Mirror Reflections

Zine
Title:	Mirror Reflections
Publisher:
Editor(s):	D. DaBinett
Date(s):	1983
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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Mirror Reflections is a slash Star Trek: TOS Mirror Universe 242-page UK anthology edited by D. DaBinett.

The different stories form a consistent chronology that takes Kirk and Spock from friendship to love to sexual union. While each story is written by a different author, this zine is basically a novel with multiple authors. Similar zines are Starwyck and The 25th Year.

Contents

• Predator or Prey by Doreen Dubois ("Kirk is assigned as 1st officer of the Enterprise, and makes an ally of the science officer when he comes to his aid when Spock is attacked.")
• Turning Point by Teresa Hewitt ("Pikeʼs carelessness finally gets him killed, but Spock insists on Kirk taking the credit for what was actually a mercy killing on Spockʼs part.")
• He Hides You Well by K.S. T'Lan ("When Kirk is split by the transporter, Spock sees a side to his captain he didnʼt know existed.")
• The Tantalus Field by E.D.C. ("Kirkʼs trust in Spock grows after he is forced to let Spock in on his latest discovery in order to find out how it works".)
• Insurance by Jo Martin ("Spock reprograms the Tantalus field so that it is ineffective against him or Kirk.")
• Imperial Interlude #1, #2, #3 by Jane J. Coulson ("Spockʼs interlude with Kyle from his, Kyleʼs and Kirkʼs POV.") (also in Visions of Empire)
• To Catch a Thief by Yola Ryde ("Spock finally earns Kirkʼs trust by securing buyers for the crystals they took from the Orions, and allowing Kirk to keep all the proceeds.")
• The Sentry by Sara S. Reynolds ("When TʼPring enters pon farr, Spock asks Kirk to stand watch against treachery during Spockʼs wedding night.")
• To See Ourselves by Mary Beckett ("When Kirk discovers this Spockʼs love for his captain during the switch on Halka, he first tries to seduce Spock but then helps him gain what he most desires.")
• Pride Goeth Before by Una N. Darcy ("Kirk changes his mind about having a relationship with Spock when he is unable to submit sexually to Spock.")
• Decision at Deneva by by Jane Jones ("His brotherʼs death, and Kirkʼs choice of Spock as the only one infected to be saved, removes the last barrier to Kirk finally giving himself to the Vulcan.")
• Kesla by Yvonne Ross ("Kirk realizes he wants to bond with Spock after being unable to immediately prove the Vulcanʼs innocence on Argelius.")
• Threnody by Jamie Orr ("His memory returned, Kirkʼs insecurities grow when Spock doesnʼt take revenge for his betrayal of their bond with Miramanee.")
• The Bait by Elaine W. ("Spockʼs failure to realize that his continued involvement with the Romulan commander after she defects is considered infidelity by Kirk causes a rift between the two lovers.")
• The Ultimate Weapon by C.L. Cooper ("While picking up a shipment of zenite, Spockʼs dalliance with Droxine is the final blow for Kirk.")
• Reassurance by Jesse Patterson ("Spock tries to reassure Kirk that his use of women in no way reflects on their bond, or the love Spock has for him.")
• How It Should Have Been by Ray Newton ("On the shoreleave planet, Kirk and Spock live out their fantasies of what might have been if they had met earlier.")
• To Summon the Future by Jo Martin ("Kirk and Spock devise a plan to hide Sarekʼs murder of Gav during the Babel conference.")
• Where the Horizon Lies by Jane J. Coulson ("Jealous of Kirkʼs growing friendship with McCoy, Spock finally admits to wanting what his lover does...a full death bond between them.") (also in Visions of Empire)
• Lord of Fire by Jane J. Coulson ("Kirk uses his charms against one of Spockʼs henchmen in a plan by him and his bondmate to test the manʼs loyalty.") (also in Visions of Empire)
• By My Side (from “Godspell,” also in Visions of Empire)

Reactions and Reviews

See reactions and reviews for Predator or Prey.

See reactions and reviews for Turning Point.

See reactions and reviews for How it Should Have Been.

See reactions and reviews for He Hides You Well.

See reactions and reviews for The Tantalus Field.

See reactions and reviews for Insurance.Note-link goes to a "The Sentinel" story of the same title instead of to a ST:TOS story.

See reactions and reviews for Imperial Interlude.

See reactions and reviews for To Catch a Thief.Note-link goes to a "Stargate Atlantis" story of the same title instead of a ST:TOS story.

See reactions and reviews for The Sentry.

See reactions and reviews for To See Ourselves.

See reactions and reviews for Pride Goeth Before.

See reactions and reviews for Decision at Deneva.

See reactions and reviews for Kesla.

See reactions and reviews for Threnody.

See reactions and reviews for The Bait.

See reactions and reviews for The Ultimate Weapon.

See reactions and reviews for Reassurance.

See reactions and reviews for To Summon the Future.

See reactions and reviews for Where the Horizon Lies.

See reactions and reviews for Lord of Fire.

