Breen and Mirrors Star Trek Discovery S5E05 Review

Mirrors sees the duo of Moll and L'ak travel to an interdimensional rift containing the wreck of the ISS Enterprise NCC-1701 while Book and Michael Burnham pursue them to recover the next Progenitor artefact clue. We also get a great deal of lore on the history of the Breen in the 32nd century which was a great surprise, let's take a look!
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Star Trek Picard/Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks/Enterprise/Voyager/Deep Space Nine/Discovery and The Next Generation are all owned by Paramount Pictures/CBS and distributed by CBS.
This Video is for critical purposes with commentary.

[@militaryguy27]

After watching this Discovery episode, I now see why the Breen joined the Changelings (Dominion) during the Dominion war, they are quasi shapeshifters themselves.

[@marvelboy74]

And the Founders potentially seeing kinship in the non-solid Breen. If the Breen truly were a multi-species race, did the Dominion Alliance spurn the Jelly Breen to assert dominance over other Breen species, echoing the Founder's superiority complex over solids?

[@NineWorldsFromDrew]

Part of me imagines that the Founders only found this out, when one of them infiltrated their culture. And after all, we KNOW this must have happened, given that a Breen was found in the Gamma Quadrant prison where Bashir, Enabran Tain, and then Garak and Worf ended up. But perhaps Breen society is actually very difficult to infiltrate and conduct espionage in, and so this explains why that first infiltration and an alliance with the Breen were at least two years apart?

[@amazedsatsuma]

I wonder with all the world building the Breen were getting this season, if there was a plan to set them up to be the rival superpower to the 32nd century Federation going forward if the show wasn't cancelled.

[@StarOfVoid]

maybe we will see them in a future show as the main threat like the dominion or romulans etc

[@afoolandhismoneychannel]

Enjoyable episode but for Stamets blurting out "Is that the ISS Enterprise?" when no one could clearly see the ship, other than its silhouette in the brightness of the aperture. I could understand if he said "Is that the Enterprise?" or "Is that a Constitution Class?" but to immediately state that it's specifically the ISS Enterprise? Pul-eeze.... 🙄

[@TK199999]

His sensor panel showed him the registry.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Finally, after 25 years the Breen have a face. I hope we'll see the ISS Enterprise again in the upcoming Star Trek Academy.

[@Velldog]

They might be on the evolutionary path to being shapeshifters. I saw the reveal and thought, okay they are some type of "morphogenic"/"polymorphic" life form and thats why the founders favoured them slightly.

[@matthewdavies2057]

Morphogenic.

[@Velldog]

@@matthewdavies2057 yes, oops 😂

[@NCC-72545A]

What you said reminds me of saying, in another sci-fi show called Babylon 5, and that same was. "Faith sustains us when reason and science tells us when things are impossible. Faith and Reason are like the shoes on your feet. You can go farthere with both than you with just one or the other." In this instance, Faith can be interchanged with religion or spirituality. Will Reason can be interchanged with science.

[@bensaret]

I'm surprised the ISS Enterprise was intact, not for deterioration over time but rather the same molecular affliction that was affecting Empress Georgiou by being in the future when the Mirror Universe has separated too far from our own. Shouldn't the Enterprise have shattered apart as she was beginning to?

[@TK199999]

Who says it experienced that whole time? It was in an dimensional interphase pocket, so time may work differently there.

[@reddyredwolf3931]

In before we learn Culbert saw a Black Mountain and a Koala.

[@francischarron4218]

So am I the only one that feels like it's not gonna be the last time we see the iss enterprise, that in the future we may see a 32nd century refit version of her, maybe has the new flagship, that would be interesting

[@NineWorldsFromDrew]

I get the feeling that Culber’s exploration of the spiritual is likely to be what leads us to a twist in the whole quest - Jinaal chose Culber specifically to host their essence, because Culber had come back from the dead, and this provides him with the necessary introspection. A later episode could well find the Discovery crew facing a challenge which only Culber can solve, through his spiritual insight. I can imagine him and Stamets having a scene of conflict, where each believes that only he is right, and that the hardest challenge for Stamets then is to have faith that Culber might be right, and in the end he gives in for his husband, only because he loves him.

