Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Series 1 (6 Disc Box Set) (UK)

My involvement with Star Trek fandom has always waxed and waned dependent mostly on my mood, but one thing that has never changed is my opinion of Deep Space Nine. It is simply the most intelligent, groundbreaking and challenging branch of Star Trek[/B[ ever made, populated with some of the most interesting characters and featuring storylines that are atypical for the franchise. In short, Deep Space Nine can stand on its own as a huge artistic achievement. The writing was, for the most part, strong, the acting excellent and the make-up and special effects sumptuous.

Now, don`t get me wrong - Season One is not the place where this is most evident. The season starts slowly and makes the mistake of trying to do too many Star Trek The Next Generation storyline tie-ins. Troi`s mother turns up, we see Vash and Q and the first two episodes feature Picard and the Enterprise. In short, whilst there are strengths in this first season it does not feel at this point like its own show, instead being content to try to ride TNG`s coat-tails to some degree.

The characters are also far less compelling here than they become. Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, has very little of the complex characterisation that he acquires in Seasons Two and Three, despite a very promising first story. Alexander Siddig (or Siddig El Fadil as he was known at this time) is more annoying than charming, and Terry Farrell`s Dax does not get much to do, outside of her own particular episodes.

That said some of the other characters represent real and early triumphs, and the pleasure that comes from this season is chiefly derived from them. Rene Auberjonois from the movie M*A*S*H is an wickedly dry and sour Constable Odo, a shapeshifter who does not know where he came from or if there are others of his kind in the Universe. Nana Visitor, as Kira Nerys, is a lynchpin in many episodes, giving powerful performances in which her character drags much of the audience`s sympathies with her in spite of some of the things she has done. Cirroc Lofton`s Jake is far more appealing that the character Wesley Crusher from TNG, largely because he is fallible. And the character Chief O`Brien, transferring from The Next Generation is superbly portrayed by Colm Meaney, proving a great point of reference for the audience, particularly in his dealings with Bashir. The biggest winner by a large way is the Ferengi bartender Quark though, played to perfection by actor Armin Shimmerman. He balances humour, deviousness and unpleasantness superbly to create a wonderfully wicked character that is the life and soul of the station. That there were episodes entirely devoted to him as the series went on is testament to the strength of his portrayal.

It should also be noted that there are several superb guest star appearances - Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat has a strong hint of menace to him, whilst the various actors who play the Vedeks and Kai Opaka are all excellent. In addition a word to mention my favourite of the DS9 characters - Nog. Aron Eisenberg gives the character energy and vitality and whilst he is very much a secondary character, growing up it was him I found most compelling. He comes particularly into his own in later seasons but it was a pleasure to realise how strong his character portrayal was from the beginning.

On the whole the majority of episodes in this season are deeply average though. Whilst the character interplay interests, the hooks are generally poor and it takes the writers a while to get to grips with the potential of the wormhole. There are a couple of episodes that stand out particularly to me however: Captive Pursuit in which we meet the first alien from the other side of the wormhole, Dax, an intriguing courtroom argument, very similar in style to An Evening In the Garden of Gethsemane from Babylon 5, [B]Battle Lines, in which a perpetual war is being fought, and [B]Duet, which is a stunningly well-written examination of relationships between war victims and war criminals, the need for punishment and the extent to which people will go to get vengeance. In fact, it is this episode that will probably be held up as the crowning achievement of the early years and would serve as a manifesto for the sorts of story the show would attempt to serve up.

There are several clunkers and the rest are passable fayre. There are four episodes (or the equivilent on Disc One) spread across the five discs making up twenty episodes in all. This is not the strongest season and it is possible to leap into the show in Season Two where the arc elements really begin to take shape with little being lost. However, watching from the beginning does have its rewards as the characters grow and beginning to get chemistry before your eyes.

With regards to extra features [B]Deep Space Nine does better than its parent series did, getting over an hour of material, not including the numerous (10!) easter eggs dotted around the place.

A Bold Beginning is a strong look at how the series was conceived, what the writers were trying to do with the show, and talks about the season as a whole. There is a crew dossier that covers all seven years of the show (a spoiler warning here - a lot is revealed that you may not wish to know yet) with interview analysis with actress, Nana Visitor.

Michael Westmore`s Aliens is an interesting interview in which he talks about the various designs he implented throughout the season and this really is something to cherish. It`s reasonably well-detailed and the background life makes up a huge part of the atmosphere of the station. Secrets of Quarks Bar is slightly less interesting however, being a more superficial look at the acquisition of props for the series. Alien Artifacts likewise doesn`t go into quite as much depth as it could have done. The set is nicely rounded off with the DS9 Sketchbook (showing concept drawings from the first season) and the Scrapbook is a good finishing touch. It would have been nice however to have had a commentary or two on some of the key episodes however.

Finally the 4:3 picture is crisp and clean and the 5.1 sound is impressive here, making the show sound better than ever. Of annoyance however is the lack of good chapter pointing, meaning that you can`t quickly skip the title sequence.

All in all a good quality boxset, particularly if you can pick it up at a cheap price, and a great introduction to the best incarnation of the franchise.