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Star Trek Deep Space Nine - The Complete Third Season

Star Trek Deep Space Nine - The Complete Third Season

List Price: $129.99
Your Price: $103.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better each season
Review: This is my favorite Series oin the Star Trek Universe. Character development, Imperfect personalities, Real problems with morally ambiguous answers...what's not to like.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Many great episodes, but falls short of perfection
Review: This is the season where we truly begin to see the show that Deep Space Nine would become. There are many memorable moments in this third season, as well as intense character development across the board. Many storylines introduced in season 2 would finally spawn fantastic episodes in season 3, and the show really began to take on a unique feel as compared to any previous Trek show.

The season opens with the two-parter "The Search" which was the perfect opener to a rousing season. The arrival of the Starship Defiant at Deep Space Nine signaled a radical change in the show's dynamic, as now the crew could venture out into space. Many fans reluctant to try the show earlier were converted by this development. Also, the structure of the Dominion is revealed, and the 'Odo angst' begins. Other noteworthy adventures include "Defiant," which features the return of Tom Riker as a Maquis terrorist who hijacks the Defiant; "Civil Defense," a seemingly metaphoric episode that is suspenseful and has what in my opinion is the most humorous diatribe trading between Dukat and Garak; the "Past Tense" two-parter, which is a good time-traveling episode with gentle social commentary, a continuation of the mirror universe storyline in "Through the Looking Glass. "Explorers" is a warm, character-driven episode that the show could not make enough of, and "The Adversary" is a great conclusion to the season, with Sisko finally being promoted to captain, a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase with a changeling onboard the Defiant, Odo killing one of his own kind (accentuating the Odo angst) and the implication that changelings have already infiltrated the highest echelon of Starfleet Command, a plotline which would become the basis of an excellent two-part episode in season 4.

The two standout episodes of the season, however, are "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast." Improbable cause has Odo investigating the (apparent) attempted murder of Garak, where nothing is as it seems. The Die is Cast deals with a combined Romulan and Cardassian fleet taking the fight to the Dominion and being utterly destroyed, due to changeling infiltrators. There is much great drama in this episode: the relationship between Garak and Tain, the Eddington/Sisko conflict, and the interesting fact that these two private men have their actions guided by the same dream: to return home. Astounding stuff.

Why only 4 stars? I can't reconcile giving 5 stars to a seasons with arguably the two worst episodes ever produced in the show. "Meridian" is the worst love story I have ever seen produced in any medium, and just like season 4's "Rejoined", Dax allows herself to be led astray by hormones, in spite of all her wisdom, importance on passing on the symbiont, etc. etc. I'm glad the producers finally realized that nobody was buying it. The other bad episode also dealt with love. "Fascination" is one of those "fun" episodes that just never worked out. Although the plot device to spontaneously attract people is logical (I guess), the pairing is odd, to say the least (Jake and Kira? Quark and Keiko? I think not). And, furthermore, the comic aspect of the episode just never materialized. It felt labored and just painful all around.

Deep Space Nine's Third Season began to show the show's potential. There are plenty of great episodes here, and this is the show's true beginning, as we see a more bold structure pervade the show. A worthy buy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Kicks off with a bang
Review: This series wouldn't be half as interesting if Odo were still looking for his people seven seasons later. He finds them, and in the tradition of all good storytelling, the fulfillment of his lifelong desire creates personal complications as well as unleashing an interstellar war that provided some of the best TV moments.

Let's see...we had angst over Odo and Kira. No Bashir romance this season until Leeta at the end. No Worf yet. "Distant Voices" added depth to Dr, Bashir. In case no one has picked up, Dr. Bashir is my hero. I also adore Garak, the Q of the series, and his "Improbable Cause" and "The Die Is Cast" added increasing fascination with this morally ambiguous character to whom jillions of Web pages are devoted.

Sisko became more comfortable with his Emissary role and Kira kicked Cardassian butt as well as putting the ever-marvelous Kai Winn's nose even more out of joint. However, "Life Support" has to be one of the all-time worst episodes in any "Star Trek" series. Even then, the Kira scene at the end confessing her love for Bareil because "you were at peace with your confusion," Bashir's confrontation with Kai Winn ("I won't forget these words, Doctor." "Neither will I.") and his essential devotion to Bareil's humanity even at the cost of his physical life sums up what DS9 is all about.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The True Start of the Show
Review: Though its often debated when this show found its feet (3rd or 4th seasons), the inclusion of the Dominion and the increase in the more "political" nature of DS9 finally gave the show feet to stand on.

While the first two seasons were essentially rooted in the TNG theme of exploration, etc. The producers finally seemed to realize that this show (because of its stationary nature) could never be anything like TNG in terms of structure - and they made a very good choice in altering the direction and giving Sisko a warship to fight with.

Some of the show's all-time best episodes are in the third season (second only to season 4 in terms of # of great ones):
The Search, Meridian, Defiant, Fascination, Destiny, Visionary, Through the Looking Glass, Improbable Cause, The Die Is Cast, The Adversary

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DS9 Season Three-The Middle Trek child grows
Review: With the Dominion threat,and the introdution of the battleship,Defiant,DS9's third season was finally coming into it's own.
Along with more character development in the lead as well as the supporting cast(Garak,Dukat,Kai Winn,Rom & Nog),the writing was even stronger than before with great episodes such as House Of Quark,Civil Defense,Second Skin,Visionary,Past Tense,and Explorers.Also introduced in this season are Leeta,Ishka("Moogie"),Brunt,Shaakar,and Lt.Commander Eddington.
Unfortunately with Star Trek Generation hitting the big screen,and Star Trek Voyager's big premire,DS9 was lost in the shuffle.But it would use it's underdog status to emerge as the greatest Trek series the following season.


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