Geordi LaForge

Geordi LaForge was a secondary hero in Star Trek:The Next Generation and subsequent Star Trek movies based on the series. He was a noted Starfleet officer who served on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) and Enterprise (NCC-1701-E). LaForge was played by LeVar Burton. The character was named after the late quadriplegic Star Trek fan George La Forge.
==History==
Blind from birth LaForge received surgical implants and a VISOR that enabled him to see. He received his first visor around the age of five. Despite the pain and the distortion inherent with his VISOR LaForge was able to lead a normal life - one of the few people able to do so. He learned pain suppression techniques from a Vulcan healer. Following in the footsteps of his Starfleet officer parents he entered Starfleet Academy. Graduating from the academy he became an officer in the 2350s.
In 2364 Lieutenant Junior Grade LaForge was assigned to the newly launched Enterprise-D, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. For his first year on the ship he served mainly as a conn officer and assisted other departments such as security when required. He quickly became friends with Lieutenant Commander Data during this time. He also began serving as a mentor to Wesley Crusher as he took his first initial steps towards a career in Starfleet.
The following year he was promoted to full Lieutenant and became Chief Engineer of the Enterprise.
LaForge was a regular participant in the senior officer poker games. Depending on the kind of cards used his VISOR enabled him to see the cards others had, but he never peeked until after the hand had been played.
In 2368 LaForge was captured by Romulans who attempted to use his optic implants to brainwash him into making it appear that the Federation was supporting rebels against the Klingon Empire and to attempt an assassination of a anti-Federation Klingon governor. Fortunately this was detected by Data and LaForge was stopped by Worf from killing the governor and destroying the alliance.
LaForge met Montgomery Scott in 2369 after Scotty was rescued from a static transporter buffer. After some initial bumps the two men became friends and managed to rescue the Enterprise-D after she had become trapped in a Dyson Sphere.
In 2371 LaForge was captured by Tolian Soran. Soran modified LaForge's visor so that it would transmit images back to the Klingon ship commanded by the Duras sisters. When LaForge went to engineering he glanced at a display that had the ship's shield modulation frequency. The sisters were able to adjust their weapons to match that frequency and were able to inflict massive damage on the Enterprise. Though the Duras sisters died when their ship was destroyed the Enterprise was still lost - the drive section exploded due to a core overload and the saucer crashed on Veridian III.
With the launch of the Enterprise-E LaForge was assigned as chief engineer. Shortly after the launch of the Enterprise LaForge was given a choice by Admiral Hayes - either replace the VISOR with something less prone to tampering or be reassigned to a less sensitive posting. LaForge did not want to comply with this forced medical treatment, a position supported by Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher. However after learning more about the new bio-neural ocular implants, including the better visual range and closer approximation of real vision he decided to go ahead with the surgery. He was given the option to have the implants made to look like natural eyes, but he declined that option.
In 2373 LaForge was on the Enterprise when they traveled back to 2063 to stop the Borg from interfering with the first contact between Earth and Vulcan. As such he met and worked with Dr. Zefram Cochrane, and accompanied him along with Commander Riker as Cochrane made the first successful warp jump by a human. This was detected by a Vulcan ship and first contact proceeded as planned.
When the Enterprise arrived at the Ba'ku planet to investigate an incident with Data, the metaphasic radiation present caused LaForge to be able to see through real eyes for the first time in his life. He beamed down to the surface of Ba'ku and got to fulfill a lifelong dream in that he was able to see a sunrise with normal vision.
In 2379 LaForge helped Data make his way on to the Reman ship Scimitar to rescue Captain Picard. Data was able to save his shipmates and ultimately Earth with the self sacrificial act of destroying the Reman superweapon.
In the years that followed, Geordi rose through the ranks of Starfleet until becoming Commodore and being assigned as the curator for the Starfleet Museum at Athan Prime. Using his position, and following the Prime Directive, Geordi had the damaged saucer section of the Enterprise-D recovered from Veridian III to avoid influencing the pre-warp civilization in the Veridian System, and taken to the museum for restoration, replacing its destroyed stardrive section with that of its sister ship, the USS Syracuse. He also was the proud father of two daughters who followed in his footsteps to join Starfleet, Sidney and Alandra, assigned to the USS Titan-A, but was somewhat on bad terms with them around 2401, especially after helping them steal a Klingon cloaking device from the HMS Bounty on display at the museum to install on the Titan, which helped him patch things up with them somewhat. This helped when the Titan was captured by a rogue faction of Changelings looking for revenge for the events of the Dominion War, led by their leader Vadic. After Geordi and his daughters take refuge with Picard, Beverly, and Data in his new body, after Data bluffs Lore and this leads to their merging into one being with Data as the dominant personality, Data helps the LaForges and the others take back the Titan and kill Vadic and her Changelings.
