As a genre, science fiction allows for the exploration of unusual themes in situations as-yet unheard of in human experience. Throughout
Star Trek's history, numerous instances of doppelgangers have arisen, be they life-like androids, transporter accidents, mirror universe encounters or time-travel anomalies.
From a production standpoint, these episodes provide unique opportunities and challenges to the makers of Star Trek and the actors portraying the roles. Sure, often times it means there may be one less guest-star to pay, but it can also mean very long days for the actors who have to double their parts!
What follows is a brief list of highlights from Star Trek's storied history of doppelgangers.
Star Trek
The Enemy Within
When a transporter accident splits Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) into two selves (the passive and the aggressive), chaos ensues. The inevitable Kirk vs. Kirk showdown is the first in what would be a recurring theme for the Enterprise captain. Far and away, Shatner leads the pack in terms of sharing screen time with himself, having engaged in hand-to-hand combat with his double, duplicate or doppelganger on multiple occasions.
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
The android Kirk duplicate created by Dr. Roger Korby to take over the U.S.S. Enterprise would have worked perfectly, had the original Kirk not planted false memories and notions into the android's mind, allowing Spock to uncover the subterfuge.
Mirror, Mirror
While none of the Mirror Universe versions of the crew actually interact with each other, the goateed Spock resonates as one of the most popular and striking versions of Spock ever. The repercussions of this episode also laid the groundwork for several DS9 episodes with a host of Mirror Universe characters, allowing the actors opportunities to interact with themselves in heretofore unthinkable ways.
Whom Gods Destroy
The insane Garth of Izar picked up the shapeshifting talent of cellular metamorphosis from the inhabitants of Antos IV before he ordered their destruction. When he assumes the form of Kirk, Spock must try to distinguish the real Kirk from the false in a scene so good we see it revisited in our next entry below.
"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
When Kirk and McCoy are sentenced to life on the Klingon penal colony Rura Penthe, Kirk strikes up an alliance — not to mention a relationship — with a shapeshifter (played by Iman) who ultimately betrays him. Assuming Kirk's form, the two end up in a battle royale, giving Shatner the chance to interact with himself with the immortal lines, "I can't believe I kissed you!” "Must have been your life's ambition!”
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Datalore
The first of TNG's cast to tackle the chore of sharing screen time with himself was Brent Spiner ("Data”). In the twelfth episode of the series "Datalore,” we meet Data's "brother,” the evil Lore. Data and Lore's story would extend across the series' run, ending with Lore's deactivation in "Descent, Part II.”
Brothers
While Data's relationship with his "brother” Lore was one of animosity from his evil sibling, he finally met up with his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong, in the fourth season episode "Brothers.” Also featuring Lore, "Brothers” upped the ante for Spiner who played all the characters in a three-handed scene that must have given the script supervisor migraines. As the elderly Dr. Soong, Spiner had to undergo sessions in the makeup chair that were far more arduous than his standard Data makeup.
A Fistful of Datas
Clearly not content to rest on the laurels of performing three roles in one episode, Spiner's turn in "A Fistful of Datas” (Season Six) saw the actor assuming a number of roles on the malfunctioning holodeck, from sharp shooting Banditos to mustachioed bad guys, to Annie the saloon owner.
Time Squared
Patrick Stewart ("Captain Jean-Luc Picard”) didn't play against himself as often as his predecessor from the Original Series, but that doesn't mean he didn't have his share of doppelgangers. In the episode "Time Squared,” however, a version of Captain Picard from the future arrives, unconscious in the shuttlecraft El-Baz. While technically not a doppelganger (the future Picard is actually Picard, not an imposter), the future Picard provided all the clues the present Picard needed to save the Enterprise-D and prevent a tragic loop from replaying itself over and over.
Allegiance
When telepathic beings curious about the Federation kidnap Picard and replace him with an imposter, it allows for Stewart to play some very interesting scenes as his more sinister double, including some wining, dining and romancing of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden).
