10 Most Meta Star Trek Moments

Far Beyond The Stars is one of the most powerful episodes that Star Trek has ever produced. The theme of racism and oppression could not be better handled than by Avery Brooks, dominating the screen as both Ben Sisko and Benny Russell. The story plays on the idea of Star Trek being the product of a writer in the fifties, with plenty of little nods to contemporary science-fiction peppered throughout the script.

The episode's closing scenes, featuring both Benny's heartrending breakdown and Sisko's musing on the nature of existence, stand as some of the most overt examples of addressing the audience directly. Deep Space Nine was particularly strong at taking present-day issues and presenting them in this fantastical setting, while never losing the impact.

Benny's breakdown, in which he cries that one can never kill an idea, as it lives on in his mind forever, is a powerful statement on the nature of writing. However, coupled with Sisko's uncertainty on how real the 'real' world is, it is both an unsettling and fascinating exploration of the character and the creator. Although showrunner Ira Stephen Behr wanted to end the entire series with the revelation that it had all been a figment of Benny's imagination, this was nixed.