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Geordi La Forge

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Geordi La Forge was a human male Starfleet officer, who was originally a lieutenant junior grade while serving as the helmsman of the USS Enterprise -D , during 2364 . As his career progressed, he transitioned to engineering , and was promoted to lieutenant , and later lieutenant commander , rising to become the chief engineer of the Enterprise -D, and later USS Enterprise -E , both under Captain Jean-Luc Picard . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " The Child ", " Evolution ", " Booby Trap "; Star Trek: First Contact ) By early 25th century he attained the rank of commodore and held the position of curator at the Fleet Museum . ( PIC : " The Next Generation ")

• 1 Early life
• 2 Early Starfleet career
• 3.1.1 Conn Officer
• 3.1.2 Chief Engineer
• 3.2 The Enterprise -E
• 4 Later life
• 6 Engineering interests, talents, and specialties
• 7 Legendary forces
• 8 Personal life
• 9.1 Friendships
• 9.2.1 Christy Henshaw
• 9.2.2 Leah Brahms (hologram)
• 9.2.3 Aquiel Uhnari
• 10 Alternate realities and timelines
• 11 Holograms
• 12 Chronology
• 13.1 Appearances
• 13.2 Background information
• 13.3 Apocrypha
• 13.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Geordi La Forge was born on February 16 , 2335 in Mogadishu , Somalia to parents Captain Silva La Forge and noted exozoologist , Commander Edward M. La Forge . Due to a birth defect , he was born blind . As an adult, he stood 170 centimeters (appr. 5'7") tall and was right-handed. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Masterpiece Society ", " Cause And Effect ", " Identity Crisis ", " Ship In A Bottle ")

Around 2340 , when he was about five years old, Geordi was trapped alone in a burning building; he later remembered this as one of the most frightening moments of his life. ( TNG : " Hero Worship ")

Sometime, not long after, Geordi received his first VISOR , which allowed him to see (although not the same way the average Human does) for the first time in his life. ( TNG : " Hero Worship ") At age eight, Geordi was brought his first pet , a Circassian cat , and he remembered his excitement for years to come. ( TNG : " Violations ")

Young Geordi spent time with both his parents as a child, sometimes separately. For a time, Geordi lived with his father, Edward, while Edward studied invertebrates in the Modean system . On other occasions, Geordi was away from his father, on outposts near the Romulan Neutral Zone with his mother, Silva. ( TNG : " Imaginary Friend ")

Geordi attended to Zefram Cochrane High School sometime prior to 2353 . ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Early Starfleet career [ ]

He attended Starfleet Academy from 2353 to 2357 , where he excelled at engineering and idolized Zefram Cochrane . ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Among his reading during the Academy, La Forge read about the USS Stargazer . ( TNG : " The Battle ")

La Forge graduated with a Starfleet specialty in antimatter power and dilithium regulators . His first deep-space assignment was as an ensign aboard the USS Victory under Captain Zimbata . ( TNG : " Elementary, Dear Data ") In 2362 , La Forge participated in the investigation of the disappearance of the Federation colony on Tarchannen III . ( TNG : " Identity Crisis ")

La Forge later transferred to the USS Hood , where he served under Captain Robert DeSoto . On the Hood, La Forge knew William T. Riker , but only professionally. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ") Riker knew La Forge the longest of all of their shipmates aboard the Enterprise , and the two developed a close friendship during their later years together at that assignment. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

At one point in his career as a young officer, La Forge was assigned to pilot Jean-Luc Picard on an inspection tour . En route to their destination, Picard made an off-hand remark about the shuttle 's engine efficiency not being what it should be. In response to this, La Forge stayed up all night refitting the shuttle's fusion initiators . When Picard discovered what La Forge had done the following morning, he knew immediately that he wanted La Forge with him on his next command. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

Aboard the Starships Enterprise [ ]

The enterprise -d [ ], conn officer [ ].

In 2364 , he was named conn officer on the USS Enterprise -D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

While investigating the deaths of the SS Tsiolkovsky crew , La Forge contracted a variant of polywater intoxication , causing him to lose his inhibitions. Dr. Beverly Crusher used La Forge to test her vaccines and was able to develop a cure. ( TNG : " The Naked Now ")

The first test of his ability as a starship commander came during an encounter with an advanced planetary defense system in orbit around the planet Minos . With the senior officers' away teams entrenched at the planet's surface, La Forge gave the order to send the Enterprise 's saucer section to safety and then returned to Minos with the stardrive section to work out a way of evacuating the away teams. While battling a cloaked drone in orbit, he devised a strategy to lure the opponent into the planet's atmosphere, thus revealing its location. In this tense situation, he proved that he had the ability to successfully lead a skeleton crew to victory. ( TNG : " The Arsenal of Freedom ")

His special vision was impressively demonstrated during an away mission to the drifting freighter Batris . The VISOR data was directly transmitted to the Enterprise -D's main bridge viewscreen via his visual acuity transmitter , allowing the bridge crew to gain an insight into Geordi's view of the world and to follow the progress of the mission until the datalink failed. ( TNG : " Heart of Glory ")

Chief Engineer [ ]

Lieutenant La Forge as chief engineer in 2365

In 2365 , La Forge was promoted to full lieutenant . He transferred from the command division to the operations division and was named chief engineer . Over the course of the next several years, it became evident that this transfer had been a wise decision. His technical and analytical abilities, his versatility, and his cooperative leadership style were very well suited to the requirements of a senior engineering officer aboard a major starship. Just one year later, in 2366 , he was promoted to lieutenant commander . ( TNG : " The Child ", " Hollow Pursuits ", " Evolution ")

An especially demanding situation arose in 2365, after the ship's main computer had been infected by an Iconian computer virus by way of the log files of the USS Yamato . Those files were the only useful item that remained of this Galaxy -class starship after a catastrophic loss of antimatter containment had caused it to explode with the loss of all hands. La Forge was eventually able to disprove suspicions of a general design flaw in Galaxy -class starships which had arisen when the alien program caused more and more shipboard systems to fail. Working with Lieutenant Commander Data , whose positronic brain had been infected as well, he found the solution to the problem in time to save the Enterprise -D from seemingly inevitable destruction. ( TNG : " Contagion ")

As a lieutenant commander

Geordi learned about one particular disadvantage of following in the footsteps of Starfleet's legendary engineers when members of a race known as the Pakled took him hostage, hoping to gain technological knowledge. Although injured, he successfully devised an escape method without further bloodshed. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

La Forge used a hologram of Dr. Leah Brahms , the engineer who designed the Galaxy -class, after the Enterprise was ensnared in a Menthar booby trap. He and the hologram Brahms worked extremely well together and figured out an escape route for the Enterprise . In the process, Geordi became strongly attracted to Brahms. ( TNG : " Booby Trap ", " Galaxy's Child ")

Later that year, Geordi was trapped on Galorndon Core with a Romulan named Bochra . He and Bochra at first tried to kill each other, but soon resolved their differences and worked together to survive. ( TNG : " The Enemy ")

In 2367 , he met the real Leah Brahms . La Forge was ecstatic at the chance to meet her, even if on a solely professional level, but he was in for a surprise. Whereas the hologram Geordi had assembled was kind, creative, and warm, the real Brahms was rude and, much to Geordi's chagrin, married. They worked together to solve a problem on board, but Dr. Brahms found out about the holoprogram and became infuriated. They were eventually able to laugh about it, but a romantic future for the two seemed unlikely. ( TNG : " Galaxy's Child ")

Temporarily transformed into an alien

He met an old friend named Susanna Leijten whom he had served with aboard the Victory . She told La Forge that several of their crewmates, with whom they had formed an Away team to Tarchannen III , had disappeared. Shortly afterward Leijten started to transform into an alien being. La Forge too became infected, but before he was transformed into an alien, he discovered that shadow aliens on the planet had implanted a parasite into the away team members that turned them into the aliens. This was how they reproduced. La Forge was rescued and given an antidote that stopped the transformation. ( TNG : " Identity Crisis ")

Undergoing severe brainwashing after having been captured by Romulans

At the end of 2367, La Forge was captured by the Romulans, who brainwashed him into assassinating the Klingon Governor Vagh . Klingon ambassador Kell worked with the Romulans from the inside. By tracing Kell's signal to La Forge's visor, they were able to stop the assassination attempt. ( TNG : " The Mind's Eye ")

When the Enterprise was hit by a quantum filament that caused massive power failure throughout the ship, La Forge and Dr. Crusher were trapped in a cargo bay with dangerous explosive materials. They daringly decompressed the bay while they were still in it, to jettison the materials into space. ( TNG : " Disaster ")

He worked with the scientists on Penthara IV after the planet's mantle was damaged by an asteroid hit. His first plan failed, but a new one more risky than the first worked and the planet was saved. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Time ")

Later that year, the Enterprise discovered an injured Borg drone in the Argolis Cluster . La Forge helped to repair the drone and, in the process, made friends with him, naming him " Hugh ". Starfleet initially planned to use Hugh to infect the Borg Collective , but Hugh's emotions, including those he felt towards his friend Geordi, prevented this plan. La Forge asked Hugh to remain onboard, but he declined in order to ensure the safety of the Enterprise . ( TNG : " I Borg ")

La Forge with Ro Laren in 2368

After answering a distress call from a Romulan ship, La Forge and Ro Laren disappeared during a transporter cycle. They could see each other and everything around them, but no one was aware of them, and they were presumed dead. They discovered that the Romulan distress call was related to an accident with their cloaking device , and decloaked themselves by creating enough chroniton fields to force Data to use Anyon particles to decontaminate the fields, which also rematerialized La Forge and Ro. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

