Rating: 
Summary: VERY VERY GOOD
Review: Ive always loved "Mirror Mirror" The crew gets in an ion storm thats sends them to an opposite galaxy where thier mirror images are evil and desperate. The good kirk must convince the opposite spock that there is no logic in remaining evil. For some reason the last line before there return to home sticks in my mind. Kirk says to the mirror Spock " in every revolution there is one man with a vision". I recommened all these discs really. Star trek was ahead of its time.
Rating:
Summary: VERY VERY GOOD
Review: Ive always loved "Mirror Mirror" The crew gets in an ion storm thats sends them to an opposite galaxy where thier mirror images are evil and desperate. The good kirk must convince the opposite spock that there is no logic in remaining evil. For some reason the last line before there return to home sticks in my mind. Kirk says to the mirror Spock " in every revolution there is one man with a vision". I recommened all these discs really. Star trek was ahead of its time.
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable episode
Review: Mirror, Mirror is one of my favorite episodes. The combination of the crisp acting, intense dialog, and beautiful orchestral score make it a real treat. Scenes range from attempted asassinations in the hallway, to a steamy romance in the captain's quarters (with the striking Barbara Luna), to intrique and suspense in the transporter room. Combine that with Sulu and Uhura mixing it up on the bridge, and Scotty's sense of urgency, and you've got a winner. It probably has the best combination of music and lighting effects of any episode; The sound quality is outstanding. A work that touches all the emotions.
Other top episodes: Shore Leave, The Naked Time, This Side of Paradise.
Rating:
Summary: One must-see and another well above average show
Review: Mirror, Mirror-The 'real' alternate universe episode, featuring an evil Enterprise, is a real gem. From the spooky string music accompanying the ion storm at the start to the ensuing more dramatic music and orbit-change, Mirror Mirror has Trek's best teaser. It doesn't let up much thereafter. Drama is maintained throughout, as the good guys try to keep up with the wily machinations of Chekov, Sulu (even Sulu turns in a good performance here!), and just about everybody else. The gorgeous Luna also turns in a nice performance. The episode is very dramatic and threatening, yet by the end a hard-fought optimism has been interjected, thanks to some of Kirk's strongest salesmanship ever (he has to work on both the Harkan council and Spock here). By the end of the episode, I was totally absorbed, and even found myself believing that maybe good can conquer evil (certainly it's hard to imagine the 'evil' Federation ever growing strong in the first place with all that intrigue and double-dealing). It just goes to show how a good story can knock down our cynical defenses. (5 stars)The Deadly Years-This episode, in which the crew experience accelerated aging, is another winner. The best thing going for this show is the most simple; it's a good story. Add to that the fact that it is developed nicely and at it's own pace, and you have another thoroughly engaging show, in which we actually feel suspense as to how the crew will get out of this jam. The acting performances are also enjoyable from the big 3 in particular. (4 stars)
Rating:
Summary: VERY VERY GOOD
Review: Mirror, Mirror-The `real' alternate universe episode, featuring an evil Enterprise, is a real gem. From the spooky string music accompanying the ion storm at the start to the ensuing more dramatic music and orbit-change, Mirror Mirror has Trek's best teaser. It doesn't let up much thereafter. Drama is maintained throughout, as the good guys try to keep up with the wily machinations of Chekov, Sulu (even Sulu turns in a good performance here!), and just about everybody else. The gorgeous Luna also turns in a nice performance. The episode is very dramatic and threatening, yet by the end a hard-fought optimism has been interjected, thanks to some of Kirk's strongest salesmanship ever (he has to work on both the Harkan council and Spock here). By the end of the episode, I was totally absorbed, and even found myself believing that maybe good can conquer evil (certainly it's hard to imagine the `evil' Federation ever growing strong in the first place with all that intrigue and double-dealing). It just goes to show how a good story can knock down our cynical defenses. (5 stars) The Deadly Years-This episode, in which the crew experience accelerated aging, is another winner. The best thing going for this show is the most simple; it's a good story. Add to that the fact that it is developed nicely and at it's own pace, and you have another thoroughly engaging show, in which we actually feel suspense as to how the crew will get out of this jam. The acting performances are also enjoyable from the big 3 in particular. (4 stars)
Rating:
Summary: History's logic
Review: The "Mirror, Mirror" episode contained the following dialogue in 1965 that would prove prophetic almost four decades later.
1st Officer Spock: "Terror must be maintained or the empire is doomed. It is the logic of history."
Captain Kirk: "Conquest is easy. Control is not. We may have bitten off more than we can chew."
