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[tab title="Movie Review"]
Dark. Intense. Edgy. Consistently bold. Endlessly imaginative. And, of late, experiencing a bit of a renaissance in popularity, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is now – on the eve of its 25th Anniversary – being celebrated with its own documentary. What We Leave Behind: Looking Back On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a fan’s wet dream as it explores – if there was ever going to be an eighth season – what that show, some 25 years after it went off the air, might look like.
And, man, it definitely does not suck.
Directed by Ira Steven Behr (the showrunner of the original run of Deep Space Nine) and David Zappone (For the Love of Spock), this feature-length documentary (clocking in at a rich 115-minuites) explores the far reaches of space and the life aboard a space station that is parked right next to a wormhole in Starfleet Federation’s territory on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy. The Gamma Quadrant was never silent for long and this show absolutely exploded with drama, warfare, and a quest for religious tolerance. {googleads}
Full of brand-new interviews from all of the original cast, including Avery Brooks (who it is revealed wanted this fan-produced documentary to do something different like speculate at what Season 8 of the show – if made right now – would look like), its writers, and its original producers, this documentary also includes the fans, who talk about how this series – never fitting in with Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future – impacted them.
Truthfully, the show never fit in . . . which is why I, who tuned in for every episode during its original run from 1993 to 1999, absolutely loved it. Originally created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, the show was interpreted as a gigantic middle finger to TNG (which I quickly fell out of love with) and, ultimately, helped pave the way for edgier science fiction in which women became leads, terrorism and religion became war starters, and ideologies collided on a weekly basis. 
For this show, we had a side-step from TNG thanks to the Cardassians and the Bajorans plotlines already put forth, but here, on board the space station, there was a black man in charge and Commander Benjamin Sisko (Brooks), previously seen in A Man Named Hawk and Spenser: For Hire, was definitely not at all like Captain Picard. With a great cast and memorable characters, the show was known for having several serial episodes, which might have – thanks to its syndication – confused a lot of viewers, trying to find their way from one TO BE CONTINUED episode to the other.
From a “Black Sheep” to “Head of the Class”, some twenty odd years after it left the airwaves, fans all over the world continue to watch Deep Space Nine with the same affection they feel for the other Star Trek series. This documentary aims to explain why.
What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is now available on blu-ray thanks to Shout! Factory.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - August 6, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles:
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
One of the best documentaries ever made about Star Trek finally arrives on HD, thanks to Shout! Factory’s handling of this 1080p release.
Video
The HD presentation of the kickstarted film is handled quite well with the beautiful textures, lovely animation, and lots of candid looks at the stars of the show. This beautifully photographed feature captures the space battles in a crisp manner that gives us hope that one day soon, the entire DS9 run can be released by Paramount on blu-ray. Black levels are solid and effect shots are ripe.
Audio
The sounds of the show arrive courtesy of the accompanying English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Interviews from fans and from the stars of the show are strong throughout. The music is showcased throughout thanks to this strong track.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
Fans get a bevy of bonus looks at the film, including deleted scenes, more fan commentaries, a round table discussion, a behind the scenes look at the Variety photoshoot, and other supplemental items.
- Intro from Ira and the Gang
- A Brief History of 'Deep Space Nine
- What We Left Out
- Filmmaker HD Discussion
- More from the Fans
- Behind the Scenes on the Variety Photoshoot
- Trailer
- A Roundtable Look at the Making of the Documentary
- A Musical Reunion
Blu-ray Rating:
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 116 mins
Director: Ira Steven Behr, David Zappone
Writer:
Cast: Max Grodénchik, Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman
Genre: Documentary
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "It was something totally different in the world of Star Trek"
Distributor: Shout! Studios
Official Site: https://ds9documentary.com/
Release Date: May 13, 2019
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 6, 2019
Synopsis: What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine celebrates the 25th anniversary of the self-proclaimed "black sheep" of the Star Trek spin-off series. Often described as dark and edgy, Deep Space Nine was maligned by many fans and critics at the time as a show that did not fit into Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future. But now, two decades after it left the airwaves, Deep Space Nine is being re-discovered by new, younger fans through streaming services, and championed by those who stuck by it from the start.
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