Far Beyond the Stars

Hello reader! I shared the text below with the staff I work with. It is tragic this episode is still critically relevant. Systemic racism is real in America and has been since it's inception. As a Historian, I know this all too well and it is my obligation to point it out, identify it, and discuss/help people plan to most past it, away from racism, and towards equity. 

Star Trek has shaped me in many ways and DS9 is my favorite of all the series because it dealt with social issues in an unflinching manner. It is deep, poignant, and most of all, genuine. If you've seen Far Beyond the Stars, you know how important that episode is to the current situation. The other episode which is also incredibly relevant is Past Tense. I will post about PT later. Anyway, here is something to check out. 
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Hi all, 

As you all know, I am a huge Trekkie and in the past week my mind has kept going back to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's episode "Far Beyond the Stars" (Season 6 Episode 13). You can watch it on Netflix or Amazon. I am also including below a link to a behind the scenes/clips special feature. Please find the episode and watch it or at least the two videos below.

You don't have to have seen DS9 before to see this episode. In the episode, Captain Sisko, the captain of a space station far from Earth, has a seizure and wakes up on Earth of the 1940s. He has no memory being Captain Sisko and instead is a sci-fi writer named Benny Russell. If you didn't know already, Captain Sisko and by extension, Benny Russell is black. Sisko lives in the 24th century where racism on Earth among humans no longer exists. It is a better time. Russell lives in America of the 1940s where racism is alive and thriving. Not one reader of the sci-fi magazine knows Russell is black, nor do they know K.C. Hunter is a woman writer. Russel witnesses a young black man killed by racist police officers and then is severely beaten himself. 

In the background, Benny is writing a story for the magazine, the story of Captain Ben Sisko. A black space station captain who lives in the future. Will his story get published? What happens? I won't tell you. You should watch for yourself. Caution- This episode is emotionally intense. I cry every single time I see this episode but it is worth watching. It is a solid story with phenomenal acting.  It was directed and co-written by Avery Brooks, the man who plays Captain Sisko. 

Lastly, if you dig this episode, definitely check out the episode Past Tense which also directly deals with racism, income inequality, and people in the year 2024 are placed in sanctuary districts because there are no jobs for them anymore. If you've never seen DS9 before, you're in for something. 

Behind the scenes and clips from episode- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KsbNmVjJc
When Benny finds out if his story is going to be published or not. This scene is intense- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwzgtCwAnf8

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