Grand Nagus Zek has chased financial opportunities into the Mirror Universe and has managed to get captured by Regent Worf. Quark and Rom must come to his rescue, bringing a cloaking device to trade for his freedom. But it being the Mirror Universe, they must face a lot of backstabbing along the way.
Decades after this episode, Star Trek: Discovery would offer up the franchise's most dramatic take on the Mirror Universe. But Behr had come to regard the very concept as somewhat "wacky" and not to be taken seriously. (No offense to the beloved original Star Trek episode intended; this DS9 episode is dedicated to the memory of the original's writer, Jerome Bixby.) Behr encouraged the writing staff to lean into the silliness that has always been there (in a goateed Spock, a shrieking Kirk, a leering Sulu), and provide one last Quark/Rom adventure before the series' final story arc. This was the result.
I'm inclined to believe that the sillier Mirror universe is indeed better -- the best DS9 Mirror ep is rather campy, while its worst is a dour and serious one. But I think what really makes the concept work is seeing the actors cut loose and have fun playing something different from their usual characters. And you get that here in the form of a leather-clad and eye-shadowed Ezri, an eerily nice Brunt, and a wild 30-second cameo from Vic Fontaine.
But it is starting to feel like the actors who've done this Mirror thing before aren't as excited by it anymore. Andrew Robinson admitted to hating this Garak (a toady opportunist with no subtext, whose death this episode made him "really, really, really happy"). Nana Visitor gamely played the vixen once more (her performance clearly a touchstone for Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou, years later), but she noted of this episode's kiss with Ezri that she had "never intended for the Intendant to be bisexual," and that she thinks people read that into her narcissistic (not sexual) fascination with prime Kira.
The moments I enjoy most in this episode have to do with the "prime universe" characters involved. Quark and Rom's theft of the cloaking device is hilarious, and sold marvelously through great mime work by Armin Shimerman and Max Grodénchik. Rom's efforts to make sense of everything is a constant source of fun (and a clear commentary directed right at a certain type of fan). Watching the Ferengi turn the tables and save the day is pretty enjoyable.
Other observations:
- The entire premise of this episode is a retcon. Earlier Mirror Universe episode showed decloaking ships, establishing that cloaking devices do actually exist there. But as this had never been a significant plot point, it was easy enough to overlook to tell the story the writers wanted to tell now.
- Mirror Ezri thankfully subverts the "gays and lesbians are all evil" trope that was practically the only way you ever saw LGBT characters in the 1990s. Yes, she starts evil, but does display a conscience throughout, and ends up doing the right thing in the end. (Without "turning straight" either, given her final encounter with Leeta.)
- There's a nice moment where the camera pulls back from an apparent "exterior" shot of the Defiant to reveal a viewscreen and then sweep the Klingon bridge. This was probably achieved with on-set projection -- a rarity on Trek at this time, and a clever staging from director LeVar Burton.
Though this is far from one of my favorite Deep Space Nine episodes, it's hard to dislike it too much. There actually is a decent character arc here for Quark (having a positive, non-romantic relationship with Mirror Ezri), and there are jokes throughout that do land. I give "The Emperor's New Cloak" a B.
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