In the early 60's a pilot for a TV series made history: I'm referring to the "The Cage" written by Gene Roddenberry and produced in Theatrical Style which went "far beyond the distant" bean-counter's head's at NBC.
That could have been the end of Trek right at that point, but something unprecedented occurred: NBC ordered a second pilot and Trek was born.
That first Pilot, just like this Deep Space Nine episode: Was born from the ashes of all of the best Science Fiction books and movies of the 50's - Including Forbidden Planet, and the look of the costumes and props in The Cage - Even the photographic special effects, are an Homage to that great era of Science Fiction.
The Sisko is meeting with his father (Brock Peter's) when he starts seeing guys in 50's suits and ties and Fedora hats walking about the station - not to be confused with Fringe "Observers".
His reality starts to splinter and suddenly he finds himself in 50's NYC, he is a colored writer of Science Fiction and the rest of most of the Ops crew plus Quark are his Co-Workers: Writer's, Editors, and Artists (JG Hertzger/Martok is a great Kelly Freas type character). Each person is a character which represents the kind of person they are: O'Brien becomes an Analogue of Issac Asimov and his Robot stories (As Obrien is the main "Tinkerer and Putterer" of DS9), The Major represents one of several women writers from that time who had to hide the fact that they were women (and probably a nod to D.C. Fontana, one of the Trek TOS Writers). But the best thing to see was Quark - Probably representing Harlan Ellison (who is also short), when arguing with the Editor (who is Odo aka "Security"), threatens to quit and clears off his desk and the first item he grabs is his Hugo Award, a small trophy shaped roughly like a V-2 Rocket.
Benny Russel as The Sisko is called, writes the story of Deep Space Nine: We can assume he had written "The Emissary" - And Odo-Editor rejects his story, because back in that time, issues of race could not be ignored even in fantasy and science fiction. But Quark/Ellison - And this is something Harlan would do - Suggested making it a dream. So Odo-Editor agrees to publish the story "as a dream of a colored man", and The Sisko/Benny Russel says that "It's better than writing it in chalk on the sidewalk"
Kasidy is a woman who runs a Diner, who is much like Captain Yates herself. Someone who loves an extraordinary man and hopes for some kind of normal existence, which will be denied to her. Worf makes some pretty funny appearances as a Baseball Player, who is tolerated barely by his team, and Jake Sisko is a young hustler - And the best line of the whole Trek 'Verse is said by him, when he uses the forbidden N-Word - Right on Syndicated Television, and if this had been a Network show, that word would not have been able to be used. And of course, the best: Dukat and Weyoun are filthy corrupt detectives.
What is great about this episode is that it shows, how real DS9 actually is - As the creation of the writers and producers of the show - But it EXISTS- Deep Space Nine exists not only in Benny Russel's mind but in ours as well, not to mention the cast and crew of the show.
Which is more real, the dreamer or the dream? The thing to remember that for the dreamer, the dream IS reality - During the dream. And so I will forever see DS9 as a kind of window into a possible future. Because anything that we can think of that could happen - DOES happen. This is the basis of Quantum Physics.