[@invictus2578]

So dose the founders consider them solid or like changlings

[@pirate4460]

Could you imagine if we had a Shatner cameo?! He could have been mirror kirk again, like the attempted ENT mirror kirk plotline.

[@crazydude1814]

Maybe the doctor will find some answers to his questions through Burnham or something to do with the Vulcans As you said science and spirituality aren't mutually exclusive and that is leaned on heavily with the Vulcans as of course the telepathic abilities they have that allows them to mind meld and such are biological but the connections formed through them are almost... personal... like retaining a link with those you perform special rituals with.

[@boneyold]

‘Didn’t expect to see dust’ on the abandoned enterprise - last week had dust laden Discovery 😅

[@maybetoby]

Did Georgiou's experience in the mirror universe really happen? Or was that just an illusion by the Guardian?

[@CrazyNights1015]

Loved seeing the ISS Enterprise! Was a real shock. So far the season has been pretty enjoyable. I'm just wondering if we're going to find out what happened to the Klingons. They were featured pretty heavily in the first two season and we never find out what happened so them after the Burn

[@kristofbe1]

I like your balanced and honest reviews. Discovery has a lot of haters (often for ridiculous reasons), so it's nice to see that there are plenty of people out there that enjoy the show and see if it for what it actually is.

[@dramonmaster222]

The truth is we know next to nothing about the Breen so I can see the writers feeling the freedom to write them.

[@Sephiroth144]

Unlike SOME species the writers have been... altering.

[@Gigas0101]

@@Sephiroth144 rip in peace Gorn. Gorn but not forgotten.

[@Sephiroth144]

@@Gigas0101 Can we bring Xenomorphs into Trek? Dude, that's a completely different series- no. We're gonna make the Gorn just like them What? Gonna have forcibly implant their young who eat them on the way out- maybe full on chest bursting! The thing that Kirk threw a rock at was trying to babyrape him? It'll be great! You've gotta be kidding me... Next we'll bring back S1 Disco Klingons! 😐

[@dibaterman]

Ever since Ironman, every helmet or mask must retract. It's like the concept of minimizing failure parts was slaughtered.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

To be fair with 32nd century tech it’s probably programmable matter or something, that has various graceful failure modes configured.

[@dibaterman]

@@DissociatedWomenIncorporated I'm sure they'd accomplished the same feat in the 23rd century by re-configuring semi-matter anti-matter per-particle manifolds. It's a lazy trope thing, not a tech thing. We could techno-babble each other into anything.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@dibaterman I think between stuff like programmable matter and floating warp nacelles though, the kinds of mechanical failure caused in the 32nd century by general wear and tear wouldn’t necessarily follow 21st century engineering principles.

[@planescaped]

I hate this trope in helmets now. It's *ubiquitous*

[@dibaterman]

@@DissociatedWomenIncorporated I can respect you're focus on the mechanical failure portion of my comment. It should be also noted the context of sarcasm and tongue in cheek. You'd figure that by the 32nd century they wouldn't need personal armor much less helmets if we really want to stick to elimination of mechanical failures angle.

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Breen DON'T bleed!

[@planescaped]

I loved the fan theory that they were the species Dr Phlox genocided in A Night in Sickbay, but that was more for the lulz because of how well it worked. How could you commit genocide. Why did you commit genocide? I can't believe you committed genocide!

[@AzraelThanatos]

I liked the theory that they were part of the Breen...basically, the Breen were a group of outsiders and similar who banded together into their own group...which could still be true just that we know about a specific part of the group.

