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Anyone else disturbed by La Forges sexual harrasment of Leah Brahms?

One has to remember that when Geordi RAN (not created) the holodeck program of the Utopia Planitia shipyards, it was the computer who came up with Leah Brahms physically incarnated. Not Geordi. Remember that.

Watch the episode. Notice how holo-Leah behaves. She starts out rather wooden, but then transforms when Geordi makes a request to the computer to adjust the program. Then... she becomes a little flirtatious. And you know why? The program was picking up on Geordi's feelings. Geordi felt some attraction to Leah, but focused on keeping it all business. It was holo-Leah who kept flirting with him. Cyber seduction, if you will. And are you going to blame Geordi for not going along with it for a bit? Now, he could have decided to copy the complete Leah Brahms profile from this program and call it up in other programs anytime. Remember when he was on the beach with that woman on a kind of "date" and it went sour? Well, he could have had Leah appear in it and invite her to change into a bathing suit... if she wanted. And she probably would have, because the computer simulation was essentially looking to please Geordi. NONE OF THAT HAPPENED. Because Geordi respected the real Leah and decided not to go down that path.

So I think it's unfair to consider Geordi a creepy sexist nerd.

Now, unfortunately that experience influenced Geordi when meeting the real Leah. And yes, he should have confessed to her what happened, how he used that holodeck program and the computer offered to create a physical copy of Leah based on her computer profile. And that it worked well -- they collaborated together and found the solution that saved the Enterprise and all crew aboard. I'm sure the real Leah would understand. But... finding it as though Geordi had been hiding it? Yeah, that comes off as creepy. But poor Geordi got caught with a wrong impression... WHICH... was later corrected. And I think it was written well. It was a very uncomfortable situation that was resolved nicely, IMHO.
 
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Gary7 said:
She starts out rather wooden, but then transforms when Geordi makes a request to the computer to adjust the program.
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That's right. I must apologize for earlier stating that holo-Brahms is based entirely on her research logs. Geordi also supplements her personality with info based on several debates she did at the intergalactic caucuses on Chaya Seven.
 
Tosk said:
That's right. I must apologize for earlier stating that holo-Brahms is based entirely on her research logs. Geordi also supplements her personality with info based on several debates she did at the intergalactic caucuses on Chaya Seven.
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Yes, you're right -- that personality info from the debates was also used. How ironic, the Tosk being the hunter (of info). ;)
 
MadeIndescribable said:
Because if Holobrahms based on real Brahms comes up with a solution, then Geordi didn't, so he shouldn't take the credit.
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No, a computer simulation, being ran by Geordi, based on public research, came up with that solution. He obviously owes the credit to her prior research, but she had absolutely nothing to do with Geordi's solution. The computer was a tool that Geordi used. He does not have to give credit to his computer algorithm lol.
 
MadeIndescribable said:
This is what I was referring to, but he still takes 100% of the credit.
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It goes without saying that she achieved what she achieved. Anything built on that is due to her pioneering research. Thats indisputable fact. It has nothing to do with his solution of the later crisis. Apples and oranges.
 
Phoenix219 said:
It goes without saying that she achieved what she achieved. Anything built on that is due to her pioneering research. Thats indisputable fact. It has nothing to do with his solution of the later crisis. Apples and oranges.
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I get where you're coming from, but to be honest if he was trying to get win her affection, I still reckon "I came up with it based on your theories" would have gone a lot further...
 
Gary7 said:
One has to remember that when Geordi RAN (not created) the holodeck program of the Utopia Planitia shipyards, it was the computer who came up with Leah Brahms physically incarnated. Not Geordi. Remember that.
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In fact, the whole "Holo-Leah" thing was the computer's addition based on Geordi's request to "show me the changes that you made". He didn't request her.

Is the follow-up an example of Geordi being horrible with women? Yes.

And specifically does Geordi assuming/hoping that as he got on well with the mostly accurate Holo-Brahms based on publicly available records that he could have a friendship (the only relationship he asked for) with the real Leah, unfortunate and the cause of some ackwardness that could have been avoided. Also yes.

Was Leah at least partially to blame for the ackwardness with her hostile and cold attitude. Definately yes.

Who was in the wrong for the mutual ranting on the holodeck? Mostly Leah. What LaForge said was completely true, however Leah's accussations blew the actual evidence (At most, that LaForge likes to work with a flirty collaborator) and assumed that there was some kind of insidious motive to the whole thing (Why?)
 
Shamrock Holmes said:
And specifically does Geordi assuming/hoping that as he got on well with the mostly accurate Holo-Brahms based on publicly available records that he could have a friendship (the only relationship he asked for) with the real Leah, unfortunate and the cause of some ackwardness that could have been avoided. Also yes.
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Did you really get the feeling that he only asked for friendship? That whole "dinner in my quarters", teaching the computer "cozy lighting"...

On a somewhat related note I've watched a few TNG episodes with a friend the other day and it felt like Geordi was a jerk in every single one of them. The patronizing way he talked to Sonya Gomez in Q Who could be read as him just being a caring commanding officer giving advice but... it just didn't come across that way to me.
Then the way he treats Scotty in Relics... I get why he was frustrated but why be so rude about it?
And then I watched Aquiel and that is just such a typical Geordi episode. Falling for a woman without actually having met her, growing so emotionally attached after reading her logs...

Forever Alone Geordi is almost as sad as Harry Kim.
 
{ Emilia } said:
It's just more of a tragedy with Geordi because apart from that he's okay and played by a competent and likeable actor.
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And there's Malcolm Reed, running away like
respect.jpg


#BritishToTheCore
 
{ Emilia } said:
Did you really get the feeling that he only asked for friendship? That whole "dinner in my quarters", teaching the computer "cozy lighting"...
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Oh, I agree that he wanted more eventually, but I got the vibe that he was happy with the 'friends & collegues' ending that he got. I mean, though he came across a little creepy and cringeworthy at times, he wasn't anywhere near as focused on the sex angle as say Kirk, Riker or Paris often were...
 
MadeIndescribable said:
Just because he was happy with the ending he got, doesn't mean it was what he was aiming for.
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No, but the fact that he accepted that that was the relationship that he could have with her (friendship not sexual) and made it work without pushing for more, negates OP's the charge of harrassment as he respected her wish to set boundaries on their relationship.
 
Shamrock Holmes said:
No, but the fact that he accepted that that was the relationship that he could have with her (friendship not sexual) and made it work without pushing for more, negates OP's the charge of harrassment as he respected her wish to set boundaries on their relationship.
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He never went as far as actual sexual harrasment that's true, but the romantic "profesional" meal in his quarters suggest he that originally he was aiming for more than just being friends.
 
MadeIndescribable said:
He never went as far as actual sexual harrasment that's true, but the romantic "profesional" meal in his quarters suggest he that originally he was aiming for more than just being friends.
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Definately. I also agree that he might have missing signals prior to that as well. Although Leah being a hostile cold fish probably didn't help there.
 
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