Deep Space Nine's second season is widely regarded as the point at which the series separated itself from other Star Trek shows and really began to shine -- it was the year The Dominion first became an ominous presence as well as the beginning of crossovers with the mirror universe first seen on the original series. Critical reception has been much more positive for the second season set than it was for the first.

• Jeremy Conrad at IGN declared that Deep Space Nine's second season "built up steam from the very beginning" and "laid down the groundwork for the serial storytelling that would define the show for the rest of its run." Conrad praised the Odo episodes "The Alternate" and "Shadowplay" as well as the Klingon reunion episode "Blood Oath". The image quality, he added, is superb; "rest assured that the transfer looks far better than the broadcast episodes."

  Though he said he enjoyed the substantive Terry Farrell interview included among the extras, Conrad warned that Farrell's statements contain significant spoilers for later seasons, so new viewers might wish to skip that portion of the DVD release. The full review can be found at this page.

• Steve Krutzler of TrekWeb was impressed with the packaging of the second season DVD release, but still disappointed by the menus, which like the first season of Deep Space Nine don't feature continuous episode trailers as did The Next Generation DVDs. However, he was very pleased with the bonus material, which includes a new interview with executive producer Michael Piller featuring frank discussions of some of the drawbacks of the early seasons of the series.

  The highlights for Krutzler were the "Section 31 Hidden Files" in the bonus feature menus, which offer a guide and insights into the individual episodes. The set received a rating of 5 out of 5, one star up from the first season Deep Space Nine DVD release. More information can be found in Krutzler's complete analysis.

• Yuan-da Eddie Feng of DVD Town declared that Paramount "certainly knows how to release TV shows on DVD," but he "wanted more clarity and detail than the DVDs were willing to give me" and complained that "the bass comes from pulsing energy fields and hydraulics, so the audio doesn't sound very full on the low end." Like Krutzler, he praised the Section 31 easter egg files and other bonus material.

  But for Feng, Deep Space Nine "was so overshadowed by 'TNG' that it would mimic its predecessor's footsteps to a fault" and "fail to find its own direction until the third season". He rates the entertainment value of the set only 6 out of 10. Further comments on some of his personal highlights, including some political commentary on Bajoran religion and praise for the two-parter "The Maquis", can be found here.

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