As
I stated in my review of season one, I think that STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE
NINE is the best of all the television series created around the
science fiction universe created by Gene Roddenberry. Immediately, the
show charted new dramatic territory by mixing science fiction, political
intrigue with the quasi-spiritual aspect of a race of aliens that inhabit
the wormhole discovered near Deep Space Nine. Much of season one served to
lay the groundwork for what would follow over the next six years,
including several important story arcs that continued to evolve over the
course of the series run. Beyond the first season, STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE also began gravitating away from the "ship in a
bottle" approach to episodic television, and instead, began playing
out grander storylines over the course of multiple episodes. STAR TREK:
DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO ($130) has been released on DVD by
Paramount Home Entertainment in a seven disc set, which offers all twenty
six episodes that were broadcast during the second year.
Disc
one contains the episodes The Homecoming, The Circle,
The Siege and Invasive Procedures. The
Homecoming begins a three-part storyline with the rescue of a
Bajoran resistance leader from a Cardassian POW camp, as well as the
uprising xenophobic terrorist group on Bajor. The Circle
finds Major Kira (Nana Visitor) falling into the hands of the terrorist,
after having been replaced on DS9 by the very man she rescued from the
Cardassian POW camp. The Siege opens with the withdrawal of
the Federation from DS9; however Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) and a few
of his people remain behind to prove who is really behind a political coup
on Bajor. Invasive Procedures is set during an evacuation of
DS9, in which Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) is forced by mercenaries to
remove the Dax symbiont from Jadzia (Terry Farrell) and place it in
another member of her race.
Disc
two contains the episodes Cardassians, Melora,
Rules of Acquisition and Necessary Evil. Cardassians
involves the political ramifications of a young Cardassian boy left behind
on Bajor, who was raised by a Bajoran family. Melora finds
Dr. Bashir becoming romantically involved with a new arrival on DS9, while
Quark (Armin Shimerman) has to deal with a vengeful old acquaintance. Rules
of Acquisition sends Quark to the Gamma Quadrant to negotiate a
deal for the Ferengi Grand Nagus. Necessary Evil is a
standout episode in which Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) conducts a new
probe that is tied directly to his first investigation on board the
station, at a time when it was still under oppressive Cardassian control.
Disc
three contains the episodes Second Sight, Sanctuary,
Rivals, and The Alternate. Second Sight
finds Sisko falling in love with a woman who may not be what she appears. Sanctuary
involves a group of refugees from the Gamma Quadrant that believe that
Bajor may be the mythical planet they have been searching for. In Rivals,
Quark has to deal with a new entrepreneur that opens a competing gambling
establishment. The Alternate finds Odo and the scientist
that first discovered him, investigating another life form with similar
shape-shifting abilities.
Disc
four contains the episodes Armageddon Game, Whispers,
Paradise and Shadowplay. Armageddon Game
finds Dr. Bashir and Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) on a mission to help
two warring races destroy their biological weapons. In Whispers,
Chief O’Brien returns to DS9 after a mission to discover the rest of the
crew acting strangely and begins to suspect they are under the influence
of an alien race. Paradise finds Sisko and O’Brien
stranded on a colony world where the inhabitants have rejected all forms
of technology. Shadowplay offers Odo and Dax a mystery on a
planet in which the people of a small community have begun to disappear.
Disc
five contains the episodes Playing God, Profit and
Loss, Blood Oath and The Maquis Part I.
In Playing God, Dax has to evaluate another Trill for a
possible joining with a symbiont, at which time they discover a burgeoning
proto-universe that poses a threat to DS9. Profit and Loss
features the arrival of a Cardassian woman with whom Quark was once
entangled; unfortunately authorities from her home planet follow quickly
her heels to quell her calls for democratic reforms on Cardassia. Blood
Oath is a nostalgic STAR TREK episode that features three
Klingon characters from the original series that come to DS9 seeking Dax’s
help in fulfilling an oath that they all took many year earlier. The
Maquis Part I finds political turmoil within the federation; as
federation citizens on colony worlds that now sit in treaty bartered
Cardassian space, begin their own private war against Cardassia.
