The Star Trek franchise has had some pretty incredible villains. From Khan to the Borg to the Dominion and back to the Borg, Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic series about an idealized version of humanity certainly has its dark moments. For the most part, however, Star Trek's main characters have all been pretty married to the straight and narrow.
That’s what makes campy conceits like the Mirror Universe so much fun for fans to play with. Introduced in the classic Original Series episode “Mirror, Mirror” and recently revisited in Star Trek: Discovery, the Mirror Universe was just an alternate reality where everyone is the worst version of themselves – a universe of evil twins, if you will. Seeing the goody two-shoes officers of Starfleet become mustache-twirling villains of the highest degree is decadent fun from a "what might have been" standpoint.
This is a list showcasing artistic renderings of Star Trek characters from the far reaches of the franchise that reimagine our beloved characters as villains. Because Star Trek canon has already reimagined its own characters as villains by creating the MU, many of these pieces incorporate costumes, props, and scenes from canon works. That said, there are certainly fans who reimagine characters as villains with no relation to the Mirror Universe. Who can blame fan artists for loving the Mirror Universe. Why wouldn’t you want to play in such a delightful sandbox of ideas if it’s available?
Here are 25 Star Trek Characters Reimagined As Villains.
MIRROR SPOCK AND TRIBBLE
We love this piece by Phoenix-Cry because it not only reimagines Mirror Spock, it also introduces a Mirror Tribble.
Spock looks like he’s reluctantly posing with a drooling, yet vicious ball of fur.
It makes sense in the context of the dire Mirror Universe that Mirror Sarek might have wanted to punish his son by making him pose with a very undignified creature, but we digress. Really, now all we want in life is to go back to the Mirror Universe on Discovery just so Michael Burnham can walk past a vampire puff.
PIRATE JANEWAY
Of all the Starfleet captains, Janeway’s the most believable pirate by far. During her time in the Delta Quadrant, she had to learn how to survive without any extra guns or government to back up her ideals. She also made some very, very questionable decisions when it came to making the Prime Directive more interpretive rather than objective.
This piece by Irina Spalko really makes it easy to imagine her captaining a ship on the high seas rather than in deep space. Something tells us she’d feel even more perfect on the bridge of the Black Pearl than she was on Voyager.
MIRROR PICARD
This piece by JeremyVilmur depicts the artist’s interpretation of how Jean-Luc Picard would look if Star Trek: The Next Generation had ever traveled to the Mirror Universe. In television canon, the Enterprise D never got that pleasure, but in the non-canon novels and comic books, we get a great look at what it might have been like.
This devilishly dapper version of Picard is sporting a snow-white villain goatee and two tickets to the gun show.
MS. CHAKOTAY
We love this piece by LizzyChrome not just because Chakotay makes such a good fantasy villain, but also because this gender bend is so unique and interesting.
She almost looks like a cross between Chakotay and Catwoman with the whip in her hand.
She’s wearing his uniform and has the more elaborate tattoo Chakotay got when he was villainized in the closest thing Voyager ever got to a Mirror Universe episode, “Living Witness”. As far as we’re concerned, he got the best makeover that week.
EVIL DEANNA TROI
While this portrait of Deanna Troi by mylochka isn’t necessarily villainous, it can totally be interpreted that way. In the show, she was every inch the warm, safe counselor – if she showed anything resembling dramatic emotion, that usually meant her wires were getting crossed or it turned out the guest star she was sleeping with turned out to be a bad idea. And despite being the show’s resident dream boat, she wasn’t exactly aggressive.
This Deanna’s piled on the eyeshadow like she’s out to get revenge on someone. There’s no denying she’s about to become a femme fatale.
MIRROR DR. BASHIR
This spectacular piece by Vera-Ist-44 showcases Bashir’s Mirror self trying desperately to either get the attention of his counterpart or break through to take his place.
The piece beautifully illuminates the larger concept at work behind the Mirror Universe conceit.
There are few humans as consistently noble as those in the Federation and hopefully even fewer humans as dastardly as those who inhabit the Terran Empire. Most of us court angels and battle demons on the same day, and this piece illustrates the war that that can sometimes feel like.
EVIL KELVIN KIRK
There are several renderings of Captain Kirk eating an apple with a devilish look on his face. That’s a reference to his smug performance during the Kobiyashi Maru test at Starfleet Academy in 2009’s Star Trek. Knowing he’d rigged things to ensure he passed the supposedly unpassable test, Kirk was so relaxed he ate an apple on the bridge.
Phantom Brushy’s piece here depicts a much more wicked Kirk doing much the same, but with a dirk instead of his hands.
MIRROR JADZIA DAX
Deep Space Nine's Mirror Jadzia remains one of the best Mirror transformations because it just felt like she was an enhanced version of the original character. There was always a swagger lurking underneath Jadzia’s normally professional exterior, and Mirror Jadzia took that dormant swagger and turned it into an entire lifestyle-- complete with an awesome hairstyle.
This rendering by LizzyChrome allows us to envision what someone would see if they snuck up behind Mirror Jadzia in a dark alley. It surely wouldn't end well for them.
BORG QUEEN JANEWAY
While the Borg became one of the most annoyingly overused enemies due to their time on Voyager, there was absolutely something interesting about the conflict between Janeway and the Borg Queen. Their competition over Seven of Nine grew into a truly compelling rivalry that pushed both women to their mutual destruction-- temporarily.
Seeing G672’s rendition of Janeway becoming her rival reminded us of how much closer to darkness Janeway got whenever she decided to get involved with the Borg and their queen.
DEVIL DAMAR
Reflectedeve knocked it out of the park in a way we didn’t even know we needed.
