Rating: Summary: *** WARNING *** SPOILERS ARE IN THE BONUS DISK! BEWARE!! Review: This is a fairly good series but the Bonus disk COMPLETELY RUINS any hope of watching the series and enjoying the plot twists and what there is of a story arc. Back in 1997 I had to stop watching the original airings, and I had hoped to be able to pick it up now and enjoy it as a new experience. Unfortunately, I loaded the Season 1 Bonus Disk after watching the Season 1 episodes, and I must have seen 10 spoilers in the space of three minutes, thanks to a rapid-fire series of one-second shots that very efficiently showed all the major developments of each season. ON THE SEASON 1 BONUS DISK. These were major, major spoilers -- everything you are probably thinking about right now if you know the series. Very frustrating for me, and quite the shocker for my wife who had not seen the series before. Not only frustrating and shocking, the experience was rather irritating because it suggests an attitude on the part of the producers of "Well of course everybody has seen our series. Everybody watches Star Trek, right?" No, not necessarily. Frankly speaking, I was watching Babylon 5 at the time and I decided that trying to watch DS9 at the same time was like trying to drink a synth-ale after downing a couple of Guinesses. So now we find the question "Why should we buy the rest of it if there will be no surprises" creeping into our minds. My advice if you are watching for the first time: Enjoy the episodes, leave the "Bonus Disk" resting peacefully in the box. After they release the entire series, you can decide whether or not you want to go back and watch seven Bonus Disks back-to-back. It was a brain-dead and avoidable mistake to spoil the viewing experience in this way. My rating: This might have received 4 or 5 stars based on the quality of the episodes, but the spoilers ruin all that and make this a 3.
Rating: Summary: DS9 gets better with each season, check it out! Review: The one thing that is really remarkable about DS9, is that it gets better and better with each season. That's not to say that the earlier seasons aren't important or worth getting, in fact, just the opposite. To understand the complexity of the story that develops in the later seasons, one must know the story and motivations for the characters early on. I love this season, and think it is worth every cent. I think you will too. DS9 is not only the best Trek, but one of the best shows ever on television. :)
Rating: Summary: This show was not and never will be Star Trek.... Review: this show was a much darker take on Star Trek and in each season it shifted from one failed story idea to another. They were given their own starship, they met new foes, they brought Worf over to the cast to boost rateings which only partly succeeded. There was very little hope and optimisism in this show. There was no Enterprise, there was very little of Gene's original ideas of Star Trek in this show, and the rateings showed Trekker's displeasure with it. When the show ended, several cast members got killed or were written off in a way that makes it unlikely we will ever see them again. and that's just as well. Star Trek; Voyager, was only slightly better.
Rating: Summary: Fabulous, with one COMPLAINT: NUMEROUS SPOILERS in SPECIAL F Review: I love the series, a favorite from beginning to end, and I love having the episodes on DVD. BUT while trying to introduce the series to my partner who's never seen it, I noted NUMEROUS SPOILERS throughout the Season 1 special features. Unlike The Next Generation special features that go SEASON BY SEASON (and so we watched them together), this one projects forward to scenes from "You Are Cordially..." and other major series SPOILING episodes, in almost ALL PARTS of the special features. Luckily I caught them before it ruined some of the great joy of the series for her, those twists and turns, hookups and disappointments. It seems the producers decided DS9 didn't merit a well-crafted season by season retrospective like The Next Generation did, so they spoiled some of the great revelations and events in the series. VERY DISAPPOINTING. Such a series-wide view is appropriate, but only for the Final Season, not the first, in my opinion. (The "crew dossiers" might be excepted from the spoiler concern (as they only have 7 discs to put them on, but at least the other features should be clean. Also, FYI, I've only seen one spoiler in TNG Special features, Season 2, a magazine cover behind Worf that mentions "You Are Cordially..." They did a much better job on the TNG special features.) The Epidosdes themselves, however are wonderful. Season 1 builds so many of the pieces that are set into true motion later on in the series, but it's still an exceptional achievement. One of the top Treks, or even top television series, to be produced in modern television, from first season to the last. Hopefully, Paramount will correct its mistake for the later DVDs, so new people or some of us who forget easily will still be surprised when we reach the later seasons and watch again how everything plays out.
Rating: Summary: DS9 - First Season Success Review: The first season of DS9 serves as a nexus from TNG, but it also stands on firm ground as fine science fiction. The introduction of the main characters (all wonderfully cast, btw), along with many memorable episodes (e.g., Duet) easily make viewing a pleasure. Every TV show goes through a breaking-in period, and DS9 was no exception. There are certainly some raw moments here, but in the perspective of what a truly outstanding series that DS9 quickly developed into, those moments are still fun to watch. The production qualities of this DVD set are top-notch. Picture, sound, packaging, and the special features all show care and attention-to-detail. My highest recommendation goes out to this show and to this DVD series. And looking past this first season, let me tell 'ya....it's only going to get better!
Rating: Summary: As Good as I Remember. Review: I'll spare everyone a lengthy review as I'm probably not saying anything new. I just wanted to say that the series is as good as I remember it. Especially given the atrocious "Enterprise" and "Nemesis", it's nice to remember why I started watching Star Trek in the first place.
Rating: Summary: First Season of Trek isn't dreck Review: DS9 was the Rodney Dangerfield of television; it couldn't get much respect from long time NextGen fans nor of fans of the original series. I've heard DS9 described as boring because it's set on a space station (as if that has any relevance)and lacking the sense of adventure of NextGen. The fact is that DS9 eventually grew into the one of the best written science fiction series on television. The first season was wildly uneven with politically charged, intelligent science fiction alternating with lame brain routine adventures that could have been written for any show. Duet stands as the most stunning individual episode although the pilot is equally as good (although a bit scattered as befits an episode setting up the characters). What's most interesting is the look at religion, politics and science on the show. Given Roddenberry's beliefs, I was surprised that DS9 eventually made it to the air as it tackles each subject but doesn't judge the value systems or beliefs of others. No doubt, it made it to the air because 1) Roddenberry wasn't around to object; 2)Berman was in command along with co-creator Michael Pillar; 3) It kept the franchise viable as NextGen began winding down. Avery Brooks gives a frequently firey performance as Sisko and Nana Visitor is every bit his equal. All the actors do a great job.
Rating: Summary: BEWARE: Since DS9 this is not Star Trek anymore! Review: Weak scripts, boring episodes, overrated "Q" and nothing to do with the starship Enterprise and the idea of Gene Roddenberry... a ... spinn-off of the real Star Trek series, regardless of the DVD itself.
Rating: Summary: Love it Review: I love DS9, I cannot lie. All the others, I must deny. Voyager----uuuummmmmmmm "What character growth"?, TNG----didn't get to launch full steam into an 8th season to really pull together---made movies too fast and well, we've seen the results. But DS9 was complex from the get go, the play on teh Nazi Occupation, the heavy religious overtones. The static situation of a starbase vs. a ship. Captain Sisko being someone who was destined to be there. The crew alone coudl trash any other crew out there. WHat made them so great was that they didn't particularly all like each other when teh show began, there was friction. Friction that was explored and deepened as time went on.
Rating: Summary: The start of it all Review: It was great going back and seeing how the series started off. I haven't been able to find DS9 in syndication in my area so I haven't seen the first season in years. Looking at the dvds, you can see how some things carry over to season 7, it's a great story arc. Beware of the Kira "extra" on the last disc if you haven't seen the whole series, as it has some spoiler moments.
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