La Forge with Deanna Troi in 19th century disguise

In 2369 , La Forge, along with the rest of the Enterprise principal crew, traveled back to 19th century Earth to save Data. In the process, Geordi encountered Samuel Clemens . ( TNG : " Time's Arrow ", " Time's Arrow, Part II ")

One of Geordi's dreams came true later that year, when the Enterprise answered a distress call sent out by the USS Jenolan . He discovered that the ship's transporters were configured in a strange manner and was able to rematerialize someone. That someone turned out to be Montgomery Scott , the Chief Engineer from the original USS Enterprise . Scott had preserved himself in the transporter buffer for 75 years. Geordi was initially overjoyed to be working with such a legend, but Scotty's constant nitpicking about 24th century technology led Geordi to snap at him. This plunged Scott into a brief depression. Geordi eventually consoled him, pointing out that age does not dictate usefulness, and the two worked together to save the Enterprise . ( TNG : " Relics ")

He was abducted by solanogen-based lifeforms , who experimented on him. ( TNG : " Schisms ")

Later that year, he became romantically involved with fellow Starfleet officer Aquiel Uhnari , who was suspected of murdering her coworker. He eventually proved that the murderer was a coalescent organism . ( TNG : " Aquiel ")

In 2370 , he was captured by Lore , who was leading a group of rogue Borg, who had left the collective due to the individuality Hugh displayed, which Geordi helped to foster, in attacks against the Federation. Lore brainwashed Data into attempting to turn La Forge into a cybernetic organism. This plot was narrowly foiled. ( TNG : " Descent, Part II ")

Later that year Geordi's mother, Silva , was listed as missing in action during a mission. Upon further investigation, Geordi found that her image was being used by aliens to lure him into helping them. ( TNG : " Interface ")

He helped to prove that the Hekarans Serova and Rabal were correctly asserting that warp drive was damaging the fabric of space, which was instrumental in creating the warp 5 "speed limit". ( TNG : " Force of Nature ")

La Forge realizes that a Warp core breach is about to occur.

In 2371 , while on an away team investigating the Amargosa observatory with Lieutenant Commander Data, Geordi was knocked unconscious by Tolian Soran . Soran then kidnapped Geordi and escaped aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey . The Klingons traded him for Captain Picard . They put a spy device in Geordi's VISOR and used it to obtain the Enterprise 's shield frequency. The device was removed after the destruction of the Klingon ship, but unfortunately the damage suffered from the Klingons caused a coolant leak which he was unable to fix. This meant a warp core breach was imminent and also meant the inevitable destruction of the Enterprise . ( Star Trek Generations )

The Enterprise -E [ ]

La Forge in engineering aboard the Enterprise -E

After the destruction of the Enterprise -D, he transferred to the new Sovereign -class USS Enterprise -E in 2372 . He and the Enterprise then spent a year on a shakedown cruise .

La Forge in 2373

Some time between 2371 and 2373, he received ocular implants capable of even more impressive functions than his VISOR. This advanced technology no longer required an external apparatus to see.

In 2373 , the Borg attacked the Federation colony on Ivor Prime. The Enterprise was told to patrol the neutral zone; Geordi argued that the Enterprise -E was the most advanced ship in the fleet and should therefore be at the front lines. After Geordi made his case, Captain Picard decided to head to the battle. After destroying the Borg cube , the Enterprise followed the Borg sphere that had left the cube into a temporal vortex it had opened in Earth's atmosphere.

Geordi, along with the entire crew of the Enterprise -E, was transported to 2063 . He and an engineering team beamed down to help repair the Phoenix , and La Forge got to work with his hero, Zefram Cochrane . He told Cochrane about his attendance at a high school named after him and a large marble statue erected in his honor. This rattled Cochrane, but he pulled together and made first contact as planned. The Enterprise then returned to the 24th century. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

At the helm of the Enterprise , 2375

In 2375 , while investigating an incident involving Data on the Ba'ku planet , La Forge was able to temporarily see naturally through real eyes as a result of the metaphasic radiation emanating from the planet's rings. Despite this apparent gift, he, along with the rest of the senior staff , still assisted Captain Picard in working against the Federation's plans to exploit the planet, insisting that he would be unable to look at another sunrise when he was fully aware of the price that the Ba'ku would have to pay for his restored vision; in doing so, he was able to convince a reluctant Picard to accept the crew's help in saving the Ba'ku. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

In 2379 , Geordi took part in the Enterprise 's mission to Romulus . After a fierce battle with the Scimitar , he helped his best friend Data in his task of self-sacrifice to save the Enterprise crew. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Later life [ ]

Geordi later rose to the rank of commodore and had two daughters, Alandra and Sidney , both of whom joined Starfleet. Alandra became an engineer like her father, while Sidney trained as a pilot, becoming the helmsman of the USS Titan -A . ( PIC : " The Next Generation ", " The Bounty ")

As of 2399 , retired Admiral Picard still considered La Forge a loyal colleague who would not hesitate to join him on a mission if asked. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

By the early 25th century , La Forge was the head of the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime , during which time Admiral Picard wanted to donate his artwork of the Enterprise -D to La Forge. ( PIC : " The Next Generation ")

During Frontier Day , La Forge revealed that he had spent the last twenty years rebuilding the USS Enterprise -D , intending to reveal her as a surprise one day. Although not fully rebuilt, the ship was functional enough to be pressed back into service against the Borg by her old command crew. ( PIC : " Võx ")

• Main article: VISOR

La Forge, who was born blind, often wore a VISOR , a crescent-moon-shaped device attached at the temples that allowed him to see. It enabled him to "see" throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, from heat and infrared through light and radio waves. With the cybernetic technology connected directly to his brain, it required such a complex and broad-based input that the user had to concentrate to focus on one area. Eventually, he received ocular implants with electric blue irises and even more abilities. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Masterpiece Society ", " Hero Worship ", " Heart of Glory "; Star Trek: First Contact )

Engineering interests, talents, and specialties [ ]

La Forge works to repair the Enterprise 's warp core .

La Forge had a great talent for engineering and a keen judgment for needed modifications in the field; his faith in technology and his ability to master it were normally an inspiration to those around him. As a junior officer, his specialties included antimatter power , dilithium regulators , holodeck programs , and climate-control computers . His intense focus enabled him to master the complexities of warp engineering and other starship systems. Geordi's all-night refit of a shuttle engine after an off-hand comment by Jean-Luc Picard garnered the attention of the captain , as it was a testament to his no- nonsense skill and insight. ( TNG : " The Last Outpost ", " Elementary, Dear Data ", " Homeward ", " Sub Rosa ", " The Next Phase ")

During the Zefram Cochrane project, he recalled the Phoenix test vehicle's intermix chamber from memory. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

During the 2369 visit to Deep Space 9 , Geordi wished to shop on the station's Promenade , where he wanted to take a look a number of Ktarian antiques on display, including a rumored 21st century plasma coil that was in perfect condition. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ")

Legendary forces [ ]

In 2063 , La Forge helped his idol Dr. Zefram Cochrane , Human scientist , eccentric genius, and inventor of the warp drive , to launch his warp test vessel Phoenix in order to make the historic initial meeting with the Vulcans . ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Similarly, when a transporter loop allowed Geordi to come into contact with the near-mythic engineer Montgomery Scott in 2369 , the two joined forces to free the Enterprise from a Dyson sphere 's interior. ( TNG : " Relics ")

Personal life [ ]

The major childhood trauma of being alone in his burning home caused him great distress, though he was pulled to safety after only two minutes. His isolation from his field-assigned officer parents amplified his feelings of solitude. ( TNG : " Hero Worship ")

Despite this, his outstanding characteristic was his adaptability to change and satisfaction with life. His sense of humor and affable nature remained strong, despite his growing responsibilities. ( TNG : " The Child ", " Code of Honor ", " The Masterpiece Society ", " Relics ")

He enjoyed the senior officer's weekly poker game, and though his artificial "eyes" allowed him to detect bluffing and see his opponents' cards in the ultraviolet spectrum , he never "peeked" until a hand was over. ( TNG : " Ethics ")

La Forge with a beard

On occasion, La Forge wore a beard . ( TNG : " The Outcast ", " A Fistful of Datas ", " The Quality of Life ") When he began showing stubble in early 2369 , he was asked by Data if he was attempting to grow another beard. When La Forge asked his opinion on the attempt, Data responded, " [a]s is the case with many natural growth processes, it is difficult to envision the end product based on an intermediate stage. " With that response, La Forge decided that he'd " [g]ive it a few more days. " ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ") La Forge continued to grow his beard in, and when asked by Worf if he intended to keep in, during one of their weekly poker games, La Forge was not sure at first; Riker, however, felt that it looked good on him. Their discussion lead to Dr. Crusher's challenge that the reason why men still wore beards, was that they were trying to hide something, and/or, that since the razor was invented , beards were little more than an affectation . While La Forge argued that "some of the most distinguished men in history have worn beards," when Crusher offer to "up the stakes" of their poker game, bet that the three men wouldn't be willing to shave their beards off if her hand won. La Forge took Crusher's bet and told him he had "the hand to beat". When it seemed as if La Forge bit off more than he could chew, their game was interrupted by Captain Picard with a call to return to duty , without knowing the hand's final outcome. ( TNG : " The Quality of Life ") He wore a beard again, in the form of a goatee , while serving aboard the USS Enterprise -E in the mid- 2370s . ( Star Trek: Insurrection , Star Trek Nemesis ) He also wore it in an alternate 2390 and in the anti-time future . ( VOY : " Timeless "; TNG : " All Good Things... ")

A model of the HMS Victory , built by Geordi La Forge

He also delighted in scale model building of old sailing ships, namely the HMS Victory , ing chess , swimming , skindiving , fencing , the history of his profession. ( TNG : " Elementary, Dear Data ", " The Loss ", " Relics ") He was not well suited for writing or the mandolin , despite a preference for guitar music. He liked iced tea and pasta , such as fungilli . ( TNG : " Booby Trap ") Due to his nomadic upbringing, he was adept at various languages including Haliian . ( TNG : " Aquiel ")

Personal relationships [ ]

Friendships [ ].

