DVD REVIEW

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - The Complete First Season  (1992-93)

Starring: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor

Rating: NR

Studio: Paramount

Review Posted: 2.23.03

Spoilers: None

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

First, I'd like to acknowledge I've never seen this show.  I was an avid fan of The Next Generation when it was on TV, but I never quite invested time in Deep Space Nine. That is until now as the first season is now available on DVD.

The pilot episode, entitled "Emissary," is a great season opener for this Star Trek spin-off. From a teleplay by Michael Piller (USA's The Dead Zone) and directed by David Carson, the pilot does a standout job establishing central character Commander Benjamin Sisko (Brooks). The first quarter deals with his encounter with the Borg and loss of his wife to the deployment as serving Commander of the space station "Deep Space Nine." The Cardassians, an alien force, abandoned DS9 in poor condition and the Federation decided to clean it up to make it one of their space stations.

Joined by a crew of various alien backgrounds, Sisko's first assignment is to recover a sacred force known to only exist in some form of exile. His journey is not all exploration, because he faces peril along the way, but with the help of Lt. Dax (Farrell), Major Kira (Visitor), Chief O'Brien (Meaney), Constable Odo (Auberjonois), and Dr. Bashir (Siddig), Sisko is able to locate and safely return the sacred force to its people.

"Emissary" sets the tone for the rest of the season. Cleverly scripted and interesting plotlines become the height of the first season, especially with cameos by familiar characters, such as Picard and Q. As with every show, some episodes are better than others, but DS9 manages to hold a steady balance. Another great accomplishment behind this spin-off is the introduction of the major characters on the space station. Each and every one of the characters have specific personalities and emotions, especially Benjamin Sisko.

DS9 also benefits from its acting talents and inventive  photography. Avery Brooks is a different kind of Picard, because Brooks has a cool and subtle way of evoking kinds of emotions. If this season is any indication, Deep Space Nine's second should be all the more exciting.

8 out of 10

All episodes are presented in the fullscreen format as they originally appeared on TV. The picture quality looks pretty well and all scenes in space are clear-cut and there are no indications of color imbalances or focus problems. This is a really well-done transfer considering its TV background

8 out of 10

A major treat for audiophiles is the availability of 5.1 Dolby Surround for all episodes. Sound effects, dialogue, and the score are used to a fair extent to heighten the experience of the show. Most of the audio appears to come from the front speakers, but the rear speakers come to life during several parts as well. As with the video, this audio transfer is very sufficient.

8 out of 10

The sixth DVD holds all the special features and there are quite a lot of them. These are a great "look back" and insight into the first season. Here is a brief rundown on them:

Deep Space Nine: A Bold New Beginning: Includes interviews, behind-the-scenes footage from filming of the pilot, the space station model, and other visual effects.

Crew Dossier: Kira Nerys: Interviews with Nana Visitor, Ira Steven Behr, and others.

Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season One: An in-depth look at the aliens, including Bajorans, Cardassians, and Ferengis.

Secrets of Quark's Bar: Penny Juday reveals the secrets behind the props.

Deep Space Nine Sketchbook: Illustrator Rick Sternbach reveals how the space station developed.

Alien Artifacts: Season On: Propmaster Joe Longo explains the props.

Also, Section 31 Hidden Files and a preview trailer.

8 out of 10

With an exciting season opener and other enjoyable episodes, Star Trek: DS9 Season 1 is a blowout -- this DVD set is a lot of fun and brings excitement with it. Video and audio quality make it even more of an experience. The addition of the special features is a really nice touch, too. DS9 is as good as it gets.

Overall DVD Rating: 8 out of 10

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