Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Shattered Mirror (1996) User Reviews

Another "Mirror, Mirror" inspired episode?!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 3 January 2015]

When the episode begins, Captain Sisko is having a visit with his dead wife, Jennifer. Huh? Well, it seems that the very much alive Jennifer from the parallel world has come for a visit. However, the real purpose is not so pleasant and she soon ends up kidnapping Jake. Why? What's really happening?!

While I loved "Mirror, Mirror" on the original series as well as enjoyed seeing "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" do a follow-up episode with this same parallel evil world, this show is clearly an example of going to the well once too often. This is because it's the fourth such episode and the idea has become a bit tiresome due to overuse. Now am I saying it's a bad episode? Not really...but it certainly lacks originality and apart from watching Major Kira kill folks for kicks, there isn't a lot that stands out from this episode. Watchable but just too familiar.

False pretences

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 26 October 2022]

The Siskos have an adventure in the mirror universe.

This is a fairly enjoyable episode with some humorous performances and decent spectacle. The key is not to take it seriously.

For me this is all about the over the top mirror universe characterisations and how funny you find seeing actors like Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, Alexander Siddig, and Andrew Robinson chewing scenery. Personally I think Vistor, Dorn and Robinson have the most entertaining scenes.

There are some enjoyable action sequences that involve exciting space battles created by CGI and those always great shaky camera shots in the studio.

It ends with a quite poignant moment that is well made but feels quite out of sync with the tone of the episode.

6.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

Too Bad; All Signs Point to Another One

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 24 October 2018]

These mirror episodes are OK but I find them too hard to fathom. Now, characters can exist in both sides of the mirror. This is pretty typical. The people on one side are pretty much evil. How they get along is beyond me. I don't have much to say other than Jake Sisko is really tiresome and from the conclusion, I would imagine we have to deal with them again, sucking the imagination out of the writers.

Mirror mirror on the wall

[student_points · 6/10 · 21 November 2021]

Another mirror universe episode. The only thing that stands out here is the enjoyable spacebattle and the hilarious interaction between Worf and Garak. The rest is standard. Also I love Dax's hairstyle in the mirror universe.

Another adventure in the Mirror Universe

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 8 June 2010]

When Jake returns to his quarters he is shocked to find his mother there; it turns out to be the Jennifer Sisko from the mirror universe. While his father is off at a meeting she takes him back to the mirror universe in order to get his father to follow and help with work on their Defiant which they built after stealing the blue prints from DS9. Once the Captain is there they only have a few days to get the Defiant working as the Alliance, led by Regent Worf, has dispatched several ships to retake the station from the rebels. While his father is busy Jake visits his friend Nog but soon learns that the people in the mirror universe are quite different to those he knows back home.

As with the other mirror universe episodes it is fun to see the regular characters acting in a very different way, it is clear that the cast are having fun in their slightly over the top roles. It seems that every time somebody visits the mirror universe the counterpart of a major character will die and this episode is no exception.

As it is!

[emptycontent · 6/10 · 27 March 2019]

Honestly if these mirror universes are being taken seriously (epecially this one), they would have only earned a 4 by me. So I'm taking the chance it was all a joke.

There's More than One of Jennifer Sisko

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 21 June 2012]

Felicia M. Bell is one of the most gorgeous women in the world, and Jennifer Sisko was the most beautiful woman of all of DS9, except for maybe Grillka.

Jake Sisko is standing in his "spot" - Contemplating a story and probably missing Nog, who is at Starfleet Academy at this time. This teaser is similar to the teaser for the very next Episode "The Muse"-But instead of Jake seeing a beautiful, Alien Meg Foster enter the Station, he goes back to his quarters, where The Sisko is talking to... Jennifer! But this is not his mother, it is the Jennifer "The Sisko" helped free from The Intendant in the "Red Fringe 'Verse."

The Sisko is called away to a dismal meeting with a Bajoran official, but he can't wait to get back to his quarters, where he had left "FauxJennifer" having a Tete-a-Tete with Jake - But they are not there! They are not even on the Station!

But Jennifer had left one of Smiley's Transporter Gimmicks on his table, so he grabs his Miles and his Kira, to cross over into the other 'Verse.

But only The Sisko is transported - Smiley says, "They were not invited" which is a very O'Brien thing to say.

At first Sisko is angry at Jennifer for "Kidnapping" Jake, until he realizes, Jake wanted to come on his own. Jake meets the Mirror-Nog, who sees Jake as merely a "Hooman" and wants nothing to do with Jake-Because he is "too tall"-An obvious comment on Cirroc's ever-increasing height.