La Forge with Data in 2366

La Forge always tried to be on friendly terms with everyone around him, yet he only seemed completely at ease in company of his closest friend, Data. The two of them often role-played in holodeck simulations of Sherlock Holmes stories, in which Data assumed the role of Holmes and La Forge was Dr. Watson. ( TNG : " Elementary, Dear Data ", " Ship In A Bottle ")

Geordi was also close friends with Miles O'Brien and Susanna Leijten . Possibly because of his own tendencies to retreat to fictitious settings, Geordi became friends with the extremely shy and nervous genius Reginald Barclay , trying to keep him in reality. ( TNG : " Data's Day ", " Identity Crisis ", " Hollow Pursuits ", " The Nth Degree ") Geordi also forged an unlikely bond with fellow Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott after rescuing him from the crashed USS Jenolan . ( TNG : " Relics ")

Romance [ ]

Geordi was slightly insecure concerning dating and women, though he had significant relationships with Christy Henshaw , Lt. Aquiel Uhnari , and Dr. Leah Brahms. He may have also harbored a slight romantic attraction to his crewmate Natasha Yar . ( TNG : " Booby Trap ", " Transfigurations ", " Aquiel ", " The Naked Now ", " Hide And Q ")

Self-conscious and slightly nervous, it took him considerable effort to get in contact with potential female partners. This apparently contributed to his falling in love with two women's holographic audiovisual representations when it appeared that he would never get to meet them in person. ( TNG : " Booby Trap ", " Hollow Pursuits ", " Galaxy's Child ")

Christy Henshaw [ ]

Efforts to date Enterprise -D crewmate Christy Henshaw were initially unsuccessful, although she became much more interested in him after an encounter with the Zalkonian known as John Doe left him feeling much more confident. ( TNG : " Booby Trap ", " Transfigurations ")

Leah Brahms (hologram) [ ]

Working with a holographic representation of engineer Leah Brahms , a key member of the Galaxy -class Starship Development Project and, in a way, the mother of the Enterprise 's warp propulsion system, La Forge fell in love with her. Despite this attraction, he later noted that he still knew when it was time to turn off the holodeck and say goodbye.

Upon meeting the real, married Dr. Brahms one year later, in 2367, things were anything but rosy; after discovering the holoprogram, she resented his usage of her image and accused him of exploiting her. Both had to work hard to find a way of cooperating, but eventually they became friends. ( TNG : " Booby Trap ", " Hollow Pursuits ", " Galaxy's Child ")

Aquiel Uhnari [ ]

Investigating the supposed death of one and disappearance of another officer at a remote subspace relay station in 2369, Geordi reviewed the personal correspondence of the suspected victim, Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari. In the process, he came to know and like her so much that upon her unexpected apprehension, they formed a short relationship. ( TNG : " Aquiel ")

Alternate realities and timelines [ ]

In an alternate timeline created when the Enterprise -C accidentally traveled to the future, La Forge had been fighting in a war with the Klingons for the duration of his Starfleet career. He was still Chief Engineer, but was a lieutenant for reasons unknown. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

In two alternate quantum realities , La Forge was killed in 2370 . In one of them, he died during an attack on the Enterprise -D by a Cardassian Galor -class battle cruiser. ( TNG : " Parallels ") Later that year, in an alternate timeline , La Forge's optic nerves regenerated due to the anti-time particles emanating from a temporal anomaly , restoring his vision. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Geordi La Forge in 2390

In another alternate timeline , La Forge had been promoted to the rank of captain by 2390 and was in command of the Galaxy -class USS Challenger . In that year, he pursued Chakotay , Harry Kim , Tessa Omond and The Doctor in a stolen Delta Flyer to the Takara sector in an attempt to stop them from changing history by preventing the destruction of the USS Voyager fifteen years earlier . ( VOY : " Timeless ")

Geordi La Forge in the " anti-time future "

In an alternate future, around 2395 , Geordi had retired from Starfleet to become a novelist and was married to someone named Leah (possibly Leah Brahms ). The couple were living on Rigel III and had three children, Alandra , Bret and Sidney . Leah became the director of the Daystrom Institute as well as quite a gardener . ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Holograms [ ]

Geordi as one of The Three Musketeers : "We shall thrash them!!"

Geordi La Forge was holographically duplicated on a number of occasions.

• In 2366 , as part of the investigation into the destruction of the Tanuga IV research station , copies of Geordi were created based on the depositions given by the witness in the programs Deposition Program Riker One and Manua Simulation One . ( TNG : " A Matter of Perspective ")
• As part of Reginald Barclay 's holo-addiction , he created at least two programs that had representations of Geordi. One was a recreation of the USS Enterprise -D ; the other, Barclay Program 15 , had Geordi as one of The Three Musketeers . ( TNG : " Hollow Pursuits ")
• Barash recreated the entire command crew of the Enterprise -D in 2367 on Alpha Onias III to keep Commander Riker there, creating an illusion of the Enterprise crew sixteen years in the future. The La Forge hologram appeared without his VISOR – apparently the result of improved medical technology restoring his eyes – but Riker deduced that the simulation wasn't real when La Forge took too long to conduct basic repairs on the Enterprise (really the result of Barash having trouble creating a completely convincing simulation), informing La Forge that he was " incapable of that level of incompetence. " ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ")
• Later that year, La Forge created a holoprogram based on the reports of the Tarchannen III outpost 's investigation in 2362 by an away team of the USS Victory , including himself. ( TNG : " Identity Crisis ")
• The James Moriarty hologram recreated the entire Enterprise -D in 2369 as part of a ploy to escape the holodeck . Data finally realized the trap laid by Moriarty and revealed it to Captain Picard when they were both in the holographic engineering. Data tossed a tool to "La Forge" who caught it with his left hand, although he was actually right-handed. Data recognized this as one of the holodeck's initial malfunctions and used the visual lesson to show Picard that they were on the holodeck. ( TNG : " Ship In A Bottle ")
• When Deanna Troi took Riker's version of the Bridge Officer's Test in 2370 , it contained a recreation of La Forge. In order to pass the test, Deanna needed to know that on some occasions she might be required to order one of her officers to sacrifice himself for the good of the ship. During an antimatter leak simulation, Deanna ordered the La Forge recreation to repair the leak at the cost of his own life. ( TNG : " Thine Own Self ")

Chronology [ ]

• 2335  : Born in African Confederation , Earth .
• 2340s  : Receives his first VISOR .
• 2353  : Admitted to Starfleet Academy .
• 2357  : Graduates Starfleet Academy, assigned to USS Victory .
• 2361  : Assigned to USS Hood under Captain DeSoto .
• 2364  : Assigned to USS Enterprise -D as helmsman .
• 2365  : Promoted to lieutenant and chief engineer .
• 2366  : Promoted to lieutenant commander .
• 2370  : Receives word that his mother, Captain Silva La Forge of the USS Hera , has died.
• 2371  : The USS Enterprise -D is destroyed over Veridian III . ( Star Trek Generations )
• 2372  : Assigned to the USS Enterprise -E.
• 2373  : Travels back in time to 2063 in order to defeat an attempt by the Borg to create an alternate timeline in which the Federation is never created. ( Star Trek: First Contact )
• 2375  : Assists in Picard's rebellion against Starfleet Admiral Dougherty in order to protect the Ba'ku ; La Forge's eyes temporarily gain sight because of the Ba'ku planet 's effects. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• 2379  : Attends the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi . Participates in Battle in the Bassen Rift . ( Star Trek Nemesis )
• Between 2376 and 2401 : Has at least two daughters: Sidney La Forge and Alandra La Forge . Promoted to commodore and assigned curator of the Fleet Museum .

