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Oh, what a year
2003 is going to be for Trekkers…
or is it Trekkies? I can never keep track.
I was always simply a ‘fan’
of “Star Trek” and never really
fell into either camp. Oh well, back to
the point. This year Paramount Home Video
is following up last year’s release
of all seven seasons of “Star Trek:
The Next Generation” with all seven
seasons of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” The first season will be available
in February, and as I considered this to
be the strongest of the recent “Star
Trek” series, I cannot wait to revisit
it.
I never really had the opportunity to take
a good look at the sets for “ST: TNG”,
but from I’ve seen of the new “Deep
Space Nine” sets, fans are going to
get their hands on some of the most beautifully
packaged of any TV show released to DVD.
First, you slide off the plastic slipcover,
which is emblazoned with the show’s
title over a star field background.
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The outer closed edge of the cover has a wraparound
blueprint of the station. This part is see-through,
which allows it to line up with the color version
of the floor plan on the box itself. The box has
a tri-fold cover that opens up to show the first
disc, along with a listing of the episodes on
each disc. Once you’ve opened up this part,
you can flip through the plastic ‘pages’
like those in a book, with a disc on each page.
Once I got over marvelling at the packaging,
I settled in to start re-watching the series.
The first thing I have to comment on is the extremely
cool menu set-up. It looks somewhat like the computer
read-outs from the show. Everything about it looks
and works great. Just the fact that you have not
only episode selection, but scene selection as
well just blows my mind. And, yes I know, most
TV shows available on DVD offer that option, but
what impresses me about this series in particular
is that Paramount can create these DVDs with this
much functionality fast enough to release a whole
season every few weeks without any degradation
in quality. Do these guys get any sleep?
Getting into the video aspect of these DVD, I’ve
got to tell you the transfers are stunning. The
images and color are so crisp and clean that I
feel it outdoes their initial broadcast quality.
They are worlds above what you might get by borrowing
your buddy’s videotape that he made off
of TV many moons ago. As for the audio, considering
that you now have the opportunity to listen to
the show in 5.1-surround sound, need I really
say more? More than anything, this simply enhances
the experience of watching the show, as the ambient
sound effects are set up in such a way as to fill
the room, but not so much as to overpower the
dialogue. I really love turning up the volume
during the battle sequences just to hear ships
flying overhead and phasers shooting past my head.
I just hope the neighbors don’t complain.
The first season of “Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine” offers a strong taste of
what’s to come right off the bat with the
first episode, “The Emissary” and
it’s depiction of the battle of Wolf 359,
where we are whisked back in time (or is that
‘forward’ in time since it’s
only 2003?) to once again face Jean-Luc Picard’s
Lokutus (Patrick Stewart). We witness, through
the eyes of Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks),
as the Borg tear through the Federation’s
strongest ships, massacering everyone in their
path. We are witness not only to this, but Sisko’s
personal tragedy in the death of his wife. And
with this tragedy, we see the birth of his contempt
for Picard.
From here we move ahead two years, as Sisko takes
command of the Bajoran Space Station ‘Deep
Space Nine,’ only to find that it’s
former inhabitants, the Cardassians, didn’t
leave it in the best of shape. This leads to the
discovery of the nearby wormhole, which becomes
a dominant force throughout the series. We are
introduced to the station’s current inhabitants
as well as Sisko’s new crew. And as tempers
flare, egos are squashed, and bonds are formed,
we are given the platform of personalities on
which the next six seasons stand.
The extras on this 6-DVD set are plentiful. They
come in at about an hour and a half of viewing
time, which I think is just enough, any more would
be overload and you’d never have time to
actually watch the show. The most informative
was the main featurette, ‘A Bold Beginning,’
where Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller,
along with Production Designer Herman Zimmerman
talk about the creation of the series. It shows
some behind the scenes footage from the first
episode, and delves into some of the visual effects
and how they were created.
Having watched most of the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” set (and preparing to sit
through the rest), I can see why so many people
were excited about the “Next Generation”
sets. Paramount has not only offered fans of Star
Trek a way to view their favorite episodes whenever
they want, but has taken the time and effort to
create DVD sets that are actually worth owning.
Starring: Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Alexander
Siddig, Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Colm
Meaney, and Armin Shimmerman
Extras: Deep Space Nine: A Bold Beginning, Crew
Dossier: Kira Nerys, Michael Westmore's Aliens:
Season One, Deep Space Nine Sketchbook, Alien
Artifacts: Season One, and the Secret’s
of Quark’s bar.
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround and Dolby Surround.
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: 2/25/2003
Region 1
Website
We'll give Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - Season
1 an A.
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