Rating:
Summary: Getting to see some different faces of the Enterprise crew
Review: The common element to the two episodes included on Volume 20 of the Star Trek DVD series is that we get to see alternative versions of some of the Enterprise officers. In "Mirror Mirror," the Halkan council has declined to give the Federation mining rights to dilithium crystals, because they fear the crystals would be used for non-peaceful purposes. When Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura beam back to the Enterprise an ion storm sends them to a very different Enterprise. In this Mirror Universe, the Federation is an evil empire and Kirk is captain because he has a nice little weapon in his quarters that makes his enemies suddenly disappear. Even worse, Sulu is a sadist with a giant scar and Spock wears a goatee that makes him look even more like Satan than usual. Do not try to get this all to make sense in terms of all the previous Star Trek episodes, just go along for the ride and make sure none of your friends want your job, since assassination is the main means of promotion over there. As alternate realities go, this is one of the better ones to pop up on Star Trek, but while I know Kira looks good in a cat suit, Deep Space Nine did overdo it with all those Mirror Universe episodes. On the other hand, it was cool when the Cartman from another universe on "South Park" had a Spock-like goatee. Certainly, "Mirror Mirror" resonates more than most Star Trek episodes. Then, in "The Deadly Years," the Enterprise discovers everyone on Gamma Hydra IV has either died or is in the process of dying from old age. Back onboard their ship, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scott all begin to age rapidly as well because of some unusual kind of radiation. Meanwhile, there is a Commodore Stocker on board who forces Spock to relieve Kirk as being unfit for command and then does the same to Spock. But the Commodore has been flying a desk his entire career and in no time at all he has the ship in the Neutral Zone, surrounded by Romulans. Seeing all the senior officers in old person make-up is a bit hokey, but this is redeemed by Kirk's performance during his competency hearing and the way Kirk uses his earlier mistakes to save the day in a nice ironic touch. Usually when the writers come up with a gimmick like this they do not come up with a worthwhile story in which to play it, but that is not the case with "The Deadly Years." This could have been a really lame episode, but it is well-above average. Neither of these episodes is in my personal Top 10, but there are certainly in that next tier
Rating:
Summary: Getting to see some different faces of the Enterprise crew
Review: The common element to the two episodes included on Volume 20 of the Star Trek DVD series is that we get to see alternative versions of some of the Enterprise officers. In "Mirror Mirror," the Halkan council has declined to give the Federation mining rights to dilithium crystals, because they fear the crystals would be used for non-peaceful purposes. When Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura beam back to the Enterprise an ion storm sends them to a very different Enterprise. In this Mirror Universe, the Federation is an evil empire and Kirk is captain because he has a nice little weapon in his quarters that makes his enemies suddenly disappear. Even worse, Sulu is a sadist with a giant scar and Spock wears a goatee that makes him look even more like Satan than usual. Do not try to get this all to make sense in terms of all the previous Star Trek episodes, just go along for the ride and make sure none of your friends want your job, since assassination is the main means of promotion over there. As alternate realities go, this is one of the better ones to pop up on Star Trek, but while I know Kira looks good in a cat suit, Deep Space Nine did overdo it with all those Mirror Universe episodes. On the other hand, it was cool when the Cartman from another universe on "South Park" had a Spock-like goatee. Certainly, "Mirror Mirror" resonates more than most Star Trek episodes. Then, in "The Deadly Years," the Enterprise discovers everyone on Gamma Hydra IV has either died or is in the process of dying from old age. Back onboard their ship, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scott all begin to age rapidly as well because of some unusual kind of radiation. Meanwhile, there is a Commodore Stocker on board who forces Spock to relieve Kirk as being unfit for command and then does the same to Spock. But the Commodore has been flying a desk his entire career and in no time at all he has the ship in the Neutral Zone, surrounded by Romulans. Seeing all the senior officers in old person make-up is a bit hokey, but this is redeemed by Kirk's performance during his competency hearing and the way Kirk uses his earlier mistakes to save the day in a nice ironic touch. Usually when the writers come up with a gimmick like this they do not come up with a worthwhile story in which to play it, but that is not the case with "The Deadly Years." This could have been a really lame episode, but it is well-above average. Neither of these episodes is in my personal Top 10, but there are certainly in that next tier
Rating:
Summary: An episode at it's deadliest
Review: The DEADLY YEARS is one of the best episodes because we get to see what the crew look like at an old age.
The crew beam down to a planet and see the colony's inhabitants are all old now and were supposed to be young. One couple say they are only 27 and 29 but in fact look in their seventies to me.
The male survivor of the colony soon dies of old age back on the ship and Kirk has a theory that it is the Romulans testing a new weapon on the colonists but that theory doesn't hold up. It is later learned that the crew are suffering the effects of radiation from a comet and McCoy says at the rapid rate they are aging they only have a days to live, maybe only hours.
Meanwhile, Kirk has to stand trial at a competency hearing and is judged incompetent and another officer with little or no experience replaces him and heads the ship straight into the Neutral Zone, right into the Romulans.Fortunately McCoy finds a remedy for the radiation but at the risk of death. Kirk is the first to try it and he goes back on deck to find the Romulans firing at the ship. He opens up a channel which he knows the Romulans will be listening to and tells StarFleet Command that he will use the Corbomite Maneuver which blows the ship up and its enemy too. Then he warp factors out of there.
Kirk is hilarious as an older captain as he forgets what planet they are orbiting around.People may complain about the FX but they are good for their time.
Rating:
Summary: No Dogs in Volume 20
Review: The Star Trek DVD series is being issued in more-or-less the order in which the episodes were originally produced. So to date, some of the best episodes of the series have been issued in the same volume as some of the most, well, mediocre. Both episodes on volume 20 are fantastic and emblematic of the best shows in the original series. "Mirror, Mirror" easily makes just about everybody's top ten list of best episodes. While the concept of alternate realities was hardly invented on Star Trek, this series (and its progeny) handled the "world-turned-upside-down" set up better than any. "Mirror, Mirror" is in many ways the inspiration for The Next Generation's "Yesterday's Enterprise" episode which finds the Federation losing an interstellar war to the Klingons. The mirror universe first introduced in "Mirror, Mirror" was the setting for a good half dozen episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. The premature aging concept at the core of "The Deadly Years" is hardly innovative either, but again, it is executed deftly on Star Trek. Watching the crew stumble into senility is amusing, but doubly so since we've got the benefit of still knowing the actors some thirty years after this story was filmed. Jimmy Doohan (Scotty) for one seems to age better in this episode than he would in real life. If you're cherry-picking your way through this DVD series, this is among the handful of Star Trek volumes that you really must have.
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