Customer Reviews

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Season 3

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Season Three is a great season, with only a few mediocre episodes (Meridian & Fascination).

My favourite episodes are (in no particular order):
- THE SEARCH 1 & 2 (Odo meet his "family")
- THE HOUSE OF QUARK (very funny)
- SECOND SKIN (Kira's worst nightmare comes true)
- CIVIL DEFENSE (The look on Dukat's face halfway through the episode is priceless)
- DEFIANT (Tom Riker (from TNG's "SECOND CHANCES") steals the Defiant)
- PAST TENSE 1 & 2 (Great drama, great acting)
- VISIONARY (I always like stories dealing with time travel)
- DISTANT VOICES (A very surreal episode)
- THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (another mirror universe adventure. The Mirror Kira is one of my favourite characters)
- IMPROBABLE CAUSE/THE DIE IS CAST (Great acting by Andrew Robinson and René Auberjonois (Garak & Odo)
- FACETS (We "meet" all of Dax's former hosts, including Curzon)
- THE ADVERSARY (a very claustrophobic episode with a surprise ending)

The extra's are all in the same league with those of season 1 & 2, with a feature on the Dominion, ODO'S CREW DOSSIER, MICHAEL WESTMORE'S ALIENS and several hidden files.
If you are a fan, as I am, you will already have bought this. If you are not, you will soon be if you buy it.

Andrea Martin stars as "Moogie" in "Family Business", and watch for the introduction of The Founders....aka the Changelings (Odo's race)

DS9 is (in my never-to-be-humble opinion) the best of Trek and season 3 is an excellent example of why.

By the third season the series had really begun to hit its stride. The basic premise had been established, main characters and conflicts had been introduced and now new themes needed to be found and developed. The series had been criticized as not having enough action, especially when compared to TNG. Conflict needed to be introduced and it was on many levels. The on-going quest of Odo to find his own people was addressed and expanded to incredible levels. Kira was forced to face her beliefs about her faith, her people and herself. We learn more about the Ferengi and their culture as Quark and him family struggle to evolve with its changes. Sisko deals with changes in the Federation, the Bajoran and his own family. O'Brien faces his own mortality and the ever present conflict in his own family. Jadzia lays to rest her past lives and Bashir enters into new relationships. And those are just the main characters!

The Federation itself recovering from the recent assault by the Borg, and trying to maintain uneasy relationships with Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians now is becoming aware that threats exist from the Dominion.

The groundwork is laid for upcoming seasons including the format of story lines building over a series shows in arcs. The on-going themes already established by this series of making the characters more multi-dimensional than either TOS or TNG by incorporating more of their lives into the story is continued and expanded as are the mirror universe and time travel premises.

The additional features include about 45 minutes of interviews with the producers, writers, actors and others focusing on certain aspects of the show or particular episodes. The 'hidden files' (I found 7) are segments about 2 minutes each appear to be snippets from the interviews but are well worth the effort to access them.

Although the premise behind Deep Space Nine was that of a run-down space station at the edge of nowhere, by the middle of the second season, life seemed to be getting a little too easy for the crew of the station. Not to say that they didn't have problems, but the adversaries and adversities they faced weren't a thousand miles away from the type of troubles that beset the crew of the USS Enterprise. But the end of the second season of Deep Space Nine changed all that.

For almost two years, the wormhole had been attracting all sorts of relatively positive attention towards the station. Scientists, explorers, and Ferengi business were all attracted to this spatial oddity in hopes of furthering their own interests. But in the season finale to the second year, the series was completely turned around when the wormhole suddenly becomes a threat -- beyond it lies the mighty Dominion, who appear to be taking a very proactive, almost Rumsfeldian role in their "defense". Suddenly, the people on the station are frightened and scared. A Dominion attack could come at any moment. In the third season we see Starfleet sending, not a scientific research starship, but an experimental warship, so powerful and unstable that it is almost a menace to itself.

