DVD Review HTF REVIEW: "Deep Space Nine" Season One (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Ed St. Clair]

One and out!
Only time will tell.
Thanks, as I've been looking forward to this release.
Would like too see you 'tackle' season three, though.
Maybe, the surrounds kick in, as well as a 'sharper' picture.
Happy V-Day!

 

[Jim_C]

I can't say, however, that I really fell in love
with this series. It's a totally different Star
Trek that doesn't beg to be immediately accepted.
The characters seem to be more troubled, the
neighbors are far unfriendlier, and the themes of
each show are darker than ever before. From
everything that I have read, this series really
doesn't kickstart into high gear until Season 3
when there are more stories that take place outside
of the Space Station.

Ron,

It takes some number of episodes to really get into the series. I didn't start watching DS9 until season 3 because I couldn't relate to the premise. For whatever reason I watched an episode one night and thought it was okay. I watched the next week because there was nothing else on. Two or three more episodes was all it took for me to get hooked. I watched season 1 and 2 in syndication and the rest as they came out.

Trust me, every ST fan should watch seasons 5,6, and 7. They are the best Trek ever. I don't mean that every EPISODE is the best ever. What I mean is the entirety of DS9 (the coming together of various threads, the climax of a couple of 7 year story arcs, many of the best ST battle sequences filmed) makes these seasons more complex and involving than anything in ST before and after. Even if you skip seasons 1-4 (you shouldn't ) you have to watch the last 3. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Brenton]

If you're wondering what that sound is, it's me cringing at the ugly packaging and amateurish menus. I'm sorry, but I have to say that I cannot believe they let that get by on such a high-profile release.

 

[Paul.Mc]

Does anyone know what extras Best Buy will have on their bonus disc?

 

[Andy Olivera]

The characters seem to be more troubled, the
neighbors are far unfriendlier, and the themes of
each show are darker than ever before.

That's what makes it so great! It was best said by Worf(can't remember what episode; shame on me), something to the effect of "on the Enterprise, I knew who my enemies were". Sisko responds, and perfectly sums up the entire point of the series, by saying "DS9 is a shade of gray".

It also has the virtue of tackling important subjects(religion, politics) in a more roundabout fashion(thanks to the ongoing, multi-episode plot threads). TNG had to fit everything in a single episode and, with good/evil so clearly defined, more often than not wound up banging you over the head with whatever message they had. DS9 can suffer from that problem, too, but the percentage of the messages that come across more easily is weighted in the other direction.

If you don't review the other sets, at least give the discs a rent. It's more than worth the time...

 

[Parker Clack]

I am a fan of DS9 but like others have said it really didn't take off until season 3. That is when they started to get off the station. The initial problem they had with the series was they stayed on the station and Trek fans were used to boldly going not boldly staying in the same place. The premise ofcourse was to bring the bad guys to the station instead of seeking them out each episode. This didn't work so they sent them out into the wild black yonder and the show started to gain fans. Though at the end it did start to get a bit nutty with Dr. Breshire being a product of genetic engineering and so forth. For me the show started to lose some of its appeal when Terry Ferrall left the show. It just didn't seem like the same place anymore.

I look forward to this series on disc.

Parker

 

[Jason Seaver]

I'd just like to be a sorta-kinda dissenting voice - I think the first couple of seasons are really underrated. Although DS9 was actually much better with its macrostory than many other TV series - I never remember it really treading water - I tend to like "done in one" stories more than most sci-fi fans these days, and DS9 really struck a great balance between having continuing storylines and telling a good story that was complete in and of itself every week. Also, I liked how Bajor was a much more important part of the show in the early years.

It's interesting to see people talk about how they feel the show didn't take off until they started to "get off the station" but simultaneously praise the long-form storytelling. DS9 was originally envisioned as a more action-oriented series while TNG did the more "cerebral" stories, but it was DS9's stationary nature, where the characters had to live with the consequences of their actions rather than leaving them behind, that made the macro-size storytelling possible. Without the anchor that the station and Bajor provided, DS9 could never have become the most rich, complex Star Trek produced.

 

[andrew markworthy]

it was DS9's stationary nature, where the characters had to live with the consequences of their actions rather than leaving them behind, that made the macro-size storytelling possible. Without the anchor that the station and Bajor provided, DS9 could never have become the most rich, complex Star Trek produced.

A+ for that, Jason.

I think Voyager could have done the same thing (for all that it was a voyage, the crew were stuck on the ship - there was no possibility of transfer to another ship) and *developed*. Instead, the producers chose to blow it big time. Face it, when the biggest development was replacing the lead female sex interest of galactic jailbait with architecturally-chested amazon, we're not talking profundity.

However, getting back on topic - can anyone tell me when the R2 version of DS9 is coming out? Having looked at a few sites today, some of them say a month after R1, the others a near-simultaneous release. Please can anyone enlighten me?

 

[nicholas_g]

However, getting back on topic - can anyone tell me when the R2 version of DS9 is coming out? Having looked at a few sites today, some of them say a month after R1, the others a near-simultaneous release. Please can anyone enlighten me?

The R2 should be out on the 24th March and be around £60.

 

[Win Joy Jr]

In this third STAR TREK series, Benjamin Sisko
(Avery Brooks) is commander of the starship Deep
Space Nine.

Man, everyone is slipping...

