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February 26, 2003

Deep Space Nine - Season One DVD Boxset Review
By Kevin Knight

Deep Space Nine is the story of Starfleet Commander Benjamin Sisko who takes command of an old Cardassian station that had recently been abandoned. He assumes command of Deep Space Nine three years after the Battle of Wolf 359, the battle in which his wife, Jennifer, was killed. The USS Enterprise is also docked at Deep Space Nine to assist in the transition to a Bajorian/Starfleet station and to help in the cleanup after the Cardassian withdrawal. Shortly thereafter, the first and only known stable wormhole is discovered giving a permanent route to the Gamma Quadrant.

The Packaging

I have been patiently waiting for the release of the Deep Space Nine DVD sets for a long time. After collecting all of the TNG sets, I was ready for a change. At first inspection, the Deep Space Nine set looks vastly superior to The Next Generation sets that were released last year. The packaging consists of a black plastic box with the left side being transparent to the DS9 schematic art inside can be seen. As you pull out the inside, you notice that the discs are arranged in "pages," like a book. I think this is a lot better than the TNG sets because it makes it easier to take out the disc you want, rather than folding out a book like the TNG sets had. The discs themselves are black with art of the Deep Space Nine station. The discs also contain the episode names on them. The inside insert contains a small LCARS like layout with a simple schematic of Deep Space Nine on the left of the discs, and a disc/episode listing on the right side. My only complaint about the packaging is that the plastic outside case and the plastic on the inside seems a little flimsy, and I feel that if I handle them too much they may bend or break.

The Video

As with the TNG sets, the Deep Space Nine season one set features all the episodes in the full screen frame format. The video is clear and very crisp, and the color and contrast looks right. The average fan should be very pleased with the video quality of the set.

The Sound

As with the TNG sets, the Deep Space Nine season set features all the episode in Dolby 5.1 Surroundsound. The enhancements really make the battles and background noises sound good. I can't help but wonder how the later seasons will sound when the Dominion War comes.

The Extras

Disc six contains all the extras for this season set. Deep Space Nine: A Bold New Beginning runs roughly 17 or 18 minutes and contains interviews with the actors, writers and everyone responsible for the beginning of Deep Space Nine. You learn a lot about the process it took to get the series up and running. Michael Westmore's Aliens runs 10 minutes and features Westmore's makeup of the multiple alien species seen on Deep Space Nine. Secrets of Quark's Bar and Alien Artifacts run 5 minutes and 3 minutes respectably and feature the props used during the series, presented by Penny Juday and Joe Longo respectably. The Deep Space Nine Sketchbook features sketches of behind the scenes images and production images. Crew Dossier: Kira Nerys is a 15 minute feature about Nana Visitor's character, Major Kira Nerys and her development through the series. Be warned, this featureette contains footage from later seasons so if you have not seen those you may be spoiled. Also this set contains some Easter Eggs, Section 31 Hidden File featureettes which contain interviews with the actors.

Overall

I was quite impressed with this set. Paramount was able to take a great series and make it better on DVD. This set is just as good as the TNG sets, and really makes the greatness of Deep Space Nine shine. My only complaint is the flimsy outside packaging, which with everything else that's good, can be overlooked. The sound, video and extras make this set worth buying.

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