1984

[zine]: This zine aims to trace the K/S relationship in the Mirror Universe. Although each story can almost stand on its own and has been written by a different author, I feel overall enjoyment of the zine depends on reading the stories as a whole: a progression through the K/S relationship from its inception to the ultimate finale. From the beginning, we have two relatively vicious characters in Kirk and Spock. Once Captain Pike dies, Kirk takes over the Enterprise and Spock's cautious loyalty. During othe course of the zine, many events occur: an experience with Kirk's Enemy Within, the Tantulus Field, Spock's sexual rapport with Lieutenant Kyle, his matrimonial ceremony with T'Pring, an encounter with our Mirror Universe, K & S's first attempt to build upon a sexual relationship, and an Incident at Deneva. It is at this point that a change appears to occur in our two tough and hardened heroes. In my opinion, a definite alteration occurs which depicts both as much softer, vulnerable and reflects more the characters of our gentler universe. In time, Kirk and Spock decide to form a surface bond - a lighter, less committed version of the deathbond, but one which strengthens despite obstacles such as Kirk's marriage to Miramanee and Spock's stubborn reluctance to trust Kirk sufficiently enough to form the death bond. And before you all ask... yes, it's a happy ending! In effect, Mirror Reflection is a collection of scenes lifted from the lives of the Alternate Universe. They stand out like stills from a film, emphasising a particular episode, making a particular point and always carrying the relationship forward. I've always had my own favourite highlights from the series and likewise with this zine. I enjoyed He Hides You Well, Imperial Interlude 3, To See Ourselves, Threnody and especially The Ultimate Weapon. It must have been quite a mammoth task to have decided to compile such a collection of stories and since so many contributed to Mirror Reflections, differances in style of writing are inevitable. Yet I'd say the zine has been successfully edited and collated and overall, it is recommended as a worthy possession!

[zine]: I definitely recommend MIRROR REFLECTIONS (from D. Dabinett), It's the best thing she's ever printed.

1985

[zine]: I think you'd enjoy MIRROR REFLECTIONS. It is about the origin and development of the K/S relationship in the Mirror universe. A number of different writers, including K.S. T'Lan, wrote the various stories, then T'Lan pulled them all together and made them consistent with each other. Except for a few minor discrepancies and characterization interpretation differences, they all work together incredibly well. If you like T'Lan, you'll like MR.

1996

[zine]: I was really desperate for a K/S fix not long ago, and since there weren't any new zines coming my way I started digging in my closet and came up with this novel. It's a measure of how anxious I am to read Mirror stories that I'd bought this zine at Revelcon a year ago and had never even gotten around to reading it. But now I've read it and I'm glad I did. Mirror Reflections was a compelling reading experience. It's an English production done in the early eighties, from the same group of people who produced Starwyck, Bigot, Brother, Bondmate, and other classic K/S tales. The story was apparently sketched out and then different chapters assigned to different writers, much the same way that The Twenty-Fifth Year was by Alexis Fegan Black. The authors Include: D. DuBois, Teresa Hewitt, K.S. T'Lan, E.D.C., Jo Martin, Sara S. Reynolds, Jane Jones, [Elaine W.], Jane J. Coulson and others. Many of these authors contributed to English K/S during the eighties, especially in the Duet series.

However, Ms. Black seemed to exert much more editorial control over the material in The Twenty-Fifth Year than is shown here. My primary complaint with Mirror Reflections is the inconsistency between chapters. There will be a gripping tale by K.S. T'Lan that implies an emotional bridge has been built between the distrustful mirror Kirk and Spock, and then in the very next chapter, perhaps even the next page, another author has put forward an entirely different interpretation of the emotional status of their relationship at the same point in time. This got to be more than a little frustrating. As a reader I could never trust myself to the flow of the story, since I was sure to be fooled.

I've read enough Mirror stories to know that many of them follow a K/S formula, the same way regular K/S stories can/do. (Not that this is a desirable state of affairs.) I wonder what the status of Mirror stories was when Mirror Reflections was published, and whether this group of stories served as a forerunner for most mirror universe stories to come. Seemed like most mirror clichés were included, but written in a fresh, almost naïve way. Many English stories, I've found, manage to pack a lot of plot detail into a very little space. That's part of the charm of stories from our sisters across the ocean.

In this tale Spock's bastard half-brother serves as one of his guards and is the focal point at the ending. But he's a shadowy figure until the very end, and I thought his sudden introduction as a fully-rounded character was cheating.

I'd recommend this novel/collection of stories to anyone who likes the Mirror universe, and anyone as desperate as I was to go rooting around in your closet for that K/S fix.

2011

[zine]: Most of my zines are stored in boxes in the spare room, and I have been existing on the 50 or so accessible in my cupboard, but given another soaking wet day I decided that I needed a new infusion of k/s. After I moved the baby seat, and car booster seat, stored for when the grandchildren come to stay, the holdalls for weekends away, and all the other domestic detritus for which there is no designated storage place, I finally got down to the box lids. I hauled out about a dozen assorted zines, Counterpoints, First Times (early ones), and Mirror Reflections. This is available from the zine library in America, but not from Kath Boag. Published, I think, in 1984 or thereabout, by some of the English authors, it follows Mirror Kirk and Spock‘s story from Kirk‘s arrival at the Enterprise under Pike‘s command, his death at Kirk‘s hand and through many of the aired episodes transposed to the A/U to their final bonding and acceptance of each other. It explores Vulcan traditions in the taking and claiming of a mate, and of Warrior Bonding. 22 stories in all, by various authors, with illustrations and poetry, but all meshing together beautifully. The Editor, [D. DaBinett]/Dubois? recommends that they be read in chronological order and I agree, but that didn‘t stop me from re-reading some that caught my attention. It left me with a warm glow of satisfaction when I had finished it, and a longing for a sequel. Worthy of republishing.