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " The Naked Now "
• " Code of Honor "
• " The Last Outpost "
• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Lonely Among Us "
• " Justice "
• " The Battle "
• " Hide And Q "
• " The Big Goodbye "
• " Datalore "
• " Angel One "
• " 11001001 "
• " Too Short A Season "
• " When The Bough Breaks "
• " Home Soil "
• " Coming of Age "
• " Heart of Glory "
• " The Arsenal of Freedom "
• " Symbiosis "
• " Skin Of Evil "
• " We'll Always Have Paris "
• " Conspiracy "
• " The Neutral Zone "
• " The Child "
• " Where Silence Has Lease "
• " Elementary, Dear Data "
• " The Outrageous Okona "
• " Loud As A Whisper "
• " The Schizoid Man "
• " Unnatural Selection "
• " The Measure Of A Man "
• " The Dauphin "
• " Contagion "
• " The Royale "
• " Time Squared "
• " The Icarus Factor "
• " Pen Pals "
• " Samaritan Snare "
• " Up The Long Ladder "
• " The Emissary "
• " Peak Performance "
• " Shades of Gray "
• " Evolution "
• " The Ensigns of Command "
• " The Survivors "
• " Who Watches The Watchers "
• " The Bonding "
• " Booby Trap "
• " The Enemy "
• " The Price "
• " The Vengeance Factor "
• " The Defector "
• " The Hunted "
• " The High Ground "
• " A Matter of Perspective "
• " Yesterday's Enterprise "
• " The Offspring "
• " Sins of The Father "
• " Allegiance "
• " Tin Man "
• " Hollow Pursuits "
• " The Most Toys "
• " Ménage à Troi "
• " Transfigurations "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Brothers "
• " Suddenly Human "
• " Remember Me "
• " Reunion "
• " Future Imperfect "
• " Final Mission "
• " The Loss "
• " Data's Day "
• " The Wounded "
• " Devil's Due "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " Night Terrors "
• " Identity Crisis "
• " The Nth Degree "
• " The Drumhead "
• " Half a Life "
• " The Host "
• " The Mind's Eye "
• " In Theory "
• " Redemption "
• " Redemption II "
• " Ensign Ro "
• " Silicon Avatar "
• " Disaster "
• " The Game "
• " Unification I "
• " Unification II "
• " A Matter Of Time "
• " New Ground "
• " Hero Worship "
• " Violations "
• " The Masterpiece Society "
• " Conundrum "
• " Power Play "
• " The Outcast "
• " Cause And Effect "
• " The First Duty "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " The Perfect Mate "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " The Next Phase "
• " The Inner Light "
• " Time's Arrow "
• " Time's Arrow, Part II "
• " Realm Of Fear "
• " Man Of The People "
• " Schisms "
• " Rascals "
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " The Quality of Life "
• " Chain Of Command, Part I "
• " Chain Of Command, Part II "
• " Ship In A Bottle "
• " Face Of The Enemy "
• " Tapestry "
• " Birthright, Part I "
• " Birthright, Part II "
• " Starship Mine "
• " Lessons "
• " The Chase "
• " Frame of Mind "
• " Suspicions "
• " Second Chances "
• " Timescape "
• " Descent "
• " Descent, Part II "
• " Liaisons "
• " Interface "
• " Gambit, Part I "
• " Gambit, Part II "
• " Phantasms "
• " Dark Page "
• " Force of Nature "
• " Inheritance "
• " Parallels "
• " The Pegasus "
• " Homeward "
• " Sub Rosa "
• " Lower Decks "
• " Thine Own Self "
• " Eye of the Beholder "
• " Genesis "
• " Journey's End "
• " Firstborn "
• " Bloodlines "
• " Emergence "
• " Preemptive Strike "
• " All Good Things... "
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek Nemesis
• VOY : " Timeless "
• " The Bounty "
• " Dominion "
• " Surrender "
• " The Last Generation "

Background information [ ]

Geordi La Forge was played by LeVar Burton in all of the character's television and film appearances.

The creation of the character began when Gene Roddenberry proposed having a disabled crewmember aboard the Enterprise . David Gerrold subsequently wrote a memo which listed various disabilities, from which Roddenberry selected blindness. Gerrold ultimately disapproved of how little of La Forge's face was usually visible due to wearing a VISOR. ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 98 & 99)

This character and all other La Forges were named for the late quadriplegic Star Trek fan George La Forge . ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (2nd ed., p. 256); Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 15); The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 99) After having helped select blindness as the character's disability, it was David Gerrold who suggested naming the character after George La Forge. " Gene thought that was a terrific idea, " Gerrold noted. ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 99) In the documentary " Trekkies ", however, Jonathan Frakes states that the fan's name was "Jordan".

After David Gerrold proposed the character should be named after George La Forge, it was also Gerrold who thought up the idea that Geordi La Forge be a black man. " I suggested that we didn't have any black people on the ship in terms of our regular characters, " Gerrold reflected, " and in keeping with the ethnic character of the show, and if neither the captain or the first officer were black, then it was perhaps Geordi who should be black. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 99)

The original Writers/Directors Guide for TNG , dated 23 March 1987 , had La Forge with somewhat different interests and talents than in the actual series. He wasn't listed as the helmsman or even a bridge officer, instead being simply an "away mission regular". His "specialty" aboard the Enterprise was the "starship school for children". The guide also stated that there was a plan to visit a planet where Geordi would receive the equivalent of Human eyes, "and their limitations lead to the major disappointment of his young life." ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Writers'/Directors' Guide , pp. 7 & 31)

Aside from LeVar Burton, other contenders who the preproduction staff considered casting as La Forge included Reggie Jackson , Tim Russ , Wesley Snipes , Victor Love , Chip McAllister , Clarence Gilyard, Jr. , and Kevin Peter Hall . As of 13 April 1987 , all those performers were being considered for the part, with Reggie Jackson appearing to be the favorite option. [1] According to Rick Berman in an interview in the 1995 special Star Trek: Voyager - Inside the New Adventure , Tim Russ auditioned for the role and almost got it, but was beaten by Burton. (Russ later won the regular role of Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager .)

It was Robert H. Justman who ensured LeVar Burton's audition, the two having worked together (on television movie Emergency Room ) in the past. Burton himself later remarked, "Star Trek certainly represented an opportunity to do good work. I like Geordi for a lot of reasons. First of all, his energetic attitude is much more loose than that of a lot of other characters. He has a sort of cynical sense of humor, and I like that about him. I liked the opportunity to play a character who is handicapped, yet that handicap has been turned into a plus for him, and there are all the emotional issues that go along with that. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 98)

Geordi has held more ranks on screen than any other Star Trek character: he was an ensign in a flashback in TNG : " Identity Crisis ", a lieutenant junior grade in TNG Season 1 , a full lieutenant in TNG Season 2 , a lieutenant commander in TNG Seasons 3 through 7 and the four Next Generation feature films, a commander in the illusory future of TNG : " Future Imperfect ", a captain in an alternate timeline in VOY : " Timeless ", and a commodore in PIC Season 3 . (For further information on who has held the most ranks on screen, see also Nog .)

Geordi is notable for easily establishing friendships with initially hostile aliens, such as Bochra in " The Enemy " and Hugh in " I Borg ".

Geordi La Forge appeared in the first draft script of VOY : " Death Wish ", though his part in the episode was rewritten to feature William T. Riker instead. Jonathan Frakes once explained that the reason La Forge was written out of the script was that LeVar Burton's head had recently been shaved and Burton, therefore, didn't look much like how audiences were used to seeing La Forge look. ( TV Guide , 17-23 Feb.) His cameo in VOY : " Timeless " was after audiences had already seen the changes in Burton's appearance in Star Trek: First Contact .

Geordi La Forge was also originally to have been referenced in VOY : " Flashback ". In the first draft of that episode's script, Kathryn Janeway critiqued, " You read the diaries of Geordi La Forge and what he saw on the Enterprise -D... and you realize that only some things have changed [since the 22nd and 23rd centuries , compared to the 24th century ]. " All mention of La Forge was excised from the episode by the time the final draft of the script was issued.

In 1999 , Geordi and his VISOR influenced the creation of an optical viewing device that was developed based on NASA technology to help the visually impaired see and read and was named JORDY (Joint Optical Reflective Display) after the character. [2]

In developing the characters for Star Trek: Lower Decks , Mike McMahan described all four leads in an 10 August 2020 TrekMovie.com interview as a combination of other Star Trek characters, parts of himself, and people in his life. Sam Rutherford gets some character traits from Geordi, symbolized by his cybernetic implant being "a half- VISOR ." McMahan described Rutherford as " really great at what he's doing, but he's not able to solve everything at the end of 40 minutes, because he's not the chief engineer on the Enterprise," that Rutherford is "still learning," and part of science is that sometimes he will test things and get things wrong. [3]

Apocrypha [ ]

Geordi La Forge in 2387 in Star Trek: Countdown

The comic book series Star Trek: Countdown , a tie-in to the 2009 Star Trek film, depicts Geordi as having left Starfleet by 2387 to design starships, including the Jellyfish , which is given to Spock prior to his confrontation with Nero . It is also established that Geordi was originally going to pilot the Jellyfish , but Spock convinced him otherwise as the mission the stop the Hobus supernova was a one-way trip and Geordi is still a young man, while Spock was reaching the end of his adventures. Spock also felt obliged to carry the mission out to the end, as it was he who first warned of the star's danger and who failed to predict when it would go nova. Having the modifications to the Jellyfish completed and the vessel ready for its mission into the Hobus star, Geordi informs Spock that the ship's controls are encrypted and will only respond to his voice. He then accompanies Captain Data and Ambassador Picard onboard the Enterprise -E as they go to assist Worf in his battle against Nero.

The novel Losing the Peace by William Leisner establishes Geordi's hometown as Mogadishu , Somalia , part of the African Confederation and a thriving 24th century city. This was later included in La Forge's biographical data seen in the remastered version of " Cause And Effect ".

The computer game Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Transinium Challenge establishes that Geordi's blindness was caused by an "incurable optical nerve defect."

The novel Ghost Ship establishes that Geordi was one of the few individuals who was able to successfully function with a VISOR as the VISOR was a very taxing prosthetic to wear because of the amount of energy it used and the painfully large amount of information it sent to the Human brain.

In The Path to 2409 from Star Trek Online , Geordi reentered Starfleet in 2397 and became the captain of the USS Challenger . He is played by TNG actor LeVar Burton first appearing in the mission "Beyond the Nexus", aiding the player in investigating the anomaly of the same name . He later appears helping establish a colony of Lukari and Kentari who are attempting to live together on a new world after being separated for centuries. He then helps the player repel a Tzenkethi attack on the colony, and later another Tzenkethi attack on Bajor , as well as joining the player in debriefing a Tzenkethi defector seeking asylum with the Alpha Quadrant Alliance.

In just about all the TNG novels set after the events of Star Trek Nemesis , La Forge's rank is established as being that of full commander .

In the Genesis Wave series, set in 2377 , Geordi La Forge admits his love for Leah Brahms, but assures her that he expects nothing in return. La Forge only asks her to meet him at an engineering conference in a few months' time, and she agrees.

