Saga Compilation of direct trilogy mirrors (1-4, 2-5, 3-6) (Note: Image heavy)

Start of Yoda duel

Start of Luke vs Vader



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AOTC

ESB



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A pretty obvious one...
AOTC

ESB

Also the earlier foreshadowing



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Anakin and Padme's connection/symbiosis (they are both incapacitated at the same time)


An arguably related familial bond is present in Luke and Leia, but as brother and sister. In ESB Luke reaches Leia through the force

 

Don't know how many posts this will be. I have to go to work soon, so I may have to finish later.


ROTS/ROTJ:


Republic Star Destroyer in opening scene. Anakin and Obi-Wan being supported by it.

Empire Star Destroyer in opening scene. Vader's shuttle come out of it.


Arrival at opening scene locations.

Some TPM-ROTS-ROTJ hangar inversions here; the bookends (TPM-ROTJ) are in a state of relative peace, ROTS is hectic war. In TPM the Jedi are invited, ROTS they meet resistance and start fighting right away (yet their arrival has been orchestrated by Sidious), ROTJ Vader arrives on the Emperor's orders.



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Grievous is a precursor to Vader, the living being in a cyborg body. Some dialogue parallels...

ROTS
Sidious: "The end of the war is near General."
Grievous: "But the loss of Count Dooku..."
Sidious: "His death was a neccessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice. One far younger and more powerful."
ROTJ
Sidious: "Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us."

and

ROTS
Grievous: "Back away. I will deal with this Jedi slime myself."
ROTJ
Vader: "Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself."

and

ROTS
Grievous: "Crush them. Make them suffer."
ROTJ
Jabba: "They will all suffer for this outrage!"

and

ROTS
Grievous: "Jedi scum!"
ROTJ
Imperial: "You Rebel scum!"

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- Luke is 23 in ROTJ / Anakin is 23 in ROTS

- ROTS starts with a mission to rescue Anakin's "friend" Palpatine / ROTJ starts with a mission to rescue Luke's friend Han.



Handcuffs



Breaking out:

"R2!"

Hand signal to R2


(R2's distraction also mirrors him getting shot in another ROTJ scene)



Anakin taking saber from Grievous

R2 throwing Luke his saber




(Also, Luke tries to bargain with Jabba / Grievous refers to Obi-Wan as "The negotiator")
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Knocking out guards




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Reunited kisses

 

Anakin "carrying" the Sith

Anakin ending the Sith



"I can feel your anger!"




Inverted?




"Rise my friend."


"Rise."


ROTS
Sidious: "Leave us."
ROTJ
Sidious: "Guards, leave us."


ROTS
Sidious: "You're fullfilling your destiny Anakin."
ROTJ
Sidious: "Fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"


ROTS
Sidious: "To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together I know we can discover the secret!"
ROTJ
Sidious: "He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the darkside of the force!"


ROTS
Sidious: "Good is a point of view, Anakin."
...
Anakin: "From my point of view the Jedi are evil!"
ROTJ
Obi-Wan: Luke, you are going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."


ROTS
Sidious: "The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way."
I'm not going to post an example of this, but it is extensively proven true of the course of the saga.


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Anakin in dark.

Luke in light.



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Vader states here "Obi-Wan has taught you well."

 

Okay I'm gonna continue, I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped before (thanx for the support Cryo!).


Final space-battle of each trilogy:













Where the Seperatists are attempting to flee with Palpatine hostage, and are blocked by Star Destroyer equivalents, the Rebels are trapped by similar ships.
(Notice the four Star Destroyers in the distance)



Both situations/battles are of course orchestrated by Palpatine; ordering his own kidnapping in ROTS, and leaking the location of the Shield Generator to the Rebels in ROTJ.

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ROTS
Anakin arrives late, after the report is finished, as he has been talking with Yoda ("Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.")

ROTJ
Luke arrives late, after the report is finished, as he has been talking to Yoda on Dagobah (Yoda's death scene)


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-
ROTS
Cody: "Fortunately most of the cities are concentrated over here, on the far-side.
ROTJ
Sidious: "Send the fleet to the far-side of Endor. There it will stay until further called for."


-
ROTS
Anakin: "You owe me. And not for saving your skin for the tenth time!"
ROTJ
Han: "Thanks Luke, thanks for coming after me. Now I owe you one!"


-
ROTS
Anakin: "You underestimate my power!"
Obi-Wan: "Don't try it!"
ROTJ
Luke: "It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

Kind of inverted; in ROTS the unheeded warning is directed at Anakin (yet Jabba in ROTJ), and where Anakin is proven incorrect, Luke indeed proves too powerful for Jabba.


