Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jake Sisko
3. Cirroc Lofton Took A Bullet And Saved Michael Dorn's Life
The original script for Far Beyond The Stars focussed on Jake Sisko. In this version of the story, he would not hallucinate but actually travel through time, ending up in the 50s. This was down to an alien force that was trying to learn more about humanity. Ira Steven Behr wasn't thrilled with the idea, feeling there wasn't enough meat in the story.
He flipped it around, keeping the 50s setting, but switching the focus from Jake to Ben. Worf would have a more tragic outcome than the one we saw on-screen - or, more accurately, Michael Dorn. In this treatment, rather than a baseball player, Dorn would play a basketball player who was romantically engaged with a white woman. He would be discovered and then be beaten to death.
As televised, this was changed to Cirroc Lofton's character, Jimmy. He was murdered by racist policemen, precipitating a vicious beating that those same police deliver to Brook's Benny Russell.
Though Far Beyond The Stars is a fabulous piece of television, it is also true that Jake Sisko simply did not have as many episodes as many of the rest of the cast of characters. Seeing him afforded a huge episode like this may have gone far in helping to flesh Jake out even more.