Star Trek: Alternate Realities

What makes an evil parallel universe evil? Goatees, mainly. So goes the logic of original Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror,” the lynchpin of the new Star Trek: Alternate Realities DVD set, where Kirk and his evil parallel universe twin switch places. Along with the that episode, there are mirror universe re-visitations in Deep Space Nine and Enterprise — The Next Generation never reverted to such camp — where we’re shown the impact of, and prelude to, Kirk’s crossing over. The set also expands to include episodes that deal with different alternate realities (i.e., time travel paradoxes and other parallel dimensions) in TNG and Voyager. It’s a collection that puts the focus on science fiction, weeding out the episodes that deal with personal drama and political allegory — no one wants to see that. The highlights of the set include "Frame of Mind,” a nightmarish mind fuck from The Next Generation in which Riker can’t separate his reality from the reality of a play he’s performing in, which is set in a mental asylum. It’s one of the most bizarre, haunting episodes in the entire Star Trek canon. Another TNG highlight is "Inner Light,” a genuinely moving story about Captain Picard living an entire second life after being zapped by an alien probe. Surprisingly, one of the Deep Space Nine episodes is also among of the best. "The Visitor " recounts Benjamin Sisko’s life from the perspective of his now elderly son who believes his father is somehow still alive. Most of the episodes are well conceived, even thought provoking stories that could stand on their own merits without the context of the Trek universe. Although Star Trek completists will find little use for these thematically compiled sets, for the casual, perhaps even embarrassed, fan they’re ideal. Star Trek: Alternate Realities showcases what Star Trek does best: interesting characters doing weird space stuff.