Star Trek: Enterprise ran for a total of four seasons on television, but plans were in place to try and bolster the appeal of the show for Trekkies — to say nothing of boosting the ratings. And, as it turns out, the franchise’s iconic William Shatner himself was being courted to return to the Trek universe and guest star in a pair of Mirror Universe-centric episodes. Certainly, diehards are familiar with this failed attempt, which eventually led to the Enterprise episodes, “In a Mirror, Darkly” and “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II," instead.
Now, for casual fans or newcomers to the fandom, the two-part story that would have featured Shatner is a sore spot for many Trekkies. This isn't a surprise given the love for the OG Mirror Universe episode from Star Trek: The Original Series, "Mirror, Mirror," featuring Captain Kirk and crew.
However, Enterprise writer and producer Mike Sussman recently shed light on the controversial matter that dates back over 20 years. Plus, he also discussed who Shatner would have played. And no, it wasn’t the heroic Captain Kirk — not exactly. Sussman said while appearing on the All Access Star Trek podcast (via TrekMovie.com):
“Manny [Coto | season 4 showrunner]... one of the ideas he put on the board at the beginning of season 4 was that he wanted to do a Mirror Universe episode, preferably a two-parter. There was a long discussion [about] getting Bill Shatner on the show. We were trying to make it happen [for months], but ultimately the network or the studio wouldn’t meet his quote.”
If the Mirror Universe storyline didn’t pan out, Sussman had another way to weave Shatner into the fabric of the 22nd century show had the actor beamed aboard for what turned out to be the series’ fourth and final season. Sussman cooked up a plot in which Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew stumble upon the USS Defiant! Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, Trekkies?
Obviously, Trekkies are aware of the starship Defiant from "In a Mirror, Darkly," which Captain Kirk’s Enterprise also discovered during the events of The Original Series season 3 episode, “The Tholian Web.” Without Shatner, the Mirror Universe storyline still happened, although it would have been way more intriguing with the evil version of Kirk. Yes, Shatner would have played the Mirror Universe’s Tiberius, not our beloved captain. Sussman continued by saying:
“It was an entirely different story generated by Judy [Judith] and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who had worked a lot with Bill and had written books with him about the return of Kirk after his death in [Star Trek] Generations. They cooked up a story about Tiberius, whom Shatner would have played. We’d find out he went back in time after being zapped by the Tantalus [Field] Device by Mirror Spock."
"And so, we run across him [Tiberius], and now he and Archer — who start off initially as adversaries — end up having to work together in order to somehow create the Mirror Universe," Sussman continued. "I’m sure that would have been a super fun show, but like I said, we couldn’t make the deal.”
The evil emperor, Tiberius, appeared in Shatner’s Mirror Universe Trilogy, which included the books Spectre, Dark Victory, and Preserver. Now, it goes without saying that Shatner’s appearance in Enterprise season 4 would have been akin to a true must-see television event in the annals of the Trek franchise's history. However, would it have saved the series? Who knows, but Trekkies surely would have enjoyed seeing the evil Kirk and Archer cross paths.
So, what do you think? Are you happy with “In a Mirror, Darkly,” or would you have preferred Shatner chewing up the scenery once again as Tiberius in Star Trek: Enterprise's Mirror Universe episodes? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!