In the novel Indistinguishable from Magic set in 2384 , La Forge served in a temporary detached role of operations and second officer aboard the USS Challenger under Captain Montgomery Scott . Their assignment was to investigate a phenomenon described as trans-slipstream drive. He was reunited with Dr. Brahms, who served the Challenger as a civilian specialist. Their reunion was awkward at first, but after Geordi was nearly killed in a battle with the former Ferengi DaiMon Bok , they began a romantic relationship. Scotty was badly injured and his first officer killed in the battle. Unable to meet Starfleet fitness requirements for service any longer, Scotty retired to become a civilian specialist like Dr. Brahms and recommended that Geordi be promoted to captain and take command of the Challenger . His first mission as captain was to continue investigating the trans-slipstream phenomenon. During their search, the Challenger was thrown outside the galaxy (along with a Romulan ship), where they found a spatial anomaly surrounding the remains of the Hera . They investigated the site, rescued the surviving Hera crew and learned that Geordi's mother died in a rockslide some time ago. The Challenger was destroyed in the process of getting the Starfleet crews and the Romulans home, and Tal Shiar chairwoman Sela returned the Starfleet officers to the Enterprise rather than hold them captive. When he returned to the Enterprise -E, Captain Picard named La Forge to the role of Captain of Engineering based on the precedent set by Scott in the same role aboard the USS Excelsior and the USS Enterprise -A . Dr. Brahms decides to stay with Geordi and moves in with him on the Enterprise .

The storyline in the Star Trek: Countdown comic indicates that La Forge and Brahms were married by 2387.

The eBook The Insolence of Office states that La Forge was ordered to have his VISOR replaced with ocular implants by Admiral Hayes or be reassigned to a less sensitive post. This was due to the Romulans manipulating La Forge through his VISOR in " The Mind's Eye " as well as the VISOR being used by the Duras sisters in their attack on the USS Enterprise -D in Star Trek Generations , which resulted in the destruction of the Enterprise .

Geordi pulled into the alternate reality by the quantum storm

In the thirtieth issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing series set in the alternate reality , Geordi appears when an anomaly called a "quantum storm" causes the crew of the USS Enterprise to meet gender-swapped versions of themselves and the quantum storm starts pulling in Enterprise crewmembers from infinite realities, with Geordi being pulled in and appearing next to the female version of Montgomery Scott .

Geordi La Forge in 2385 in Star Trek: Picard - Countdown

In the first issue of the prequel comic Star Trek: Picard - Countdown , Geordi is overseeing the construction of the evacuation fleet at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in 2385 before he is informed of a call from the USS Verity . After being told that the first wave of ships is ahead of schedule and could be in Romulan space within the month, La Forge takes the call, being greeted by Admiral Picard. Once Picard is informed of Starfleet's progress in constructing the escape ships, both he and Geordi express their dissatisfaction that even with the impending supernova, the Romulans still adhere to secrecy.

External links [ ]

• Geordi La Forge at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Geordi La Forge at Wikipedia
• Geordi La Forge at StarTrek.com
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

LeVar Burton Calls Geordi La Forge's Arc In Star Trek: Picard 'Completely Satisfying' [Exclusive]

The game show "Jeopardy" may have bungled its chance to have LeVar Burton take over as host, but at least we'll get to see him again as Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: Picard" season 3 . It's been over 20 years since Burton last appeared in live-action as Geordi, with the 2002 film "Star Trek: Nemesis" having served as the previous swan song for him and the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" crew. That leaves a lot of undocumented time and backstory to fill in for Geordi, who appeared as the captain of his own ship in the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Timeless" (filmed before "Nemesis," but set after it in the "Trek" timeline).

We know from pre-release interviews and trailers that  Geordi is a family man now , having finally found a healthy relationship and raised two daughters. One of them is a helm officer aboard the USS Titan in "Picard" season 3, and the other is an ensign played by Burton's real-life daughter, Mica Burton.

Still, that doesn't account for everything Geordi himself has been up to for the last two decades. /Film's Vanessa Armstrong recently caught up with Burton and was able to pick his brain about how he personally plugged the gap between "Nemesis" and "Picard" season 3. When asked about Geordi's backstory, Burton said:

"When I play a character, I always begin with who I am and discover those things that we have in common. And I think over time, I've been able to infuse more and more of LeVar into Geordi, and there's been a lot of Geordi that has bled into LeVar. I won't say that they completely blended, but I'm really familiar with this guy, Geordi La Forge. And the arc that [showrunner Terry Matalas] pitched me was one that was absolutely satisfying."

'A pretty rare gift'

In the last scene of "All Good Things" — the two-part series finale of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which aired in 1994 — Geordi La Forge and other USS Enterprise officers sit at their regular poker table, discussing an alternate future that Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has seen where they "all changed and drifted apart." Fast forward almost 30 years, and Geordi has already undergone significant onscreen changes in that he's no longer wearing his trademark VISOR. By now, he's long since traded it in for ocular implants, which allows us to see more of LeVar Burton, also known for hosting "Reading Rainbow" and playing Kunta Kinte in the original "Roots" TV miniseries.

While he won't be wearing the old VISOR again, Burton described the opportunity to slip back into the rest of Geordi's wardrobe as a "gift," saying:

"You have to remember, we didn't think this was ever going to take place. This is like, 'Wow.' It's been a couple of decades since we've donned these costumes and played these characters again. And the opportunity to do that with the additional 20 years of growth and development and the richness that we have mined in our personal lives, to be able to bring that to this experience, to these characters in this season of 'Picard' is a pretty rare gift."

Burton also teased some potential conflict between Geordi and his fellow "Star Trek: Next Generation" veterans, saying they "obviously have a lot of love and respect for each other, but they live different lives now." He concluded by saying, "I think that part of what Geordi's character brings is that reminder that we have a lot of history, but my priorities have changed."

"Star Trek: Picard" season 3 premieres on Paramount+ on February 16, 2023.

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Star Trek: Picard : Next Generation ‘s LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn and Gates McFadden Join Final Season

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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Star Trek: Picard is bringing in a barrage of familiar faces for its third and final season. Streaming TV Scorecard: Renewals, Cancellations and Premiere Dates View Gallery 9 Images

Paramount+ announced Tuesday that Star Trek: The Next Generation alums LeVar Burton (who played Geordi La Forge), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), and Michael Dorn (Worf) have been added to the Season 3 cast.

Plus, fellow franchise vets Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner — who all appeared in Season 1 — are also set to return as Riker, Troi and Data, respectively.

Watch the casting announcement in the above video. 

“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction,” Terry Matalas, who will serve as the showrunner for Season 3, said in a statement. “So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”

Related Stories And Just Like That : Rosie O’Donnell Joins Season 3 Cast Dan Schneider Files Defamation Suit Against Quiet on Set Producers, Says Docuseries Is a ‘Hit Job’

Season 2, which is currently streaming, finds the legendary captain and his crew on a journey into the past. Picard must “enlist friends both old and new to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future — and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes,” per the official description.

The season saw Whoopi Goldberg return as Picard’s longtime friend and confidant Guinan. In addition, John de Lancie reprised his role as Q, the omnipotent shapeshifter who revels in testing Picard, and Annie Wersching ( Bosch ,  The Vampire Diaries ) recurred as the Borg Queen, the infamous villain first introduced in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact (played then by Alice Krige). Jeri Ryan currently stars as Star Trek: Voyager’s Seven.

Are you excited to see the Next Generation gang assemble for Season 3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

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58 comments.

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How AWESOME!! Bummer there’s only going to be 3 seasons, but still great news! Now.. bring back Wil Wheaton and all will be right as rain!!

What? No Will Wheaton? 🤣

Will Wheaton is a really terrible actor.

Cooper!!!!!!

You’re crusin’ for a beatin’, Wheaton!

I diasgree. He did really well in the movie “Stand By Me”

How could no not mention Jeri Ryan who is playing a key role this season????

They say in the article that Ryan stars as Seven.

What more do you need?

Sorry my bad…missed the last sentence.

When was it announced that it was ending? Did I miss something?

It was announced in January, by Patrick Stewart.

Yea Stewart announced it a while ago. They did season 2 and 3 back to back. Season 3 is already wrapped so it’ll be out next year. Stewart is in his 80s, he wanted to make sure he was able to close the character for fans and didn’t know how many seasons he could do

Season 3 hasn’t wrapped, there’s still a few months more of filming.

Oops, thinking of a different ST show lol.

Yes, thank you.

So they’re coming together for the end of a robot Picard clone’s journey, but missed the death of their actual friend, who remains unmourned. I wonder if Worf will look like the ridiculous new fishy Klingons? I really want to love Star Trek, but the writing on the recent shows has been horrible. They’ve butchered characters that I’ve loved for decades. It would have been easier to forgive some of this mess if they hadn’t trampled on what came before. TNG didn’t step on TOS, it built onto the lore. DS9 didn’t trample on TNG. Part of what made those shows work was how they respected the past. When DS9 went back in time, they went to TOS, not a reimagined universe, with modernized versions of old characters. When Bones, Scotty and Spock appeared on TNG, they didn’t have entirely new personalities. People will accuse me of hating it because of politics or whatever. Or they’ll tell me to shut up and ignore it if I don’t like it. But Star Trek always had politics and Star Trek fans have always had disagreements. I’ve been a fan for many decades and I have a right to my opinions now. Right now, Star Trek lacks the writing talent to deliver good stories, political or not. It is sad that nobody who controls this classic and beloved franchise actually cares enough to respect what they own.

