ginjo cited the episodes as the peak of their Star Trek enjoyment, and others highlighted Empress Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) and the Gorn as some of the episodes' strongest elements.
While it may not have been a joy to bring to life for Connor Trinneer, it's safe to say that the "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter left a good number of "Star Trek: Enterprise" fans thoroughly satisfied.