Star Trek - Deep Space Nine - Series 1 (Slimline Edition) [DVD]

RRP: £34.99
Our Price: £14.50 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Of all the spinoff TV incarnations of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine had the hardest job persuading an audience to watch. By all accounts, Gene Roddenberry had concerns about the idea before his death in 1991. It took two more years to develop, and when it finally aired in 1993 reasons for that concern were evident right away. The show was dark (literally), characters argued a lot, no one went anywhere, and the neighbouring natives were hardly ever friendly. Yet for all that the show went against the grain of the Great Bird's original vision of the future, it undeniably caught the mood of the time, incorporating a complex political backdrop that mirrored our own.

In the casting, there was a clear intent to differentiate the show from its predecessors. Genre stalwarts Tony Todd and James Earl Jones were considered for Commander Sisko before Avery Brooks. The one letdown at the time was that Michelle Forbes did not carry Ensign Ro across from The Next Generation, but when the explosive Nana Visitor defiantly slapped her hand on a console in the pilot episode, viewers knew they were in for a different crew dynamic. In fact, the two-part pilot show ("The Emissary") is largely responsible for DS9's early success. Mysterious, spiritual, claustrophobic, funny, and feisty, it remains the most attention-grabbing series opener (apart from the original series') the franchise has had. The first year may have relied on a few too many familiar faces--like Picard, Q, and Lwaxana Troi--but these were more than outweighed by refreshingly detailed explorations of cultures old and new (Trill, Bajoran, Cardassian, Ferengi). As it turned out, Deep Space Nine was the boldest venture into Roddenberry's galaxy that had been (or ever would be) seen. --Paul Tonks

"It's Trek Jim; But not as you knew it."
Review date: 2010-07-09 Rating: 6 out of 10

This is the first series spin off from the original Trek that I have watched a complete season of. However I have seen the odd episode of TNG.

For long term viewers of TNG this series will be familar terrotory the sets and look of characters is not too disamilar and there is a story arc that from the beginig bindes the two series together the death of Commander Siskos wife at the hands of some evil incarnation of Captain Picard.
However apart from the superfucial this show has a darker feel to it is set in clustrophbic space station not a state of the art spaceship , Siskos mission is not to boldly go where no man has gone before but to boldly(fairly) police the waring parties rebuild and keep the peace.
Absent is the plucky theme tune of the TNG and the original. Episodes are not Wrapt up in 50 mins where waring aliens are either blasted out of sight or learn to embrace Star Fleets concept of democracy, a lot of things are left ambigous and unresolved the show bravley stears away from Gene Rodenburys original simple and optimistic vision of the future and is laced with a more realistic feel.
a Tragic tone runs through this show in the same way that gung ho excitment did the original. Siskos loss and his rocky relationship with his teenage son ,Kiras trumatic background and the friendless Odo.
The series is not affraid to tackle through parrelel the confilcts which shape our real world the middle east and the recent troubles in Northern Ireland seem to have influenced the writers depiction of the Cardossian Bajoran conflict.
If your looking for mindless space opera this wont provide it for those looking to view a more adult and questoning take on what a future world might be like this is worth a watch. Ok Brookes is a bit woden at times and lacks the screen prsence of Shatner and Stewart for the lead character to really make his mark on the show however this is an advantage since the show works better in respct to the original allowing more then three conflicting characters to develop and not just act as saphires to the Captain. Nana Visitor makes a spikey character like Kira Nerys intresting and she should have been given more episodes which dealt with her character. Colin Menney as O'Brian and his family are also well writen for and Menney does not disapoint here but then he can always be relied on (his other roles in movies and tv) to contribute something worhtwhile. It is to the writers credit that they do not descend into depicting the engineer as another excitable Celt(Scotty from the original) and add layers of a quit authority to O'Brian.
Quark the stations resident enterpenuer is a bit one dimensonal and his del boy schams get a little anoying after a few episodes.
It is worth a watch but in its entire season since the build up is slow and there are many themes which carry over just as the original trek was a product of its time this series is one for a more troubles era where issues are more ambigous and the population more cynical and distrusting of the establihment. Even though it was made nearly twenty years ago it reflects well against the events we see unfoulding on the nightly news. You dont have to have been a fan of the original to watch this and apart from the story link that sets up the origins of this series it is not laden with obscure contiunity refrences or too many in jokes to bog the new viewer down.