This was the shot in the arm that Deep Space Nine needed. Not only is this a cantankerous old space station in the middle of nowhere, but now it's a cantankerous old space station in the middle of nowhere that could come under overwhelming attack at any time. The change in premise seemed to energize the writing and production staff. Even the stories that do not directly involve themselves with the running story seem like a step up from the past two years. Although Deep Space Nine hadn't been a bad series in the past by any means, we can see it developing further in this season.

As with the last two DVD box sets, the extras here are geared mostly towards the third season. Documentaries focus on revealing the makeup "secrets" or unearthing the original design sketches of the various buildings and spaceships seen during this year. There's also a special on Odo, featuring Rene Auberjonois who these days appears to be basing his look on that of Santa Claus. Again with this set, the documentaries are on the short size, mostly five to ten minutes long (I doubt there is one over a quarter of an hour).

Season three slowly ratchets up the tension, mixing standalone episodes with stories that enhance the overall arc. The big story and the characters are moving along nicely now, and the changes in the series fundamentals gave the producers and writers some great new potential for stories in the future.

For the first two season, one of the critical barbs thrown at the show was this series was not living up to Roddenberry's idyllic setting of no conflict with the peoples of the Federation. And that because DS9 was set in one location and the stories had to come to them instead of the crew going out "where no one has gone before", that the late creator would be saying all of it was wrong. So of that was true, as most of the key demographics -young males -felt DS9 did not measure up to TNG -especially in the action and excitement department. And while Odo and Quark where by far the most popular characters, most felt Sisko was too low-key and by being that way, viewers were not embracing the political and religion stories on the whole.

And because of the events in the season two finale, "Jem'Hadar", the crew were going to need more than three runabouts to stop a possible invasion from the Gamma Quadrant. The arrival of the Defiant solved two problems off the bat. The ship would be give the crew the chance to travel beyond the space station, and with the ever-increasing threat from the Dominion, it would ramp up the action quotient.

"The Search" introduced us to the Defiant and the Founders, the rulers of The Dominion. And, surprise, they turn out to be Odo's people. The two-part episode revealed much of Odo's past and it began to set up the conflict that would become so much part of the series in later years.

Highlights of the season included the opener, "The Search" to be followed by "The House of Quark", "Second Skin", "The Abandoned", "Defiant", "Past Tense, parts 1 & 2", "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast", another journey to the mirror universe in "Through the looking Glass" and "The Adversary".

Along the way, even the episodic episodes began to take on the running story of the Dominion. Quark and his Ferengi family, while used as comedic results, grew deeper, becoming something TNG never could do, make them interesting.

And unlike its sister series, DS9 never really ended on a big cliffhanger. As a matter of fact, it liked to leave you on a more threatening note. The final lines delivered by Odo -the last words from a dying changeling Odo killed in self-defense -left you feeling that a large conflict with the Dominion was coming.

"He said 'you're too late, we're everywhere'"

DS9's third season proved to be quite a pivotal season and a great buildup to the following seasons. Throughout the course of the season, several questions were answered and several new ones were introduced, leading up to an instrumental and somewhat ominous season finale in which a Founder tells Odo "you're too late, we're everywhere." That one sentence made for a long summer at that time, leaving fans in throes of anticipation for the fourth season. Important developments of the third season were the addition of the Defiant, additional back stories on the Dominion and its makeup, to include finding out who Odo's people are and the series taking on a more "serialized" tone.

I highly recommend this DVD set, the two previous seasons and the remaining four seasons, to any and all fans of Star Trek, especially those who didn't quite give DS9 a chance in its beginning because you will find that DS9 represents some of the best Star Trek to date.

Standout episodes of the season: (They all stand out, but space is limited)

The Search Parts I & II - As a grand conclusion to season two's "The Jem'Hadar" and setting up season three through seven in the "epic" of Deep Space Nine, these two episodes are extraordinary. It is from this point you know as a viewer that DS9 has a sense of purpose. Here we find out where Odo comes from and the terrible truth that revelation brings about.