Damar spent most of his time on Deep Space Nine serving as the devil on Gul Dukat’s ever-conflicted shoulder.
He pushed the Cardassian leader to abandon any attempts to ameliorate his relationship with Ziyal and even wound up offing the young woman in “Sacrifice of Angels" He wound up redeeming himself by the end of the series, but he was an unlikable jerk long enough for him to have earned this delightful reboot.
MIRROR DR. CRUSHER
Dr. Beverly Crusher generally meant business on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but since we never got a chance to see her as her Mirror Counterpart, we had no idea if that version of her would be similarly no-nonsense. Well, Star Trek Timelines finally gave us more of an answer with their release of one of the first and closest to canon images of Mirror Dr. Crusher.
It looks like she’s going to be villainous in the cold and calculating way.
She's probably less emotional than Dr. Phlox, but just as sociopathic. Or maybe she’s part of the resistance.
KIRA CARDASSIAN
OptimumBuster turned Kira Nerys into a villain, of sorts. This piece was clearly inspired by the spectacular episode, “Second Skin”, in which Kira is surgically altered and nearly brainwashed to believe she’s a member of the Obsidian Order. That turns out to be a very large lie told in an attempt to manipulate a prominent Cardassian into thinking his daughter was still alive.
The entire episode was incredibly dark, not only in the lengths the Cardassian government was willing to go in their subterfuge, but also in Kira’s near total loss of center when she starts to believe the story might be true.
MIRROR SPOCK: KELVIN EDITION
Firecracker-sj’s rendering of Mirror Spock is original because it’s based on Zachary Quinto’s turn as the character instead of Leonard Nimoy’s. As of yet, the members of the Kelvin Universe have yet to cross into the Mirror Universe, though placing Star Trek 4 in the Mirror Universe could provide a nice distraction from Chris Pine’s absence, if he wound up not returning to the franchise.
This pieces makes us want to see what Quinto would do with a dishonorable version of his character.
The goatee looks good on both Spocks, as far as we’re concerned.
DATA OF BORG
In the novel Dark Mirror that’s served as the most significant TNG Mirror Universe story until Star Trek: Discovery, Data and Lore didn’t actually exist because Noonien Soong had been executed by the Empire. Data’s absence served to illustrate one of the ways the fascist regime shot itself in the foot by stamping out anyone who’d showcase any dissent regardless of how valuable their ideas might have been.
The new comics, however, tell a different story. In their MU, Data has adapted himself to include Borg technology, which, in and of itself, wouldn’t be a bad thing. Considering he’s an android born and raised in the MU, we don’t want to meet this version of Data.
MCCOY VS MCCOY
Much like the Bashir vs. Bashir piece we showcased above, this McCoy vs. McCoy rendering is a fascinating exploration of how we fight our own demons. Prime McCoy’s aiming a phaser at Mirror McCoy and Mirror McCoy’s embracing the Mirror Universe’s preference for edge weapons and threatening his counterpart with a dagger.
He’s rocking some sweet cuffs, because apparently McCoy’s villainous side includes a keen fashion sense.
Another reason we like this piece by a regrettably unknown (show yourself!) artist is because both McCoys seem to have a scientist’s fascination with each other and appear to be happy to have met.
MIRROR RIKER
Stourangeau managed to create a version of Will Riker who is easy to hate.
Will Riker was very charming, but he thought he was far more charming than he actually was.
That’s why we’re absolutely convinced that this is the outfit he would choose if he found himself in the Mirror Universe – eye patch included. To be perfectly honest, we wouldn’t be surprised if Riker hadn’t tried to introduced a sleeveless uniform at some point during his career.
GREASER KIRK
This image of Kirk rocking a 1950s greaser vibe is more open to interpretation than some of the other photos on this list. It’s possible the as yet anonymous artist just meant for Kirk’s mischievous side to show in this rendering of him and McCoy, but the expression on his face tiptoes toward malevolence.
It's totally believable that this could be a Mirror version of Kirk at home in Iowa just waiting to ruin the days of some unsuspecting bystanders or haze some cadets.
MIRROR GEORDI
This rendering of Geordi LaForge by J.K. Woodward, wielding a gun that’s almost as big as he is, is from the current Mirror Universe storyline that’s taking place in the Star Trek: The Next Generation comics.
Geordi also rocks the sleeveless uniforms preferred by so many Mirror Universe employees and some goggles instead of his traditional VISOR.
This photo alone would’ve been enough to many viewers to read this comic, if only for the promise of Geordi getting to do something else besides yell “Coolant leak!” twice as season on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
EYE-PATCH BONES
Regrettably, there are many characters who never actually appeared in a canon episode of Star Trek that involved the Mirror Universe or appeared in a limited capacity, as Dr. McCoy did in the Original Series. Luckily for fans, there are plenty of apocryphal novels to fill out some backstory for Mirror counterparts we never got to meet.
As for Mirror McCoy, according to the novel The Sorrows of the Empire, he perished of xenopolycythemia because his Enterprise never encountered the ship that led Prime McCoy to find the cure. Before that, he tormented his own father on Empire orders. There's nothing to explain the eyepatch in this piece by nebula 77, but it’s fitting nonetheless.
MIRROR SPOCK MOVIE
As yet, there’s been no Star Trek movie that’s visited the Mirror Universe. The closest thing we’re likely to get is the three-episode arc on Star Trek: Discovery that saw Mirror Lorca drag his unwitting crew to the alt-Federation to stage a coup. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream…
Sharpbrothers' poster, featuring the cinematic Mr. Spock holding his friends in the palm of his hand in an homage to the original Star Trek: The Motion Picture poster, is just the fodder we need for daydreams of what MU movie would look like.