Star Trek: Discovery has much to make Trek fans do a double-take — but who would have thought that one of those twists would be making Harry Mudd a reputable part of the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery — Succession #2?

The unexpected nature of this show is also reflected in this issue. My thinking might be a little out there, but follow along with me and see what you think.

The story so far: Emperor Georgiou is dead (as far as the Terran Empire knows, anyway), and Michael Burnham – the Mirror version – is thought dead just the same. However, this Burnham is actually in hiding, patiently waiting for the moment to take the throne back from her petulant cousin, Prince Alexander.

A clear representative of his family, xenophobic, maniacal and bent on removing the bulk of non-humans from the alien worlds within the Imperium, and it’s only Michael Burnham who can stop him.

There’s an inherent complication in the premise of this story. If Burnham is the opposite in nature to the one in the regular universe, then it’s obvious that she is set to take the throne for her own personal ambitions. After all, her conversation with this universe’s version of Harry Mudd — a humanist and rescuer of alien refugees — seems not only cooperative, but almost compassionate.

In fact, Burnham has a degree of ruthlessness, but she is calm, reasoned, willing to work with aliens and while aiming for the seat of power, her intentions actually appear somewhat honorable. But what are Michael Burnham’s intentions? It’s clear she means to take the throne, but I’m puzzled at what she means to do with it.

In my opinion, that’s what makes Mike Johnson and Kirsten Beyer’s story distinctively different from the television show. The Mirror Universe is deceptive in that one would assume writing a story set in it proceeds from the basic notion that the main characters are simply evil twins of their counterparts in the regular universe. Writes itself, right?

Not so. We forget that the secret to writing a good drama is the strength of the characters. If they are predictable, we lose that sense of wonder, and are able to easily foresee what the ending is going to be — where’s the entertainment in that? Beyer and Johnson have brought a new sense of curiosity to these characters, and given their relative novelty on television, they also have a great deal of flexibility to define them further. And, as we have already established in previous reviews, this is now canon.

The possibility that Burnham could actually be a redemptive character is what drives me to read this story. We know that in “Mirror, Mirror,” Commander Spock was intrigued by ‘our’ Captain Kirk’s logical supposition of creating an empire that would sustain itself by adopting constructive principles. In that moment, the Mirror Universe had a potential champion for good.

Is that where Burnham is heading? It makes some sense, as in the regular universe she is Spock’s adopted sibling. Perhaps he influenced her in some way in this universe? It’s only a theory, but in this story, we see her murderous cousin is intent on wiping out alien species, along with flashbacks to her harsh upbringing as the adopted daughter of the Emperor.

There’s also a third threat growing, in the form of the newly installed captain of the ISS Shenzhou, Captain Airiam. All these other dangers seem to indicate that perhaps Burnham’s attempted acquisition of the throne isn’t the real threat at all.

While we contemplate this theory, let’s take a look at the covers for this issue.

• The primary cover is by Angel Hernandez, who also provides the interior art for this book as well. I’m a big fan of Hernandez’s work, but I have to say, I really appreciate an artist who can pull double duty doing cover and pencilling of a book. There’s also a greater connection between the cover and story that I think adds to the quality of the issue.
   
• Cover ‘B’ is a photo cover, and while I don’t normally care for these, Discovery is still a new enough show that the episodic production photos aren’t yet too familiar to most people. This shot is a gorgeous image of Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) in full command of the empire, from “Vaulting Ambition.”
   
• Elizabeth Beals, whom I admit I am not too familiar with, brings us the retailer-incentive ‘A’ cover. It has a somewhat softer impression of Phillipa Georgiou, and evokes a near fantasy level of interpretation. It’s quite striking.
   
• The retailer-incentive ‘B’ cover is by one of my favourite artists, Declan Shalvey. It’s a wonderful rendition of the Imperial flagship Charon, of which I was quite taken with in the show. Shalvey has been doing a lot of vessels lately, and I’ve been very fond of his work. I have to say that this cover is my favourite.

Overall, I’m quite fascinated by this story. Johnson and Beyer are a good combination of talent, each with their own specific expertise. They’ve been able to bring a new dimension of appreciation to this show and I’m quite intrigued at the possibilities this story can offer.

Make sure you grab a copy, have a read, and share your thoughts in the comments below!