Reviews

The best of the best of the best
Review date: 2010-07-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Nothing really to say. If you are only a 1 % true Star Trek fan, you will adore the entire Star Trek universe, no matter what generation.

But Deep space nine is ..., there is no word in the human dictionary to describe it. You just gonna have to watch it and live it.

DS9 Forever
Review date: 2010-03-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

I'm writing this review, for the entire series, not just for season 1...overall rating 9.9, can't say enough about DS9, starts out a little slow in season 1 but by the time the Dominion show up...arm photon torpedoes... any trek fan woth their salt should watch this show from start to finish...with the exception of a couple of the Ferengi episodes.
There would be no Battlestar Galactica without this series R D Moore was one of the writers on this show.
If you're just starting out in the world of sci fi, please watch this and Babylon 5 first...enjoy.

Good, but subtitles are somewhat poor.
Review date: 2010-02-23 Rating: 8 out of 10

After having watched the whole of Season 1 since my purchase, I can't help but think the subtitles are done very badly compared to ST:TNG. Very often I can vaguely tell (I'm hard of hearing) that the subtitle text is missing out quite a big chunk of additional words voiced by the actors/actresses, perhaps occurring maybe 5 or 6 times per episode.

It's a minor annoyance as I don't want to miss out on any plot-relevant lines, otherwise I'll get confused.

Deep Space Nine Season 1!
Review date: 2009-12-16 Rating: 8 out of 10

Season one of Deep Space Nine can be said to be like many other first seasons of shows, it is most definitely still finding its feet, and working out how to write for the characters. Some superb episodes are produced, but there are also some slightly sub-par episodes, which are a little disappointing, but expected.

'Q-Less', whilst bringing Q to Deep Space Nine, isn't actually very good, and it makes Q seem fairly out of character. His presence is much more suited to TNG, on DS9 he definitely seems more of an annoyance rather than a 'mischievous nuisance'. The episode 'Dax' contradicts much later DS9 mythology, 'Move Along Home' is a silly concept and has a terrible ending, and 'The Storyteller' is just boring.

However there are clear signs of what is to come. The episode 'Captive Pursuit' is an excellent episode, with great conflict and a satisfying payoff. The pilot, 'Emissary' is also good at setting up the show as different from TNG, and with a guest appearance from Patrick Stewart helping matters, its a nice opener. 'Duet' is a good episode, establishing Major Kira, and the whole reasoning behind much of the Bajoran Occupation, and the finale 'In the Hands of the Prophets' is a fitting season finale, and what seems like a definite decision to head towards that direction story-wise.

Whilst all the characters are still finding their feet, and the writers learning how to write for them, I feel Bashir suffers most, by being written as intensely dislikeable. Luckily, he becomesone of the better characters as the series progresses. Odo is great, Rene Auberjonois captures his sadness and disgruntlement perfectly, and Nana Visitor as Major Kira is great. However, I think most praise is deserved for Avery Brooks, as a different style of Starfleet Commander, he is excellent, commanding and a presence on the show.

This is definitely worth buying, but I'd suggest starting with season 4, and buying 5-7 then getting 1-3, as the wholse s4-7 arc is much more interesting and compelling than the first few seasons, and to get into it and enjoy it enough you should know the characters first, and then find their backstories. It is only an opinion however!

Product Details/Specifications

Artist(s):
Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437935731
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-04-30
Aspect ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 1044 minutes
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)
Language: German (Original Language)
Language: Italian (Original Language)