-
ROTJ
Luke: "Master Yoda, you can't die."
Yoda: "Strong am I with the force. But not that strong."

Quite ironic after the events of ROTS.

and

ROTS
Anakin: "Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."
ROTJ
Luke (About Yoda's death): "I can't do it R2. I can't go on alone."

 

Throne rooms:


Good guys approaching the two duel locations:



ROTS
Anakin: Missiles! Pull up!"
...
Obi-Wan: "Well have you noticed the shields are still up?"

ROTJ
Lando: "The shield is still up!"..."Pull up, all craft pull up!"



Elevators to top of a spire (Invisible Hand / DS2)




Stairs down / stairs up. Palpatine does the same swivel in his chair in these two scenes.








Kick down a level









After being goaded by Dooku, Anakin uses his anger on Dooku, the camera panning left as he goes all out on the older duelist:

After (far more) goading from Vader, Luke finally gives in to his anger and goes all out on his father, the camera again panning left:







Palpatine gloating at Dooku's defeat: "Good, Anakin, good!"

Palpatine gloating at Vader's defeat (A role reversal for Vader): "Good!"



(Run out of room, follow me onto the next post)

 

Sidious encourages Luke to kill Vader. Luke, making a revelation about the path he is heading down (the metaphor of the similarity in their robotic hands), comes back from his anger and spares Vader's life.


Palpatine encourages Anakin to kill Dooku, a man Anakin hates and feels no compassion for, and Anakin (making no similar revelation to Luke's) kills Dooku in cold blood.


There is also a stark contrast in Luke defiantly throwing away a green saber in defiance of Palpatine, and Anakin taking a Sith saber in his flesh hand, and ominously killing Dooku with blue and red.


ROTS
Anakin removes Palpatine's cuffs with the force after the duel.
ROTJ
Palpatine removes Luke's cuffs with the force on arrival.


ROTS (Earlier scene)
Anakin: "I'm not leaving without you Master."
ROTJ
Luke: "No, I'll not leave you here, I've got to save you!"

The scenes end with Luke carrying a dying Anakin, and Anakin carrying an unconscious Obi-Wan.
Palpatine: "Leave him, or we'll never make it!"
Anakin: 'His fate will be the same as ours!"



Finally, there is an interesting detail with the space-battles visible out of the window during the duel.

The ROTJ scene involves Luke being angered with the Rebel fleets plight


Where Anakin is not nearly as invested in the battle going on during his ROTS duel, there appears to be some symmetry between the battle and the progress of Anakin vs Dooku. As Anakin overpowers Dooku, the Republic seems to gain the upper-hand outside.
Such as here, "Kill him. Kill him now." includes a Star Destroyer moving to take up the whole view behind Palpatine.

Anakin: "I Shouldn't." comes with Republic fighters chasing Seperatists fighters outside.


Perhaps there is some symbolism in Anakin's actions only strengthening the future Empire?



(I will continue later)

 

End of the Jedi / End of the Sith:


ROTS - Jedi spire

ROTJ - Sith spire




Anakin's turn to the darkside and back to the light at the end of each trilogy carries the galaxy with him, and is heavily inverted:

ROTS
The Jedi are searching for the last Sith (Sidious).
Mace: "A Sith Lord?"
Anakin: "Yes. The one we've been looking for."
ROTJ
The Sith are searching for the last Jedi (Luke).
Sidious: "And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."
Vader: "Yes, My Master."


- Palpatine reveals his identity to Anakin. Anakin instinctively lights his saber at Palaptine's back, but Palpatine is going quietly for now. Anakin turns Palpatine over to the Jedi Council.
Sidious: "Of course, you should, but you're not entirely sure of their intentions, are you?"

Luke turns himself over to Vader.
Luke: "That's why you won't take me to your Emperor now."
Vader lights Luke's saber at Luke's back, and shortly after takes Luke to turn him over to the Emperor.




- The ROTS scene that follows between Mace and Anakin mirrors an earlier ROTJ scene between Sidious and Vader:

ROTS
Anakin: "I've just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord.
Mace: "A Sith Lord?"
...
Mace: "Are you sure?"
Anakin: "Absolutely."
...
Mace: "For your own good, stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you Skywalker, there is much fear that clouds your judgement.
Anakin: "I must go Master."
Mace: "No. If what you have told me is true, you will have gained my trust. But for now, remain here."