I think the issue is that they are attempting to write for and target a younger audience and demographic which means changing things up and altering personalities to fit today’s narratives etc. I don’t see it as being political. It’s just that today’s tastes have changed tremendously from what they were. Even with time travel, the old method of trying to keep it all contained within a single timeline…to many people that is boring now, so there is always a need to do something differently in an attempt to keep the storyline “fresh and exciting.” There are so many factors at play for a tv show to even get a greenlight in the first place but looking beyond the network and studio expectations…in the case of Picard I don’t think Patrick Stewart would’ve signed on if the storyline wasn’t something new and “fresh” to him, etc. So while I don’t necessarily like the storyline they have presented, I am grateful for it because I don’t think it would’ve happened if they had attempted this in a different way and how sad that would be if Patrick Stewart didn’t return and play the character a final time. And as for Discovery…I don’t really “get” that show but it does have some aspects that I appreciate just the same. Today’s Trek is definitely not the same as what I grew up with but I do like that new fans are being gained by these efforts and the old shows will live on forever thanks to streaming and syndication reruns. Anyway, I replied to you directly because I wanted to say I understood where you are coming from. Have a nice day!

Thanks for the reply. Honestly, I expect mostly anger and hate from fans of the new Trek, which is sad. Conversation was always a fun part of fandom before. I do agree that they are writing it a bit younger, but as a kid, I never thought of Trek characters as old or boring. They were mature, thoughtful adults, in a professional environment. Role models (Sisko was the one I most related to. A man of faith, family and honor). Today’s Trek characters feel more shallow, and their actions feel immature, and without repercussions. Trek used to make us think (Measure of a Man, I Borg, The Offspring) but it seems like the only way to appreciate new Trek is to watch it while also scrolling social media on your phone and not paying too much attention. They talk about bringing Picard’s journey to an end, but have they even asked the people who wrote Picard’s journey to be a part of this series? New Trek usually feels like fanfic, written by mostly Star Wars fans. I’ve had a really hard time letting go of watching these shows, because they’re damaging what came before. I think the franchise would have been better off if they hadn’t created these shows, because I don’t see a lot of new fans joining the party. Star Trek always had a sort of generational fandom, passed from parents to kids. I don’t think these new shows have that same appeal. I wouldn’t sit down with the kids in my family to watch Icheb get butchered. I do have to let go though. It would just be easier if TNG cast members didn’t add to the mess.

I too fear what Worf may look like. And that people don’t get why that’s an issue concerns me.

If he looks different, he isn’t Worf. If he looks the same, the shows just shot themselves in the foot. Unless Picard and Discovery are different universes. That seems to be the solution for everything these days.

I recall an interview with Kurtzman where he stated that if they brought back Work he would like he normally does.

Put me in the ‘Discovery is an alternate universe’ camp. I can squint and almost see how Picard Season 1 fits in (though, it is a stretch), but I can’t do that with Discovery.

*Worf – stupid auto-correct.

Every single Star Trek show has had Klingons that look different. Discovery isn’t even the most different from Worf – in the original series they were literally just humans with longer eyebrows. I don’t see Discoverys Klingons as a problem – It’s entirely possible there are different races of Klingon, and the only real differences between TNG and Discovery are skin colour and hair – It’s been canon since TNG that every Klingon has unique forehead ridges.

I feel yo Kyle and that’s my opinion of alot of reboots now days. I get the feeling that the writer are always trying to reinvent lore to fit into the now. They are missing the point.

This is why Ghostbusters Afterlife works whereas the 2016 movie didn’t. The wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented. Embrace the past and carry it with you as you move forward. It really isn’t a hard concept. DS9 did this… whole new look, new design for a starfleet ship, new themes, new storytelling style, and while not everyone loved it, it was always true to its roots.

Every time I hear people complain about the “new” Klingon look, I imagine fan letters the studio must have gotten after Star Trek III and the new-look Klingons. Or how the early internet must have been up in arms after they changed Worf’s look mutliple times during the run of TNG.

As for trampling on the previous shows, I don’t see it. Spock was known to go rogue and not share details about his life to his closest friends. Picard I can absolutely picture feeling betrayed by the Federation and being bitter after having devoted his life to it. Seven is pretty much the same person. We never knew Pike well enough to compare him to the new version. Now, the Kelvin-timeline movies, those characters have definitely deviated from the originals, but doesn’t trample on the original, at least in my opinion, because they didn’t erase the original timeline. It’s just something truly new.

They didn’t change the look of Vulcans because they are too iconic. They didn’t change the look of the Borg too much, because they are iconic. Same with the Romulans. Trills, and others. Changing the Klingons (despite literally hundreds of hours of screen time at this point) was just a weird attempt at marking their territory. The look was changed in the earlier movies because they could finally give them a more iconic look. The Discovery redesign is not an improvement or some advanced technique. They threw away decades of world building of one of the most iconic species in all of fiction, and made them ugly, muddy, immobile, unrelatable and just bad. To complain is not a petty nitpick. They look like bloated fish. If you can enjoy the new shows, I have no problem with that. But I would disagree about Seven as well. She doesn’t look or act anything like Seven. Seven was brilliant. A scientist, who was also science itself. She spoke differently (her Borg accent, if you want to look at it that way) and carried herself differently. This new character is just a generic, bland character. Even Jeri Ryan said that she didn’t see Seven in there. Again, I’m glad you can enjoy this stuff. I just can’t.

That’s fine, and don’t get me wrong – I don’t like the new Klingon look. It just doesn’t bother me that much. It just adds to the mythos of their ever evolving look in my mind. Maybe there was just an unforeseen issue with the cure Dr. Phlox developed.

As for Seven’s character, I think it would have been very depressing if her character was the same as in Voyager. Her whole arc on the show was about the journey from Borg drone to human. I would certainly hope that 20 more years living as a human would further bring out her humanity.

and oh remember micheal dorn first played worf in the search for spock, and then when they were about to do a new tv show they brought him back

What do you mean Seach for Spock?

If you mean Undiscovered Country, that Worf was TNG Worf’s grandfather, Mogh’s father.

That’s….the exact opposite of the truth. Michael Dorn played Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI as a reference to Mogh’s father, his grandfather.

Yep during season 3 of tng I believe

You were probably pissed about a female captain when VOY premiered “because of politics or whatever.”

Happy to the return of familiar faces.

Disappointed there wil only be one more season.

Huzzah! Can’t wait.

This is great news but if these STNG characters are returning does that mean that the current cast goes thier separate ways after this season? It seems that by making this known the producers are clearly sticking to thier notion of wrapping up Picard’s story by the end of season 3. I read that STP could continue after season 3 if Sir Patrick Stewart wanted to do so. I would like a longer run to ST Picard. I can understand though a 3 season run if the producers feel that they told a completed story.

If there’s enough there to continue the story without Patrick Stewart they’ll spin the rest of those characters off into their own path of stories like they’re doing with Discovery and Brave New Worlds.

Jerry Ryan tweeted a few weeks ago that shooting on Season Three has been completed.

I really hope Q sends them to the Stranger Things alternate reality in Season 3. The prospect of Jeri Ryan and Millie Bobbie Brown meeting in an old 80’s 7-11 would blow everyone’s mind. Gotta keep it “edgy” or the younger generation won’t wanna watch it, right?

Would Love To See The Original Cast Of Star Trek Next Generation Together Again One Last Time, But Can’t Afford Paremont +, Wish It Was On Regular TV.

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Picard might want to look into the audiobook Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir, by Brent Spiner who pays Data and the Soong doctors. It’s a totally fictional memoir surrounding a mystery involving a crazy Star Trek fan back when they were filming the show. I specifically recommend the audiobook because it’s narrated by Spiner himself, and his ST:TNG co-stars all voice their dialogue. And you know Levar Burton must be a really nice guy, good friend and have a healthy sense of humor to sign up to portray himself like that.

Looking forward to the last couple of seasons!!

Wonderful!!!!!

So exciting – the gangs all getting back together!!!

OMGGGGGGGGGG!!!! This is the best sci-fi news ever (well, right up there with a refreshed Babylon 5)!! Awesome! Awesome! Can’t wait! Kudos to everyone with their hands in on this decision (obviously Patrick Stewart had everything to do with this Season 3 decision. Brilliant Sir Patrick, Brilliant!!)

The perfect gift for the TNG fans…….decades later. How wonderful. Thank you so much.

It’s a shame they didn’t get Colm J. Meaney to return as Miles O’Brien. And im still holding out hope for a secret appearance by Kate Mulgrew.

No Wil Wheaton, no party.

I didn’t realize it was ending with S3.

Me neither… it’s a bit disappointing hearing that, though it’s understandable with Patrick Stewart’s age.

I think that’s terrific, and I hope they take over and it becomes like a new season of TNG, but if they can do this, why can’t they bring back William Shatner and do one more story with Captain Kirk, getting a better ending than he got in Generations? It’s Star Trek and sci-fi, so death need not be the end, and with de-aging technology, Shatner’s age need not be an issue. Even if it’s on TV with a limited run, it would be awesome and a nice thing for fans of the original series.

Heck yeah! I’m there for it.

Why does it have to be a final season?????

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How Picard Season 3 Finally Broke a Classic Star Trek “Mandate”

The New Next Generation is here.

It’s hard to believe, but 30 years ago, as The Next Generation began its seventh and final season, there were still vocal Trekkie haters who claimed the show wasn’t really Star Trek. How times change. What was once the “new” Star Trek — a 1987 sequel to a 1960s sci-fi series — is now retro.

In 2023, Picard Season 3 is the second coming of The Next Generation. But, according to the people who made it, this season isn’t just about looking back. The callbacks may be tied to the ‘90s, but for showrunner Terry Matalas, his cast, and crew, this season is all about pushing the franchise into a brave new style of Star Trek storytelling.

