Amazon.co.uk Review
Deep Space Nine's third season begins eventfully, with Sisko promoted to Captain and being given a prototype warship equipped with a cloaking device, while Odo learns where he came from. In the two-part opening tale, this clever gambit is played to hook viewers into the idea of
DS9 becoming an ongoing mystery/conflict show. Why the sudden intense change in format? Mostly it was to ensure the show continued to thrive, when a rather greedy production hierarchy fast-tracked
Voyager onto the air mid-season (cue unnecessary crossover episode with Tuvok). Of greater concern was ratings thief
Babylon 5, which played its counter-Trek cards at precisely the right time. Fortunately the result (initially at least) was a genuine boost for
DS9.
Cast members seemed to have hit their stride and played off one another more assuredly than before. For example, Odo's character took several additional interesting twists, especially in his relationship with Kira. Rene Auberjonois had a very good year, directing two episodes to boot. Avery Brooks had begun this trend with the previous year's penultimate show. The real surprise was seeing Jonathan Frakes's name working behind the camera on three occasions, because he also appeared on screen in his alternate rogue Riker role, when Thomas dramatically steals the Defiant. Other welcome cameos that aided the feeling of casual camaraderie included the return of Lwaxana Troi, as well as first appearances by Quark's mother, the spooky Founder Leader, the lovely Leeta, and the sneaky Eddington. Clint Howard--a cult Trek figure--was briefly welcomed back, and with the many faces of Jeffrey Combs another was born. Stories advanced the complicated Bajoran/Cardassian healing process, while simultaneously brewing potential conflicts far worse than the behind-the-scenes ratings war. --Paul Tonks
Synopsis
In this third instalment of the
Star Trek spin-off, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), commander of the starship Deep Space Nine, discovers the first known stable wormhole--a virtual shortcut through space that leads from the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. The Gamma Quadrant is governed by the Dominion, a group led by the Changelings--a group of shape shifters which counts DS9 crew member Odo (Rene Auberjonois) as one of its own. The Dominion has become a violent force in the galaxy, and the Deep Space Nine and its crew is the only hope of upholding the way of life established by the Federation. This collection includes all twenty-six episodes from the third series.