A tradition from the very beginning of Star Trek should definitely continue in the new show, Starfleet Academy. The series has already proven it likes to reference past installments, and it would be great if it continued to do so, especially by acknowledging one of the franchise’s most enduring plotlines before the season ends. Hopefully, the show doesn’t run out of clever nods to Star Trek history.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, beginning with the premiere of The Original Series in September 1966. Starfleet Academy Season 1 is one of the ways the franchise is celebrating. Though the new series is set almost 300 years in the future—the 32nd century—it’s quickly become clear that it fits seamlessly into the Star Trek universe. A key highlight of the show’s first two episodes is that its far-future setting won’t prevent it from honoring the franchise’s long and detailed history, and may even enhance one particular classic storyline.
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Needs a Mirror Universe Episode
NBC
The Mirror Universe first appeared in a 1967 episode of the original Star Trek series, titled “Mirror, Mirror.” It’s become one of the most well-known alternate realities in the Star Trek franchise, second only to the main timeline. This universe features twisted, often evil, versions of familiar characters. Unlike the usual Star Trek setting, the Mirror Universe’s Starfleet is a ruthless, hostile organization that believes humans are superior to all other lifeforms. Several Star Trek series have revisited this dark universe in later episodes.
The Mirror Universe in Star Trek began as a different reality in 2063. Instead of a peaceful first meeting, humans attacked the Vulcans during First Contact, seizing their technology instead of welcoming them to Earth.
The world of Star Trek has explored its alternate, darker ‘Mirror Universe’ in stories set across the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries. While Discovery heavily featured this reality in its first season, the show didn’t return to it after moving forward to the 32nd century – though Captain Georgiou, as Emperor Georgiou, continued to represent that storyline. With Starfleet Academy still relatively new in the 32nd century, it would be exciting to see a story set in the Mirror Universe again. It would be particularly interesting to discover what has become of the Terran Empire by this point – assuming it still exists.
Why ‘Star Trek’s 32nd Century Would Be Perfect for a Mirror Universe Episode
Paramount+
The Terran Empire fundamentally believes humans are the most important species in the galaxy, leading to mistreatment of aliens. Even those who serve in the Empire’s fleet face discrimination. This human-centric approach continued for centuries, with even the Federation of the 24th century largely led by human officers, a pattern mirrored in the alternate reality of the Mirror Universe. However, by the 32nd century, things have changed dramatically, resulting in a truly unified community of different species.
Starfleet Academy likely still has mostly human students, but more and more aliens are applying to join. This is probably true even in the Mirror Universe, though their reasons for joining would likely be different. It would be fascinating to see how Terrans interact with so many aliens, and this situation creates several interesting story possibilities. For instance, alien officers might pretend to be loyal while secretly planning a rebellion to take over Starfleet.
The Mirror Universe was last seen in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, but it was just a quick stop during a bigger story about traveling through different universes. Because so much time has passed – over two centuries – since then, the Mirror Universe has likely changed a lot. Seeing it in the 32nd century could be dramatically different from anything we’ve seen before, and would be a fantastic way to mark Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary.
Even a Spin on ‘Star Trek’s Mirror Universe Tradition Would Be Cool in ‘Starfleet Academy’
UPN
The Mirror Universe doesn’t require characters from the main Star Trek timeline to physically travel there. While some shows, like The Original Series and Discovery, have used that approach, Enterprise demonstrated that a compelling Mirror Universe episode can focus solely on the evil versions of the characters. Although Enterprise used this method partly to maintain story consistency, it worked very well and is considered a standout episode. Starfleet Academy could go either way – a direct trip to the Mirror Universe would be exciting, but a self-contained story featuring only the Mirror Universe characters would also be great.
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Instead of revisiting the classic Mirror Universe, the new series Starfleet Academy could create something similar to achieve the same dramatic effect. Voyager once did this with a historical episode portraying an evil alternate reality, and Star Trek: Picard also explored a unique, dark dimension that felt like a twisted version of the familiar concept. This gives Starfleet Academy plenty of creative freedom. Even if the first season doesn’t include a story like this, the already-planned second season still offers a chance to explore the idea.
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2026-01-22 22:18