Disc
six contains the episodes The Maquis Part II, The Wire,
Crossover and The Collaborator. The
Maquis Part II continues the story with Sisko joining forces with
his Cardassian predecessor Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) to put down the current
Maquis rebellion. The Wire has Dr. Bashir seeking a way to
save Garak (Andrew Robinson) from the device planted in his head by
Cardassian intelligence. Crossover is the first in a series
of episodes that throw the inhabitants of DS9 into the mirror universe
originally discovered by Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise
decades earlier. In The Collaborator, Vedek Winn (Louise
Fletcher) arrives on DS9 with the announcement that Kira’s lover, and
her chief rival for the religious leadership of Bajor, may have been a
Cardassian collaborator during the occupation.
Disc
seven contains the episodes Tribunal and The Jem'Hadar.
In Tribunal, Chief O’Brien is captured by the Cardassians
and taken back to their home world where he is to stand trial for
smuggling weapons to the Maquis. The Jem'Hadar takes Sisko
and Quark on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant were they are captured by the
Jem'Hadar, who are the foot soldiers of the Dominion- an entity that
controls vast portions of that section of the galaxy. This second season
finale offers a glimpse of much bigger problems that the crew of DS9 and
the Federation will face over the course of the remaining five seasons of STAR
TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made all of the episodes from STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO available on DVD in the proper full screen
aspect ratios of their original television broadcasts. I found the
presentation of the season episodes to be similar to that of season one,
certainly better than syndicated rebroadcasts, but not up to theatrical
quality. There is some variability in the image due to the fact that the
series was shot on film and had its special effects work completed on
video. Some portions of each show appear crisp and nicely defined, while
other sequences are somewhat soft looking. Colors tend to be vibrant and
reproduced without chroma noise and hardly any signs of fuzziness. Blacks
appear deep and whites are clean. Contrast is limited by the necessities
of lighting for television broadcast. Digital compression artifacts are
never a concern, even with four episodes encoded onto a DVD.
All
the episodes that comprise STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO
feature upgraded Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtracks. While there is
certainly better channel separations and clarity in the remix, there is no
denying that the underlying sound elements were originally designed for
television caliber stereo surround. The forward soundstage tends to
dominate, with the rears providing ambient sounds, engine rumble and
occasional active effects. As for the bass channel, while it isn’t
ground shaking, it does enhance the sense of being on various spacecrafts.
An English Dolby Surround soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English subtitles.
Full
motion video, 3-D animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s cool
looking interactive menus, which utilize an interface reminiscent of DS9’s
Cardassian designed computer system. Supplements are contained on disc
seven and are fairly similar to those offered in the season one set. New
Frontiers: The Story Of Deep Space Nine is a fifteen-minute
behind-the-scenes program that focuses on the show’s characters. Michael
Westmore’s Aliens: Season Two is a twelve-minute look at the
alien and creature designs for the series second season. New
Station, New Ships runs approximately five minutes and covers the
model and miniatures utilized in season two. The Deep Space Nine
Sketchbook offers roughly ten minutes worth of conceptual drawings
for the second season. Crew Dossier: Jadzia Dax is a
seventeen-minute program that looks at the development of the character
over the course of the show’s run, as well as offering new interview
footage with actress Terry Farrell. Easter egg fans will have fun
exploring disc seven to find the Section 31 Hidden Files.
Again,
let me reiterate my opinion that STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE was
indeed the finest television series set in the universe created by Gene
Roddenberry. Paramount has truly done a fine job with their release of STAR
TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO, offering presentations that out
stripes syndicated television broadcasts, as well as providing solid
supplements and rather sleek packaging. If you are a fan or potential fan,
you will want to add this second season set to your DVD collection. As for
me, I can’t wait for the rest of the series to hit DVD in 2003.
