"Far Beyond The Stars"

[Mike Have-Not]

I love this episode.

I got chills when Benny Russell has his breakdown at the end.

My only peeves about this episode: Michael Dorn and Cirroc Lofton. Is it just me, or are they delivering HORRIBLE performances as their 1950's characters?...

And Jimmy's (Jake's character) hair and mustache looked ridiculously fake.

 

[CorporalClegg]

The funny thing about Benny's breakdown is that people either seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.

 

[cueballb]

Something else on there. Was it my imagination (it's been a while since i've seen it) but did Lofton use the N-word (i type it like this because i don't know if the board cencors this word or not) in this episode.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

He did use it, and it was meant to be sarcastic, because racists in the fifties used it (probably still do, I don't know). So I guess he was just trying to make a point, about "black people on the moon" seeming unrealistic to him.

 

[TeutonicNights]

Mike Have-Not said:
Michael Dorn and Cirroc Lofton. Is it just me, or are they delivering HORRIBLE performances as their 1950's characters?...

And Jimmy's (Jake's character) hair and mustache looked ridiculously fake.

Yeah, I thought so, too

 

[Opus]

CorporalClegg said:
The funny thing about Benny's breakdown is that people either seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.

I Love it! The man was truly meant to be Bill Shatner's successor in Trek. He chewed the scenery just perfectly.

 

[Navaros]

Disagree with your criticism of Lofton. He gave a very amazing performance, completely different than Jake and totally convincing. I was very impressed with him.

Dorn was ok, nothing bad persay, although he didn't have a very interesting role so it's hard to know if the character is why he wasn't compelling or his acting.

The only horrible acting performance in this episode came from the usual suspect, Terry Farrell. And Brooks when he flips out; definitely not one of Brooks' acting strengths.

 

[CorporalClegg]

^
Case in point.

 

[Mike Have-Not]

CommanderRaytas said:
He did use it, and it was meant to be sarcastic, because racists in the fifties used it (probably still do, I don't know). So I guess he was just trying to make a point, about "black people on the moon" seeming unrealistic to him.

Ummm.... HAVE there been any black people on the moon, even today? If not, that makes this scene all the more ironic...

 

[Kegek]

^
That was probably the point.

I felt Dorn was fine. Terry Farrell, as the ditzy secretary, actually did a better job than she normally did for Jadzia. And as for IT'S REAAAAALLL!

Yeah, not that keen on that bit. Best performances come, as they frequently do, from Auberjonois and Shimerman.

 

[Mike Have-Not]

^
Yeah, I thought the irony of the comment about "colored people on the moon" was intentional as well...

As for Dorn's performance, I just think his inflection was off. His attempts at 1950's African-American dialect just weren't very convincing. Same with Lofton, to a lesser degree.

 

[MrPointy]

CorporalClegg said:
The funny thing about Benny's breakdown is that people either seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.

I liked it. I figure that since Benny was having a mental breakdown, he might as well chew some scenery.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

MrPointy said:

CorporalClegg said:
The funny thing about Benny's breakdown is that people either seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.

I liked it. I figure that since Benny was having a mental breakdown, he might as well chew some scenery.

No. People having mental breakdowns are always very controlled and subtle about it. When one's entire world has been destroyed and something snaps within and all hope deserts you, that's when the little voice inside says "Underplay it a wee bit, won't you, old bean? Less is more, you know."

Ahem.

That scene is Avery's finest in all of DS9. It may well be the finest acting in all of Trek.

 

[Apogeal Alpha01]

Well put, I think. Complete anguish. Brooks makes anguish very tangible. Sometimes it's too effective, like the scene where he comes stumbling into the precelebration of Bajor’s acceptance into the Federation. Here I understood.

I liked this episode to start with, but it grew on me even more years later. Michael Dorn plays a delightfully happy go lucky, big fish in a small pond typical of ball players and one character very comfortable in his world. I'm sure he had fun getting out of his Worf skin here. A 1950's dialect would depend on where you were in the US.

I also liked Terry Farrell's performance. Not a lot to do, but a few important lines, just the same. My kind of ditsy secretary.

Cirroc Lofton's character was striking because of the contrast between he and Jake. Jake is very much an ideal kid in an ideal world, with a caring parent, and a bright future.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Brutal Strudel said:

MrPointy said:

CorporalClegg said:
The funny thing about Benny's breakdown is that people either seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I love it.

I liked it. I figure that since Benny was having a mental breakdown, he might as well chew some scenery.

No. People having mental breakdowns are always very controlled and subtle about it. When one's entire world has been destroyed and something snaps within and all hope deserts you, that's when the little voice inside says "Underplay it a wee bit, won't you, old bean? Less is more, you know."

Ahem.

That scene is Avery's finest in all of DS9. It may well be the finest acting in all of Trek.

Well said. People criticize it for being awkward and "over the top."

Those people have obviously never seen someone have a mental collapse.

Historically, people have portrayed such instances as "dramatic," but it usually just comes off as smarmy. Brooks was spot on.

Really, AB is so unappreciated. One of the big knocks against DS9 is his acting, but I could never understand it. It's just really different. He's very expressive. I like it.

Although, the people who are fist to criticize him are usually the same who worship the ground Stewart walks upon. There's something I just don't get. The guy's talent is so over exaggerated. When ever he actually has to act he's dreadful. He's only any good at portraying one thing: an arrogant, smug, pompous ass. Yet, everything I have ever read/heard about Patrick Stewart is he's an arrogant, smug, pompous ass. How is that acting?

 

[Plissken]

OphaClyde said:
I Love it! The man was truly meant to be Bill Shatner's successor in Trek. He chewed the scenery just perfectly.

That scene was good. Brooks did approach a level of Shatness now and again, and it was refreshing. Too bad the rest of the series pretty much sucked.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Mike Have-Not said:

CommanderRaytas said:
He did use it, and it was meant to be sarcastic, because racists in the fifties used it (probably still do, I don't know). So I guess he was just trying to make a point, about "black people on the moon" seeming unrealistic to him.

Ummm.... HAVE there been any black people on the moon, even today? If not, that makes this scene all the more ironic...

To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Never cared what the people on the moon looked like...but if that's the case, you're right. The comment does sound ironic. Well, Lofton's character meant to be sarcastic. I think.

 

[cueballb]

Just now i'm thinking of an episode, very similar to this one. Sisko is again not sure what is real, and he is interned in an asylum, where he writes on the wall, saying he has to finish the story. What's that eps name? Anyone remeber?

 

[DS9forever]

Shadows and Symbols, the second episode of season seven.

 

[Nebusj]

Mike Have-Not said:

CommanderRaytas said:
He did use it, and it was meant to be sarcastic, because racists in the fifties used it (probably still do, I don't know). So I guess he was just trying to make a point, about "black people on the moon" seeming unrealistic to him.

Ummm.... HAVE there been any black people on the moon, even today? If not, that makes this scene all the more ironic...

For the record, no. The twelve Americans who have walked on the moon were all white (and male, for that matter).

The first black man chosen a an astronaut was Robert H Lawrence, Jr, selected in the 1967 class. He unfortunately died in a training flight in December 1967. Guion S Bluford Jr, selected in 1979, flew aboard Challenger in 1983 and was the first black astronaut to fly.

Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, a Cuban cosmonaut, was the first black (or Hispanic, if you prefer) man to fly into space, in 1980.