The third part of the Mirror-Verse story was on DC Comic racks for February 1985. Mike W. Barr continues delivering a solid script, while Tom Sutton handles pencils, and Ricardo Villagran handles inks. The pair also deliver the issue’s cover.

Stardate: 8217.2

The splash page shows the two Kirks confronting each other, with the Prime Universe Kirk and the Excelsior being held prisoner by his other self. Captain Styles is dumbstruck when he sees the room filled with Prime and Mirror selves.

Kirk confronts Mirror Spock, asking why he didn’t consider the changes he proposed. Spock says he did, but logically, not ethically, Spock could not be swayed.

The Mirror crew are intrigued by some of the advances, and the reveal that the Prime Universe was able to create a Genesis device. Mirror Spock has gone through the logs and knows the Genesis Planet was destroyed, but that it also restored Spock to life. Perhaps Spock has some innate knowledge of Genesis now.

So Mirror Spock is off to Vulcan in the Klingon Bird of Prey to seek out his Prime Self.

Kirk and his crew make a break for it. Each of them gets a moment to shine. Kirk says they have to keep up the charade a bit longer, and posing as his other self, he beams aboard the Mirror Enterprise with his crew and Styles.

And they all buy it, even though the Starfleet uniforms aren’t as dark as the Empire’s uniforms. Scotty triggers the intruder controls, which knock out the Empire crew for thirty seconds (I think they may have meant thirty minutes). Enough time for Kirk to seize control?

Kirk goes to Mirror Kirk’s quarters. He still has the Tantalus field, and Marlena is still there as well. She reveals, after a quick love scene (really Jim, you have time for that?), that she is working with a group of rebels to bring the Empire down from within.

She accompanies Kirk to the bridge, where he is momentarily grief-stricken by the memories of his own Enterprise. With Scotty and Saavik in Engineering, and the rest of his command crew taking their spots on the bridge, it feels a little familiar. Styles attempts to assume command from Kirk, but instead of sorting things out, Kirk knocks him out. Chekov tosses him in a shuttle with a warp sled and sends him back to Starbase 13.

Mirror Kirk realizes where his counterpart must be and orders Enterprise communications jammed. So it looks like it’s going to be the Excelsior versus the Enterprise.

Meanwhile, Mirror Spock, aboard the Bird of Prey, has arrived at Vulcan.

T’Lar reveals to Sarek that she believes the refusion ritual has failed. That Prime Spock may be lost forever, and is dying. She logically believes that there is nothing to be done. Enter Mirror Spock, who knocks Sarek old, while Mirror Sulu stuns T’Lar. He also then phasers Spock’s mother, Amanda.

Mirror Spock uses the agonizer on Mirror Sulu for overstepping. And while the alternate Chekov stands over the other Sulu, Mirror Spock goes to confront his Prime self and mind meld with him! While the pair confront each other on the mental plane, Styles’ shuttle arrives back at Starbase 13.

Styles needs to inform Starfleet of the Mirror invasion, and races to do so!

The Excelsior is pounding on the Enterprise. Can Kirk outwit himself when the Excelsior seems superior to the Enterprise in every way? A quick maneuver gets them out of harm’s way, but only momentarily. But while Kirk figures out his next move, Mirror Kirk sets the self-destruct on the Enterprise, and Kirk can’t do anything to stop it!

What happens next? We’ll have to wait until issue 12, The Tantalus Trap.

Damn, I am loving this run. The art isn’t always the best, but it does convey the characters, the ships and the universe, and Barr’s story is solid. This is just damned fun.