ROTJ
Sidious: "I told you to remain on the command ship!"
Vader: "A small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor.
Sidious: "Yes I know."
Vader: "My son is with them."
Sidious: "Are you sure?"
Vader: "I have felt him, my Master."
Sidious: "Strange that I have not. I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader."
Vader: "They are clear, my Master."

Note both Masters ask if Anakin/Vader is sure on the presence of the last Sith / last Jedi. And they both sense conflict in Anakin/Vader with regards to the subject. And both scenes relate to Anakin disobeying a Master's orders to stay put; Anakin will of course actually end up following Mace to Palpatine's office.


- Anakin will later be presented with a chance to save the last Sith (his father-figure who has been influencing him) / Vader will later be presented with a chance to save the last Jedi (his son who has been influencing him).

ROTS (deleted scene)
Palpatine: "There is great conflict in you, Anakin."
ROTJ
Luke: "I feel the conflict within you, let go of your hate!"


- Interestingly, both Palpatine (ROTS) and Luke (ROTJ) trust Anakin:
ROTS
Obi-Wan: "The only reason the Council has approved your appointment to the Council is because the Chancellor trusts you."
ROTJ
Sidious: "HIs compassion for you will be his undoing."


(Quick example of Anakin delivering a report to Palpatine and Vader delivering a report to Sidious):





- As Palpatine is fried by his own lightning, Anakin (watching on) sides with him and betrays his Jedi Master, Mace; who was blind to Anakin's coming turn / As Luke is fried by Sith lightning, Anakin (watching on) sides with him and betrays his Sith Master, Sidious; who was blind to Vader's coming redemption.


"Help me!" ... "Don't kill me, please!"

"Father, please! Help me!"


Palpatine to Mace: "No,no, no, you will die!"
Palpatine to Luke: "And now young Skywalker... you will die."

- Unable to let go of Palpatine, and by extension Padme, Anakin intervenes and saves Palpatine, helping kill Mace and joining the Sith / Vader lets go of his hate, intervenes and kills Palpatine (and himself) to save Luke, returning as a Jedi.


(continued next post)

 

End of the Jedi/ End of the Sith (continued):


Yoda's defeat (falling) symbolising the Jedi's end

Sidious's defeat (falling) symbolising the Sith's end

The shaft is also mirrored in the tunnel Yoda retreats through here




ROTS
Sidious: "Your arrogance blinds you Master Yoda."
ROTJ
Luke: "Your overconfidence is your weakness."



ROTS
Yoda: "Destroy the Sith we must."
ROTJ
Sidious: "If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed!"



ROTS - Clones helping Wookies

ROTJ - Ewoks killing Stormtroopers



ROTS

ROTJ



ROTS - At the Jedi's end, two clones drop back and shoot down a Jedi


ROTJ - At the Jedi's return, a Jedi drops back between two stormtroopers and shoots one down

 

Padme: "Hold me"

Leia: "Hold me"



-
ROTS (deleted scene)
Mon Mothma: "Even family. No one can be told."
ROTJ
Han: "What is it?"
Leia: "I...can't tell you."


-
ROTS
Obi-Wan: "After the death of Count Dooku Anakin became his new apprentice."
Padme: "I don't believe you. I can't!"
ROTJ
Luke: "It's you Leia."
Leia: "I know... somehow... I've always known."


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Han and Leia's relationship has a happy resolution, contrasting the tragic romance of the PT.

The jealousy is partially there, but the couple overcome it, a few examples:

Luke: "What, she didn't come back?"
Han (a little angry): "I thought she was with you."
Luke: "We got seperated."


Leia: "I can't tell you."
Han: "Could you tell Luke, is that who you could tell?"
...
Han: "I'm sorry."


Besides the fact that the couple both survive, this scene resolves the love triangle peacefully...
Han: "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew."
Leia: "He wasn't. I can feel it."
Han: "You love him, don't you."
Leia: "Well yes."
Han: "Alright. I understand. When he comes back...I won't get in the way."
Leia: "It's not like that at all. He's my brother."


Anakin's paranoid jealousy on the other hand eventually contributes to the couple's demise:

Anakin: "We don't need his help. Our baby is a blessing."

Anakin: "Obi-Wan's been here, hasn't he?"

Padme: "You're going down a path I can't follow.
Anakin: "Because of Obi-Wan?"
...
Padme: "Stop, come back. I love you!"
Anakin (spotting Obi-Wan): "Liar! You're with him. You brought him here to kill me!"


