Rating: Summary: The darkest and most underrated of all Treks Review: With glee I write this review for my favorite show of all time. If you passed on the Deep Space phenomenon at the time, you were'nt alone. Many who had interest in TNG didn't really take to DS9 at first, myself included. I started watching it again in the second season and it slowly grab held of me. There are a few bad episodes ("Melora" for one), but overall these are the most fascinating, imaginative stories ever collected into a series of any kind. It's a saga no doubt, a soap opera of sci-fiction, but Deep Space went so much further. With great special effects and audio, the production value alone was entertaining. But the episodes were extremely dark at times too, with the greatest characters, a healthy budget and fantastic writing. This combination led "Kira" in an interview to state that she believes this will be one of the most time enduring Television shows ever created. I really agree. If your on the fence about whether to invest yourself in the series, maybe wait for the second or third season (it generally becomes a sleeker show over time). My favorite episode of all time "In the Pale Moonlight", I believe is in the fourth season. An episode where the absolute moral boundary of war is questioned and Sisko and Garek do all this crazy stuff to assure security for the federation. A Narly episode. Garek actually kills a Romulan Senator by sabotaging his craft and Sisko actually trades biogenic weapons material for information. All to draw the Romulans into the war, I was stunned. There's another episode where Garek actually kills several Star Fleet Officers on Empok Nor in reaction to a violent drug meant for Cardassians. As I said, this is a pretty dark show at times. Don't miss it, treat yourself to good, exciting, well thought out sci-fi for a change. ENJOY TREK FANS! - Thanks Paramount... it only took a decade.
Rating: Summary: excellent transfer to DVD, better than broadcast Review: Well deserved 5.1 audio (turn up that bass) and a crystal picture. Buy it soon to get the bonus DVD that's limited to the first couple thousand prints. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS: we shall get ALL seasons. hooray. There was some doubt apparently. Hopefully Voyager will get on the slate for 2004. This is an awesome collection and DS9 is thee quintessential late-night sci-fi for me. I ended up appreciating it even more than TNG by the end of season 5. It's the most entertaining and engrossing show I've ever seen with original, fantastic stories. Unbelievable set.
Rating: Summary: And so it begins... Review: I must admit that I was never a big fan of the show while it was on the air until the last two seasons, but as I watched reruns of the show I realized what I had been missing out on. Deep Space Nine was the first trek show that invested in the dramatic power of continuing storylines. As the series went on, we truly began to feel like we know the cast personally and, instead of the occasionally unrealistic idealism presented by TNG, this show sticks more to a truthful human perspective. The show is buoyed by its great cast of characters. Avery Brooks was always the hub of the show, and he would make Commander Ben Sisko the most nuanced captain in the trek universe. We see some of that fire in "Emissary", the series' pilot episode. After the tragic loss of his wife, Sisko refuses to move on, not allowing himself to grieve for her and heal. How he gets over this pain forms a great backbone for a great series that addresses the perennial motifs of the wormhole, the Bajoran faith, and Sisko's unsolicited role as spiritual leader of Bajor. He also gets to punch Q on the very enjoyable romp "Q-Less." His second in command, Major Kira Nerys, an ex-terrorist and no-nonsense type gradually comes to admire and respect her Starfleet superior. "Past Prologue" shows her putting old revolutionaries over Starfleet, and "Battle Lines" makes her come face-to-face with her violent self. Jadzia Dax always had a curious relationship with Sisko and there was always some sexual tension between her and Bashir (although nothing came of it), and her past is addressed in "Dax". Bashir was disliked by fans at first, but he eventually won them over. His fantasy embarrasingly becomes reality in "If Wishes Were Horses" when his mind creates another version of Dax who is attracted to him. Chief O'Brien was transferred over from TNG, and his role in season 1 is minor compared to later seasons, but he shows his sympathy for an alien underdog in "Captive Pursuit" and becomes the spiritual leader of a Bajoran town in "The Storyteller". Odo was always an enigma on the show, but his quest was always for the truth and justice, as demonstrated in "A Man Alone" and others. Having Quark on the station allowed Ferengi culture to be explored thoroughly, and although this aspect would create some really really really horrible clunkers later on, the enjoyable "The Nagus" is a great Godfather derivation. We are introduced to Garak in Past Prologue, but his role in the show is limited in this season. All of this aside, "Duet" is a great episode examining the Bajoran-Cardassian race relation issue. The fact that they were able to make such a compelling story about a conflict introduced just months earlier shows the show's potential. In short, season 1 was intensely character-driven. Lots of exposition, as would be expected, and characters from TNG paid a visit: Picard, Q, the Duras sisters, and Lwaxana Troi. A solid foundation for a great show.
