The exceptional Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Far Beyond the Stars” has been consistently listed as one of the best Deep Space Nine episodes with Avery Brooks.
And those of us who had the pleasure of watching it (more times than we can count) know why. Captain Benjamin Sisko is exhausted after dealing with the Dominion War, and in a moment of rest, his dreams take him to Harlem in 1953.
Series star Avery Brooks not only starred as two people in this episode, he also directed it, and earlier this year, ET Online took us back to the interview it had with Brooks shortly before the episode’s release on February 9, 1998.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, starring Avery Brooks, wasn’t afraid to delve into the darkest parts of history.
And Brooks described the episode as “It is at once a fascinating story and part of the reason I sit here.” Playing the science fiction author Benny Russell, Brooks said though Benny Russell’s world is “inextricably connected to racism and prejudice,” he didn’t see “Far Beyond the Stars” as being about about racism and prejudice.
When asked what he hoped viewers would take away from the episode, Brooks summed up what he hoped they would take away from every episode.
"“The viewers complete the thought. And that’s the beauty of it. What they carry away, will be the thing that lives in the world… All we can do then is hope that you will stay long enough to see what the thought was and then complete it in your life.”"
Even if you have watched “Far Beyond the Stars,” at this time of the year when we’re, hopefully, more focused on peace, this episode should be added to your viewing schedule. And this interview adds to the depth of the episode. So rewatch, read, and learn just what “Far Beyond the Stars” was to Avery Brooks.
Unfortunately, Brooks hasn’t returned to portrayed Captain Benjamin Sikso since the role ended back in 1999, but at least we can view his many talents in episodes like this one that resonate even to this day.