Summary
Star Trek’sMirror Universe is full of evil variants of Spock and Kirk, as well as some truly horrifying weapons, and now the franchise has confirmed that one of them is more powerful than fans thought. In the mid-1980s,DC’sStar Trektitle brought the Mirror Universe back and in issue 12, one of their most nefarious weapons revealed its true destructive potential.
Star Trek#12 was written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran. The Mirror Universe is stagingan invasion of the Federation, and plans to capture theExcelsiorand use it as their flagship.
They are successful in planting their flag on the ship, but aboard theISS Enterprise,Scotty and Saavik have rigged the Tantalus Device in Kirk’s quarters to hone in on particular areas of theExcelsior.
They use the Tantalus Device’s disintegration feature to attackExcelsior’sengine room, helping disable the ship.
Star Trek’sMirror Universe Is One of the Franchise’s Most Endearing Elements
The Mirror Universe Features Some ofStar Trek’sWorst Weapons
Introduced in the second seasonStar Trekepisode “Mirror, Mirror,”the Mirror Universe has become one of the most popular, and parodied, aspects of the franchise. The Mirror Universe is a bleak and miserable place. Earth sits at the center of a massive empire built on conquest and subjugation. The Vulcans are equally as menacing in this universe: the goateed Spock oozes evil and ruthlessness. The Mirror Universe has also appeared, in one form or another, inEnterprise, Deep Space NineandDiscovery.Watching normally moral Starfleet heroes act badly has proven irresistible to fans.
The Mirror Universe, in addition to featuring sadistic riffs on belovedStar Trekicons, also has some of the most fearsome weaponry in the franchise. Agony booths, used to torture dissidents and mutineers, are one of many ways the Terran Empire exerts its influence. Portable agonizers show this commitment to cruelty even further. Yet no Mirror Universe weapon was as twisted as Kirk’s Tantalus Field. Stolen from unknown parties, the Tantalus Device allowed Kirk to not only spy on anyone on the ship, but also discreetly vaporize them if he so desired.
The Tantalus Device Could Be One ofStar Trek’sMost Powerful Weapons
Mirror Kirk Never Unlocked Its True Potential
And inStar Trek#12, the true destructive power of the Tantalus Device is revealed. Ironically, it took two characters from the Prime universe, Scotty and Saavik, to unlock its potential. The duo boosted the power of the Tantalus Device, using it to take theExcelsioroff the table. Mirror Kirk, in his arrogance, never thought ofexpanding the device’s scope as Scottyand Saavik do inStar Trek#12. The two turn a device used in the Mirror Universe simply for surveillance and murder into an extremely powerful weapon, confirming its true potential.
