Captain’s Log, Stardate 140164.0121
Far Beyond the Stars
Captain Sisko experiences a vision
induced by the Prophets in which he assumes the persona of a science fiction
writer in the 1950s United States. During his tenure as “Benny,” Sisko
experiences first-hand the racial oppression and conflict of the time as he
attempts to publish a short story unknowingly inspired by his real life aboard
Deep Space Nine. The story is considered unacceptable because it features a
black man in a position of leadership, and Sisko must fight to see his dreams
made reality.
The theme of racism is directly
addressed by the episode, rather than “subtly” implied like in the Original
Series. A relatively progressive time of writing likely allowed the subject
matter to be depicted in such a manner, as the social climate would be more
accommodating towards a critique of racial inequality. However, the issues to
which it speaks are surprisingly pertinent to problems of both the time of
writing and to modern issues. The conditions depicted in Far Beyond the Stars may have improved since then, but the issues
of racial inequality in the media and under the law persist and make the
episode relevant even today.
I liked the episode because it was well written and i think portrait the time well. I thought that it was weird that he could hallucinate in a dream even if it was a vivid dream.
ReplyDeleteThis episode is very interesting because it show the dream of the writer who hope different race can have same rights and power.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, it is sad we still have this problem I really have nothing to say exept that the episode had a good story line
ReplyDeleteThat was a very poignant episode. Its effect on Sisko as a character was rather profound and greatly influenced his dealings with the Bejorans who had been so oppressed throughout their history. It also spoke to people to see their own society portrayed as it might be reflected on in the distant future. Benny's experiences shaped Sisko into the Emissary with deeper emotional understanding about the situation and bitterness that had developed
ReplyDeleteYup. So, I'm going to talk about something Sisko brought up later in the episode. He brings up the idea that he could just be living in someone's imaginations. He implies he could just be an idea, like the Deep Space 9 in his story he wrote as a 1950s author. Although this may be troubling to some people, I do not find it troubling at all. It changes nothing at all. Whether or not this is an imaginary world, it's our world; it's all we know. This is reality no matter how fake it is.
ReplyDeleteWhat intrigued me most about this episode was the comment made at the end, which said that maybe instead of the world we are in now being the creators of the dreams, perhaps we are the dreams themselves. I found this intriguing because it implied that Deep Space Nine was something being dreamed up by writers.
ReplyDeleteEven though this episode depicted racism during the 1950's I do not think that the episode depicted racism as realistically as it was during that time period for example even the thought of having a black writer would have been unheard of, and when the two detectives beat Captain Sisko there is a good chance that they would have killed him.
ReplyDeleteThis episode made me glad for the time period in which I live in, for Washington is very liberal when it comes to racism and the LBGTQ community. In Crisco's situation, I would try to publish his writings in a more accepting periodical, because no matter how hard he could try, Crisco still cannot change the racial views of the 1950's America. Take the advice of a Borg; adapt to your environment.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting in this episode was the idea that Sisko and Deep Space Nine was all a dream of a science fiction writer in the 50's. He was dreaming of a better time where racism didn't exist because the time he lived in was so oppressive.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Original series did not depict racism as effectively as Deep Space Nine because it did not relate as closely to Earth and humans.
ReplyDelete