Levar Burton’s Geordi La Forge was a legend in my house. My father is a major Trekkie, and as a young blerd boy, you could find the two of us in the basement watching episodes back-to-back. Star Trek: The Next Generation wasn’t even our favorite series (it’s Deep Space Nine), but it was agreed among everybody in the basement that Geordi was the man with the juice. And now, I’m going to tell you why.
Before we get any further, a part of the Star Trek family passed away after I wrote this, so it’s only right to pay him respect.
Anton Yelchin was a talented, truly gifted young actor that is beloved by everyone he worked with in the film industry, and especially the Trekkie community. I was a fan. And his presence will be missed by his family, loved ones, friends, coworkers, and all of the supporters who loved seeing him on screen. May he rest in peace.
We’re saddened to report the passing of Anton Yelchin, best known as Chekov @StarTrekMovie https://t.co/dgpY0gSuem pic.twitter.com/EXMCAJsKgx
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) June 19, 2016
In this time of loss, it makes honoring Mr. Burton’s contribution to the Star Trek universe even more important to me, which is what this post is all about. Live long and prosper. – Ira
Geordi always had the fresh cut.
Although this might not be important to some, it really drove a few things home for me. The barbershop, for black men, is a place of ritual and tradition. It’s customary to go get a cut on the regular, or at least a shape-up if you’re letting it grow. And if you’re a details junkie like me (and my dad), from dialogue, it was pretty easy to determine that Geordi was getting fresh almost once a week. Live action science fiction has often had a nasty habit of forgetting that black folks exist in the future. Seeing unapologetic blackness in the form of La Forge in the barber’s chair really made a young blerd feel represented.
He was always on his game, too.
More often than not, the team would find themselves leaning on Geordi for help. Worf is messing around with equipment he has no business touching and compromises the starship. Captain Picard wants something done that’s otherwise impossible (like most white men in power). Something’s been damaged and needs fixing. Who do they call? Geordi. And the most amazing part is that the man almost always comes through in the clutch. Geordi was literally the Robert Horry of the squad – black excellence seeped out of his pores.
Geordi also represented for differently-abled people in sci-fi.
I don’t know a blerd Trekkie that didn’t want that super fresh visor. But as a man that lived with blindness, Geordi was beautifully portrayed by Levar Burton as someone who was not defined by circumstance (because nobody is). Geordi La Forge was a full and robust character, full of nuance and distinct personality. And anybody writing a black or PoC character in any genre of film or television should pay attention to the care that Star Trek took writing him and the conviction Mr. Burton had playing him.
Don’t get it twisted, I love Nyota Uhura with all of my heart. But Geordie La Forge (and Levar Burton) helped me become the blerd man I am today. If there is a black nerd hall of fame, both of them are very high in my top 10. And that’s why, to me, he’s the best Star Trek character ever.
Who would you nominate for the black nerd Hall of Fame? Let’s talk about it in the comments. And tag a friend on Facebook that needs to read this.