As
I stated in my review of season one, I think that STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE
NINE is the best of all the television series created around the
science fiction universe created by Gene Roddenberry. Immediately, the
show charted new dramatic territory by mixing science fiction, political
intrigue with the quasi-spiritual aspect of a race of aliens that inhabit
the wormhole discovered near Deep Space Nine. Much of season one served to
lay the groundwork for what would follow over the next six years,
including several important story arcs that continued to evolve over the
course of the series run. Beyond the first season, STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE also began gravitating away from the "ship in a
bottle" approach to episodic television, and instead, began playing
out grander storylines over the course of multiple episodes. STAR TREK:
DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO ($130) has been released on DVD by
Paramount Home Entertainment in a seven disc set, which offers all twenty
six episodes that were broadcast during the second year.
Disc
one contains the episodes The Homecoming, The Circle,
The Siege and Invasive Procedures. The
Homecoming begins a three-part storyline with the rescue of a
Bajoran resistance leader from a Cardassian POW camp, as well as the
uprising xenophobic terrorist group on Bajor. The Circle
finds Major Kira (Nana Visitor) falling into the hands of the terrorist,
after having been replaced on DS9 by the very man she rescued from the
Cardassian POW camp. The Siege opens with the withdrawal of
the Federation from DS9; however Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) and a few
of his people remain behind to prove who is really behind a political coup
on Bajor. Invasive Procedures is set during an evacuation of
DS9, in which Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) is forced by mercenaries to
remove the Dax symbiont from Jadzia (Terry Farrell) and place it in
another member of her race.
Disc
two contains the episodes Cardassians, Melora,
Rules of Acquisition and Necessary Evil. Cardassians
involves the political ramifications of a young Cardassian boy left behind
on Bajor, who was raised by a Bajoran family. Melora finds
Dr. Bashir becoming romantically involved with a new arrival on DS9, while
Quark (Armin Shimerman) has to deal with a vengeful old acquaintance. Rules
of Acquisition sends Quark to the Gamma Quadrant to negotiate a
deal for the Ferengi Grand Nagus. Necessary Evil is a
standout episode in which Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) conducts a new
probe that is tied directly to his first investigation on board the
station, at a time when it was still under oppressive Cardassian control.
Disc
three contains the episodes Second Sight, Sanctuary,
Rivals, and The Alternate. Second Sight
finds Sisko falling in love with a woman who may not be what she appears. Sanctuary
involves a group of refugees from the Gamma Quadrant that believe that
Bajor may be the mythical planet they have been searching for. In Rivals,
Quark has to deal with a new entrepreneur that opens a competing gambling
establishment. The Alternate finds Odo and the scientist
that first discovered him, investigating another life form with similar
shape-shifting abilities.
Disc
four contains the episodes Armageddon Game, Whispers,
Paradise and Shadowplay. Armageddon Game
finds Dr. Bashir and Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) on a mission to help
two warring races destroy their biological weapons. In Whispers,
Chief O’Brien returns to DS9 after a mission to discover the rest of the
crew acting strangely and begins to suspect they are under the influence
of an alien race. Paradise finds Sisko and O’Brien
stranded on a colony world where the inhabitants have rejected all forms
of technology. Shadowplay offers Odo and Dax a mystery on a
planet in which the people of a small community have begun to disappear.
Disc
five contains the episodes Playing God, Profit and
Loss, Blood Oath and The Maquis Part I.
In Playing God, Dax has to evaluate another Trill for a
possible joining with a symbiont, at which time they discover a burgeoning
proto-universe that poses a threat to DS9. Profit and Loss
features the arrival of a Cardassian woman with whom Quark was once
entangled; unfortunately authorities from her home planet follow quickly
her heels to quell her calls for democratic reforms on Cardassia. Blood
Oath is a nostalgic STAR TREK episode that features three
Klingon characters from the original series that come to DS9 seeking Dax’s
help in fulfilling an oath that they all took many year earlier. The
Maquis Part I finds political turmoil within the federation; as
federation citizens on colony worlds that now sit in treaty bartered
Cardassian space, begin their own private war against Cardassia.
