Synopsis: Grand Nagus Zek must be rescued from the alternate universe.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of how forcing the process of acknowledging and integrating the Eros-driven irrational unconscious into the Logos-driven rational conscious ego can be dangerous.
In “The Emperor’s New Cloak” Quark receives a message from Grand Nagus Zek that he is in the alternate universe and has been captured there by the Regent of the Alliance, Mirror Worf, who will only release Zek if Quark brings the Regent a cloaking device from our universe for his ship. Quark and Rom bring the device to the alternate universe, where it is then stolen by the Rebels, who have been aided by Captain Benjamin Sisko in past episodes. Quark and Rom are then put in the Brig with Mirror Ezri Dax, who helped transport them to the alternate universe. They are broken out and reunited with Zek on Mirror Worf’s vessel. Zek tells Quark that he stole the schematics to a multidimensional transporter and came to the alternate universe seeking profit. Rom is asked to help install the device, and instead sabotages Mirror Worf’s vessel. The Rebels fire upon his ship and Mirror Worf surrenders. Mirror Dax is taken away to be debriefed by Mirror Leeta.
In this episode the alternate universe can be analogized to the irrational unconscious, and Zek’s traveling there for profit can be seen as how the rational conscious ego can wrongly believe that it can control the unconscious. But the unconscious does not operate the way that the conscious ego does, and for the conscious ego to believe it does is foolhardy and dangerous. Instead, in order for what Carl (C. G.) Jung would call the individuation process, or the union of the opposites, to occur what actually needs to happen is that the conscious ego acknowledges and integrates bits of material into itself, in the way of the unconscious, for the ego to become stronger and the psyche more whole.
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