ENT 4x18 - In A Mirror, Darkly - Part I

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Michiel

Also, I wonder, did the borg intervene in this timeline too? Did Picard and crew help there too? And were they our Picard and crew or evil Picard and crew?

In the Reeves-Stevens' MU trilogy with William Shatner's name on it, one character (Spock, I think) does some digging and finds that the first point in history where the two universes differ is First Contact. I'm guessing that the R-Ses are basing this two-parter on the same MU backstory, because that gives the teaser special importance -- it shows the moment of divergence, where the MU became the MU.

What's harder to figure out is exactly what went differently. The obvious explanation is that because the Terran Empire was so different from the Federation, for one reason or another the Borg never encountered them; so the Enterprise never went back in time; so Cochrane conducted his launch as originally planned without hearing about the peaceful society he'd create; so his mistrust after WWIII won out and he shot the Vulcan; so the Terran Empire arose, completing a lovely little circle of causality. This would also explain why the shots of Next Gen characters in the crowd were cut out. The only problem is that the Enterprise apparently DID travel back in time in the books. At one point Janeway's MU counterpart mentions that Lake Sloane is called Lake Riker in her universe. (Sloane is Lily's last name.) I don't remember what the final word on this was in the books; it's probably in the conclusion, Preserver, if you care to look it up.

For more info, try Memory Alpha's MU page, particularly the italicized section at the end.