[@GSBarlev]

My headcanon was that they were space koalas, who: 1. Wore suits because they knew no one would ever take their fluffy ears seriously 2. Were belligerent because their *fur itched.*

[@user-xt4uf6ij6w]

how old is spacedock?

[@skipklauber1162]

What a great idea, a Star Trek show written by people who combine knowing nothing about canon along with thoroughly disliking any canon brought to their attention.

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

Better than a show written by people who combine knowing too much about canon along with being obsessed with showing off every single bit of existing canon back to back for no reason. "Somehow, Data has returned... Again..."

[@skipklauber1162]

@@gearandalthefirst7027 the flaw in your argument is that from TOS through Enterprise the writers, and actors, respected canon. Now… not so much. If you want to make a show divorced from ST canon, that’s fine. Just don’t call it Star Trek

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@skipklauber1162 most of the 00s webpages about how Enterprise (supposedly) ruined canon are still online. If you want to read them to see how people have said this for decades. (Subspace radios, phase(r) weapons, various alien appearances too early, all sorts of species that had never been seen before/"later", viewscreens in use, photon torpedoes instead of nukes, Vulcans being so different, I could go on...) People even said it about all sorts of aspects of TNG, compared to TOS, when TNG was new. Those repeated callbacks to TOS (in the first half of the first season of TNG) were often regarded as hollow attempts to ingratiate the show with fans, much like you see people saying today.

[@skipklauber1162]

@@kaitlyn__L I am aware of the criticisms you reference including those of TNG. I am trying to be objective about STD but the bottom line always seems to arrive back with the horrible writing. Seemingly by writers who either do not like Star Trek, or certainly do not care about Star Trek. I do not blame the actors since they seem generally talented but are trapped inside the tar pits lay before them. And I do not want you to think I am asserting the writers are always awful. The efforts using The Mirror Universe were very interesting and gave a few cast members an opportunity to show off versatility. It helped to have some excellent actors as guests but that can be said about many shows.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

I like the notion that Burnham would chafe against the 24th century concept that a captain should, for the most part, stay safe aboard the ship, and generally let their XO lead away missions.

[@Sephiroth144]

To be fair, its a concept that SHOULD BE UNIVERSAL. Stop sending the literal most important person on a ship to the most dangerous places- hell, speaks to a massive lack of confidence a captain has in his/her crew that they won't let someone else lead the away teams...

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@Sephiroth144 I’m not saying the policy doesn’t make sense, but it would be a bit alien to how Burnham was trained.

[@Sephiroth144]

@@DissociatedWomenIncorporated Perhaps yes, perhaps no; sure, she often took the lead on away teams (main character syndrome, amirite?), but that meant that Saru or Pike wasn't doing it, aye? Granted, it can be difficult to make the switch to delegating, but that's what captains should be doing. (And she SHOULD know that- Lorca, Pike and Saru were good demonstrations to counter Georgiou's example... and this doesn't speak to how Georgiou died for nothing, and probably died because she wasn't combat capable enough. Wouldn't the Shenzhou's Security Chief, or a full squad, been a better choice than the Captain and a Mutineer- and isn't this a lesson Mike should've learned?)

[@antarfodoh]

I've very much enjoyed Discovery for the most part, with only a few minor gripes here are there that aren't even worth mentioning. While not my favorite series in the franchise, it's certainly not my LEAST favorite either, and I do love them all.

[@jefferyyoung2580]

😊

[@Glitch_Online]

Breen is one of those mysteries i would have loved to have NO answer to :(

[@GNz11R3dSh1ft]

I’m now just hoping we get an Enterprise 32nd century refit, even if only in the background. I’m sceptical though as they specifically said to take it to storage, which in itself is a little odd as the federation are probably in need of ships.

[@CertifiablyIngame]

I doubt that would happen. It's not like they can overhaul a 23rd centur-.... nevermind.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@CertifiablyIngame to be fair, overhauling Discovery was overhauling a _brand new_ 23rd century ship. But the ISS Enterprise _has_ spent most of this time just sitting in a pocket universe, sooooo… maybe?

