Why 'Far Beyond The Stars' Is Star Trek's Most Important Message in 2025

In this heartfelt episode of Scene N Nerd Presents Blerd Trek, host Will Polk explores one of the most powerful episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Far Beyond the Stars." Aired on February 9, 1998, and directed by Avery Brooks, this episode tackles tough topics like racism, sexism, and classism—issues that still resonate today.

As Will unpacks Benny Russell's journey—a black sci-fi writer in 1950s America—he draws some real connections to marginalized voices' struggles in creative spaces today. The systemic racism Benny encounters while trying to publish a story with a black protagonist is a stark reminder of the ongoing fight for representation in the entertainment world and beyond. Will also illuminates the intersection of sexism, pointing out that both white and black women face significant hurdles in their careers. He emphasizes the crucial importance of recognizing these challenges and supporting diverse voices in every field.

Additionally, the episode’s chilling portrayal of police brutality resonates deeply with today's issues, sparking a discussion about how fragile progress can be in the fight against racial injustice. Will encourages listeners to reflect on the lessons from "Far Beyond the Stars" and think about the ongoing struggle for equality and representation as we move into 2025.

Join us in this important conversation as we celebrate Black History Month and explore the power of storytelling, the need for genuine activism, and the importance of staying alert in the face of challenges.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts on how we can turn performative activism into real change. Stay connected with us on social media and check out our website for more nerdy explorations. Until next time, let’s keep pushing against the status quo both on screen and in real life. Live long and prosper!

Episode Transcript

>> Will (00:00):
Foreign
Greeting Nerds, Blerds, Trekkies and Trekkers. Welcome back to
Scene N Nerd Presents Blerd Trek. I'm Will Polk and
today we're diving into one of the most powerful and relevant episodes

(00:23):
of Star Trek. D Space 9. Far beyond the
Stars. This 13th episode of D Space
9's sixth season first aired on
February 9, 1998, and was directed by
Captain Sisko actor himself, Avery Brooks, and was written
by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Bimer. From
a story by Mark Scott, Zinkry. This
episode is a masterpiece. A

(00:45):
gut punch of, truth wrapped in science fiction.
Exposing harsh realities of racism, sexism
and classism, issues we're still dealing with
today in 2025. With Black history
Month in full swing and legitimate diversity,
equity and inclusion programs and initiatives being
cut and dismantled across the United States, as the

(01:05):
current administration uses the acronym
DEI as a dog whistle, it is the
perfect time to revisit what Far
beyond the Stars teaches us about our past,
our present and our future. Let's get into
it. Spoilers are ahead. And
Far beyond the Stars, Captain Sisko finds himself
experiencing vivid visions of another

(01:27):
life, one where he's Benny Russell, a black science fiction
writer in 1950s America. Benny's a part of a
team of writers creating pulp science fiction stories. But his latest
idea, a futuristic tale about a black space
station commander, meets immediate resistance from his white
editor. His co workers support him to varying degrees,
but at the end of the day, the decision makers refuse

(01:47):
to publish a story. And why is that? Because
the idea of a black man in command of a space station
is considered to be too unrealistic.
Benny's struggle doesn't stop at his workplace. Throughout
the episode, we see systemic racism suffocating
him, whether it's being dismissed by superiors,
ridiculed by society, even
some other black characters that he interacts

(02:10):
with. Questioning why he's doing this writing
thing when, all the people
only in the world only see him. Hm, as another N
word. Hard R. And I think
that's the only time that we've actually had that racial
slur other than Star Trek. But in the most
brutal moment, Benny's beaten
down moments after witnessing the murder of his friend

(02:32):
Jimmy by the police on his first day
back to the office. Weeks later, Vinny's
learned is stunned to learn that the owner
has pulped that month's issue rather than
publish his story about
a black hero commanding the space
station. Also further
indignity, Vinnie is fired. The

(02:54):
episode ends with Benny's breakdown. His cries
of you can't erase Me
all he. And as he is taken away in an
ambulance, the street preacher who had appeared
throughout the episode, appears in
the ambulance with him and tells
Benny that he is both a dreamer and
a dream. Cisco wakes up back on

(03:16):
the station and then he wonders as
he's deeply moved by those visions and he wonders as
he looks out into space, is
Benny Russell really out there and is he
dreaming of them and writing more stories about deep space?
On as we end the episode, the question
is can we still hear Banning's cry today

(03:37):
of our people trying to erase us?
This episode hits deep because it lays
bare the struggles that marginalized voices
have faced and still face when it's
trying to tell their stories or just trying to do their
job and, and make a living. Lets break it
down first. It deals with racism in the

(03:59):
workplace and society. Benny's experience
mirrors the real life struggles of black creatives and
professionals throughout history. From the early science
fiction pioneers like Samuel R. Delaney to modern M
Day, black professionals getting recognized and
respected is an uphill battle. The idea that a
black protagonist in a science fiction story was

(04:19):
too much reflects how much mainstream media
has limited black representation
historically. Today we've seen improvements of course with
series like Star Trek, Discovery having a black lead. We've
had big movies like Black Panther and other
things like that. But the fight for representation
is still ongoing. And let's be real, this
isn't just about science fiction. Black

(04:41):
professionals in every field today
are met with the same resistance, whether it's in corporate
America, tech, entertainment. And we've
seen the attacks on merit
based programs and people's hard work to earn
what they have achieved. Being attacked,
being a DEI hire or too
woke or any one of those pejorative terms

(05:04):
that's been thrown out there and really,
really is a code word for what they are really
saying here, which is we didn't earn it
and we aren't
qualified and it's just a code word for black.
That's the truth. This episode
really, really puts a mirror and

(05:24):
a spotlight not only in 1950s America but
also in 2025. It also touches on
sexism, in, in the Workplace. While Far beyond
the Stars does rec, you know, focus its attention
on racism, it also shows how women,
especially white women and even, and especially
black women have faced their own barriers.

