Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 8 - "The Elysian Kingdom"
A remarkable sentient being in the Jonisian Nebula transforms the crew of the USS Enterprise into characters from "The Kingdom of Elysian," the fairy tale Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) reads to his terminally ill daughter, Rukiya (Sage Arrindell). But the author of "The Kingdom of Elysian" directly ties to the classic DS9 episode, "Far Beyond The Stars."
A landmark and beloved episode from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6 aired in 1998, "Far Beyond The Stars" sees Captain Sisko receive a vision from the Prophets of Bajor that transports him back to New York City in the 1950s. Sisko lives the life of Benny Russell, an African-American writer for the sci-fi pulp magazine Incredible Tales, while the other cast of DS9 are also turned into people Benny knows, including his enemies like Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo). Inspired, Benny decides to write a story about a 24th-century space station called Deep Space Nine whose Captain is a Black man. Believing this is the tale he was born to write, Russell's dreams are crushed by his editor, who refuses to publish a story with a Black hero. Tragically, Benny has an emotional breakdown and is sent to an asylum in a powerfully unforgettable performance by Avery Brooks, who also directed the episode. In another of Sisko's visions, Benny was seen again furiously writing his Captain Sisko story on the walls of his cell in DS9 season 7.
It's easy to miss the fact that "The Kingdom of Elysian" book in Strange New Worlds is written by Benny Russell but this was confirmed by the book's cover as seen in "The Elysian Kingdom" episode. Benny Russell shouted out in Strange New Worlds isn't just another fun DS9 Easter egg, however. It also answers a pivotal question Star Trek: Deep Space Nine left open to interpretation for 24 years since "Far Beyond The Stars" aired: Is Benny Russell a real person in Star Trek canon? Strange New Worlds has answered yes, Benny Russell was real. "Far Beyond The Stars" purposely left it ambiguous whether or not Benny Russell was merely a vision sent to him by the Prophets. But Strange New Worlds now makes it clear that Benny Russell was indeed a real writer whose work continues to be read in the 23rd century.
However, the fact that Benny Russell's existence as an actual fantasy writer is now canonical in Star Trek still doesn't answer many other pertinent questions left behind by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's ending. First, is the Benny Russell who wrote "The Kingdom of Elysian" the same author who lived in the 1950s and wrote for Incredible Tales, as seen in Captain Sisko's vision? If it is, did the events of Sisko's dream in "Far Beyond The Stars" actually happen to Benny Russell? If so, this creates more astounding questions and possibilities because it could mean that Benny Russell actually had a vision of Deep Space Nine and wrote about Captain Sisko four hundred years before they became real. If that's the case, was Benny Russell somehow touched by the Prophets, who exist in nonlinear time, and did the Bajoran gods link him psychically to "the Sisko," their Emissary?
Strange New Worlds has been a haven for surprising Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Easter eggs. From the solar sail starship reminiscent of ancient Bajoran technology seen in Strange New Worlds episode 5 to how Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is a chef like Captain Sisko, the unexpected correlation between the two Star Trek shows is very much appreciated by DS9 fans. Benny Russell as the author of "The Kingdom of Elysian" is another treat from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that makes DS9's "Far Beyond The Stars" even more fascinating to ponder.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.