Star Trek The Next Generation: Mirror Universe Jean-Luc Picard a missed opportunity

The Mirror Universe version of Jean-Luc Picard needed to be on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Mirror Universe in Star Trek is one of the most well-known plot lines ever created by the series. It featured the main characters on the U.S.S. Enterprise playing dual roles, one as their standard “good” versions and then as a less moral version, who are the complete opposite of the standard versions. The fans grew to love this concept with the original series and many had hoped to see their favorite characters like Jean-Luc Picard get their Mirror Universe twist.

Yet, when the first sequel series came to fruition, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series went all seven seasons without exploring the universe. The same could be said for the third sequel series, Star Trek: Voyager, which also didn’t have any Mirror Universe episodes. The only two series to feature it so far after the original one was Deep Space Nine and Discovery.

So no Jean-Luc Picard as an evil-doer. That seems like a huge missed opportunity.

It would’ve been so easy too!

Just make Jean-Luc Picard and his Mirror Universe too similar.

Essentially you make both Jean-Luc’s the same just a bit different. They’re the same attitude, same ego, same dogged belief in what they’re doing. Make it so there’s no discernable difference outside of current goals.

Lean into tired ideas and re-used tropes here. Aphorism and proverbs like “the way to hell are paved with good intentions” or “from the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step” could sum up the idea nicely. Or even just a quote from Batman: The Dark Knight may be fitting; “you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.”

The idea of the episode would be to make Picard look at himself and question his own behavior. After all, Picard is a man who can oftentimes be, shall we say, dickish? So seeing a man who’s supposed to be “evil” behave just like he does would cause Picard to wonder what exactly is the difference between and his mirror counterpart.

It’d be an interesting idea if pulled off correctly.