The House of Quark - In this hilarious Quark episode, by a twist of fate, he becomes the head of a Klingon house. Robert O'Reilly makes a return as Gowron, Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. This is another brilliant Ferengi/humor episode.

Equilibrium - In this extremely compelling and captivating episode, Jadzia begins having hallucinations for no apparent reason. Then it becomes clear that she may lose her symbiont, thus her life as well. She finds out that she has not been told of "every" host the Dax symbiont has had. The ending to episode is quite beautiful.

Second Skin - This episode epitomizes why DS9 is such an exceptional series! Kira is kidnapped and altered to appear as a Cardassian and told that she is a deep under cover agent of the Obsidian Order.

Defiant - In this poignant and ominous episode, Thomas Riker makes an appearance, hijacks the Defiant as part of a Maquis operation and then takes her to Cardassian territory intent on uncovering a large fleet of Cardassian warships he "believes" are preparing to head into the DMZ.

Past Tense Parts I & II - This two hour episode is quite possibly the most stunning and moving episode of the entire season. Sisko, Bashir and Dax attempt to transport to Starfleet Headquarters but due to unexpected circumstances are transported to the year 2024 in the midst of one of the most crucial historical reference points for Earth and the Federation.

Heart of Stone - This fascinating episode involves Kira and Odo making their way back to DS9 but they intercept a Maquis ship and follow it down to a moon in the hopes of capturing the solitary occupant. This episode is relatively important in lifting the vale on some of Odo's feelings.

Destiny - This episode is a perfect example of the beauty of the epic "saga" that is DS9 as it brings in Sisko's role as the Bajoran Emissary when the mission of trying to set up a communications array on the other side wormhole has been prophesized some three thousand years ago by a Bajoran prophet.

Prophet Motive - In this uproarious and brilliant Ferengi episode Grand Nagus Zek shows up on DS9 and he's totally rewritten the Rules of Acquisition towards a "not for profit" bent and Quark is beside himself with "grief."

Visionary - This is a brilliant O'Brien episode in which he unexpectedly finds himself time shifting around the station while at the same time, Romulans and Klingons are aboard.

Through the Looking Glass - This is another superb "Mirror, Mirror" episode that became a highly looked forward to annual episode of every season!

Improbable Cause & The Die is Cast - These episodes constitute two of the finest hours of Star Trek. Garak survives what is seemingly an "assassination" attempt and Odo steps in to investigate. Before long, we have the Obsidian Order, the Tal Shiar, the Jem'Hadar and Starfleet involved, setting up what will be the arc that carries this series.

Explorers - In this beautiful episode Sisko decides to build an Bajoran solar sailing vessel to prove that the Bajorans used these ships to get to Cardassia eight centuries earlier..

Family Business - This is another terrific and humorous Ferengi episode in which Quark is shut down by the Ferengi Commerce Authority because his "Moogie" has been earning profit and he must find a way to stop it or he'll be financially destroyed.

Facets - This brilliant episode involves Jadzia and her need to complete her "zhian'tara," a Trill ceremony where her friends temporarily receive the memories of her past hosts. This episode played wonderfully as the main characters assumed the roles of these past hosts.

The Adversary - In this exceptional season finale, Sisko is promoted to Captain and given the mission to attempt to stop a full scale war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi, or are they as they soon find that there is a changeling aboard the Defiant. The beauty of this episode plays out in the last scene. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond

Michael Westmore's Aliens - Season Three
Drew Dossier: Odo
Time Travel Files - "Past Tense"
Sailing Through The Stars: A Special Look at "Explorers"
8 "Hidden" Section 31 Files

Episode list:

The Search, parts I & II
The House of Quark
Equilibrium
Second Skin
The Abandoned
Civil Defense
Meridian
Defiant
Fascination
Past Tense, parts I & II
Life Support
Heart of Stone
Destiny
Prophet Motive
Visionary
Distant Voices
Through the Looking Glass
Improbable Cause
The Die is Cast
Explorers
Family Business
Shakaar
Facets
The Adversary

The DS9 box set is consistant, one thing it has over the Next Generation box set. Each disk in each season is set up the same way: the introduction is the same, 4 episodes per disk, no preview clips. The only variation on this is the last disk, which has the special features.

