Star Trek Deep Space Nine - The Complete Third Season

It's the third year of Deep Space Nine, and the tides are beginning to change. This season literally takes off with a bang, a 2-part episode titled The Search." The episode begins with rising tension over the possibility of a Dominion task force coming through the wormhole and engaging Deep Space Nine in battle (in Commander Sisko's absence), when a ship materializes off the docking ring, the USS Defiant under Sisko's command. He's been given a mission, to take the Defiant on a search to find the Founders of the Dominion. The mission is impeded by the fact that Odo has been supplanted as Dee Space Nine's chief of security (momentarily) by Lt. Commander Michael Eddington and the Defiant must fly deep into the Gamma Quadrant to talk to Quark's Dominion business partners. After the Defiant is attacked by the Jem'Hadar near its destination, Odo and Major Kira escape in a shuttle and land on a rogue planet in a nearby nebula. And, what do they find on the surface? They find a lake containing Odo's people, the shapeshifters. Odo gets to know them and experiences a microcosm of what they experience together in gelatinous form, The Great Link. Meanwhile, other members of the Defian'ts crew think they've returned to the station separately, witnessing unbalanced peace negotiations and attempting to seal the wormhole to prevent Dominion reinforcements from coming through. Meanwhile, as Odo is socializing with his people, Kira is looking for a way to get off the planet alone and stumbles onto a chamber with the real station crew. Kira and Odo learn that the shapeshifters (or changelings) are the real Founders of the Dominion. The crewmembers are apparently being probed by Jem'Hadar and one Vorta for a worst case scenario, should the Dominion attack. Odo decides that he can't see eye to eye with his people's version of justice and demands that the Federation crew be set free.That episode sets multiple precedents, including the danger represented by the changelings as the leaders of the Dominion who can assume other identities, Odo's estrangement from them and - later in the season - his unrequited love for Kira. Odo's feelings for Kira first come to the surface during a visit from Lwoxanna Troi, who learns of them through her empathic abilities. Kira, whose own lover, Bariel dies amid peace negotiations between Bajor and their arch enemy, Cardassia, is unaware of Odo's love; he keeps it concealed. Simultaneously, Jadzia Dax is faced with two struggles involving her antecedent hosts, first when the buried memories of a murderous host named Joran come to the surface and again during the ritual ceremony when she interacts with all seven previous hosts (grafted onto the bodies of other DS9 crewmembers). Odo assumes the role of Curzon, Jadzia's predecessor, her mentor and the dear friend whom Sisko calls "Old Man." When Curzon's memories are grafted onto Odo, his shapeshifting abilities allow the two personalities to merge, and Curzon-Odo almost refuses to give the memories back to Jadzia. When she confronts him, she learns that Curzon, who'd initially rejected her from becoming joined, only had her terminated from the program because he was secretly in love with her. She insists on Curzon's memories returning to Jadzia so they can be together through the Dax symbiote.Another plot thread which crops up during Season 3 involves the decision of Quark's nephew and Jake Sisko's best friend, Nog (Aron Eisenberg) to become the first Ferengi enrolled in Starfleet. As a citizen of a world outside the Federation, he asks Sisko to be his sponsor to Starfleet Academy. He studies hard for his entrance exams, but at the same time Jadzia is confronting Curzon-Odo, Quark (who finds the idea of a Ferengi in Starfleet deplorable) is sabotaging Nog's examination so he'll fail. Nog's father, Rom convinces Sisko to retest the boy and threatens to burn Quark's bar if he tries anything else. Plus, the viewers meet Quark and Rom's mother, Ishka, a cultural deviant who has as good a head for earning profit as any male and strives to challenge the Ferengi cultural norm at every turn, infuriating Quark and alienating everyone else except Rom and Nog. Rom calls her "Moogie," a nickname she enjoys but Quark considers infantile and at first refuses to use.At the same time that Quark & Rom are dealing with their mother's dissident propensity, Ben Sisko's son Jake is proving a gifted writer and playing matchmaker for his father. Jake knows a freighter captain named Kassidy Yates whom he thinks would click immediately with Ben. But, he purposefully neglects to tell Kassidy that Benjamin's favorite game is baseball and to tell Ben that Kassidy's brother plays on a team from the far side of the Federation. They listen together to a game transmission over subspace, which pleases Jake.A key thread begun during this season is the presence of the USS Defiant. When it is introduced in the season première, Sisko explains that it's officially an escort vessel, when it's actually a battleship without any creature comforts. It's a ship Sisko helped design after the Borg first invaded the Federation; it is overpowered for a ship its size. In addition, the Romulans have outfitted the Defiant with a cloaking device, in exchange for the Federation sharing its intelligence on the Dominion with the Romulan Empire. At first, members of the crew find the Defiant uncomfortable, but as the season progresses, they adjust and come to think of the ship as home away from home. The ship attracts so much attention that, it is commandeered mid-season by Tom Riker, the doppelganger of William T. Riker. Tom commands a Maquis cell and attempts to launch an assault with the Defiant on a fleet built by the Cardassian Obsidian order and rumored to be meant to eliminate the Maquis in the Demilitarized Zone. This assumption proves false; several months later, that illegal fleet assembled by the Obsidian Order, coupled with members of the Romulan Tal'Shiar, attempt to infiltrate the Dominion and kill off the changelings, supposedly eliminating the Dominion threat. It proves to be a trap, leading directly to the elimination of the Obsidian order and crippling the Tal'Shiar. The repercussions felt on Cardassia would last for years.During the season finale, Ben Sisko would be promoted to captain. His first assignment as captain is not without challenges, as it includes a changeling infiltrator disguised as a Federation ambassador, manipulating the station crew and later impersonating other members of the crew. Ultimately, he is overpowered by Odo, the first shapeshifter to violate a law which his people consider sacred: "No changeling has ever harmed another." In time, Odo would face judgment for his decision.Interestingly, before the series began, Avery Brook (Sisko) sported a shaved head and a beard around his jaw, but his contractual obligation forced him to regrow his hair and shave his face. But, during the last month-and-a-half of this season, he had grown back his beard. Beginning after the finale of this season (when Sisko is promoted), Brooks would shave his head for the rest of the series.