However, his love for his daughters proved stronger than he thought when Sidney and Alandra are found to be potentially infected with Borg DNA that could assimilate them into loyal Borg Drones for the still-living Borg Queen thanks to Vadic's forces infiltrating Starfleet and installing the Borg DNA in the transporter system, having salvaged the Borg DNA from Jean-Luc Picard's late body and brain that he stilled carried from his assimilation as Locutus of Borg. When it happens during Frontier Day, Geordi immediately tries to help his daughters, but is restrained by Data, who reminds him that they need a plan to help them or he won't be of any use to them if anything happens to him. Realizing Data is right, Geordi retreats with Picard, Riker, Beverly, Worf, Deanna, and Data, and heads to the Museum, where he reveals the restored Enterprise-D and already had it being prepped for combat since it is the only ship in Starfleet not under the Borg's control with Fleet Formation. Once everyone retakes their places on the bridge, with Geordi at the helm with Data, they pilot the Enterprise out of the museum and head for Earth, only to divert to Jupiter to find the Borg Queen's Cube there, the source of the signal affecting Starfleet and their youth. Geordi stays aboard with Data, Troi, and Crusher, while Picard, Riker, and Worf beam onto the cube to find the Queen and the core. Once Riker and Worf find the core, Data is able to expertly steer the Enterprise into the Cube to its location, but then Geordi and Data see that the core is essentially tied to the rest of the Cube. If they destroy it, the Cube will go as well. However, they face a prisoner's dilemma: Destroy the Cube, and save Starfleet and the Earth, or risk losing Earth and the Federation to rescue Picard and the others still aboard the Cube. After Riker and Worf decree they are staying with Picard to the end and give the okay to blow up the core, after about a minute, Geordi reluctantly gives the order to Crusher to fire and destroy the core. As the Cube begins to collapse, they try to locate Picard and the others, but the destruction prevents Data from getting a lock-on. However, when Riker telepathically contacts Troi and tells her goodbye, she pilots the Enterprise perfectly to their position, where they then beam Picard, Riker, Worf, and Jack aboard, and make their escape, leaving the Queen to die with her Cube and end the threat of the Borg forever.
As Geordi sees Picard, Jack, Riker, and Worf return to the bridge, as Data and Worf sit down in the chairs to either side of the captain's chair, the viewscreen then pops up to show Geordi some much needed relief that their mission was a success as Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker are on screen with both of Geordi's daughters, alive, well, and free of their assimilation with the Queen's death, grateful to their father for saving their lives, leaving a relived smile on Geordi's face before he and Data take notice of Worf's snoring as he fell asleep after all the excitement they just went through. They then return to Earth to overlook the aftermath of the Borg Queen's last attempt at conquering the Federation and begin the process of rebuilding.
One year later, a fully restored Enterprise-D is now in its berth at the museum with Picard's previous command, the USS Stargazer, and the Enterprise-D's predecessor, Captain James T. Kirk's Enterprise-A. Geordi is on the bridge with Riker and Picard to look it over one more time before sending her into retirement as a museum ship.
==Trivia==
*The uniform that LaForge is wearing in Star Trek: Generations is actually the uniform worn by Miles O'Brien in the first five seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
*LaForge, along with Picard, Riker, and Data are the only four in the TNG main cast to wear the Voyager-style uniform in Star Trek: Generations.
*Burton had lobbied for sometime for the VISOR his character wore to be replaced with ocular implants, but it took until First Contact for this request to be granted. The novel The Insolence of Office: Slings and Arrows #3 provides the explanation of why his VISOR was replaced with ocular implants. 
*LaForge made a surprise appearance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Timeless", where he was the captain of the USS Challenger and wore the same First Contact-style uniform seen on the last three TNG movies and the final two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but with the "All Good Things" combadge replacing the 2370s combadge.
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