Launched in 2020 , Star Trek: Picard sought to tell ruminative down-to-Earth stories about the struggles and further adventures of a much older version of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Often called the Star Trek version of Logan , the tone of Picard has always been more earnest and darker than in The Next Generation. Despite its merits — including nuanced writing from Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon — aspects of Season 1 rubbed fans the wrong way. And while most hardcore fans loved the new Stargazer in Season 2, there’s debate on whether or not that season stuck the landing.

But now, it seems with Picard , the third time’s the charm. The advance buzz for Season 3 is overwhelmingly positive, with all critics noting there’s a pretty big tonal shift here. But how did it happen?

A new Picard story

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Jeri Ryan in 'Picard' Season 3.

“This season came to me very fast,” showrunner Terry Matalas tells Inverse . “I knew what all the big moves are and I had to sell it to Patrick [Stewart], to Secret Hideout, and to Paramount+ very quickly.” Matalas joined the Picard creative team after Season 1, and the tonal and aesthetic differences with Season 3 are all the result of his vision. Before joining Picard , and before helming the SyFy reboot of 12 Monkeys , Matalas was a production assistant on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise . His nerd street cred is clear.

Although series star Patrick Stewart had initially been resistant to bringing back too many TNG characters just for the sake of it, Matalas won him over with the overall pitch for the season. Johnathan Frakes, who returns as Riker, and directs two episodes this season, was there when Matalas outlined his vision to Captain Picard himself.

“Before we started, Terry had lunch with me and Patrick [Stewart], and was very upfront about what he wanted to do,” Frakes says. “He asked if Patrick was cool with it, and Patrick was all in.”

Conflict on the Bridge

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: Picard Season 3

In Picard Season 3, the stakes are bigger, and the tone is closer to classic Star Trek feature films. “We wanted this season to be something monumental for this crew,” Matalas reveals. “It had to feel big, the same way The Undiscovered Country was for the original crew. The stakes have to be high because this is the last go at it.”

By now, most fans know that all seven cast members from The Next Generation are reunited in this season, along with a few secret surprises from the ‘90s Trek yet to be revealed. But, for the returning cast, there was a big difference between Picard Season 3, and the heyday of The Next Generation . In the ‘90s, the crew of the Enterprise didn’t argue with each other. In Picard Season 3, conflict is everywhere.

“In the original Next Gen the mandate was no conflict among the main bridge crew,” LeVar Burton says. “And that was tricky and unnatural. So, this was delicious to play, it was great fun.”

Because the show is still called Picard , you can easily guess which character Geordi La Forge (Burton) finds himself in conflict with. But he’s not the only one. Jean-Luc’s reunion with Beverly Crusher is also brimming with down-to-Earth conflict. For McFadden, the material in this season was bigger than anything she was ever able to do on TNG .

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher in Picard Season 3.

“I wish we'd had more scenes like this earlier on,” she says. “It was fantastic because Patrick and I are both theatre actors. So, it’s wonderful to just have a scene where you can really go for it.”

Stewart agrees with McFadden and notes that part of why he even agreed to do Picard at all, was because of the tonal difference of the series. “Some experiences that these characters have had, some are good. Some are not so good,” Stewart reveals reflectively. “And that had a strong effect on me and made it possible for me to sometimes sink a bit low in mood and temperament. I think it’s closer to real life.”

A new Star Trek ship, a new crew

While the final season of Picard creates an exciting story that allows The Next Generation cast to shine in bold new ways, it’s not only about the old gang. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — who appeared in the two previous seasons of Picard — return here. And through these characters, the future of Star Trek beyond this moment might be glimpsed. Seven, of course, originated on Star Trek: Voyager , but her arc in Picard has turned her into a much more well-rounded character. And this time out, she’s finally in Starfleet, the first officer on the USS Titan , and constantly sparring with Captain Liam Shaw, played by Todd Stashwick, probably famous to sci-fi fans for his role in the TV version of 12 Monkeys.

Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw.

In the first episode, fans will notice that Shaw and Seven don’t get along. Like, at all . But Stashwick says this isn’t a mistake. It’s by design. “When choosing a first officer, you don't want someone who agrees with you,” he explains. “You want to have a dissenting opinion. You want to have someone who is the things you aren't.”

The Titan bridge is rounded out by several newcomers, too, perhaps most notably, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Sidney La Forge, one of the daughters of Geordi La Forge, who is the helmsman of the new USS Titan . Chestnut tells Inverse she decided to create a consistent way to control the Titan , by repeating certain patterns with her hands. “There’s a method to my madness if you look closely at my hands!” she says with a laugh. Sidney’s journey is also bigger than it might seem. But, detailing too much about her character, or, for that matter, Ed Speleers' new role, might be a spoiler. For now, let’s just say, there are plenty of new Starfleet heroes in Picard Season 3.

The future of 25th-Century Star Trek

(Picard) Patrick Stewart, Seven (Jeri Ryan), and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) on the bridge of the USS Titan in the debut episode Picard Season 3, “The Next Generation.”

Whether or not Star Trek: Picard Season 3 leads to a new season of a different Star Trek series remains to be seen. For now, this is the ending of this series and the ending of the story of The Next Generation crew. And the feeling will remind fans of the 1987-2005 era of Star Trek. But, Picard Season 3 is also a contemporary television show, and that means massive twists are coming, and the drama won’t unfold in the style of ‘90s Trek.

“I’m really interested in telling human stories,” Matalas says. “In terms of television, one influence on me is very much Ron Moore’s Battlestar. I like those situations where everybody's right and everybody's wrong. It’s really great dramatic territory.” Matalas explains his views on how to write effective twists and mystery boxes slightly differently than other showrunners in the business: “There is a practice in some writers' rooms that, if the audience can guess what you're doing, don't do it. And I don't subscribe to that. You have to accept the fact that the audience may guess what's going on, but they have to like it, too.”

Matalas is quick to point out he didn’t write the season by himself. He reteamed with two of his 12 Monkeys collaborators, Sean Terretta and Chris Monfette, and sings the praises of the other Picard writers, Cindy Appel, Jane Maggs, and Matt Okumura. “I had a tremendously brilliant writing staff. They worked really hard under difficult time constraints and a lot of pressure. And they shined through it all.”

Will team Matalas continue to tell stories set in the 25th Century era of Star Trek? The showrunner reveals that when one fan told him that this felt like the “beginning of the Terry Matalas era of Star Trek,” at first, he “winced.” At first.

“But, then, after I thought about it, I understood what they meant,” he says. “There is a different kind of tone here that blends a lot of different kinds of storytelling. I just hope people respond to it.”

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 debuts on Paramount+ on February 16, 2023. It will consist of 10 episodes.

• Science Fiction

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3: LeVar Burton and Mica Burton on the La Forge Family Dynamic

They also tease the scenes fans should keep a close eye on for Easter eggs, and the spin-off potential for 'The Next Generation' kids.

The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard is shaping up to be one of the best seasons of Star Trek —ever—and a large part of that is due to the care that has gone into crafting a long-overdue Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion. The first handful of episodes reunited Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) with William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ), as they set off across the galaxy on a mission to rescue Dr. Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) and her son Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ), who she had hid from Picard for twenty years.

With the Changeling threat looming over all of them , Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Titan find themselves at the Fleet Museum in Episode 6, where Geordi La Forge ( LeVar Burton ) and his daughter Alandra La Forge ( Mica Burton ) are pulled into the slowly unraveling mystery, reuniting them with old friends and La Forge's other daughter Sidney La Forge ( Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut ). At New York Comic Con last year, in addition to revealing The Next Generation cast that would be returning for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, it was revealed that LeVar Burton's real-life daughter Mica Burton , would be officially joining the Star Trek family as La Forge's daughter Alandra.

Ahead of the Episode 6 premiere , Collider had the opportunity to sit down and speak with LeVar and Mica Burton about working together on the third season of Star Trek: Picard , in addition to discussing how this Geordi La Forge compares to the anti-time future Geordi La Forge in The Next Generation finale, what it was like for Mica to work with her on-screen sister Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, where she thinks Alandra would fit into a potential spin-off, and what they can tease about the rest of the season, including an Easter egg that fans should keep an eye out for.

COLLIDER: So in the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale, Geordi has kids in the anti-time future, which happened to also be named Alandra and Sidney. How would you compare that version of Geordi with this version?

LEVAR BURTON: In this version, we are certain that the mother of Geordi's children is not Dr. Leah Brahms.

Okay, interesting. Is that something that we might learn, or is there somebody that you have in mind in your head when you're playing the role?

MICA BURTON: Beyoncé. I've made it canon that our mother is Beyoncé. Terry Matalas has confirmed it on Twitter.

Oh, well, there you go. Mica, one of the highlights of the Star Trek panel at New York Comic-Con last year was the announcement that you would be joining your dad in the series. It was so great, I was with my mom, and I was right behind you in the theater, and it was just the coolest thing. But I'm really curious to know what the process was like for you joining the show.

MICA: Well, it wasn't something that I think my dad and I ever thought was going to happen, seeing as I really love to make my name outside of his, and also, I was never a fan of Star Trek … I was a Star Wars kid. But, when Terry wrote this new story for Geordi, and it involved daughters, and it coincided with a time in my career that I felt I had established myself in my own right, and now would be a really fun time to work with my dad, the opportunity presented itself to audition. And audition I did.

Excellent. I worked on a superhero movie with my mom, and it was like the coolest experience to share together. What was this like for both of you to work together in Star Trek ?

LEVAR: On many levels, it was next level. Because not ever having expected this, this soon in her career, this comes as a great surprise, as well as a great gift. And she's been a part of the Star Trek family behind the scenes, off-camera for the whole of her life. She was actually born just a couple of weeks after we finished Star Trek Generations .

Actually, no. In fact, no. She was supposed to have been born a couple of weeks after we finished Generations , but she came a little early. I finished Generations , was going to go on a personal retreat up to the mountains, and the night before I left for retreat, she came.