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Dear Amazon Customers,One of the most exciting series of Star Trek returns for it's third season. That series being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Now in its third season, the show begins to take on a sense of maturity and adventure not before attempted in previous Star Trek universe programs. It is at this time that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine defines itself as a different type of show from predecessor Star Trek programs.In the third season, we see Benjamin Sisko played by "Avery Brooks" take on more of the role as the father to Jake Sisko played by "Cirroc Lofton". The bonding of these two characters adds a level of domestic humanity to a character typically positioned in previous Star Trek programs as strong, overbearing and in command of matters. Even though Commander Sisko has a duty to Starfleet, he recognizes his duty as a father to his son.Another aspect not seen in previous Star Trek programs is the introduction of a dominant antagonist force. In this case, the group that calls themselves the Dominion is introduced to the series. For the first time, the Federation faces an adversary that is just as determine to gain power through universal conquest instead of through peaceful negotiations. It is this theme that is the center point for rest of the entire Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.In the third season, the audience is treated to a full interaction of all the characters. We see Quark played by "Armin Shimerman" not only take on the rest of the cast of characters in a fierce stance to show Ferengi ingenuity and free enterprise but also takes on the Ferengi commerce structure and it's leaders in order to maintain his way of life.We get to see Jadzia Dax played by "Terry Farrell" challenge her own society and herself with concept of Trill cohabitation with the symbiont life forms they carry inside of their bodies. Jadzia wanting to live her own life is tormented by the past lives of her previous symbiont's Trill host. This aspect of these multiple lives of the character Jadzia Dax becomes one of the most challenging story developments of the series.Along with all of the character elements being developed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we see the reappearance of the warlike race known as the Klingons. In the third season, the Klingon society is challenged by the concept that their system may not as equitable to all of those who show strength. We see that even other alien races can teach the proud Klingons something about their society and themselves as well.One of the most challenging aspects of to the Star Trek universe was made in the third season with the introduction of the armored and warlike starship vessel called the "Defiant". In all previous and future Star Trek universe programs, the Federation has insisted that they were a peaceful organization. With the introduction of a true war vessel, this notion was forever shattered. This single aspect alone pushed the writers of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine into areas of themes and plots never before explored in the Star Trek universe.The bringing together of all these elements lead to a masterful piece of SCI-FI entertainment that is viewable over and over again. The only way you will know for yourself is by purchasing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 on DVD. Watching the culmination of the previous seasons plots come together in the third season makes season 3 on DVD well worth watching. You will surely enjoy viewing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 on DVD.

