Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4, Episodes 18 and 19: “Through a Mirror, Darkly, Part I and Part II”

Synopsis: In the mirror universe the Terran Empire is in power and the Tholians have captured Defiant from the future of the universe where the United Federation of Planets exists.

This episode can be seen as an illustration of James Hillman’s acorn theory, the idea that just as an acorn has all the information inside it to become an oak tree, we each have an inner daimon that has all the information we need to become who were meant to be.

“Through a Mirror, Darkly, Part I and Part II” is set in the mirror universe where on the date of first contact between humans and Vulcans on Earth, Zefram Cochrane leads a band of humans who kill the Vulcans and take their vessel. This leads to the creation of the Terran Empire, where humans are held superior to both Vulcans and Denobulans. Aboard this Enterprise, Commander Jonathan Archer comes to know about a vessel from the future from another universe that the Tholians have captured. Archer locates the vessel, Defiant, and then takes an away team aboard her. Commander Charles (Trip) Tucker III gets Defiant in working order and she is able to destroy the Tholians that come to intercept her. Archer then takes Defiant towards Earth in an effort to become Emperor. However, Lieutenant Hoshi Sato poisons him and when the vessel arrives at Earth it is hailed by Empress Hoshi Sato.

In this two-part episode, viewers see that although in the mirror universe the motives of the Enterprise crew may have changed, their unique skill sets remain consistent. Archer is a born leader, Tucker a born mechanic, Dr. Phlox a born physician, albeit here one without a Hippocratic oath, and so forth all the way down the line. This can be seen as illustrative of Hillman’s acorn theory, the idea that just as an acorn has all the information inside it to become an oak tree, we each have an inner daimon that has all the information we need to become who were meant to be, if we just listen and honor it. From this episode this appears to be true not only in our universe but in the mirror universe as well.