Benny Russell Benny Russell was an identity which Benjamin Sisko assumed during vision s from the Prophet s and the Pah - wraith s . ( ) Benny was an American science fiction author and ex - naval serviceman living in 1950s New York City who wrote in the " Incredible Tales " magazine . The editor , Douglas Pabst , and the owner of the magazine were reluctant to reveal that Russell was African - American , at a time when racism was more prevalent in the United States of America . His greatest work chronicled the adventures of a black captain who commands a space station , a work which was based on a drawing by Roy Ritterhouse . Benny was determined to see the story published despite the opposition to its subject and the racial identity of its author . Benny ' s friends , including his fiancée Cassie and friend Willie Hawkins and especially Jimmy , believed he was wasting his time because white society would not accept or read stories by a black American author of science fiction . Russell cited the works of other influential African - American authors of the time , such as Richard Wright , as evidence that the occasional black voice would be heard . ( ) Even so , his story was never published and the terrible disappointment , as well as a physical assault , led to his eventual commitment to a psychiatric hospital for treatment for a delusional breakdown . In Sisko ' s mind , the Pah - wraiths tried to deter him from opening the Orb of the Emissary by making him think that Sisko was Benny , writing out his actions on his room walls . Dr . Wykoff tried to have him paint over the writings , making Sisko bury the Orb . Ezri Dax was able to remind Sisko of his promise to Jadzia as Benny finished the story , opening the box . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Benny Russell , like Ben Sisko , was played by actor Avery Brooks . Originally , the main character of " Far Beyond the Stars " would have been Jake Sisko , rather than Ben Sisko , and the episode would have featured a different rationale to account for him being a science fiction writer in the 1950s . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 12 , p . 62 ) It was Ira Steven Behr who decided the episode ' s main character would be changed to Ben Sisko . " " As I was driving home , the whole racism thing kind of got to me . It was really one of those moments that didn ' t happen a lot , but every now and then going home or in a moment when my head was clear , something would just sync up and I ' d get all excited . Suddenly it all became Sisko , and he ' d be the guy who couldn ' t get published , because he was an African American , " " Behr reflected . " " And the notion that you are both the dream and the dreamer – it just seemed very cool [ . . . ] To an extent it ' s like shooting ducks in a barrel , because who the hell is going to say that racism is good at this stage of the game ? So you ' re kind of preaching – you would imagine – to the converted already , but I thought it was an interesting way to do it . " " Behr took his character concept to Avery Brooks . " " This idea of this brown man writing , or projecting , this vision of science fiction . I thought that was " incredibly " clever , " " Brooks commented . " " In addition , [ . . . ] that statement made to Sisko : ' You are the dreamer and the dream . ' What an " incredible " notion that is . That ' s at any time , isn ' t it ? Any epoch , any era . Now , later , yesterday . " " ( " " , pp . 525 & 526 ) Ultimately , Marc Scott Zicree based the character of Benny Russell on a lot of research , such as Harlan Ellison telling him about a particular man . Zicree later explained , " " Harlan told me of a successful ' 50s author ( not in science fiction ) who hid behind a white pseudonym until he was ' outed ' and his career was ruined [ . . . ] I also drew some details of Benny ' s life from Samuel R . Delany , one of my teachers at the Clarion Writers Workshop . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 12 , p . 62 ) Avery Brooks commented : " " Here is a science fiction writer who is brown in 1953 . That ’ s very close to us , you see . When you look at it , you have to think about Samuel Delany and Octavia Butler " " . Actor Jeffrey Combs was highly impressed by the portrayal of Benny Russell in " Far Beyond the Stars " . " " Avery [ . . . ] did some incredible work in front of the camera , " " Combs enthused . " " The end when he breaks down , to me , was just riveting , and so fresh and spontaneous and sincere . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 9 / 10 , p . 68 ) Combs also remarked , " " Avery was spectacular . There was a scene toward the end where he falls apart with the camera right in front of his nose . It was just riveting . " " ( " " ) Actress Nana Visitor felt likewise , regarding " how on - the - edge Avery [ Brooks ' ] performance was , " as she phrased it . She went on to say , " " When his character collapses , I remember being alarmed and unsure that the actor was OK . I ' d never gotten scared like that for another actor ' s welfare in all my experience . It was chilling to watch . " " Armin Shimerman was also impressed by Avery Brooks ' performance . " " I especially remember Avery giving an Emmy - deserving performance as he broke down over the crushing of Ben ' s dreams . I had tears in my eyes as I watched off camera , " " Shimerman admitted . " " I know many of the Niner fans did the same . " " There was some talk that the final scene of would feature Benny Russell sitting outside a sound stage holding a script that read " " , essentially making the series , and all of " Star Trek " , a dream . ( " " ; " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 32 , Nos . 4 / 5 , p . 99 ) Hans Beimler commented , " " At one point we were considering ending the series with Benny Russell walking the station , what he imagined . But Benny Russell was something that was introduced in the sixth season . It ' s important that this series be a seven - year arc , not a two - year arc , so to end on that note I think would have been inappropriate . It ' s an interesting way to go , [ though ] . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 32 , Nos . 4 / 5 , p . 86 ) Recalled Ira Steven Behr , " " At one point I pitched the idea that at the end of the series everything would have been from the imagination of Benny Russell . Of course they wouldn ' t let me do that – it would have taken away the entire franchise . But what ' s so crazy about the idea that DS9 was part of Benny ' s mind ? It ' s part of Rick Berman ' s mind and Michael Piller ' s mind and my mind , Robert [ Hewitt Wolfe ] ' s mind , Hans [ Beimler ] ' mind , René [ Echevarria ] ' s mind , and Ron [ D . Moore ] ' s mind . So of course it ' s part of someone ' s mind . " " ( " " , p . 526 ) Jerome Bixby – a real science fiction writer to whom a later episode entitled was dedicated ( the mirror universe where that the episode takes place was introduced in , one of four TOS episodes which he wrote ) – reportedly used the pen names " Albert Russell " and " J . Russell " . Apocrypha . In the episode ' s novelization , Benny Russell ' s parents are named Emma Geller and " Fox " Russell . In the " Deep Space Nine " " " book trilogy , the Pah - wraith s play off Sisko ' s fears that Benny Russell is real and that he himself is imaginary , by trapping Sisko in a Pah - Wraith hell where he is given visions that Benny is sitting in his Harlem apartment writing about Benjamin Sisko ' s adventures . In the novel " Unity " , Elias Vaughn has an Orb experience in which he becomes part of the Benny Russell setting ; Sisko ' s communication with the Prophets is portrayed as Benny becoming a " trustee " at the psychiatric hospital from the Pah - Wraith ' s vision . In the novel " Raise the Dawn " , Kira Nerys experiences a vision where Kay Eaton helps Cassie to rescue Benny after he is transferred to prison , the vision inspiring Kira to help Sisko during a later crisis .