History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E13FarBeyondTheStars

Benjamin Sisko is now Benny Russell, an African-American writer for the ''Incredible Tales'' magazine, discussing comics with a newspaper vendor (Nog) before heading to work with his co-worker, Albert Macklin (O'Brien). Joining Benny in the office is Kay and Julius Eaton (Kira and Bashir), Herbert Rossoff (Quark), editor Douglas Pabst (Odo), and artist Roy Ritterhouse (Martok). One sketch by Ritterhouse resonates with Benny: a space station. When a memo goes around the office that pictures of the writers are being requested, both Benny and Kay are asked to "sleep in late" by Pabst. As far as the readers know, Kay (who writes under a pseudonym) is a man and Benny is white, and Pabst would prefer to keep it that way, to Benny's chagrin. The ugly truths of the era's prejudices continue to rear their ugly heads when, while walking home from work, Benny finds himself confronted by two racist police officers (Dukat and Weyoun).

* MarsNeedsWomen: One of the sketches Roy Ritterhouse comes up with (which the writers then have to create stories for) is of a beautiful, scantily-clad woman being menaced by what looks like a giant praying mantis. The writers scoff at the cliche, but that doesn't Herbert from offering to write it.

** Benny is based on Creator/SamuelRDelany, right down to Delaney's story "Nova," which ''Magazine/{{Analog}}'' magazine rejected for having an African-American protagonist.

*** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' would feature a fantasy book written by "Benny Russell" suggesting at least that the characters of the episode did actually exist in Trek's timeline. If Benny ever wrote the plot of [=DS9=] however or if this was just a part of the vision remains in the air.

* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: Defied, unlike [=TNG's=] visit to the past, in which Geordi and Guinan both seem to have no difficulties in Creator/MarkTwain's San Fransisco. The widespread societal and institutional racism against African-Americans in the pre-Civil Rights US, both in its subtle and open forms, is openly acknowledged and is the main theme in the episode's plot. Additionally, the second-class status of women is shown.

** Roy is blunt and irreverent, much like the Martok.

** Kay is Benny's lover and interested in going into business for herself, just like the independent freighter captain Kassidy.

* ActorAllusion: There's a note from the editor on Herbert's desk rejecting the idea of a story about a cheerleader who kills vampires. Creator/ArminShimerman was playing Principal Snyder in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' at the time.

* RedScare: A newspaper headline announces REDS TEST H-BOMB. Later Rossoff loses it when Pabst accuses him of being a Communist.

** Willie is a physical specimen like Worf, but he's gregarious and always smiling rather than a stiff PerpetualFrowner.

Joseph Sisko pays a surprise visit to Deep Space Nine to see his son Benjamin and Jake. Ben confides in his father that the war with the Dominion is taking its toll on him and he is considering stepping down. While talking with him, Benjamin sees a strange figure; a man dressed in a suit, fedora, and glasses walking past the door to Ops. No one else seems to have noticed him, though. He experiences another strange visage when talking with Kasidy afterwards; a baseball player walking into one of the homes in the habitat ring. When he tries to follow, he finds himself in [[TheFifties 1950s]] Harlem and gets blindsided by a taxi. Dr. Bashir notices while treating him that Benjamin's brain is showing anomalies similar to when he was experiencing visions from the Prophets some months before. When Bashir passes Benjamin his readings, however, Ben finds himself in Harlem once more, the "readings" now a science fiction comic book in his hands.

Benjamin Sisko is now Benny Russell, an African-American writer for Incredible Tales Magazine, discussing comics with a newspaper vendor (Nog) before heading to work with his co-worker, Albert Macklin (O'Brien). Joining Benny in the office is Kay and Julius Eaton (Kira and Bashir), Herbert Rossoff (Quark), publisher Douglas Pabst (Odo), and artist Roy Ritterhouse (Martok). One sketch by Ritterhouse resonates with Benny: a space station. When a memo goes around the office that pictures of the writers are being requested, both Benny and Kay are asked to "sleep in late" by Pabst. As far as the readers know, Kay (who writes under a pseudonym) is a man and Benny is white, and Pabst would prefer to keep it that way, to Benny's chagrin. The ugly truths of the era's prejudices continue to rear their ugly heads when, while walking home from work, Benny finds himself confronted by two racist police officers (Dukat and Weyoun).