[@Sephiroth144]

I'm just disappointed Rhys didn't get to take the ship in; dude flat out says he loves Connie-Classes, and they DON'T let him be one of the crew taking her back to Starfleet...? That feels like a slap in the face.

[@AtlantiansGaming]

@@DissociatedWomenIncorporatedthey only overhauled Discovery because of the spore drive.

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

To go along with the Super Neo Excelsior 5 Refit Overhaul, presumably.

[@jefferyyoung2580]

More polt

[@alistairrae9807]

I am happy to finally see what a Breen looks like it’s something that has bothered me for a long time

[@ThisIsMeAndNotYou]

34

[@jaxogaytor]

I kinda wish they didn’t reveal what the breen looked like. The fun of the mystery was well…the mystery. Not knowing what they looked like while getting hints of what they might, but all those hints contradict one another, so it’s like which ones right?

[@CertifiablyIngame]

I'll be honest, I quite like the Breen look as it seems a nod to some apocrypha but not 100% a match. I was surprised to see backlash against how they were depicted. The Klingon redesign I get. And there are things I don't want answered like the Borg's origin, but the Breen I'm okay with.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@CertifiablyIngameI'm still kind of hoping for a reveal that the Breen aren't just a species there, but a culture, but way more militaristic. Star Trek's version of the Mandalorians in that you can be born one or adopted into the society and as long as you follow the rules, you're one of them. Adding a reason why no one knows what a Breen looks like is that there are a pile of species that are Breen

[@Gigas0101]

@@AzraelThanatos It could tie in to the Breen's suit a bit more as well, there are multiple worlds in the Confederacy but wearing the suit to serve their allied government is what makes them Breen. Stories of them melting or evaporating could come from a system in the suit that disintegrates the wearer if someone tries to remove it without proper equipment/procedures, a way to prevent a Breen from being captured.

[@kitfo18]

This version is actually a lot better then watching the episode ...

[@Flight--tz5nf]

They could of done better with the episode. The ISS Enterprise? Really? I was fine with it being a Constitution Class. Bur it should of been another Constitution Class.

[@Shimra8888]

How can the Breen survive and the Federation barely exist?

[@Nethershaw]

Esc? Esque.

[@Sealhunt]

So they just decided to throw away the idea from the books that the Breen were in fact not a single species, but a collection of five different species?! Dude, come one! What a cop-out! The Breen were basically turned into Founder-lite!

[@Blutaar42]

to be fair being founder like would explain why the founders liked them so much in DS9 during the dominion war. and also why they choose the dominion side so easy

[@Sealhunt]

@@Blutaar42 HMM...very good points. I never thought of it like that.

[@joseaguilar3323]

​​@@Blutaar42 It also explains the Breens mistrust and aggressiveness towards the "solids". The founders were the only species the Breen got along with fine

[@williamgeorge2580]

The Xindi already wear that Planet of Hats in Star Trek lore.

[@Sealhunt]

@@williamgeorge2580 I honestly forgot those guys. They could give the Breen a definitive form and background with the Xindi taking up the mantle of "multiple species in one" thing.

[@Brobro7SF]

The breen and mirrors star trek disco?!

[@eol6632]

Rick's channel & its content are excellent. STD however can't die fast enough.

[@Sephiroth144]

LD S04E10: Locarno the M-Class world forms; Starfleet Admiralty states they hope the world can be used for refugees Disco S05E05: We learn refugees from the Mirror Universe crossed to the Prime Universe I'm really hoping we get an LD episode where the ISS Enterprise crosses over and the Cerritos relocates the refugees to Locarno in this upcoming (and final) season...