The Sisko agrees to help Smiley finish building "his" Defiant, all of the Structural Integrity Fields have to be boosted - The Same Problem "our" Defiant had, but Smiley had no Utopia Plenicia Shipyards in which to build his ship, so it's docked at The Station, which the Terrans had finally freed from The Intendant.

Meanwhile a fleet of Klingon-Cardassian Alliance ships are heading toward the Station. There is one gigantic ship, Captained by "The Regent" - Who is WORF. He has Garak chained like a dog, for losing The Station, they are on the way to get it back. The silver-tongued Garak is the same in both universes, with his eeely, twisty tongue, he gets The Regent to shift blame on The Intendant.

The Intendant is locked up in Station Security, guarded by "One-Eye," a member of Mirror-Sisko's Crew who was in the first Mirror DS9 episode. Nog had inherited The Bar after the Demise of Rom and Quark, and in gratitude to "The Intendant" he frees her from "One-Eye" and as she gets ready to Leave she shoots Nog, which is her form of gratitude.

Meanwhile, Sisko had finished the repairs, and at the last minute took the Command Chair, and they start plastering the Birds of Prey and the Cardassian ships. But the Regents Ship is too big for its own good, they can't get a lock on The Defiant, and with the help of Mirror Jadzia and Bashir, they kick the regents arse, and he flees.

But back at the station, Jennifer is bringing Jake back to the transporter and they run in to The Intendant, who fires on Jake but Jennifer jumps in between The Intendant and her target-Getting shot in the chest by a disruptor.

When The Sisko gets back to the Station, he and Jake say goodbye to Jennifer... One Last Time.

I was sad to see her go, but the nature of The Mirror Universe dictates that most of our favorite characters get killed off. Besides, if she would have survived, she would have come back to our side with Sisko, leaving Cassidy out in the Lurch. That was too much of a writing problem. But still I miss the most beautiful woman in the Galaxy.

When do the Sisko's Get a break from Heartache?

[jseph1234-262-617488 · 10/10 · 31 July 2022]

This was another poignant and interesting episode featuring the Mirror Universe's Jennifer Sisko. I have to say that I kept rooting for this all to work out because you could see how much Jake loved being around Jennifer after having lived most of his life without his mom.

I just wish the Producers had saw fit to give her a chance because I thought was SUCH a Beautiful storyline and finally would bring Peace to Captain Sisko's life but no... They choose to kill her off, which I just hated. 10/10 for the characterization. 2/10 for ending.

Time to put the mirror in the closet for a while.

[thevacinstaller · 5/10 · 6 July 2021]

While there is some joy in allowing DS9 actors to stretch their acting skills in wildly differing roles I have to agree with the other reviews in the sentiment that this is starting to get old.

It almost feels like it is make believe or some holodeck program since we engaged in an alternate universe where the characters seemingly act like they are from a star wars movie.

I did the enjoy the dynamic between Jennifer Sisko and Jake Sisko. I lost my mom last year and I bet I would take a mirror universe version of her too. Oddly enough, mirror Jen Sisko is still pretty sweet and kind.

I think there needs to be a limiter on Mirror Universe episodes ---- perhaps one episode per franchise run?

I just didn't enjoy this one despite the sweet sacrifice of Jennifer for Jake Sisko. There is just nothing to get out of this one beyond the actors performances and Jennifer being bummed out about not having kids.

Someone needs to smack Jake upside the head

[txriverotter · 4/10 · 27 June 2022]

I don't care for the Mirrror, Mirror episodes. I'm not a fan of this particular story line, and I wish they'd have done the one and that's it. Or not even the one, really.

As far as this episode, we open with Jennifer from the mirror universe showing up for some reason as yet undisclosed. Jake walks in on Sisko and Jennifer talking, and from then on becomes infatuated with his "not-mom."

So the idiot decides he "just has to see" the mirror universe and goes with Jennifer across, where naturally Sisko will follow. What the little creep doesn't know, is that they'll both die or become slaves if the Alliance manages to retake the station. He didn't bother to ask any questions apparently before jumping into his little "vacation."

And the entire episode, Jake continues to act like a jerk, and Sisko never once tells him off and explains to Jake just exactly what he got the two of them into by acting stupidly and irrationally. That pissed me off even more, that Sisko never once laid it all on the line and gave Jake the smack upside the head he really needed.

