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Date Posted: 20:39:49 04/20/05 Wed
Author: Computer Geek!
Subject: INSIDE
In reply to: Computer Geek! 's message, "Talon, I am convinced you will find " In a mirror, darkly" interesting. Here is a production report I pulled from startrek.com. It is lengthy but worth the read." on 20:36:39 04/20/05 Wed

Production Report: "In a Mirror, Darkly" Portrays Evil Enterprise

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Have you ever sat around thinking, "Gee, I wonder what's happening in the alternate universe? What is my evil counterpart doing right now?" Well, if you've ever wondered that in regard to Captain Archer and his squad, there's a treat in store for you. The latest episode to complete photography is the first of a two-part adventure taking place entirely in the parallel universe introduced in "Mirror, Mirror" (and reprised several times in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), but contemporary to the NX-01.

The Enterprise sets have been redressed and the cast re-outfitted to convert them into members of the Terran Empire, the tyrannical counterpart to Starfleet and the eventual Federation. And a character who has kicked the bucket in the regular universe is still alive and kicking here: Maxwell Forrest � only this time, instead of being an Earth-bound admiral, he is sitting in the captain's chair of the evil Enterprise ... with a first officer named Commander Archer. Vaughn Armstrong makes a triumphant return to the set, happy that in science fiction, nobody really stays dead (Admiral Forrest, a recurring character, was killed in "The Forge").

The two-part episode is called "In a Mirror, Darkly," and both scripts were written by long-time staff writer Mike Sussman. As previously reported, Sussman describes the story as "a prequel to 'Mirror, Mirror' and a sequel to 'The Tholian Web,' two of my favorite episodes." All the action takes place in the mirror universe, without any interplay with the regular Star Trek realm. In "Part I," Commander Archer has gained information that a ship has been found in Tholian space that would give the Terran Empire a distinct tactical advantage over an interstellar rebellion. Archer tries to convince Captain Forrest to skip a rendezvous with the rest of the fleet and go in pursuit, but he refuses. So the ruthless Archer stages a mutiny and takes over Enterprise. It turns out the mysterious ship is an Earth vessel, from 100 years in the future.

That ship, we learn, is the U.S.S. Defiant NCC-1764, the Constitution-class starship which disappeared into a spatial interphase in Tholian space (almost taking Captain Kirk with it) in "The Tholian Web." That gave the set designers, art directors and construction crew the exciting opportunity to reproduce the Original Series bridge, down to the most intricate detail � though with subtle differences to make it the Defiant, such as the gold plaque next to the turbolift. This is the third time the TOS bridge has been depicted in a post-TOS show, but this is the first time it has been reproduced this completely, with a full three-quarter-round set. In "Relics" (Star Trek: The Next Generation) only about half of the full bridge set was built and shown on screen. In "Trials and Tribble-ations" (DS9) only small segments were used as background for the contemporary characters, the rest of the Enterprise bridge seen in repurposed TOS clips (though corridors and other sets were fully reproduced). This new set starts with the science station at the far left and goes all the way around to the viewscreen, with the captain's chair and the helm in the center.

But that's not the only interesting set design applied to this episode. The standing Enterprise sets had all the standard NX-01 logos replaced with the Terran Empire symbol, the same one from "Mirror, Mirror" with a vertical sword through the Earth. (Note: The term "Terran Empire" was actually introduced in DS9's "Crossover.") All the sets were redressed in various ways, but Sickbay in particular was made to look like a vivisectionist's lab, with dead creatures scattered about. The mirror Dr. Phlox is despicably evil � in one scene he is dissecting a still-breathing animal. Aside from the set dressings, the lighting was arranged differently to give the scenes a darker, more ominous feel.

There was one new Enterprise ship set: an Interrogation Room, complete with an "Agony Booth" as seen in "Mirror, Mirror." Turns out Phlox and "Major Reed" had something to do with its invention. Sorry, mirror-Chekov.

All the principal actors were given a makeover for a harsher, or at least alternate, look. For instance, Scott Bakula's hair was dyed black; Jolene Blalock's hair was lighter and longer; Linda Park got a heavy dose of eye makeup (she's got Marlena Moreau duty); and Connor Trinneer had half his face covered with radiation burns, from years of exposure to a less-than-code warp reactor (with that and his haircut, he might remind you of Captain Pike in "The Menagerie").

