4/5 Asian Versions cheaper for a reason...
  by
For DS9 lovers on a budget, the cheaper asian versions available on the used marketplace are enticing. They are indeed about half the price of the US version. I ordered the 2nd season this way and found it to be actually slightly inferior in quality for viewing, and markedly inferior in packaging even though it was bought new. Several episodes seemed to cut off the last few seconds to squeeze it on to the DVD, and we had tracking problems (slowww) and voice to action synching problems occaisionally. Mind you it got the job done, just not quite there for quality, which can be annoying. The packaging, really bad. The DVD's are stacked in a thin paperboard box with foam sheets between. The box and the DVD's have really bad airbrushed illustrations of something similar to the star's faces. Quite amusing, but not if you just paid for it. My advice is to buy a lightly used US version instead of a "new" Asian one if the money is an issue. I bought a used Season 1 US version and it was perfect, only a small scratch on the box. The DVD's were in perfect shape, and no cut off scenes!

5/5 DS9 Season Two - A great second season!
  by K. Wyatt (St. Louis, MO United States)
DS9 season two turned out many of the series greatest episodes and at the same time started to give ominous signs that portended what was to come with this outstanding and spectacular Star Trek series. The producers, while entrenched in the final season of Star Trek The Next Generation, preproduction on Star Trek Generations and preproduction on Star Trek Voyager brilliantly were able to write and produce one outstanding episode of Deep Space Nine after another. The second season is where the producers and everybody involved found their stride with the series resulting in absolutely amazing character interactions where everybody worked well off of one another. Of the many Star Trek variants, DS9 I believe as a whole is dramatically the most compelling due to its very nature of conflict between the main characters. It was truly fun watching DS9's first season, STNG's sixth season and then DS9's second season and STNG's seventh season all in the order they were originally aired, just as it was when they were all aired. It is too bad we won't initially be able to do that with DS9 & Voyager since we won't be seeing those sets until sometime next year. Of all the series that have passed, this is the one that I miss the most.

A brief synopsis of some of the "stand out" episodes of this great season:

The Homecoming, The Circle and The Siege - What can one say when they're treated to such an outstanding, well written and performed trilogy to begin a season of Star Trek, amazing! The thought process that went into this trilogy is well played out on the screen as our beloved characters find themselves deeply entrenched in the political situation on Bajor after Kira receives evidence of a famous Bajoran freedom fighter named Li Nalas still being held by the Cardassians. This is where we first meet Vedek Winn and learn of her ambition to become the next Kai and the lengths in which she'll go to attain that goal.

Invasive Procedures - This is a great episode in that it does give us some idea about how Trills end up being joined Trills.

Cardassians - This outstanding episode serves well to give us a slight glimpse into Garak and at the same time raises more questions about this superb character played by Andrew Robinson.

Rules of Acquisition - This is another outstanding Ferengi episode starring Quark, one of the most entertaining characters of the series. Along with Quark, we're treated to Grand Nagus Zek and several other Ferengi characters.

Necessary Evil - This is one of the most outstanding episodes of the season as it gives us a glimpse into what DS9 was like when it was Terok Nor and under Cardassian rule during their occupation of Bajor. Rene Auberjonois performs admirably as Odo when Gul Dukat thrusts him into the role of an investigator in order to discover who killed a Bajoran merchant. This is when Odo and Kira met and also where a huge question between them wasn't answered until the poignant conclusion of this episode.

Blood Oath - In this incredible episode we're treated to three Original Series Klingons all dressed up as "new" Klingons and they have a blood oath in which Jadzia Dax is a part of. This great episode is certainly a great precursor to her later "Klingon" episodes and when Worf joins the crew.

The Maquis, Part I & II - As a follow on to STNG's episode, "Journey's End" establishing the treaty between the Federation and Cardassia where several colonies end up on the wrong side of the border and the setup of the premise to the beginning of Star Trek Voyager, we're treated to a full blown Maquis episode. What makes this so intriguing is the fact that Sisko and gang don't necessarily know who to trust due to several Starfleet officers resigning to join the Maquis.

The Wire - Even after seeing a full seven years of DS9, this episode stands out as one of the best featuring the Garak character. Again, we're treated to a few answers about this rather enigmatic character, such as his first name Elim but we're also left to question whether what was revealed was true or not...

Crossover - After so many years of waiting, we're finally treated to what happened to the Mirror Universe after Kirk left. Kira and Bashir run into some form of an anomaly and then go through the wormhole only to find they've gone through the looking glass. This is but the first of several outstanding, humorous and enlightening "Crossover" episodes.

Tribunal - In this outstanding and quite poignant episode, we see O'Brien captured and put on trial by the Cardassians. Colm Meaney performs brilliantly in this episode where his character is tried, convicted and sentenced all prior to his capture.

