DVD REVIEW

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - The Complete Second Season  (1993-94)

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

Rating: NR

Studio: Paramount

Release Date: 4.1.03

Review Posted: 4.08.03

Spoilers: Minor

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

As the seventh and final season of Stark Trek: The Next Generation was airing in 1993 to 1994, Deep Space Nine’s second installment began its course. The general feeling with this season is the execution and production of the show. There is the sense of more production value that could only be indicated by a larger budget. While I’m not sure what the budget was, the sets, faces, and stories on DS9 impressed me quite a bit.  

Coming off a generally exciting first season, the second promises to be even more than that. A three-episode story arc begins the new installment with episodes "The Homecoming," "The Circle," and "The Siege." This episodic approach is new for DS9, but works very well and sets the stage for upcoming episodes. The story arc involves the events surrounding a Bajoran underground militia, known as the Circle, and their plans to take over DS9, among others. Another plot surrounds Kira’s rescue of a famous Bajoran resistance leader and its subsequent consequences. Even though the story arc was written and shot well, "The Homecoming" lacked a sense of flair and substance.

In any case, the second season still has a long way to go. The first half of the season includes some very fine episodes, including "Cardassians" and "Rules of Acquisition" on disc 2. A hostage situation develops in Ops in the rather unexciting "Invasive Procedures" episode, while a romance between Dr. Bashir and a visiting Starfleet officer in "Melora" stirs things up a bit but descends to mediocre storytelling soon after the first commercial break.

The second season is also famous for introducing the Dominion and hinting at the forthcoming conflict in later seasons. In general, the second season of Deep Space Nine shows much improvement over the first, evident mostly by the maturity of the characters and the station itself. Some of the relationships explored further are the ones of Commander Sikso and son Jake and including Odo and Quark, as well as Chief O’Brien and Dr. Bashir. Two recurring characters are Cardassian General Gul Dukat and Ferengi Grand Negus Zek.

The following are all 26 episodes of the second season (1993-94) running an estimated 19 hours and 42 minutes at circa 44 minutes an episode.

Disc 1: The Homecoming; The Circle; The Siege; Invasive Procedures

Disc 2: Cardassians; Melora; Rules of Acquisition; Necessary Evil

Disc 3: Second Sight; Sanctuary; Rivals; The Alternate

Disc 4: Armageddon Game; Whispers; Paradise; Shadowplay

Disc 5: Playing God; Profit and Loss; Blood Oath; The Maquis, Part 1

Disc 6: The Maquis, Part 2; The Wire; Crossover; The Collaborator

Disc 7: Tribunal; The Jem’Hadar; Special Features

8 out of 10

Presented in full screen format once again, there isn’t much to report in terms of changes or improvements of the transfer. As with the first season, the picture quality retains its color detail and eye for clarity. A few episodes include scenes that tend to glow brighter more than normal and some of the space shots still have a washy image. Yet, considering the age and origin (TV) of the show, the video transfer is again handled with care and precision.

8 out of 10

The transfer is crisp and generally very smooth as it is equipped once again with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Front and rear speakers are active most of the time, since it depends what’s on screen, but Dennis McCarthy’s score really flourishes in this exciting 5.1 Surround Sound transfer.

8 out of 10

New Frontiers: The Story of Deep Space Nine: Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Ira Behr, and Robert Hewitt Wolfe discuss the creation of the legend and its development through the second season.

Michael Westmore's Aliens Season Two: From Trill symbiotes to Cardassian voles.

Deep Space Nine Sketchbook Season Two: Richard Sternbach and Jim Martin discuss designs and props.

Crew Dossier: Jadzia Jax: An exclusive interview with Terry Ferrell featuring insights from Ira Steven Behr)

New Station, New Ships: Dan Curry, Robert Legato, Robert Sternbach, and others describe the designs and models for the Space Station, Runabout, and Cardassian warships.

Section 31 Hidden Files

8 out of 10

Deep Space Nine’s second season is a definitive improvement over its freshman effort. You’ll find more character-oriented and exciting episodes in this installment as well. The video and audio transfers are handled very well and make a difference in the experience of the show. The special features department is full of entertaining goodies once again. I recommend this DVD set to any Trek fan, but to DS9-philes in particular.

Overall DVD Rating: 8 out of 10

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