ccording to producer Ira Steven Behr, it wasn't until the final episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that the writers realized the show was going to become, irrevocably, a truly serialized drama. However, the truth is that season three started down the path toward serialization long before it reached its conclusion with "The Adversary."
From the outset, with the season opener "The Search," Parts I and II, Deep Space Nine continued to explore and expound on elements introduced in prior episodes. Of course, it was natural that the opener, which concluded the previous season's cliffhanger, would do so—but from then on, one never knew when an episode would pop up that mentioned the Dominion threat, dealt with the Jem'Hadar or the Founders, or would explore more of the sociopolitical situation on Bajor with Kai Wynn, and on Cardassia. It was that sense of the unexpected that set this series apart from some other shows of the same era that had a serialized arc (i.e., The X-Files, which quickly stuffed its myth-arc episodes into sweeps week).
By its third season, Deep Space Nine's characters were deeply drawn, each defined by their own specific character traits and flaws. Sisko was the consummate commanding force; Kira the passionate warrior; Odo a pursuer of justice, regardless of the personal cost; Dax the cool-headed scientist who always finds a way. We also got to see these characters' relationships grow through the subtle things—like that Bashir and O'Brien play racquetball regularly; that Bashir and Garak always meet for lunch; that Sisko has a penchant for cooking; that Odo has it bad for Maj. Kira (in "The Search," there are some great scenes that even have tender hints of what lies in the future for Kira and Odo).
In many ways, the series was at its best in season three: This was before the complexities of the Dominion War arc overtook the show with a pervading sense of darkness. Instead, this season managed to balance the comical with somber social commentary. "The House of Quark," "Family Business" and the quirky Lwaxana Troi episode "Fascination" are just a few of the episodes that showcase DS9's lighter side; conversely, the show's serious side is evident in episodes such as "Life Support," "The Defiant" and the two-parter "Past Tense."
The third-season set's special features include several featurettes (focusing on "Past Tense," the genesis of the Dominion, makeup effects and set design), a profile of Odo, and seven Section 31 Hidden Files, easter-egg-like soundbites that aren't labeled but are scattered across the graphical image of the space station.
A refresher course in a Deep subject
Odds are that even those who stuck with DS9 through its end the first time around still found the beginnings of the conflict with the Dominion and the Founders obscured by all of the events that followed. That's why the 11-minute featurette "The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond," is a gem. Writer/producers Behr, Michael Piller and Robert Hewitt Wolfe offer a refresher course that helps put the Dominion episodes ("The Jem'Hadar"; "Distant Voices"; "The Search," Parts I and II; "The Adversary") in context.
The seven-minute "Time Travel Files" piece documents the origin of "Past Tense," a two-parter set in 2024 San Francisco that offers a biting commentary on our society's social ills. (Among those offering insights are Behr and Wolfe, and actors Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney.)
Although the latest installment of Michael Westmore's "Aliens" is interesting, it focuses entirely on the regular actors (i.e., Kira's Cardassian makeup in "Second Skin," Bashir's aging in "Distant Voices," and the Ferengi and Odo makeups in general). One is left wondering about the influences for all of those other exotic aliens seen on the station in season three.
Also of interest here is the dossier on Odo, which features a bearded Rene Auberjonois (and Behr) reflecting on Odo's journey. As in previous DVD sets, the 12-minute dossier looks at the character's journey throughout the run of the series and is not limited to just the few seasons already on DVD.
The hidden files are fun to find, but there's a certain random yet repetitive feel to the seven two-minute tidbits. For example, two files deal with "Second Skin"—one on acting (with Visitor), the other with Wolfe (on writing it). Another talks about the psychedelic posters in "Past Tense" (an episode already covered in detail in its own featurette), while yet another talks about the Ferengi.