[@amazedsatsuma]

Sorry the timeline doesn't add up as Lower Decks is set after DS9 and thus the Dominion war while one of ISS Enterprise refugees, a Dr. Cho, one of the 6 researchers who were task to recover the Progenitor *during* the Dominion War. ISS Enterprise used that wormhole likely during the final days of the Terran Empire before they were crushed by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance

[@Sephiroth144]

@@amazedsatsuma I don't remember the assigned hunt being stated as happening during the Dominion War (as opposed to just sometime after the TNG episode), but if so, yeah, that's a shame. But yeah, even still, it would be hard for a Mirror scientist to be reveal to SF, prove themselves, and then cleared to hunt one of the greatest and possibly most powerful secrets in galactic history.

[@amazedsatsuma]

@@Sephiroth144 Jinaal reveal the search took place during the Dominion War when his consciousness was briefly transferred into Dr. Culber.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@Sephiroth144 the Trill scientist said the Dominion War "raging" was why they didn't reveal the tech to the wider Federation.

[@Dragon_Werks]

Sci-Fi Trivia: the Breen helmet in DS9 is actually the bounty hunter helmet used by Princess Leia in "Return Of The Jedi"

[@stankyyboi]

it's actually not, if you compare them side by side they have a very similar shape but no single piece of geometry is the same and the actual details are wildly different

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

That, sadly, is an urban legend. They look similar but have the kinds of structural differences a reworking couldn’t easily account for, and the DS9 staff have denied any links in the design of the two, apparent the DS9 people were inspired by the idea of an arctic wolf

[@Cylume.]

No

[@Hellboy2922]

Gooosh tbh. I would love seeing a series/Game/Movie set in the Mirror Universe ... Is it just me ?

[@amazedsatsuma]

There is the PS2/Xbox game, Shattered Universe were Sulu and the crew of the Excelsior replaced their Terran counterparts...Star Trek Online also have a few mission that feature a newly rebuilt Terran Empire

[@billymarion7433]

Herself

[@Aragorn7884]

a day late and a dollar short for ST:D doing an "origin episode"

[@hanshawks5088]

They should have been birds

[@lexruptor]

"Spirituality and Science aren't mutually exclusive" No, they definitely are.

[@beridot2615]

Im so sorry you had to watch Discovery.

[@jeffallison09]

Lol. Discovery isn't actual canon. And the Breen should have never had a reveal. Why do these crap showrunners always ... crap on old lore?

[@Dystopianutopiabuilds]

Why do you say it's not canon? Is there a legitimate reason or do you just not like the new stuff?

[@ultramaximusreviews]

Star Trek Discovery is hot garbage. First they ruined the Klingons now they ruin the Breen.

[@glennlaroche1524]

Another filler episode where NOTHING happens tp really advance the story, and HOW DISAPPOINTING to find out the the Breen are just more Trek rubberfaces. UGH.

[@jasonkennedy9143]

they aren't though.

[@michaelcarney6280]

Yeah agreed rather they kept them clouded in mystery

[@michaelcarney6280]

@@jasonkennedy9143 Ok CGI Rubberfaces

[@glennlaroche1524]

Sorry sorry, rubberfaces covered in cgi goo@@jasonkennedy9143

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

Character development IS plot you doofus. Also, considering the whole season is about the Progenitors, it'd be kind of weird if the primary institutional antagonists weren't at least vaguely humanoid.

[@joserubenrodriguezfuentes]

The Breen were Awesome until Startrek Discovery Kill it.....

[@gorillazzillathemeh5897]

You're opinion sucks.

[@gorillazzillathemeh5897]

Your opinion, sucks.

[@corneliusperson1230]

I'm getting real sick and tired of this gatekeeping shit startrek Discovery doesn't rule or didn't kill it if ever there wasn't no cannon for them to bering with

[@jasonkennedy9143]

@@corneliusperson1230 People start with "disco sucks" and then find reasons why.

[@michaelcarney6280]

@@corneliusperson1230 STD is TRASH

[@fuckme6174]

Thanks Rick I really loved the video keep it up

[@johnwclick]

Anybody need a Mucinex ™? 😪