"I am a human being, dammit!"

Far Beyond the Stars

I’m back from vacation and finished with the craze and stress of finals!  University is no picnic at times. 

Anyways, I will begin this post with a quote from one of my favourite scenes of the episode:

"Call anybody you want, they can't do anything to me, not anymore, and nor can any of you. I am a human being, dammit! You can deny me all you want but you can't deny Ben Sisko – He exists! That future, that space station, all those people – they exist in here!  In my mind. I created it. And everyone of you knew it, you read it. It's here.  Do you hear what I'm telling you? You can pulp a story but you cannot destroy an idea, don't you understand, that's ancient knowledge, you cannot destroy an idea.  That future – I created it, and it's real! Don't you understand? It is real. I created it. And it's real! It's REAL! Oh God!"

- Benny Russell (Benjamin Sisko)

This episode was so different from all the previous episodes.  It was refreshing to have such a unique episode thrown in.  It was an episode that focused on the human characteristic of despair and that sometimes inescapable feeling of just wanting give up.  It is a feeling that I’m sure most people can relate to and I think that is why this episode is so compelling. 

The writers of this episode took Sisko’s despair over the loss of a friend and many human lives and showed the audience in a rather unique way, of how people deal with such despair and the processes we go through when struggling with whether to give up or not. I think using racism as a way to convey that despair was a very good choice.  I can’t imagine what Black people must have gone through in 1950’s or before, or even now for that matter.  As a person who is white, I cannot begin to know what racism these or other people must go through throughout their lives.  Seeing the sheer hopelessness in Benny Russell’s face was distressing to say the least.  You would think that after being severely beaten and losing his job that Benny would just give up, but he does not.  Instead he says "Call anybody you want, they can't do anything to me, not anymore, and nor can any of you.”  Benny is not giving up, and in the end, neither does Ben Sisko.

 I congratulate Avery Brooks on such a compelling performance and for wonderful direction.  This episode caught my attention and held it through to the very end.  My eyes welled up with tears at various points and I wanted to scream at the way Benny Russell was treated.  This episode showed so many of injustices that were running rampant back in the 1950’s and I think highlighted a lot of same ones that still exist today.    I think it was a good way to focus on the pressures people face and just how they affect our lives.  I also love the way that this episode highlighted the way family and friends stand behind you.  They are the people that get you through those times of despair and help to get you back on your feet again.  This was a wonderful episode and I very much enjoyed watching it (especially since I got to watch with Kertrats again). 

On a side note- it was friggin awesome to see everyone out of their make-up.   I didn’t even recognize Michael Dorn!  So awesome and entertaining. 

LLAP

-B