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Some misc. parallels -


ROTS

ROTJ



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ROTS
Obi-Wan (having just killed Grievous): "So uncivilised."

ROTJ
Luke (perhaps realising all forms of fighting, even with a lightsaber, is uncivilised): "I'll never turn to the darkside."



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After Order 66 (Clone: "There's been a Rebellion sir") the Jedi have become the Rebels and are no longer aligned with the Republic-now-Empire. Perhaps symbolic of this, Obi-Wan leaves Utapau in a Seperatist ship:


The Jedi and the Rebels are of course the underdogs in the OT.


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-
ROTS (Mustafar/hell)
C-3PO: "We should leave this dreadful place!"
ROTJ (Endor/peaceful setting)
C-3PO: "And you said it was pretty here!"


-
ROTS
Yoda: "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."
ROTJ
Luke: "I feel the conflict within you, let go of your hate!"


-
ROTS
Yoda: "Good relations with the Wookies, I have."
ROTJ
C-3PO: "We are now a part of the tribe!"


-
ROTS
Vader: "Where is Padme? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
ROTJ
Han: "I hope she's alright."


-
ROTS
Palpatine: "I know what's been troubling you."
ROTJ
Leia: "Luke tell me, what's been troubling you?"


-
ROTS
Sidious: "I'm too weak. Don't kill me, please!"
ROTJ
Yoda: "Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor or suffer your father's fate you will."


-
ROTJ
Yoda: "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Sidious: "By now you must know that your father can never be turned from the darkside if the force. So will it be with you"

 

Two more post, then I'm done.


Before I continue, a quick addendum to "end of the Jedi / end of the Sith" that I left out:

Revenge of the Sith:

Return of the Jedi:



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Anakin and Vader make the opposite progression in each trilogy.

- Anakin starts the PT warm-hearted and quite pure. His desire to "fix" things and prevent change eventually leads him to seek the power to keep his loved ones alive. Where he starts with better intentions, his vision eventually becomes twisted, and the power to save loved ones warps into power for the sake of power. He ends up seeing his loved ones as a means to gain more power, wanting to rule the galaxy with Padme. He ends up losing everything he held dear.
- Vader starts the OT cold and empty. He has little loyalty to anything beside Sidious and the Emperor. The return of he and Padme's children is at first seen as a way to aquire more power, wanting to use Luke to overthrow the Emperor. The conflict in Vader/Anakin will eventually lead him to wanting Luke alive just out of love. He finally learns to be selfless again, and lets go of his enslavement to the darkside, killing the Emperor and sacrifing his own life to save Luke.


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ROTS


ROTJ




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-
ROTS
Obi-Wan: "I have failed you Anakin, I have failed you."
ROTJ
Obi-Wan: "I thought I could instruct him as well as Master Yoda. I was wrong."

and later

ROTJ
Vader: "Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the darkside, perhaps she will!"


-
ROTS
Obi-Wan: "I will not kill Anakin." ... "He is like my brother, I cannot do it!"
Yoda: "Twisted by the darkside young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader."
ROTJ
Obi-Wan: "He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil."
Luke: "I can't kill my own father!"


-
Also, a relevant ESB link:

ROTS
Anakin: "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"
Obi-Wan: "Then you are lost!"
ESB
Obi-Wan: "Luke, I don't want to lose you to the Emperor the way I lost Vader."


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ROTS
Padme: "There is good in him. I know there's still..."
ROTJ
Luke: "There is good in him, I've felt it."


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There are a lot of links between the ROTS scene where Padme confronts Anakin on Mustafar, and Luke confronting Vader in ROTJ.
Some examples:


ROTS
Padme: "Come away with me."
ROTJ
Luke: "Come with me."


ROTS
Padme: "You're going down a path I can't follow!"
ROTJ
Luke: "I will not turn, and you'll be forced to kill me!"


ROTS
Anakin: "I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of. And I'm doing it for you. To protect you."
ROTJ
Vader: "Indeed you are powerful, as the Emperor has forseen."
and
Vader: "You don't know the power of the darkside!"

