Star Trek: Why DS9’s Original Ending Would Have Been A Mistake

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr wanted to bring back Benny Russell for the show’s finale, in a move that would have changed the entire Star Trek franchise forever. Deep Space Nine was the third series in the franchise, running for seven seasons before delivering its finale episode, “What You Leave Behind” in May 1999. The episode has been praised by critics and viewers alike as a satisfying conclusion to the series. Originally, however, Ira Steven Behr pitched an ending that would have been a mistake, featuring the return of a minor character from one of the show’s most acclaimed episodes.

Ira Steven Behr had sought to reintroduce Benny Russell, who was first introduced in the season 6 episode “Far Beyond the Stars.” Russell was the identity assumed by DS9’s main character Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) during a series of vivid hallucinations he was given by the Bajoran Prophets and Pah-Wraiths. During “Far Beyond the Stars” Sisko experienced Russell’s life as a struggling science fiction author in 1950s New York City, and the character appeared again briefly in the season 7 episode “Shadows and Symbols” in another series of visions. “Far Beyond the Stars” is lauded as one of the best Star Trek episodes of all time, particularly for its discussion of racism and for Brooks’ dual performance as Russell and Sisko.

Despite only appearing twice in the whole series, Russell was a popular enough character that bringing him back for a cameo in the finale would have made sense. However, Behr’s idea for including Russell was ultimately rejected because the implications it brought up for the Star Trek franchise were too uncomfortable. Behr’s original concept was to have the very last scene feature Russell outside a sound stage holding a script entitled “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine“, implying the entire series had been Russell’s creation and therefore essentially his dream. The idea DS9 was simply a figment of Russell’s imagination had been toyed with during the character’s previous appearances. However, if Behr’s pitch had been approved, “What You Leave Behind” would have essentially confirmed it as true.

While ending Deep Space Nine this way might have been intriguing, Behr’s idea held implications for Star Trek as a whole that could have changed the way audiences viewed the series irrecoverable. DS9 was closely connected on several levels with every other show in the franchise, most notably The Next Generation and Voyager. If DS9 was revealed to simply be a figment of Russell’s imagination, it would mean that every other Star Trek show would be also, effectively relegating the entire franchise to the “it was all just a dream” trope which has often been maligned as lazy writing.

Behr has stated he was not considering the whole franchise when he came up with the concept, but the implications of Behr’s pitch were clear to executive producer Rick Berman, who was ultimately the one to shut it down and insist a different ending be conceived. While it is true that seeing Benny Russell one last time would have been a great callback for Star Trek fans, Berman’s decision seems to have proved a good one. Rejecting Behr’s original pitch led to creating a much less ambiguous final episode and saved Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from falling victim to a trope that would have made its finale much more controversial than it ended up being.

About The Author

Dana Hanson
(110 Articles Published)

Dana Hanson is a trainer and freelance writer for Screen Rant, covering stories about Star Trek for the Movie/TV feature writing team. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 2019 with a degree in Media Arts production and a concentration in Writing for TV and film. She has previous experience working with an online and print publication as a freelance editor and has been passionate about both writing and Star Trek for years. She currently lives in Pennsylvania.

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