Levar Burton is Excellent

[Richard S. Ta]

Browsing through threads here, I often come across high (and deserved) praise for Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart. They are, after all, powerhouses in their own way and are both superlative in their roles. However, while I feel Levar Burton is well-regarded in his role as Geordi, I don't feel he gets the credit he deserves.

Burton gives 100% to every line reading. He finds cadences and melody within a lot of technobabble and makes it sound real, pretty much every time. He plays a perfect straight-man to Spiner's Data and when he's given a focus episode he always shines.

So I thought it might be nice to give a shout out to Mr Burton, especially considering the fact that he wore a prosthesis on his face which caused him considerable pain, everyday, yet still brought to life such a vibrant, unique character. Quite aside from the headaches the VISOR caused him, it's actually quite difficult as an actor to emote without eyes.

Share your favourite Geordi moments here, either in video or in written form and I'll share one of mine:

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Geordi La Forge is smart!

 

[somebuddyX]

Geordi commanding the Enterprise in "The Arsenal of Freedom" was one of my highlights when I was a kid (I haven't seen it since so it still may be).
I just watched "Deja Q" and him basically telling Q to STFU and get back to work was great.
Him and the Romulan working together on Galorndon Core.
Both episodes with Leah Brahms were fun.
Geordi doing a roll under the closing big door in Engineering.
"Yesterday's Enterprise" Geordi crossing timelines to take over his counterpart's role at the end of that episode and no one's the wiser. (JK)
Nurse Geordi with human eyes in one of the universes in "Q Squared."
Getting his own Galaxy-class starship in Voyager's "Timeless," the U.S.S. Challenger was awesome.
I like the contrast between Geordi and Scotty in "Relics." Scotty's the quintessential engineer and Geordi is very good at his job, but he's had other gigs and this is just one of them. Which isn't to put him down, in fact I feel like him going from pilot to chief engineer says a lot about him and his abilities.
Look I love him with the VISOR but the fact that it sucked big time for Levar and gave him headaches, I'm glad he got to just wear contacts in three films.
I just really like Geordi. He feels relatable to me. Something about the engineers like him and O'Brien and Barclay just feel like guys going to work and trying their best and I like that.

 

[Oddish]

Quite aside from the headaches the VISOR caused him, it's actually quite difficult as an actor to emote without eyes.

I've been snarking right and left this morning, but... one of my favorite Geordi moments.

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[Qonundrum]

More than four instantly come to mind, but to narrow it down to best acting combined with most thought-provoking and/or intriguing it's still a tough limit:

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Any Geordi/Data scene readily cross my mind, especially "Elementary, Dear Data". There are just so many great moments...

But to cut a long story short: Geordi is a great character, eminently well-acted by LeVar Burton.

 

[Jellico]

Geordi is a great character, well portrayed. I loved how he had to shut Scotty down in Relics. He was a little mean, but he was busy. It’s interesting to note that Burton brought us Geordi about 10 years after his role in Roots. It all makes me realize how old I am.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

And to think, now he's captured by pirates with Troy.

 

[somebuddyX]

 

[Vger23]

I think Levar's performance in "The Mind's Eye" is really good. There are some very subtle things he does...some really good physical acting choices, that really sell what is going on.

 

[vulcancicada]

Levar Burton was a huge part of my childhood. I was really young when sitting around absorbing Star Trek and when Reading Rainbow came out, I remember freaking out and going "How can Geordi see without his visor??" and it had to be explained to me what actors were, which I found very upsetting and insisted that he was, in fact, Geordi.

 

[Farscape One]

LeVar Burton was the best technobabble deliverer in the franchise. The gold standard.

He always brought solid performances, and Geordi's friendship with Data was always a highlight.

Another aspect of his character I really like that is not talked about much is the fact he lives with a disability (born blind), but he is always an upbeat person. Even with his visor compensating for the blindness, it would be very easy for someone living with a disability like that to be less happy. The fact he not only embraces it and contributes a great deal to the ship but is also upbeat and friendly sends a great message to people watching.

 

[Warp 10 (Pepperoni)]

He's great! And not to overlook his acting, but such a babe too.

 

[Qonundrum]

He's great! And not to overlook his acting, but such a babe too.

I'm not complaining...

He'd look great with blonde hair, too - sorta not unlike possibly maybe perhaps this:

 

[Oddish]

And he even knows how to use the three seashells.

 

[Ragitsu]

 

[Richard S. Ta]

So what?

 

[Nerys Myk]

LeVar on the Shuttlepod Show

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[Richard S. Ta]

Another aspect of his character I really like that is not talked about much is the fact he lives with a disability (born blind), but he is always an upbeat person. Even with his visor compensating for the blindness, it would be very easy for someone living with a disability like that to be less happy. The fact he not only embraces it and contributes a great deal to the ship but is also upbeat and friendly sends a great message to people watching.

I can't remember how many times or when, but I do remember at points Geordi talking about how he felt extra-enabled, being able to see in so many spectrums that the human eye cannot.

Maybe that's why he gets along with Data. They both see the world around them in a different way to others.

 

[Farscape One]

I can't remember how many times or when, but I do remember at points Geordi talking about how he felt extra-enabled, being able to see in so many spectrums that the human eye cannot.

Maybe that's why he gets along with Data. They both see the world around them in a different way to others.

Certainly possible.

I think Geordi also has such a deep connection with technology due to his visor that it makes it easier for him to have that relationship with Data, being an android.

It might also explain why Data said Geordi was the first person to treat him like a regular person, in "The Next Phase".

 

[Orphalesion]

I see Levar Burton just like Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden. They could have done a lot better if their characters had been given better material.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I see Levar Burton just like Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden. They could have done a lot better if their characters had been given better material.

I dunno. Burton generally used to get more to do (and more focus episodes) than either of those two.

He did get a lot of technobabble, but somehow he made it sing.