On his way home, Benny is singled out by a preacher (Joseph) who espouses the glory of the Prophets, and beseeches Benny to write the truth in his heart. Moved by the preacher's words and inspired by the drawing of the space station, Benny immediately sets to work in his modest apartment writing a story. As he comes up with the name of his protagonist, "Benjamin Sisko", he opens the blinds to look out the window -- but rather than seeing his own reflection, for a brief moment, he sees his protagonist, Sisko.

The following day, Pabst explodes on Benny for continuing to write Sisko stories. Albert suggests ending his story as though it was all a dream, which may be the only chance that Benny has to have the story published at all, so he leaps at the opportunity. Benny is beside himself with joy at finally having found success in his writing, and goes out partying with Cassie to celebrate. He is approached once more by the preacher, who cautions Benny that this is only the beginning, and the path of the Prophets would lead into darkness and despair.

Shortly afterwards, gunfire rings out. Benny goes to investigate, and sees Jimmy dead on the streets, shot while trying to break into a car by the police officers that harassed him some nights before. The two officers brutalize Benny and beat him within an inch of his life for hitting one out of anger, with Benny seeing them as the villains of his story.

After taking a few days to recover, Benny heads back to the office to see his story finally hitting the shelves. Unfortunately, when Pabst returns from the presses, Benny learns that the entire magazine had been pulped by the bosses. Benny believes the magazine was pulped because of his story. To make matters worse, the head publishers, who pulped the magazine based on Benny's story, have also fired Benny. Benny finally loses his grip, calling out everyone in the room and passionately defending not only his humanity, but Sisko and everything pertaining to ''Deep Space Nine'': "You can pulp a story, but you can't destroy an idea!"

Benny suffers a nervous breakdown and is taken away in an ambulance. While being taken to a hospital, he is approached one last time by the preacher, who commends Benny for walking in the path of the Prophets. When Benny looks out the windows of the ambulance, he sees a field of stars zooming by him as the Prophets' preacher calls him "the Dreamer, and the Dream" ...

* [[AmbiguouslyJewish Ambiguously Muslim]]: Russell is shown wearing a taqiyah, which was strongly associated with the Nation of Islam during the 50s, yet also seems taken-in by the Christian street preacher.
* AndYouWereThere: The people in Benny Russell's world resemble those in Benjamin Sisko's (except without [[RubberForeheadAliens rubber foreheads, etc.]] where applicable). In a few instances, Benny even hallucinates a few of them as their [=DS9=] counterparts.

* CigarChomper: Roy Ritterhouse, Martok's character, frequently has a cigar while drawing.

* TheDanza: InUniverse with Benjamin Sisko's counterpart Benny Russell. Some of the other counterparts also have similar names (Kay for Kira, Darlene for Dax, Willie for Worf, Jimmy for Jake, Julius for Julian), but others don't.

** Albert Macklin, the writer of robots who eventually sells a novel to Gnome Press, is essentially Creator/IsaacAsimov; three guesses who Isaac first sold ''I, Robot'' to. (Asimov was also a science consultant on ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' and inspired the concept of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Data]].)

** Finally, Rossoff lists the writers in the September 1953 issue of ''Galaxy'' when he threatens to join them: Creator/TheodoreSturgeon (writer, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries "Shore Leave" and "Amok Time"]]. Also making it a case of CelebrityParadox), Creator/IsaacAsimov (see above), and Creator/RayBradbury (who never had a direct association with ''Star Trek'', but he did have a starship on ''The Next Generation'' named after him). Sturgeon really was the writer of the cover story of the real-life September 1953 issue of ''Galaxy''.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Played for laughs with the ''Buffy'' memo (see ActorAllusion), and far, far more seriously with Benny's story.