(05:45):
I mean just look at the most recent presidential election.
And also it shows in the episode
how a white woman in the
1950s had to deal with it.
But also imagine if Benny was a black woman. Do you think
she would even had been in that office with those other
writers. But also looking at K,
the character played by Nana Visitor,

(06:08):
who was Kira's representation
in Benny's Dream. It
rings true how
in that episode both Benny and Kay were
told to, take a sick day whenever it was
time for the photo for
the magazine that they were writing for.
This also rings true, quite frankly, what Star Trek

(06:31):
had to deal with in the real world back in the
1960s when you had a white
female writer, Dorothy Catherine Fontana,
AKA DC Fontana,
who wrote legendary Star Trek episodes. But she
couldn't use her full name because probably at the
time people would not have taken
those stories from her as, seriously if she had used

(06:53):
her given name, Dorothy Catherine instead of her
initials, dc. So she
wrote some of the most famous stories of Star Trek,
including the Enterprise
incident, Journey to Babel, among the 10 episodes,
that she had her screenwriter credit
to. So whether it was in front of the camera
or behind the camera, we also think about the discourse of, Star

(07:16):
Trek discovery not being real Star Trek or being too
woke because he had a black female lead.
Those things still resonate today. Also, when
you think about classism and police brutality, the police
brutality in the episode is one of the most chilling parts.
Seeing Benny beaten down whenever he was just trying to
find out what happened to his friend
Jimmy mirrors many of the

(07:38):
countless real world instances of racialized
police violence that we've seen. Fast forward to
2020. George Floyd's murder forced a national
reckoning on policing. And then we
had protests, policy changes and
promises that followed. But in 2025,
how much of that has really changed? We are seeing the
rollback of some of those, those

(08:00):
initiatives and M
measures to address
issues in policing. So
we have to ask, what does far beyond the stars say
about where we are in 2025? Let's talk
about some recent developments. One, the
performative versus the genuine. After
Doris Floyd, we saw Juneteenth become a federal holiday

(08:22):
and companies embracing more diversity
equity initiative programs. But were these
actions meaningful or were they just corporate
PR moves? While some progress was
real, such as increased black leadership in
media and policy shifts in policing, of course we saw the
election of a black man, Barack Obama, as president.
Much of it was so we did have some

(08:45):
tangible things, but in many cases it was
just surface level. We've seen
now the backlash and the rollbacks with
Donald Trump being elected to office. Many of these
DEI initiatives in both government and in the private
sector are being dismantled and rolled back. We're
seeing major Rollbacks in those

(09:06):
corporate diversity and government
diversity efforts to make sure that we have an inclusive and
a representative workplace of all faces in
America. The recent Supreme Court rulings
for Harvard and USC admissions have put up
programs such for affirmative action under attack
affecting the college opportunities for many
marginalized students. The fight

(09:28):
continues. Far beyond the Stars teaches us
that progress is fragile. Benny thought
he was finally getting his story published only to be
shut down. That same pattern plays out
today when hard far gains are reversed.
But like Benny, we can't let the system
erase us. We have to keep fighting.

(09:49):
So as we celebrate Black History Month, what can we
take from far beyond the stars? First, it is
the power of telling our own stories. Representation
does matter. We need to support black and
other people of color creatives, whether they're writing books,
making films, leaning in tech and politics,
academics or other professions. Recognizing

(10:09):
performative activism, we got to make sure that real
change isn't just about hashtags and
corporate statements. It's about policy shifts and
sustained action. And most importantly,
we have to stay vigilant. Just because
we've made progress doesn't mean the fight is over.
Because if history tells us anything, it can be
reversed if we're not paying attention. And that is what's

(10:31):
happening now. Far beyond
the Stars isn't just an episode about Star Trek.
It's a lesson. This is a reminder of
why we fight, why we push for
representation, and why we can't let history repeat
itself. If this video resonated with you, I
would love for you to hit that like button.
Subscribe for more nerdy explorations

(10:54):
here on our channel for Blerd, Trek and
our main show and drop a comment below.
And last, what the Far beyond the Stars teach
you and how can we turn
all of these things that we talked about for beyond just
performing vaccine activism into real
lasting change? Thanks for joining me through

(11:15):
this journey through space time and Star
Trek or an exploration of
justice for us not only in the Star Trek
universe, but also in the us
I'm Will Polk and in the next time, keep
challenging the status quo both on screen and live
in real life and live long and prosper.