 

Masking / Unmasking:


I noticed a while back that the corresponding events between Anakin's immolation/damnation and his redemption/cremation happen in reverse order. I'll post them in ROTS order:



ROTS 1. Immolation and lost brotherhood -


ROTJ 4. Reunited and cremation -



ROTS 2. Palpatine coming for Vader -

ROTJ 3. Luke leaving with Vader on a similar Imperial shuttle -



ROTS 3. Mask coldly goes on (a glimse of Vader's vision now)-


ROTJ 2. Mask warmly comes off (Anakin seeing Luke with his own eyes) -




ROTS 4. Anakin's metaphorical death (losing Padme) -

ROTJ1. Anakin's metaphorical re-birth (killing Palpatine and regaining Luke) -




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ROTS's ending is quite humble, just two people and a baby symbolising a new hope:

ROTJ's ending is contrastingly a galaxy-wide celebration largely made possible by the prodigal baby of ROTS:

 

I don't remember THOSE EYEBROWS!!!!

Great work on this mate!

 

An absolutely fantastic thread, man. I only have enough time to skim it at the moment, but it's fantastic seeing a lot of these comparisons I've noticed laid out in such a format, and experiencing some more for the very first time!

Definitely going to spend some time very soon going over each detail and quote in the thread and letting it all sink in. Great work.

 

Belated thanx @bstnsx.

I just noticed one I missed, seems intentional...

ROTS

ROTJ


In ROTS Anakin has been told he is going to be a father; there is a moment where he contemplates this and lets it sink in, then replies "That's... that's wonderful!"
In ROTJ, Han declares he won't get in the way of Luke and Leia being together, to which Leia replies with "It's not like that at all. He's my brother." and Han has a similar contemplative moment before it dawns on him what that means.

Anakin's line "This is a happier moment. The happiest moment of my life." can be applied to Han, and they also similarly go "hah" when they realise the good news.

 

Great thread, though some examples are a little tenuous.

 

Love this thread, thanks for putting it together.

 

Thanx, appreciate the response!


I noticed I missed a dialogue link between ROTS and ROTJ...

ROTS
Yoda: "If so powerful you are, why leave?"
Palpatine: "You will not stop me. Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us!"
Yoda: "Faith in your new apprentice, misplaced maybe. As is your faith in the darkside of the force!"
ROTJ
Palaptine: "Perhaps you refer to the imminent arrival of your Rebel fleet? I assure you, we are quite safe from your friends here!"
Luke: "Your overconfidence is your weakness."
Palpatine: "Your faith in your friends is yours!"

Love these ROTS/ROTJ opposites.
- In Ep3 Palpatine is attempting to flee at first, yet later basically wins the fight. In Ep6 he is comfortable staying, yet it later ends with his death, and the destruction of the Deathstar II.
- Both Yoda and Luke question Palpatine's power/confidence.
- Thirdly, perhaps most significantly, Yoda seems to forsee the end of ROTJ (and also the result of Anakin and Obi-Wan's ROTS duel - Vader never reaches his potential). Vader tries to recruit Luke to kill Palaptine (particularly in ESB), Palpatine tries to turn Luke to relace Vader. Anakin/Vader of course then turns on The Emperor, bringing Yoda's prophecy full circle.
- Also, Luke's faith in his friends turns out to be justified.

 

Ah...I really like that parallel you draw between Anakin cutting down Mace and Vader saving his son...now when I see that scene in ROTJ I'm going to think that's what VAder sees in his mind..."I remember this...I stood by and wounded my comrade so YOU (the emperor) could destroy everything I love....Not this time!"

 

Thanx.

It's quite poetic, I like the sort of push-pull tension or "balance" you get when you watch these films together.
There really is a lot of work put into SW films that I think make up for some of Lucas' more questionable decisions regarding the films. They are pretty obviously meant to be watched as one.

 

Shameless self-promotion bump.

 

Loved scrolling through this thread again. Great work.

Makes me wonder what other kinds of links (I - IV - VII?) might be born out of the new films.

 

Thanx!
It will be interesting to see. I doubt JJ will concentrate on that kind of thing personally, the mirrors that are there in the original six films seem pretty specific to Lucas's personal vision, Lucas played it down in interviews/commentary a bit IMO.
We'll see though.

 

Yeah, definitely. I'm sure the news films will have connections, intentional or otherwise, but I don't see them mirroring in quite the same way that Lucas' six films did. That being said, it does make sense. A new change of hands, a new generation, and this time the story is being moved forward rather than coming full circle.

Gonna miss Lucas' touch that made these films so special, but it's going to be very, very interesting to see what the future holds.

 

Went through the whole thing and enjoyed it. One now just has to wonder if there will be any triple parallels once the ST comes into play.

 

Appreciate the effort to go through it all. Thanks for the likes.

I'm looking forward to Ep7, but not holding my breath on there being many mirrors
I could be mistaken though.