Rating: Summary: The Wait is Over! Review: Finally, the moment is here. Deep Space Nine is coming to dvd. By far the best Star Trek Series. DS9 proved that there was life beyond the Enterprise. After the first two series focused on ship life and exploring, DS9 introduced new places and aliens. Showed the darker side of Trek and brought many important issues into play. DS9 also had amazing battle scenes, be it space or ground battles. They were much fun to watch. The Dominion war was something to behold. Not to mention the prominence of the Cardassians as bad guys. Best of all for me was the Dominion. Probably the best Star Trek villans created. The Founders, the Vorta, the Breen and the warrior Jem'Hedar made the show exciting. And unlike many Trek villans past, they were around for a long time and not just an episode here and there. A great series and sci-fi magic. I look forward to purchasing it and the rest of the 7 seasons. 6th and 7th were the best.
Rating: Summary: THE WORST STAR TREK SERIES EVER!!! Review: This is the worst series ever because: first: it is a copy of Babylon 5 original idea; second: it goes against the principles of Gene Roddenberry; third: it was created by Rick(the StarTrek killer)Berman; fourth: the plots are boring and tedious; fifth: it made the klingons a foolish race in the fourth season; sixth: there is not a single caracter which is interesting; seventh: they never knew what to do with the caracters, for instance - Gul Dukat was bad at first then became a good friend but in the end he was bad again; eighth: every single thing that happened in Babylon 5 in some way happened on the next season of DeepSpace 9, even the death of Captain Sisco was similar to SheridanÂ's death, and the death of Dax happened because of the death of Ivanova; nineth: the Dominion war took a long time to happen and ended very quickly; tenth: it is so bad that it is impossible to even think in making a movie out of this series.
Rating: Summary: Star Trek Deep Space Nine on DVD Review: To Amazon Customers, One of the most exciting series to come out of the Star Trek universe since the "The Original Show" is now coming to DVD. This series being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Unlike other releases of the Star Trek universe, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine takes place on a space station on the edge of the galaxy bordering a worm hole to another galaxy. In this region of space, the Federation has managed to bring temporary stability by overtaking the space station called "Deep Space Nine" from another race of humanoids known as Cardassians. The Federation has just defeated the BORG at wolf-359 and is in the process of rebuilding the fleet. A star ship commander by the name of Benjamin Sisko played by "Avery Brooks" is assigned to take over and manage the station for the Federation after his ship was destroyed in the encounter with the BORG. It is at this point the series begins. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was an ambitious series and attempt to take the Star Trek universe into new directions. Even Paramount Studios was taking by surprise at how quickly the show reached new audiences and brought back some old time SCI-FI fans. Among the many elements explored in this series were: in-depth plots and sub-plots of the various races of the Star Trek universe. It was Deep Space Nine that explained the race of the Trill in which the character Jadzia Dax played by "Terry Farrell" was fully explored. Deep Space Nine focused on the race called the Ferengi which led to one of the most popular elements of the show: The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. By far the most popular race explored in the series was the Klingons. It was in this series that viewers learn the culture and traditions of this warrior race. So popular are the Klingons that even today organizations around world in over 14 countries meet regularly to celebrate and re-act the scenes and traditions of this race. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine also took a different direction in terms of the mechanics of the stories and plots. For the first time, the series took on the concept of a continual plot and story themes from one episode to the next, which was never really done in previous Star Trek television shows. Deep Space Nine also was the first series to have the entire cast of characters to learn the nature of each other during the course of the series. In many previous Star Trek shows, the characters were all assigned to a particular star ship, which lead to a common theme in which all could work from. Deep Space Nine did not have such a common theme and the characters had to deal with the situation as each developed. I could go on but the best thing for you to do is buy the DVD and take a look for yourself. The first season started slow but as the each season progressed, you find yourself drawn into a story with rich in-depth development of plots and sub-plots that will leave you waiting for the next episode. This series is a welcome addition to the Star Trek DVD releases. If you like SCI-FI with rich stories and character development, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will fit the bill. Whether you are a trekker or a SCI-FI fan you will enjoy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. :-)
Rating: Summary: Better and Better with Repeated Viewings Review: I'm not going to go into too much detail in my review, because I think that some of the other reviewers here have covered the feel of this show beautifully. Deep Space Nine is what the Trek producers are still searching for now: an intriguing space adventure taking place in everyone's favorite sci-fi universe with a different structure and feel. The pilot episode, The Emissary, is all one needs to have a sense of things to come in this series: a sense of intrigue, conflict on the personal level and on a much broader scope, and mystical / thological themes that were always absent from prior Treks. The brilliance is that, with all these noted differences, they were still able to keep the sense of wonder and exploration intact that the Original Series had. Aiding this was not only strong writing, but excellent characters with depth and motivation behind their actions. The actors playing these characters are also quite good. Avery Brooks' Captain Sisko is a commanding and complicated man, much in the way that Picard was, but also very different. He is a tortured and confused presence when we first meet him, and the show is really a story of his rediscovery of himself and what he holds most dear. As much as I love the classic heroes of Kirk and Picard, I find Sisko more interesting and realistic than either (Kirk's still my hero though). If people are looking for an intricate and intellegent science fiction series with a great continuing story arc and characters that are wonderfully brought to life, this is a great show for you. And, as I've recently found...it only gets better with repeat viewings.
