Interesting article on Far Beyond the Stars

[DS9forever]

The author talks about relevant Far Beyond the Stars still is:

http://insidepulse.com/2015/10/09/a...pisode-is-the-most-relevant-piece-of-tv-ever/

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I can't deny that FBTS is powerful television, though I tend to regard it more as self-reflection on the franchise and a commentary on science fiction as a whole. It did a lot to critique the genre by bringing up the real life experiences of those who made and consumed it. "Most relevant?" I wonder how familiar the author is about TV when it comes to race. Certainly the fact that American society still deals with the problems shown in FBTS does not in itself make the episode more relevant.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It is a great episode and a very risky one for a show in 1998. That article sure makes a lot of broad strokes.

Right now the whole national conversation on race is being fought from ideological trenches with toxically defensive 'Give an inch give a mile' mindsets.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Certainly the fact that American society still deals with the problems shown in FBTS does not in itself make the episode more relevant.

I think the article is hyperbolic in its appraisal of the episode, but I gotta call shenanigans on this part. The fact that American society still deals with the issues showcased in the episode, by definition, makes it relevant. That's what relevance is.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Certainly the fact that American society still deals with the problems shown in FBTS does not in itself make the episode more relevant.

I think the article is hyperbolic in its appraisal of the episode, but I gotta call shenanigans on this part. The fact that American society still deals with the issues showcased in the episode, by definition, makes it relevant. That's what relevance is.

I am not saying it is not relevant; parsing my statement does not make me some sort of apologist. The hyberbole of the article is specifically at issue. Every episode of Ken Burns The Civil War or Gregory Nava's American Family reflected more deeply about racial problems.

ONe thing to keep in mind is that while the treatment that Benny Russel gets is shocking, the episode is not a vehicle for exploring that treatment; nor is it a vehicle for exploring the lives of African Americans in the 20th century. It uses those realities in order to give emotional heft to what Benjamin Sisko is experiencing in the 24th century. Because of the setup, the use of African American history appears metaphorical in spite of the fact that it borrowed from the experiences of African American writers. I've been on this board long enough to know that people who like the episode feel nevertheless that it is quaint, or that it misses the mark in its description of race, or that it came a decade too late. I find that there are some scenes that get to core issues of African American identity, most notably when Benny attempts to convince Jimmy that it is worthwhile to dream about a better future. "You are the dreamer and the dream" is a clever phrase that validates actively striving for racial equality. The places where the episode gets is power, though, have to do within the narrower confines of publishing: how does one get a message out, how do gatekeepers alter the message, etc. That has a somewhat narrower focus. It's a little, shall I say, "inside baseball."