Enjoyable...but only if you suspend your critical thinking

[yincognyto-91718 · 3/10 · 21 August 2019]

First, let me admit that seeing characters act differently from their main story line can be fun, and can make a decent time watching it. That being said, that's where the good part of this episode stops. The rest is just pure junk in terms of intelligent construction of 'Shattered Mirror', and I'll explain why:

• the idea of parallel universes is ...erm... problematic as it is, to say the least (any number of parallel universes would require space-time-matter-energy duplication that is simply absurd scientifically), but even if you go past these problems the idea that easy travelling between these universes allow the same characters from different universes to coexist in one of the universes is even more absurd. A character from an universe shouldn't be able to exist in another "parallel" universe (i.e. outside of his own universe) - not to mention alongside his replica from the parallel universe - because all the space-time-matter-energy that he's made of belongs to a single universe: his own. That's why they're supposed to be "parallel" universes: because they coexist, but DON'T intersect...otherwise we would be talking about the same universe, now won't we?
• travelling to this parallel universe has been, as other reviewers mention, overused in DS9. Sure, it can be fun, but it becomes tiresome and boring after a while. After all the characters don't have any interest in involving themselves in the other universe, support an alliance or another, care for a person or another, for the simple reason that...duh, it's not their own (not to mention the apparently obsolete Prime Directive, regarding interfering in the matters of another 'world'). Which leads me to my next point...
• how the heck could Sisko and, even more stupidly, Jake, care deeply for the Jennifer from the other universe is beyond me, really. Hello, Sisko slowheads, it's NOT your wife/mother - it's an entirely different person. How could Jake, a Starfleet Captain son, be so charmed and easy to kidnap by someone who is clearly not his mother and bears no connection to him whatsoever is illogical, to say the least.
• the dumb plot doesn't stop there however. Get this: a Starfleet officer, a Captain in the Federation forces, the almighty Sisko, the first man tasked with stopping the Dominion's advances, makes a rookie "mistake": he falls into the same trap twice. Not only did Smiley (O'Brien's 'alter ego' in the parallel universe) easily captured him the first time in one of the previous episodes, but poor Sisko is incompetent enough to let himself being taken AGAIN to the parallel universe, this time along with his son. Now I don't know about you, folks, but this character is not the best father at all letting his son being taking away from him like that, and he's not worthy of being a Starfleet Captain if he, a hardened officer in one of the greatest millitaries in the galaxy, falls in the same trap twice. Imagine making such foolish mistakes against the Dominion - you're already conquered. I couldn't believe my eyes when he so easily bought Jennifer's claim that she was "just visiting" him... knowing the major problems in the parallel universe, he's fool enough to believe those folks may need a "vacation" in his own universe, hahaha!
• simple question: what do you do if a person who's the deadly enemy of your father points a gun at you and wants to know who you are? You lie, of course, because it saves your skin - you don't tell the person with the gun that you're the son of his enemy, inviting death, being taking hostage or being kidnapped... twice in a row. What does Jake Sisko do? Guess what: the exact opposite. Not smart at all, especially coming from an aspiring writer. Sure, Sisko being indebted to her was convenient for the alternate Kira and, of course, for a future (equally dumb) plot in the parallel universe, but made no sense if Jake wanted to survive and return home with his father.
• the Defiant, the station's shields and Bashir's ship was all that it took to make an ENTIRE fleet of angry Klingons to retreat and run back to their empire at maximum warp. I get it, the Defiant is a nasty ship and all (even though it seems to be on the brink of collapse in every battle it's involved in, at least visually), but to defeat Worf's entire imperial fleet that came to punish a handful of rebels? The writers must be joking, really.
• lastly, the nonsense that concludes all the previous nonsense above: since when Klingons (and Worf, alledgedly the most Klingon of all), retreat and run away from battle like cowards? I thought they were living under the motto that "It's a good day to die" and that "Victory is life", not to mention the honor they would throw away by leaving the battlefield. Ok, it's a "parallel universe", but Klingons are still Klingons if I'm not mistaken, and so far it all looks more like a parallel plot to logic and realism than a parallel universe episode.

It was midly fun, but I have a big problem with stupid plots and unrealistic life and death decisions from the characters - hence the rating. The writers can make the story suit their desired outcome all they want, but for me, the outcome should be a consequence of the story, not the other way around.

Why?

[paulwallenberg · 1/10 · 17 February 2021]

Ds9 is a fantasy universe. It dont exist and all characters and events are made up. So why, after spending all that time and energy creating that universe, do the script writers then find it so limiting that time and time again, they rip it all up and opt for the lazy parallel universe chestnut where they can flip the personalities of all their made up characters? What's the point?