The evil-universe uniforms follow the same pattern as "Mirror, Mirror." The blue NX-01 jumpsuits were embellished, for the males, with leather straps and weapons belts (everyone carried a dagger), along with the Terran badge and medals as appropriate. The women had their jumpsuits radically altered with a very revealing bare midriff. Phlox's outfit was a black leathery number to give him a Dr. Mengele quality (the suit was so thick and rigid John Billingsley couldn't sit down in it). In this dimension Travis Mayweather is a MACO sergeant, so Anthony Montgomery wore altered fatigues.

Principal photography on "Part I" took place from Monday, January 17 (they didn't break for Martin Luther King Day) through last Tuesday, the 25th. Six of those days were spent on the altered Enterprise sets; Day 7 was devoted to the Defiant sets, which will be the principal setting in "Part II." In addition to the bridge, a TOS-style corridor was built, including a Jefferies tube, with substantial damage. Though these are not the same setpieces used in "Trials and Tribble-ations," the same blueprints were used as a basis. In that corridor there is a certain type of hexagonal grating used, familiar from the Original Series, and we learned that the set designers obtained that grating from the very same company that constructed it in the '60s!
In Part I the Defiant is trashed, partly from the chaos in "Tholian Web" and partly from Tholian salvaging attempts (the bridge was cleaned up for "Part II"). In addition, when Archer and company first enter it, they find dead crewmen scattered about the bridge in exactly the same positions as the NCC-1701 crew left them.

There are so many exciting details about this production that we could go on for pages and pages. If you're intrepid enough to keep reading, we'll entice you with a few more fun facts. For the first time ever, we'll finally get to see what Tholians really look like. In "Tholian Web" we see Commander Loskene on the viewscreen with a very angular visage, but it's never clear whether that is his head or a helmet, or whether the species is humanoid or something more exotic. These answers will be revealed as a Tholian is beamed into the Decon Chamber and Archer goes eye-to-eye with it through the glass. The Tholian will be created digitally in post-production, but during photography there was a person in a "tracking suit" performing the creature's movements in Decon.

Two more significant spoilers if you dare to go on: The opening sequence of the episode is a shocking revision of Star Trek history for the mirror universe. These scenes were actually shot on film with an "old-fashioned" Panaflex camera � rather than the Sony high-definition digital cameras now in standard use on the show � so that those revisionist scenes will blend smoothly into clips from a certain movie. It shouldn't take you too long to guess which one.

That opening sequence will then segue into a revised title sequence with images of exploration replaced by images of violence, and "Faith of the Heart" replaced with a militaristic "drums of war" march, culminating triumphantly with the Terran Empire symbol. (This is what Sussman's script calls for; the title sequence has yet to be produced, so things could change before the show airs.)

As mentioned, Vaughn Armstrong is back on the set as the mirror-Forrest, after being absent from Enterprise since "The Forge." Besides his familiar role as the good admiral, Armstrong has been the most prolific guest actor in the Star Trek franchise, having played at least 11 different characters of eight different races, starting with the Klingon "Korris" in TNG's "Heart of Glory." All the other guest roles in this episode are either very small or non-speaking. Several familiar-looking stuntmen play mirror-MACOs, including Shawn Crowder, Yoshio Iizuka, Paul Sklar and Mickey Cassidy; Craig Baxley Jr. plays a Tactical Officer who takes one for the team. There is also a Tellarite and a few Vulcans aboard the mirror-Enterprise, played by extras.

"In a Mirror, Darkly" was directed by James Conway, who has experience on every Trek series since TNG. He kicked off Enterprise with the pilot "Broken Bow" and has directed one episode per season since, his last being "Damage." This is Mike Sussman's sixth script of the season, including last week's "Babel One" and the upcoming "Affliction."

[One other note regarding the production of this episode: Long-time producer Merri Howard visited the set on the Tuesday to announce that it was her last day working on the show. She gave a brief speech expressing her gratitude to all, and how much she has enjoyed working on the show over the years. Howard, who has enormous respect amongst the production team, was then greeted with a rousing ovation by the cast and crew. Merri began her Star Trek career as a first assistant director on Star Trek: The Next Generation during its second season in 1988, eventually becoming a producer for Star Trek: Voyager, and finally supervising producer for Enterprise. Fellow long-serving producer Brad Yacobian is expected to take over Merri's duties.]

"Part I" of the mirror universe arc is tentatively set to air April 22, with "Part II" the following week. Be sure to pull out your DVDs and watch "The Tholian Web" and "Mirror, Mirror" beforehand.

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[> [> Very interesting! Thanks for posting this. -- PB, 03:28:59 04/23/05 Sat

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