Star Trek Subtly Confirms The Mirror Universe's Big Villains Could Easily Defeat Starfleet

Star Trek: Lower Decks' series finale suggests that the Terran Empire of Star Trek's Mirror Universe could defeat the Prime Universe Starfleet. In its fifth and final season on Paramount+, Star Trek: Lower Decks takes on the multiverse and puts the fate of the Prime Universe in the hands of the USS Cerritos. After spending Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 investigating mysterious quantum fissures, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her crew must come together to stabilize a massive wormhole (surrounded by a Schrödinger possibility field) that threatens to destroy the universe.

Star Trek Confirms the True Power of the Mirror Universe's Most Devious Weapon

Introduced in the iconic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Mirror, Mirror," Star Trek's Mirror Universe presents a world in sharp contrast to Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. In the Mirror Universe, the brutal Terran Empire has conquered much of the Alpha Quadrant with its xenophobic and violent society. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Discovery both revisited the Mirror Universe, offering more insight into the "evil" version of the Federation and its history. With its focus on war and violence, it's not surprising that the Terran Empire would have more powerful ships than Starfleet.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Confirms Mirror Universe Ships Are More Powerful Than Starfleet

The ISS Cerritos Has Stronger Weapons Than The Federation's USS Cerritos

In Star Trek: Lower Decks' series finale, Starfleet must rely on the USS Cerritos to save the day, as no other ships will reach the unstable multiverse portal in time. Surrounding the massive wormhole is a Schrödinger possibility field which transforms matter into any of the possibilities from the multiverse. While Starfleet devised a way to protect the Cerritos crew from the effects of this field, the adjustments did not prevent the ship itself from transforming. As the Cerritos approaches the wormhole, the ship cycles through various designs and ship classes, including an ISS California Class model from the Mirror Universe.

In charge of the ship's weapons systems, Lt. Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore) remarks that the Terran weapons system on the ISS Cerritos is "amazing." Unfortunately, the damage to the Cerritos has rendered the weapons systems inoperable. Shaxs later laments that he "can't believe we have Terran weapons and no way to power them." Both of these statements imply that Terran weapons are significantly more powerful than regular Starfleet weapons. Considering the Terran Empire is built on conquest, it makes sense that they would have powerful weapons, likely comprised of technologies stolen from the many worlds they have conquered.

Why Isn’t Starfleet Better Armed Considering All The Wars They Fight?

Even Starfleet's Warships Would Likely Be Outgunned By The Terran Empire's Ships

Starfleet has fought several wars throughout Star Trek's long history, but Federation starships are not primarily built for combat. The United Federation of Planets was founded on principles of peace and its main mission has always been exploration. While the Terran Empire conquers other worlds, the Federation forms alliances with them and exchanges knowledge and resources. However, after the Federation became aware of the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Starfleet began developing their first true warships, such as the heavily armed Defiant-class and the Sovereign-class.

Even the weapons of Starfleet's warships do not compare to the weapons systems of the Terran Empire ships of conquest.
The Defiant prototype was shelved after flaws in the design became apparent and the Borg threat became less urgent. The USS Defiant was later put into active duty when the Dominion began to become a larger threat on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Starfleet produced more Defiant-class ships, which proved vital in the Dominion War and later Federation conflicts, including encounters with the Borg. Still, as hinted at in Star Trek: Lower Decks, even the weapons of Starfleet's warships do not compare to the weapons systems of the Terran Empire ships of conquest.