Disc
six contains the episodes The Maquis Part II, The Wire,
Crossover and The Collaborator. The
Maquis Part II continues the story with Sisko joining forces with
his Cardassian predecessor Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) to put down the current
Maquis rebellion. The Wire has Dr. Bashir seeking a way to
save Garak (Andrew Robinson) from the device planted in his head by
Cardassian intelligence. Crossover is the first in a series
of episodes that throw the inhabitants of DS9 into the mirror universe
originally discovered by Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise
decades earlier. In The Collaborator, Vedek Winn (Louise
Fletcher) arrives on DS9 with the announcement that Kira’s lover, and
her chief rival for the religious leadership of Bajor, may have been a
Cardassian collaborator during the occupation.
Disc
seven contains the episodes Tribunal and The Jem'Hadar.
In Tribunal, Chief O’Brien is captured by the Cardassians
and taken back to their home world where he is to stand trial for
smuggling weapons to the Maquis. The Jem'Hadar takes Sisko
and Quark on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant were they are captured by the
Jem'Hadar, who are the foot soldiers of the Dominion- an entity that
controls vast portions of that section of the galaxy. This second season
finale offers a glimpse of much bigger problems that the crew of DS9 and
the Federation will face over the course of the remaining five seasons of STAR
TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made all of the episodes from STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO available on DVD in the proper full screen
aspect ratios of their original television broadcasts. I found the
presentation of the season episodes to be similar to that of season one,
certainly better than syndicated rebroadcasts, but not up to theatrical
quality. There is some variability in the image due to the fact that the
series was shot on film and had its special effects work completed on
video. Some portions of each show appear crisp and nicely defined, while
other sequences are somewhat soft looking. Colors tend to be vibrant and
reproduced without chroma noise and hardly any signs of fuzziness. Blacks
appear deep and whites are clean. Contrast is limited by the necessities
of lighting for television broadcast. Digital compression artifacts are
never a concern, even with four episodes encoded onto a DVD.
All
the episodes that comprise STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO
feature upgraded Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtracks. While there is
certainly better channel separations and clarity in the remix, there is no
denying that the underlying sound elements were originally designed for
television caliber stereo surround. The forward soundstage tends to
dominate, with the rears providing ambient sounds, engine rumble and
occasional active effects. As for the bass channel, while it isn’t
ground shaking, it does enhance the sense of being on various spacecrafts.
An English Dolby Surround soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English subtitles.
Full
motion video, 3-D animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s cool
looking interactive menus, which utilize an interface reminiscent of DS9’s
Cardassian designed computer system. Supplements are contained on disc
seven and are fairly similar to those offered in the season one set. New
Frontiers: The Story Of Deep Space Nine is a fifteen-minute
behind-the-scenes program that focuses on the show’s characters. Michael
Westmore’s Aliens: Season Two is a twelve-minute look at the
alien and creature designs for the series second season. New
Station, New Ships runs approximately five minutes and covers the
model and miniatures utilized in season two. The Deep Space Nine
Sketchbook offers roughly ten minutes worth of conceptual drawings
for the second season. Crew Dossier: Jadzia Dax is a
seventeen-minute program that looks at the development of the character
over the course of the show’s run, as well as offering new interview
footage with actress Terry Farrell. Easter egg fans will have fun
exploring disc seven to find the Section 31 Hidden Files.
Again,
let me reiterate my opinion that STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE was
indeed the finest television series set in the universe created by Gene
Roddenberry. Paramount has truly done a fine job with their release of STAR
TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE- SEASON TWO, offering presentations that out
stripes syndicated television broadcasts, as well as providing solid
supplements and rather sleek packaging. If you are a fan or potential fan,
you will want to add this second season set to your DVD collection. As for
me, I can’t wait for the rest of the series to hit DVD in 2003.