Second Chances
Haven't you ever wondered what you'd say to a younger version of yourself? First Officer Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) gets his opportunity when a fluke by-product of the distortion field around Nervala IV, on a mission eight years ago, resulted in the creation of an identical double of Riker. Dubbed Thomas Riker, taking Riker's middle name, this Riker finds himself in a new and challenging universe where everything he had taken for granted eight years ago has evolved over that time. His love for Deanna Troi hasn't diminished, but the real Riker and Troi's relationship has evolved, leaving Thomas as the odd-doppelganger out.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
If Wishes Were Horses
During DS9's First Season, Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) spent an awful lot of time unsuccessfully wooing Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), but when beings start appearing out of people's imaginations, Dax's doppelganger wants nothing but to lavish love and affection on the good doctor. This puts Bashir in a tricky place when caught between the two Dax's, trying not to appear like such a pig to the real Dax, but all the while probably wishing he could spend some quality time with the imposter.
Whispers
In an innovative twist from your standard Doppelganger-switches-places-with-a-crewmember approach, this second season episode followed the action from the point of view of a replicant version of Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) created to assassinate a rebel leader involved in a dispute the Federation is mediating. The replicant believes himself to be O'Brien, and the strange behavior of everyone aboard the station gives the impression that there's something wrong with everyone else, not with O'Brien. The beauty of this approach is that in the end, when the replicant is shot and lies dying and learns the truth, we feel compassion for it, something that wouldn't have been possible if the story had been told in a more conventional fashion.
Visionary
Ever wondered how much you could get done if there were two of you? Echoing "Time Squared,” this episode features time loops where O'Brien slips into the future and works with his "Five-hours-into-the-future-self” to save the station and his own life.
Resurrection
Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is a complex and multilayered character in our universe, and her Mirror Universe counterpart is every bit the same — only deviously evil and manipulative. Spending time with her sinister doppelganger, Kira gets to see exactly what she could have become had the circumstances of her life been different, and she doesn't like what she sees. In these Mirror Universe episodes, most of DS9's characters get the Mirror Universe treatment, allowing the actors the opportunity to play versions of themselves diametrically opposed to what they're used to playing, and in the process giving the fans some memorably fun episodes.
Star Trek: Voyager
Deadlock
When an anomaly in the form of a plasma cloud creates a duplicate U.S.S. Voyager, the opportunity to study the phenomenon is cut short by attacking Vidiians and the lack of enough antimatter to sustain both vessels. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) meets with her double and together they plan a way out of the situation. Not an imposter or a doppelganger, the duplicate Janeway makes the ultimate sacrifice so that the other can survive and continue the voyage. The interplay between Mulgrew and Mulgrew, with their no-nonsense, common sense approach is a clever way to explore the notion of sitting down with one's self and working out a problem.
Life Line
As Voyager's holographic Doctor, Robert Picardo was able to find all kinds of interesting acting challenges. Reprising his role as the EMH's creator Lewis Zimmerman (he had been previously seen on the DS9 episode "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”) in this episode allowed the writers to explore themes of the relationship between a creator and his creation as well as the evolution of holography in the 24th century.
Author, Author
While technically not truly a "Doppelganger” episode, the final shot of the hordes of worker holograms, all identical to the Doctor, forces the mind to run wild with speculation about what life would be like if holographic beings could be created to perform menial tasks, and the rights of these beings themselves. A creation metaphor like this one, where holograms are made in their creator's image, then take on personalities and quirks of their own, help to elevate Star Trek from run-of-the-mill science fiction.
Endgame
When Captain Janeway is confronted with Admiral Janeway from a future where the ship's return home took a terrible toll, her initial skepticism quickly yields to acceptance and the two plan together to get the ship home and foil the Borg Queen. This acting challenge for Mulgrew, playing an older version of herself against her normal role, demonstrated again that two Janeways are better than one, and despite the temporal quandary their solution creates, the elder Janeway's ultimate sacrifice helped this series find closure.
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