Ron, PLEASE reconsider your position on reviewing the rest of the season sets. I think you will find that DS9 really is enjoyable on a great many levels. I am in the camp that DS9 was Star Trek at its best. There are a great number of episodes that make you think LONG after the end credits have finished rolling...

 

[Brandon Conway]

I just wish I had the money to but the season sets.

I still don't have any of the TNG DVDs for the same reason. :frowning:

 

[Jere]

I agree that DSN is the most consistently involving of the various ST series; I also think it's one of the few series that didn't need one or two whole seasons to reach its peak -- that happened within the first four or five episodes. Yes, the Dominion War story arc is great, but so are the standalone stories of the early seasons, which actually DID have a good sense of development and a richness lacking in TNG and the subsequent series. Partly it was the fact that, while TNG had only a couple of recurring "guests" (Q, Lwaxana, Lore), DSN has dozens. In addition, the principals were mostly flawed in one way or another (possible exceptions -- Dax and Sisko), making them far more interesting and complex.

And I am so relieved that Paramount has gone with the book style packaging (which has appeared already with Babylon 5) rather than the endless fold-outs of TNG.

And yeah, The Sons of Mogh is probably the greatest single ST episode ever!

 

[Yee-Ming]

For once, however, I'm going to wait for the R2 version (which is out a month later, but is quite a bit cheaper, surprisingly enough).

you sure, Andrew? note that Canadian e-tailers are a fair bit cheaper than US ones, but it's the same thing.

I purchased the R2 versions of TNG, partly on the basis they WERE cheaper (I liked the cases too ), but with the pound having appreciated considerably, they're now about the same price, or in fact slightly more expensive, than R1 from Canada -- and this is AFTER taking into account that I don't have to pay VAT. with VAT?

so now I'm in two minds about whether to go with R1 or R2. I think I'll wait to find out more about the R2 packaging, which so far seems to be the same as the TNG cases.

 

[Todd K]

And yeah, The Sons of Mogh is probably the greatest single ST episode ever!

And while we're at it, probably the worst thing they ever did on DS9 was give Alexander the old "all grown up now in just one year" trick. Isn't it ironic he used to be played by the kid from Family Ties, one of the most successful shows ever to pull that sham?

 

[Jeff_HR]

Though this will be my ONLY review of the entire
series

I find this to be quite disappointing. Too bad that you either don't have the time to review the following sets, or that you simply are not interested in doing it.:frowning:

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Ron,

Even if you don't review them, I hope you get a chance to check out some episodes from later seasons. There is some truly great television in there.

I always thought the first 2 seasons were fine, too. Season 3 was indeed when really took off and became great, but DS9's first 2 seasons were certainly better than TNG's first 2.

DS9 really struck a great balance between having continuing storylines and telling a good story that was complete in and of itself every week.

I agree completely, Jason. I enjoy long story arcs, but some of them have been getting pretty ridiculous lately. DS9 was able to find a middle ground. There were arcs that went on for several episodes, but then they would find a stopping place and have a few stand-alones.

I also agree that the characters of DS9 were the most complex and interesting in the Trek universe. The original and Next Gen crews are iconic characters, and they will always represent and be Star Trek, but DS9 built on that foundation and took it to a new level.

I hope I can afford the entire series. We'll see what happens, I guess.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Parker Clack wrote (post #26):

My sense has always been that there is a divide or dichotomy between those who prize Star Trek most highly for its science-fictional aspects (including its "world" of the future) and those who just want to enjoy it as pure drama or action. I've long thought that, where pure dramatic experience is concerned, DS 9 is, indeed, hands-down "the pinnacle" of the franchise. For some of us with a more science-fictional bent, though---and that's why I, for one, look at "space shows"---, DS 9, for all its virtues (including being a (more or less) self-contained story), can't even touch The Next Generation, given the latter's story versatility and exploratory aspects. DS 9, as good as it was---or, rather, became---is after all, about the familiar, which, to my mind, is antithetical to "science fiction". I'll take an exploration of the unknown over that almost any day.


As to the DVD series itself, I guess it's like beating a dead horse, but I suppose Paramount won't be including on these discs any scenes deleted from the broadcasts of these shows for time or "excessive violence" (e.g., episode #95 "To the Death"). That's a shame.

 

[David Lambert]

Rex, a great post. I especially agree with this:

My sense has always been that there is a divide or dichotomy between those who prize Star Trek most highly for its science-fictional aspects (including its "world" of the future) and those who just want to enjoy it as pure drama or action. I've long thought that, where pure dramatic experience is concerned, DS 9 is, indeed, hands-down "the pinnacle" of the franchise. For some of us with a more science-fictional bent, though---and that's why I, for one, look at "space shows"---, DS 9, for all its virtues (including being a (more or less) self-contained story), can't even touch The Next Generation, given the latter's story versatility and exploratory aspects. DS 9, as good as it was---or, rather, became---is after all, about the familiar, which, to my mind, is antithetical to "science fiction". I'll take an exploration of the unknown over that almost any day.

I guess this explains why I'm a TNG man. I DO prize the exploration of the unknown over the drama, and the familiar.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Enterprise is failing on so many levels: instead of truly exploring the unknown, it is merely re-introducing us to the already-familiar.

 

[DeVario]

This set is as good as mine come next Tuesday! Great review Ron. I hope you get the chance to see the later seasons too.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Forgot to ask this. What about the aspect ratio of DS9? Since it’s a more recent series, did they ever shot it in widescreen? Any later seasons?