For years, Star Trek has been firmly cemented into not only American culture, but also World culture. The initial series from the 60’s created icons of the likes of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and though it couldn’t have been foreseen at the time, created a franchise that will probably never die. With numerous TV incarnations, motion pictures and books, some good and some not so good, there will always be something for everyone within the Trek universe. Of the four newer series that hit television over the years, the one that really had to prove itself was “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Having to take over the reigns for the wildly popular “Next Generation”, which was ending it’s seven year run, was no easy feat. But prove itself, it did. It took Star Trek into a new direction that some fans found exhilarating, while others found it irritating. Personally, I took to the side of exhilarating.

Though the stories in the first two seasons were well written and executed, gaining an audience was still a challenge. The Sci Fi genre was starting to become popular on TV again so there was competition everywhere. Then, just when the series started to take off, it faced competition from within. Halfway through it’s third season, UPN decided to get “Star Trek: Voyager” airborne. This created some conflicting effects on “DS9”, the positive being the extra press and promotion it received by two ‘Trek’ series running at the same time. The negative being that it gave some the impression that the network didn’t have enough faith in “DS9”, and wanted the other show on the air in case it failed. Fortunately, this didn’t happen to either.

Hot upon the heels of the release of the first two seasons of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing Season 3 in yet another impressive 7-disc set. As good as I thought the first two seasons were, with the series hitting it’s stride in the second, this third season is the one that I really started getting into. As opposed to the writer’s being content with the direction the characters were going, they opted to stretch a bit. And in doing so, the characters began to evolve and become multi-dimensional.

The series also started taking on a stronger multi-episode story arc. There were still some standout episodes, though There was “Defiant” which marked the return of ‘Thomas Riker’ (Jonathon Frakes), who was a duplicate of William Riker that was created by a transporter mishap on the “Next Generation” Series. The writing in this episode was especially good, and it turned out to be one of the suspense highlights of the season.

Then there was the two-part “Past Tense” episode where Sisko, Bashir and Dax are transported back to 21st Century Earth. Though the time travel theme has been done to death throughout the series, this one was on par with the classic Trek episode, “The City on the Edge of Forever.” In both, hard decisions had to be made in order to keep from altering history. And in both, when the life or death decisions were made, there was a certain degree of strength and character development that can be seen in those having to make those decisions.

As in the earlier DVD releases, Paramount has opted to continue in the tradition of adding extra features in abundance. There is “The Birth of the Dominion” which delves into how the writer’s developed the series’ principal threat. There’s also some continuing featurettes that have carried over from the first two releases. We get another look at Michael Westmore’s work on the alien makeup for the 3rd season, and in this installment of the ‘Crew Dossier’ focuses on Odo. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite extras on these sets.

Another featurette takes a look at the aforementioned episodes “Past Tense, Parts 1&2.” There are several interviews with members of the cast and crew about the relevance of the episodes in light of real world events. And last but not least, you can also check out the production design that went into the creation of the solar craft used in the episode, “Explorers.”

If you’re at all a Star Trek fan, then you know how good of a series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is. As Paramount continues releasing these terrific sets, just think how awesome your shelf will look when you’ve got the entire sets for all four series all lined up. And at the rate they’re doing this, it’s not going to be long before they are all available. Now if they would just do the same thing with the original Star Trek series!!

Disc 1:
The Search, Part I
The Search, Part II
The House of Quark
Equilibrium

Disc 2:
Second Skin
The Abandoned
Civil Defense
Meridian

Disc 3:
Defiant
Fascination
Past Tense, Part I
Past Tense, Part II

Disc 4:
Life Support
Heart of Stone
Destiny
Prophet Motive

Disc 5:
Visionary
Distant Voices
Through the Looking Glass
Improbable Cause

Disc 6:
The Die Is Cast
Explorers
Family Business
Shakaar

Disc 7:
Facets
The Adversary

Starring: Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Alexander Siddig, Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, and Armin Shimmerman
Extras: The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond: Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr and others discuss the development of Deep Space Nine's arch nemesis. Featured in Season 3, The Dominion plays a pivotal role throughout the remainder of the series. Michael Westmore's Aliens - Season Three: Includes a detailed look at Ferengis, Kira as a Cardassian, Bashir's aging process, and several dramatic changes created for the shapeshifter Odo. Crew Dossier - Odo: Features new, exclusive interviews with Rene Auberjonois and others examining the unique character of Odo during the seven-year run of Deep Space Nine. Time Travel Files - "Past Tense": The cast and crew discuss one of the series' most popular and poignant episodes, the two-part saga "Past Tense", whose social commentary mirrored real-life events. Sailing Through The Stars - A Special Look At "Explorers": Production Designer Herman Zimmerman and others discuss the creation of the award-winning ship design piloted by Benjamin Sisko and Jake. Includes rarely seen  photos and illustrations.
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Surround.
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: 6/3/2003
Region 1
Website

We'll give Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - Season 3 an A.