I usually watch Star Trek on TV but this one I missed. I was quite pleased to know I could get it on video. Great series!

The first 2 seasons of DS9 are especially typical of early seasons of a Trek show, just like TNG you can tell they're still finding their feet. There are a handful of standout episodes (and even some of the poorer ones aren't completely without merit), but on season 3 they start turning it on more: and on DS9 when they turn it on, they turn it on. Wasting no time by getting into the action with The Dominion on the dramatic 2 parter "The Search", this is a classic episode that belongs among the best of the series. Other 2 parters included are the excellent time travel based social commentary "Past Tense" in which Sisko has to fulfill a historic role, and "Improbable Cause/ The Die Is Cast" featuring one of Garak's (potentially the best character on the whole show) best performances and a chilling realization that The Dominion are one step ahead of everyone else. The Bashir episode "Distant Voices" is fantastic, a personal favourite of mine, an interesting idea executed very well."Civil Defense" is up there too with my favourites, Gul Dukat was always one of the best Trek villains ever (and deserved better than the character he became in season 7, though his descent into madness was interesting they just had to go there with the whole Bajoran religion thing...something I was never 100% sure on) and in this episode he is forced to work with the DS9 crew in order to survive. The mirror universe makes its second appearance in "Through The Looking Glass", where all characters are bizarre variations on their prime universe selves. There are some light hearted Ferengi moments in "The House of Quark" and "Family Business", and a great "O'Brien has a bad day" episode in "Visionary". In the great final episode "The Adversary", Sisko is promoted to captain, and a deadly chase begins on the Defiant when it is realized a Changeling has infiltrated the ship. Odo commits the unforgivable crime of killing one of his own species, and the episode ends on a brilliantly creepy note."You're too late. We're everywhere."

Finally I have all 7 parts at home, but right now I'm watching this series (not the first time though). Story arc is getting more and more serious (and this is the constant trend towards the end of the show in season 7), but there are still episodes that make it a bit more lighter (you guess, mostly with Ferengis :-)). DS9 is/was/will be about people - much more than any older Star Trek - and more about politics, and also about one really big conflict out there. With DS9 sitting right on top of it.About DVDs itself, they are OK, quality is as expected for TV with 4:3 picture ratio. I don't like some funny behaviour, mostly related to stupid legal stuff screen (what else ;-)) - when I insert disk into the player, it shows, then I can go on. When I turn my player on later with disk inside, it continues to play - however if I'm in menu, it first let me choose the episode, confirm it and then shows the legal screen for no reason - and I have to wait while it goes through the animation to the menu again. Not sure what is players fault really (as this is unique behaviour, consistent on all disks and all seasons). Bonuses are nice, different for every season. In overall I'm very happy with this set - and I love the show itself.

Season 3 is when this good series starts to become great. Seasons 1 and 2 have some great episodes and lay the foundations, this season begins layering the arcs and the actors are all fully established in their roles. It has a smattering of extras, the menu system is easy enough to use and it has the options I required, namely English subtitles.I make no bones that DS9 is my favourite Trek series and I love the DVD set, but I'd gladly upgrade to blu ray, which is sadly know a slim hope at best.

This is another excellent series. The Star Trek team did it again. This series has some of my favourite episodes. The 'Past Tense' episodes are brilliant. I really enjoyed watching this series and although I still feel it's a warm up for the next series, it still has some excellent character developments with Kira, Odo, Sisko and the rest of the crew.I recommend buying this series and I will be watching this box set over and over again.

Having recently finished re-watching the full Star Trek TNG series, I found myseld in somewhat of a vacuum.. sci-fi wise.When DS9 came on sale as slimboxes i thought: "Oh well - still got space in the trek-shelf - havent I?"I've watcehd this series with pleasure on TV - but hey! you never know if you missed an episode of two.DS9 is a great spinnoff from TOS, and I'm happily recommending this series to all who loves TOS and TNG.The characters are great and i't good fun to follow this "new" universe unfold.