Rating: Summary: I want those few hours of my life back Review: What a waste of money and a waste of my time. This show is absolutley rubbish. Never before have I been so dissappointed with a purchase, but this one diserves my dissapointment. Star Trek bores me and bores most people, I highly recommend you DON'T get it. You'll thank me for it
Rating: Summary: A Trek landmark Review: Okay, everyone else who wrote a review said that DS9 is the best Trek series ever, so I won't bother saying it again (even thought I kinda just did!). Character depth, story arcs, darker premises, great drama...it just rocked. However, this review is for the DVD box of the First Season. The first season, as with any Trek series, is a bit iffy. There are good shows and bad shows, the characters are still being explored both by the writers and the actors, the massive guest cast that made DS9 such a thick, rich series is mostly not in place yet (although some of them are introduced this season). So go into it keeping this in mind. There are the usual exaggherated "personality" stories as well. But there are a couple of reasons to get this set. First of all, you get to see the ground work that is laid for later seasons, both in terms of character development and story development. Plus, there are some cool guest appearances, like Q, Lurhsa and B'etor, and Vash. Second, even though the stories are uneven, the series begins and ends with three of the strongest episodes of the series. "The Emissary" does a great job of introducing the viewer not only to the characters and personalities that make up the station's crew, but also introduces the strange, mystic-driven Bajoran culture, the plight of the Bajoran people in the wake of the Cardassian occupation, and the prejudices that exist between the two. Then, the final two episodes are absolutely indispensible. "Duet" is incredibly gripping, and possibly the best script Nana Visitor was given (she still names it as her favourite episode from the series). Kira has to confront her prejudices face to face, literally, and finds that they even in the midst of racial hatred, there is room for compassion. Then, "In the Hands of the Prophets" is a very real and strong tale of religious tolerance, and the lengths that people will go to to defend their beliefs. It's sort of a science vs. religion, "Creatism vs. Evolution" type of conflict. Very startling. Basically, while season one isn't the strongest DS9 ever offered, it does show very clearly the sort of values and style of storytelling that grew into what became, for me, some of the best television happening at the time. Wait'll Seasons 6 and 7 come out: That is Trek at it's absolute best.
Rating: Summary: Knowing the Difference Review: If there's anything I like more than tuna, it's Star Trek and Star Wars. Both have revolutionary accolades to their credit and rightly so. But since this is supposed to be a review for Star Trek and DS9 at that, I'll come to the point. The original series back in the 60s sowed the seeds of interstellar civilization and space travel. TNG was that same theme carried fwd two decades later, but with more Victorian elegance as I like to think of it (for some odd reason). Maybe not the most apt analogy, but I think you get the idea. DS9 was an interesting and pleasant deviation from the norm set by the previous two series. The prior two series centered around the universe. Whereas the universe centered around DS9, a deep space outpost recieved into the folds of the Federation for political purposes. DS9 is the only series to date from among the 5 aired since the 60s that has a single, cohesive, end-to-end story and plot. All the others, no matter how you slice them, revolve around starships exploring the universe, always the Enterprise sans Voyager. There might have been some connection between certain episodes and characters, but none of them had a single storyline across the series. And this was where DS9 stood out. It was the only series that had a definite conclusion when the first episode aired. Only the details were worked out as the seasons and episodes passed. This is also probably in my mind the single main reason why DS9 has the most "extreme" followers within the Star Trek genre -- those who like it seem to love it, and those who don't tend to think it was the most worthless of all the series created. The key is you have to follow through (nearly) all the episodes and seasons (and in sequence) to understand how the story unfolds to savor it properly, else you're just wasting your time. You cannot watch a few episodes here and there, like you do in TNG or Voyager, and still enjoy it. I did the same thing at first and realized the error of my ways soon enough, after an humble sermon from an appalled devotee of the series. Once you bear this fundamental principle in mind, I think many of you will enjoy watching it more. It's a different kind of Star Trek that has its own charm. It is more deeply concerned with the development of civilizations and wars and politics and ethics rather than space adventures and explorations on distant "M" class planets. (Kindly of looks like earth going through its own evolution at times, actually!) Just to whet your curiosity (for those who are unfamiliar with the series, that is), the story revolves around a deep space outpost called Deep Space Nine, which has been taken up by the Federation to help rehabilitate the planet Bjor, which had been mired in a long freedom struggle from the Cardassians and has finally received its freedom. The spacestation was constructed by the Cardassians and has been taken over by the Federation when the series opens. In the first episode, a most stunning revelation occurs to all that the space station is also located at the edge of a wormhole that leads to the other side of the galaxy to the gamma quadrant...and this wormhole is not a natural occurence, it was made by someone or something. In the course of finding out more, a race called the Dominion find their way back here with some very unfriendly plans. The series has some spectacular space battles down the road. That's all I'm telling you...if this interests you, buy the series to find out the rest, else go back to looking for distant "M" class planets...
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