It should go without saying that the seventh and final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a worthy addition to your DVD collection ... but we're gonna say it anyway. This is the season that marks one of the most ambitious feats of storytelling ever to grace Trek — the incredible ten part Dominion War arc that ends the series.

Of course, there's also a lot of great stuff that comes before that. "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" and "Badda Bing Badda Bang" are classic "let's have fun with the holosuites" episodes, gussied up with our crew in various costumes. The introduction of the cute, initially jittery Ezri Dax (Nicole deBoer) is handled well, especially considering that the writers only had a season to integrate her into the giant cast of characters. Ultimately, Ezri develops into a complex character in her own right while still paying homage to the gone-but-not-forgotten Jadzia.

The final arc truly makes the season, though, and brings many of DS9's ongoing plotlines full circle. Sisko's duel roles as Emissary and Starfleet Captain finally converge in a satisfying, destiny-laden way. Kira fights alongside her former enemies, the Cardassians. Bashir completes his transformation from eager, fresh-faced newbie to seasoned veteran. All of the secondary characters get their due as well — the pairing of Kai Winn with Gul Dukat is particularly delicious, a meeting of great villains that yields devilish drama.

The DVD set includes all of these episodes, as well as several nifty extras and featurettes. If nothing else, your other DS9 DVDs will look so lonely without the addition of this final and fantastic season.

[Sarah]