Star Trek: 10 Best Mirror Universe Characters

Star Trek is praised for a lot of its unique and fascinating choices and ideals that spread throughout seasons, even series. The Starfleet credo has inspired countless fans.

On the flip side of Starfleet, there's the Mirror Universe, the exact opposite of the peacekeeper organization The Federation tries to be. The Mirror Universe is far more violent, chaotic, and unforgiving. While it's likely not a great place to live, it does give Star Trek fans some of the best characters. Mirror-verse people, villain or good guy, are always so much fun to watch.

10 Intendant Kira

Of all the DS9 mirror universe characters, Kira was the biggest delight to see on screen. Intendant Kira had the same spark of passion in her. But instead of gearing it towards justice, revolution, and faith, Mirror Kira loved torture, manipulation, and power.

This made her a frightening, self-centered foe whenever any DS9 characters entered the universe. However, she never stopped being an absolute delight to watch. Think the same chaos level of Q, but without any sort of respect for Starfleet ideals.

Whether she was making Garak bend to her will or threatening Sisko, she always did it with a devilish laugh and smile.

9 Empress Hoshi Sato

Say what you will about Enterprise, it had its highlights. And one of them was Empress Hoshi Sato. In the normal universe, Sato often got sidelined and ignored. In the mirror universe, it seemed to be worse: she was a "ship's woman" AKA a pretty lady whose job is to be the captain's personal sex kitten.

The mirror universe let her overcome that demeaning role, though, by slaying her captain and taking over the ship. Even better, after that she seemed to go on a conquering rampage, calling herself Empress Sato.

Kick butt and take names, Mirror Hoshi. The writers certainly don't let you do that for the rest of the show.

8 Ezri Tigon

Ezri can be a polarizing character for a lot of people. She was interesting and complex, but she got little time to develop and took the spot of a well-loved character, Jadzia.

However, one of the most interesting Ezri episodes wasn't even the Ezri from DS9. In the mirror universe, Ezri didn't bond with Dax and is still Ezri Tigon, living her life as a mercenary for Intendant Kira. Better, she's madly in love with the sadistic Bajoran.

While this Ezri is a lot more sure of herself, she relies on Kira for that confidence and it's fascinating, badass, and heartbreaking to see mirror Ezri like that.

7 Evil Beard Spock

When TOS originally went to the Mirror Universe in 1967, they ran into violent, evil versions of themselves that startled them to their very core. However, they had to work hard to blend in to survive and make it back home to the Enterprise.

While Kirk would probably love to say his clever wit got them through, the only reason they survived was because even Mirror Spock, with a maniacal beard and everything, still was a logic-based Vulcan in the end. Despite his devotion to the empire, he agreed when Kirk suggested that the system was unsustainable and would collapse.

Not only did bearded Mirror Spock save the USS Enterprise bridge crew, but he started the thought revolution that eventually led to the crumble of the Terran Empire. Epic.

6 Sylvia Tilly

Discovery fans love Tilly for how open-hearted, eager, and anxious she is. Her dream to be captain really inspires her fellow crew-members.

Sylvia Tilly of the Mirror Universe, otherwise known as "Captain Killy", has already achieved Tilly's dreams but in a very... violent way. It's easy to understand why Tilly isn't too jazzed about having to play her equally ambitious, but much more knife-happy counterpart.

However, watching Tilly try, and even just hearing all the horrendous atrocities Captain Killy committed? That's one of the best parts of Discovery's adventure into the Mirror-verse.

5 Elim Garak

While the Mirror Universe version of Elim Garak isn't all that different from his current counterpart (shady, self-serving, way too charismatic, etc.), he has been pushed by the conflicts in his world to be a lot more aggressive about his manipulation and deals.

DS9's Garak is fascinating because fans can never tell if the things he says are quite true or not. He's a charming man of mystery that could convince even his closest friends of the more blatant lies (or unbelievable truths).

Mirror Universe Garak is so much more obvious, which does take away from the fun. But it does show a different side of him, a more desperate, broken Garak. That's still fascinating.

4 Voq

In the real world, Voq was a zealot who fought for a unified Klingon culture and was willing to erase himself for it. He let faith take him wherever it wanted, and it destroyed his life. However, he did get to influence and change his homeworld for the better.

Mirror Universe Voq is just as zealous, but for a new cause. As the leader of the rebellion against Terran rule, he had the same fierce devotion but now with power, confidence, and followers behind him. Where the Klingons looked down on his "otherness", his rebellion praised it.

Seeing Voq lead a rebellion was a great way to see how a character with noble intentions can be warped for the greater good or not.

3 Mirror Kirk

This can't be a top Mirror counterparts list without mentioning the most guyliner heavy, dramatic man ever to Mirror: Kirk. Much like his dark split personality in "The Enemy Within", Mirror Kirk skulked around, offended women, and tried to hurt people with abandon. With his passion and darker impulses without check (and especially without Starfleet ideals) Kirk is a completely boorish monster.

And to think, Kirk is always only a mirror or split personality away from being that.

Mirror Kirk is over the top and a terrible human being, but that's half the fun of watching him. Bravo.

2 Miles "Smiley" O'Brien

Miles O'Brien will never not be a cranky Irishman on a space station. It's no surprise every version of him is like that. However, where Miles is normally the stressed-out cynic on DS9, it was great to see him be the hopeful optimist in this terrible Mirror-verse. Things get flipped, right? It makes sense that his outlook would change, too.

While Smiley is a nickname no one really wants, "Smiley" O'Brien was the best that the Mirror Universe had to offer and he honestly deserved better. Unlucky for him, he was just born in the wrong place.

Fans are still rooting for him, though.

1 Emperor Philippa Georgiou

While everyone can have their favorite Mirror characters, it's hard to say that anyone is as amazing and fun to watch as Emperor Philippa Georgiou. Where her Starfleet counterpart was honest and noble to a fault, the Emperor feels no qualms about manipulating, lying, and stabbing her way to greatness. The only thing that ever really softened her was her adopted daughter, Michael Burnham.

As one of the most dynamic and fantastic relationships in the show, main universe Michael and Mirror Philippa are are a great duo that could carry the show on their own. Their ideals clash, but neither of them can abandon the feelings they have for each other.

Fans cannot wait to see more of her in season 3 of Discovery.

Source: screenrant.com