The Jem'Hadar - In this great season finale, we finally get to find out a little bit of what the rumored Dominion is about along with their fighting force, the Jem'Hadar. This episode is extremely intriguing as we see a Galaxy class starship easily defeated and we see that Starfleet's defenses are easily defeated by the Jem'Hadar. This episode is one of the biggest reasons why DS9 is referred to as a 176 hour saga because from here on out a majority of the episodes deal directly or indirectly with the pending war between the Federation and the Dominion and the whole "epic" feel of it all. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

New Frontiers: The Story of Deep Space Nine
Michael Westmore's Aliens - Season Two
Deep Space Nine Sketchbook: Season Two

Crew Dossier: Jadzia Dax
New Station, New Ships
Ten different "hidden" Section 31 clips

Episode list:

The Homecoming
The Circle
The Siege
Invasive Procedures
Cardassians
Melora
Rules of Acquisition
Necessary Evil
Second Sight
Sanctuary
Rivals
The Alternate
Armageddon Game
Whispers
Paradise
Shadowplay
Playing God
Profit and Loss
Blood Oath
The Maquis, Part I
The Maquis, Part II
The Wire
Crossover
The Collaborator
Tribunal
The Jem'Hadar

4/5 Second season picks up steam
  by Wayne Klein (My Little Blue Window, USA)
Although DS9 was still finding its legs, season two demonstrated that DS9 wasn't going to be a Trek knock off. The writing by co-creator Michael Pillar, Ira Behr and others developed a number of key conflicts that would continue to pay off until the series conclusion 5 years later. Conflict is the essence of drama and Ds9 makes the most of the conflict between the spiritual Bajorans, the secular Federation, the xenophobic Founders and the untrustworthy Cardassians.

Oscar Winner Louise Fletcher returns to the role of an evil Vedick and she makes the most of this role. During the second season her character develops more depth. Guest stars such as Frank Langella, Steve Weber, Stephen Macht and others bring considerable acting muscle to the series. Let's not overlook any of the regulars. DS9 had an acting ensemble comparable to TNG in depth and experience.

Politics plays a much larger role in DS9 than TNG. Part of that is the confined nature of a series set on a space station. But DS9 really was always meant to be Casablanca in space to some degree. The complex story arcs began their development here during the second season.

The boxed set (unlike the first season) contains 26 episodes and about an hour and a half of extras that are enlightening but hardly essential. Once again Paramount missed the boat with the DVD reissue of this series. Commentaries from actors, writers and directors would have been interesting and provided an extra dimension to the DVD. Additionally, Paramount has priced DS9 like Trek at a premium....

3/5 DS9's weakest season, but still worth buying
  by Adam Dukovich
This season included some great episodes. It starts out with a riveting three-part story about Bajoran society and politics (Homecoming, Circle, Siege) which further develops the Bajoran characters on the show. Invasive Procedures delivers suspense, Armageddon Game is an intriguing look at biological weapons with a subtle built-in irony. Profit and Loss has Quark moving profit down on the priority list (for once) and shows another aspect of Quark.

The best of the set, however, has to be Whispers. An artfully constructed conspiracy story is often underrated and forgotten when fans make top-10 lists, Whispers was the most atypical trek episode that had been produced up to this point. Told in flashback with voice-over narration, Chief O'Brien recalls the steps which caused him to suspect a massive conspiracy. The true power of the episode, though, is in the journey and in a truly inspired twist at the end. The use of subjective point of view filtered through O'Brien keeps the viewer unprepared for what awaits. The set should be purchased because of this very episode.

There are also many episodes that begin long-lasting storylines. The Wire is a mind-bending episode dealing with Garak's sordid past. It also set up one of the best story arcs on the show that would blossom in the following season. The arrival of the Maquis was an infinitely important Trek development, for it not only began a storyline which lasted for several seasons, but also contributed storylines to TNG and made Voyager possible. Crossover brought back the mirror universe from the original series and began a storyline that would continue well into the sixth season. The most important, though, has to be contact with the Jem'Hadar, signalling a metamorphosis in the series and beginning the journey to the show's destiny.

Sadly, the season is dragged down by inferior episodes, some of which are generally considered to be the show's worst. Melora is a clunker of a preachy message episode about the handicapped. Similarly, Rivals is a boring episode with the most preposterous science that I have ever heard in an episode of any Trek show. There are a number of filler shows which keep this season from reaching its full potential. Nevertheless, it contains some enjoyment, and is worth the purchase. This season paved the way for the rest of the series.

5/5 DS9 - Second Season hits it stride
  by Alexander (Hobbytown, USA)
The second season of DS9 ranks not only as one of the best in the seven year history of this series, but also as one of the best in the entire Star Trek legacy.

Things get off to a great start with the opening trilogy (The Homecoming/The Circle/The Siege), and the rest of the season easily lives up to expectations. The Maquis (two-parter), more Nagus (Rules of Acquisition), three legendary Klingons (Blood Oath), Garak (The Wire), the stirring (Cardassians), a mirror universe (Crossover), the underrated (Necessary Evil), and of course the big-ticket season finale (The Jem'Hadar) are just a few of the standout episodes you'll find contained in this DVD set.

I find the political and spiritual themes of DS9 to be extraordinarily entertaining. The brilliant writers and actors really hit their stride here in season two. I've been on vacation this past week, and have been watching episodes almost non-stop, I enjoy it that much.

Top-notch production values enhance this DVD set, making it even a greater value.

Highly recommended....I can't wait for season three.