Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Season 6

The Sixth Season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine truly goes where no Star Trek has gone before. At the conclusion of Season 5, we see half of the crew kicked off of the station while the other half must learn to deal with Gul Dukat, the series main villian. The resulting six episode War Arc truly shows the greatness of the show, exploring all of the different angles of the war. One of the more exceptional shows in the Arc is the third episode, "Sons and Daughters", which examines the different angles that arise between Worf and his son, and the intruging interchange when Dukat brings his daughter to the station, and Kira is forced to deal with Dukat not as a head of state, but as a father. For you action lovers, the arc concludes with the two part "Favor The Bold" and "Sacrifice Of Angels"; but the most gripping moment is seeing Dukat shed a tear when he loses the station, and goes insane when his daughter is killed by his mentee, Damar. The story of Dukat's insanity continues in "Waltz", a "two" man show where Sisko and Ducat must contend with each other...and Ducat's personal demons. In "The Pale Moonlight", DS9 pushes where TNG has never pushed the enevelope, asking how far will Starfleet go to win the war. When the chips are down, is the Federation really as coniving as the Romulans or Cardassians? Sisko is forced to make a deal with the devil to save the Alpha Quadrant, but in the process must betray others to do it. In "Far Beyond The Stars", probably one of the most amazing Trek shows ever, we see the cast in 1960's America, makeup off and complete with racism and hatred. Benny Russell (Sisko) struggles to chase his dreams, while society tries to keep him down. Even in this alternate reality, Odo/Quark are at each other's throats, and Dukat/Weyoun are the villians. One of the reasons this season is so amazing is because Deep Space Nine is more of a character show, which shows us some of the rawest human emotions; love, hate, honor, and treachery are all part of this season. There won't be any long discussions about the Prime Directive here for those who are TNG faithful, the Federation is losing the war, and Sisko & Co. are the middle of it all. Amazing televison, regardless of genre.

This is a must have season for DS9 fans! The two-parter "Favor the Bold" and "Sacrifice of Angels" are definately the best of the lot. Other good offerings include "You are Coordially Invited," "One Little Ship," "Valiant," and "Tears of the Prophets."

I don't use those words lightly. The 6th year of Deep Space Nine is *the* best season of TV episodes Trek has ever seen. Other reviewers have already gone into far more depth than I could ever hope to go on the reasons for this. I'm just posting this review so my rating of the DVD set will be registered.

If you are a sci-fi buff, you owe it to yourself to buy this, though it is not recommended until one has seen Seasons 3,4, & 5, as those provide a vital build up to the epic developments in year 6 - mainly, the outbreak of the Dominion War, which is the first and only time a prolonged interstellar war is (well) portrayed in the Trek universe.