Then you have a very limited ability to judge performances.
A character with a visor was a mistake
- Thread starter You_Will_Fail
- Start date
Hey, I may be obtuse and I may be an ass, but I think you'll find that post was neither.
It was ham-fisted dammit!
Oh, I'm sure you know plenty about ham-fisting.
That pig was lying, I'd never seen it in my life!
And @ You_Will_Fail, my post wasn't responding to the eyes bit, it was responding to the diversity bit...
It's not like there's a standard of "normalcy" that can be applied, Soran's quotation of "Normal is what everyone else is and you are not" can be taken two ways. on the one hand it is an insult to Geordi along the same lines as "look at the freak" but on the other hand, it can be taken to speak to ideas of self-image. Normal is what everyone else is but you are not - subjectively...
And @ You_Will_Fail, my post wasn't responding to the eyes bit, it was responding to the diversity bit...
It's not like there's a standard of "normalcy" that can be applied, Soran's quotation of "Normal is what everyone else is and you are not" can be taken two ways. on the one hand it is an insult to Geordi along the same lines as "look at the freak" but on the other hand, it can be taken to speak to ideas of self-image. Normal is what everyone else is but you are not - subjectively...
But what is "normal?"
Picard is a bald man in a time where baldness is likely "cured" to some level.
Riker is a capable officer who has been offered his own command several times and once had high aspirations who has chosen to remain second-in-command of a ship for much of his career.
Data is an artificial life-form the only one of any meaning in known existence.
Beverly has red-hair, a genetically declining trait.
Troi is a hybrid of two species from completely different planets that were, biologically speaking, never meant to breed.
Worf is from a warrior races raised by Russians on a farming colony.
Strictly speaking no one is "normal" because not enough people are the same to make a basis of comparison. Yes, most people are born sighted so it's perhaps "abnormal" to be born blind but the prosthetic that allowed Geordi to "see" shouldn't have made him stand-out as abnormal.
Which was the point, Geordi didn't care how the VISOR made him look, it allowed him to function and succeed in society, just as my glasses allow me to do, cochlear implants and hearing aids allow deaf people to do, and prosthetic limbs allow amputees to do. Soren was trying to get Geordi's goat with his line and Geordi responded perfectly:
"What is normal?"
Picard is a bald man in a time where baldness is likely "cured" to some level.
Riker is a capable officer who has been offered his own command several times and once had high aspirations who has chosen to remain second-in-command of a ship for much of his career.
Data is an artificial life-form the only one of any meaning in known existence.
Beverly has red-hair, a genetically declining trait.
Troi is a hybrid of two species from completely different planets that were, biologically speaking, never meant to breed.
Worf is from a warrior races raised by Russians on a farming colony.
Strictly speaking no one is "normal" because not enough people are the same to make a basis of comparison. Yes, most people are born sighted so it's perhaps "abnormal" to be born blind but the prosthetic that allowed Geordi to "see" shouldn't have made him stand-out as abnormal.
Which was the point, Geordi didn't care how the VISOR made him look, it allowed him to function and succeed in society, just as my glasses allow me to do, cochlear implants and hearing aids allow deaf people to do, and prosthetic limbs allow amputees to do. Soren was trying to get Geordi's goat with his line and Geordi responded perfectly:
"What is normal?"
I hear most blind people don't even watch TV because for them it's impossible to connect with the characters, not being able to see their eyes or... anything, really.
The contacts Sirtis wore to give her that Betazoidian eyes really made it hard to connect with her.
How can I tell when Worf is confused? His brow is always furrowed! And, Ro? How do I know when she's just smelled something bad? Her nose is always wrinkled!
I agree, almost completely. I think Levar did an amazing job of acting given that he had his eyes covered. I felt like I was always able to interpret his emotional state just as well as the other actors.
In the few episodes we got where he is without his VISOR, I remember being stunned at the difference in the whole feel of the character. It was very cool initially to see him without the VISOR, but I think that is a novelty factor. In some ways he lost some of the presence he had about him. There is an emotional and dare I say even dramatic vibe to Geordi that you get from the look he has with the VISOR. I never really liked his look in First Contact and beyond, or, at least, I much preferred his first look. Maybe that's just because I was so used to how he originally appeared?
That was addressed directly by Roddenberry I think right at the start of TNG, or it might have been Stewart.
The point isn't that by the 24th century baldness wouldn't exist, the point is that by the 24th century people wouldn't care about it.
As to the topic at hand, I have to disagree with the OP, and agree with pretty much everyone else.
I had absolutely no problem with not seeing Burton's eyes. I, again like some others have said, actually found him extremely expressive precisely because the actor was given this handicap and as such compensated for it with the rest of his face and body.
Geordi is not the best character in TNG, the visor is at least something that makes him different and makes him stand out, and the positive message it had for people who are disabled is one of the things I love about the show.
I keep wondering what the OP would say to a blind person who tried to befriend him in real life. "Gee, I really wish we could be friends, but you're just not expressive enough." 
I tried to go though most of these posts before responding, and one thing I kept seeing was that Jean Luc Picard is referred to as Picard, William Riker is referred to as Riker, but Geordi LaForge is referred to as Geordi. Where Picard and Riker are stronger figures on the screen, Geordi LaForge shines in a way the other two can’t. Here is a highly competent and ambitious man who is so friendly and personable that we are all on a first name biases with him. The VISOR hindered this not at all. Major kudos to Levar Burton for his fantastic work.
That's an interesting observation! I hadn't considered that!
Its not about "judging" how well someone is performing, its about connecting to them on any kind of emotional level which I find that I need to see their eyes to do so fully.
Jeez does everyone in here have autism? I've specifically mentioned that a dozen times, and all people can reply with is cold responses about judging performance and representing disabled people in Trek.
I keep wondering what the OP would say to a blind person who tried to befriend him in real life. "Gee, I really wish we could be friends, but you're just not expressive enough."
Yeah, I'd find it distracting like most people would, but real life is hardly comparable to performance art. I'm talking about relating to someone on an emotional level on the tv screen. Jesus Christ, there's some serious issues with basic reading comprehension around here.
Uh, I always felt Geordi was an unfriendly douche. I don't share your opinion of his character whatsoever.
Oh sure, wanting to see an actor's eyes when they're performing is such a "fail". I suppose you'd be happy enough to watch an entire movie with everyone wearing sunglasses and it wouldn't bother you.
I don't need to see a person's eyes in order to connect to them, that's what the rest of their body and personality is for.