The accent colour for this box set is a deep green, which looks really out of place next to the red and sickly green on the first and second seasons. I'm not exactly sure why they chose the colours they did, but I would guess they have a reason.

The episodes in this season are interesting, the storyline really start to heat up. However, it's not fair to the box set or anyone who reads this to outline them all, and rate the box set according to its episodes. That should be reserved for individual episodes.

This is the season where we truly begin to see the show that Deep Space Nine would become. There are many memorable moments in this third season, as well as intense character development across the board. Many storylines introduced in season 2 would finally spawn fantastic episodes in season 3, and the show really began to take on a unique feel as compared to any previous Trek show.

The season opens with the two-parter "The Search" which was the perfect opener to a rousing season. The arrival of the Starship Defiant at Deep Space Nine signaled a radical change in the show's dynamic, as now the crew could venture out into space. Many fans reluctant to try the show earlier were converted by this development. Also, the structure of the Dominion is revealed, and the 'Odo angst' begins. Other noteworthy adventures include "Defiant," which features the return of Tom Riker as a Maquis terrorist who hijacks the Defiant; "Civil Defense," a seemingly metaphoric episode that is suspenseful and has what in my opinion is the most humorous diatribe trading between Dukat and Garak; the "Past Tense" two-parter, which is a good time-traveling episode with gentle social commentary, a continuation of the mirror universe storyline in "Through the Looking Glass. "Explorers" is a warm, character-driven episode that the show could not make enough of, and "The Adversary" is a great conclusion to the season, with Sisko finally being promoted to captain, a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase with a changeling onboard the Defiant, Odo killing one of his own kind (accentuating the Odo angst) and the implication that changelings have already infiltrated the highest echelon of Starfleet Command, a plotline which would become the basis of an excellent two-part episode in season 4.

The two standout episodes of the season, however, are "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast." Improbable cause has Odo investigating the (apparent) attempted murder of Garak, where nothing is as it seems. The Die is Cast deals with a combined Romulan and Cardassian fleet taking the fight to the Dominion and being utterly destroyed, due to changeling infiltrators. There is much great drama in this episode: the relationship between Garak and Tain, the Eddington/Sisko conflict, and the interesting fact that these two private men have their actions guided by the same dream: to return home. Astounding stuff.

Why only 4 stars? I can't reconcile giving 5 stars to a seasons with arguably the two worst episodes ever produced in the show. "Meridian" is the worst love story I have ever seen produced in any medium, and just like season 4's "Rejoined", Dax allows herself to be led astray by hormones, in spite of all her wisdom, importance on passing on the symbiont, etc. etc. I'm glad the producers finally realized that nobody was buying it. The other bad episode also dealt with love. "Fascination" is one of those "fun" episodes that just never worked out. Although the plot device to spontaneously attract people is logical (I guess), the pairing is odd, to say the least (Jake and Kira? Quark and Keiko? I think not). And, furthermore, the comic aspect of the episode just never materialized. It felt labored and just painful all around.

Deep Space Nine's Third Season began to show the show's potential. There are plenty of great episodes here, and this is the show's true beginning, as we see a more bold structure pervade the show. A worthy buy.

This is the beginning of the transcendent DS9 seasons, 1 and 2 were fun but 3 is where the show reaches new highs and we are introduced to deep stories and powerful enemies. A must have for all Sci-fi fans.

The series really began to stretch it's wings here. For the first time, they were the only Star Trek series on the air. Everything seemed focused on bringing this together. Until mid-season when "Voyager" debuted on UPN. Fortunately, the DS9 producers stayed on track here.

The introduction of the experimental fighting ship, Defiant, gave the series a new energy and allowed them to get off the station more. The external threats became greater as a Klingon presence grew, and the Cardassians were rattling their sabres a bit more as well.

All in all, a wholly satisfying season which propelled us headlong into what would be the remaining hallmark years for the series.