MICA: I am so sorry I ruined your trip.

LEVAR: So I say that to say, what a thrill it was for me to work with her, but also to see her work with the rest of the cast that have been members of her family since she got here.

MICA: Yeah, I don't think I remember a time in my life without Uncle Michael, Uncle Patrick, Aunt Marina, Aunt Gates, et cetera, et cetera. They've always been there. So it was such a phenomenal experience. And, being as we are all also professional actors, it was incredibly business and professional when the cameras were rolling, but to be able to sit off-set with people that you've known for almost three decades, I'll never have an opportunity like this again. This is a very once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

LEVAR: But also, to see how all of these other professionals, both in front of and behind the camera, regarded Mica as another professional in the mix. That makes both her mother and me very proud.

It's very exciting. Mica, for you in Episode 6, we see that Alandra is a little bit more like her dad than Sidney is, but what would you say is Alandra's guiding light for how she navigates her career and her life?

MICA: I think it really is, it is her father. A mannerism I picked up from my dad on set that he didn't notice until he saw the first picture of us in uniform together, is that I hold my hands exactly how he holds his hands in front of him and behind him. And I think that that is kind of who Alandra is. She so much looks up to her father that she so much wants to be like him, but also envies Sidney for having the courage to be somewhat different. But I think that both sisters have their own little mini versions of Geordi in themselves.

I love that. LeVar, going back to you. I know all of you that have been in The Next Generation , you have a little bit of ownership in terms of your characters and the things you've talked about them over the years in that interim time. But for you, how much do you have mapped out for what's been going on in his life over these last 20 years, or so?

LEVAR: None, except to say he got married and had kids, and it wasn't with Leah Brahms.

Something I really love about Picard is how they've brought back The Next Generation characters and shown that they haven't stayed stagnant from the last time we saw them. They've evolved, for better and for worse, and it makes for really compelling television. Can you talk about playing Geordi as someone who seems a little bit more by-the-books than he was maybe the last time we saw him?

LEVAR: I guess in terms of filling in the blanks, there is more than what I just said because obviously there's been a lot of professional development that has happened in the intervening years. Geordi is an admiral, and is in charge of one of the most precious assets–

MICA: Commodore.

LEVAR: Commodore. Well, that's a Rear Admiral. Commodore is a Rear Admiral.

MICA: I'm sorry I don't know the naval terms! Commodore La Forge, not Admiral La Forge.

LEVAR: You're right, you're right. You're absolutely right. Geordi is a commodore .

MICA: Thank you.

LEVAR: And he's in charge of the Starfleet Museum, which is one of the most precious resources that the Federation owns. Yeah, and he is a parent, and Picard is gallivanting around the galaxy with my kid, Sidney. And Geordi feels a certain way about Picard putting her in danger. So yeah, Geordi is a little bit more by the book. Geordi isn't all lovey-dovey. When we first encounter him in Episode 6, he has a few things he needs to get off his chest.

Just a few. Mica, now that we've seen this glimpse of the next generation of The Next Generation with Sidney and Alandra, and Jack, I feel like the audience is not going to want to let go of these characters. If there is any hope of a potential spinoff—I know Terry and so forth on Twitter have been really hoping for something like that, and I know fans are as well—how do you think Alandra would fit into something like that?

MICA: I mean, Alandra is an engineer. She knows exactly her position, she knows that position well. She'll fit in on any Starship, and also she needs to keep an eye on her sister. Older sisters aren't always right. Older sisters don't always know what they're doing. You need the younger sister's intuition to kind of be there and keep her out of trouble. So I think that any sister dynamic is always fun to watch happen, any sibling dynamic. So two siblings on a Starship, that's never happened before. We need to see that. We need to see how that would go down. I would love to continue this role, and I know that Ashlei Sharpe, who plays Sidney, she has become my sister in real life. Ed and I have also become great friends. All three of us are pals. We would love to continue being the next Next Generation together.

I love that. What has it been like for you getting to explore this sister dynamic with Ashlei?

MICA: So fun. [It’s] just me in my household, I'm the only burden, so I've never had a sibling, I've never had a sister. So, to come in and feel like I have a sister every day on set– I mean, Ashlei and I would text each other every day. We still do. We hang out all the time. She came to Thanksgiving at our house during Picard filming because she didn't have enough time over break to go home. So we were like, "Obviously, you're part of our family." And she really is.

I mean, she was there every step of the way while I was meeting my now-boyfriend, giving me advice, helping me craft texts, and they finally got to meet at the Picard premiere and it was almost like they already knew each other. It was great. I really do feel like—I know it's such a cliche that my onscreen sister is like my sister, but I would fight a million people for Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, over and over again.

Well, that's how you know she's a real sister now because she's been helping you craft those texts.

MICA: I know! I was like, we've already done girl-talk, sleepover time, and she's helped me nail down my boyfriend. I genuinely don't know if I would've been as smooth in my texts without Ashlei's help.

I love that so much. LeVar, for you, something I've really been impressed with this season of Picard is the amount of Easter eggs and hidden nuggets that can be found, that are built into this set. Were there any that you saw that really caught your attention or something that was like, this is how they know Geordi?

LEVAR: Absolutely. Can I talk about them? I don't think... Can I?

MICA: There's not a lot we can talk about.

LEVAR: I'll say yes, there are, and I can say this: watch very closely at the phone call that Geordi has with Picard. When my character enters the adventure, pay close attention to the environment that Geordi is in.

Okay, that's a good tease. This is a question for both of you, it's a little bit fun. I really love that scene in Episode 6 where Jack and Seven are looking at all of the ships that are at the Fleet Museum. If you could abscond with one of the iconic Star Trek ships, which one would you choose?

MICA: Honestly, and maybe this is because I'm biased, it would be the Titan [which] is, technically, now iconic. It would be the Titan , and no offense, it's because so many of the older ships are carpeted, and I really don't vibe with that. I feel like that's a hazard waiting to happen. I don't want to have to bring a carpet cleaner to space, so I'm going to go with the Titan . No offense to your Enterprise .

LEVAR: That's incredible. I love that, but you know, nobody wears heels on the Enterprise .

MICA: And maybe that was another problem, heels slap. I'm just saying.

Oh, I love that so much.

MICA: What about you? What ship would you take?

LEVAR: Oh, I think it would be one of the Next Gen ships, maybe the one that we didn't crash.

MICA: You crashed all the ships. That’s one thing about Star Trek , as well, is that every crew just decimates these ships. I feel like they don't just grow on trees.

LEVAR: It's a good action sequence.

MICA: Well, man, you know what? I hope one day I get to crash my own ship.

LEVAR: Well, I hope you do too. I hope you get that opportunity.

Put that on the wishlist for the next Next Generation series.

LEVAR: Your sister is already known as Crash La Forge.

MICA: I want to be Crash 2: Electric Boogaloo. That's what I want my nickname to be.

Oh, gosh. For my last question, Mica, what was maybe the most pinch-yourself, you-can't-believe-this-is-happening moment for you with this journey? Was it the sets? Was it getting into a uniform? What was the experience that you're like, "I can't believe this is happening right now"?

MICA: Gosh, honestly, I can't spoil it, but there's this moment where a good majority of all of us are together at once. And I think looking around the room... Oh my gosh, I'm getting choked up. It was almost like a death, a life flashing before your eyes, but I looked around at all of my family who have been there, and I saw Brent and me when I was a kid, and he was doing magic tricks to entertain me at–

LEVAR: Easter brunch.

MICA: [At] Easter brunch. And I saw Patrick calling me, it was the middle of the night in London, but it was the night before my theater school audition, and he called me to encourage me. I saw my parents make fun of me all the time, me flirting with Michael Dorn when I was a baby because I had a crush on him. And I just looked around the room, and I was like, "I can't believe I'm here." And it was just magical. Genuinely. I think that was the moment.

The first six episodes of the third and final Picard are streaming now on Paramount+.

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Watch The Return Of Geordi La Forge In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Episode 306 Clip

| March 22, 2023 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 88 comments so far

The sixth episode of Star Trek: Picard season three (titled “The Bounty”) arrives on Thursday on Paramount+  on Thursday. If you can’t wait, we have a clip and web promo to keep you going.

Geordi’s back… and he isn’t happy

The new clip (via ET ) features TNG star LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge) reuniting with his TNG co-stars Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), and Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher).

Here is the official synopsis:

Now on the run, Picard and the skeleton crew of the U.S.S. Titan must break into Starfleet’s most top-secret facility to expose a plot that could destroy the Federation. Picard must turn to the only soul in the galaxy who can help – an old friend.

More video from “The Bounty”

Paramount+ has also released a promo video for the episode on social media…

As the enemy closes in, Picard and his crew need to turn to a friend on the next episode of #StarTrekPicard . pic.twitter.com/QsEV6xaJdQ — Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) March 20, 2023

And if you want even more, another clip was shown at the end of the Ready Room (at 32:47):

“The Bounty” hype

Some of the Picard team have been hyping the “The Bounty” on Twitter, including episode writer Christopher Monfette and showrunner Terry Matalas.

Tonight several Starfleet legends return… in so many ways. https://t.co/kykfIYfEQq — Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) March 22, 2023

Also chiming in is composer Stephan Barton.

There are 2 minutes in this weeks episode of #StarTrekPicard about family and legacies, @JeriLRyan completely nails it, and if it doesn’t get you, you may need to check if you have a pulse — Stephen Barton (@ComposerBarton) March 22, 2023

La Forges on Ready Room and The View on Thursday

Tomorrow’s episode of The Ready Room will feature an interview with Wil Wheaton talking to LeVar Burton along with daughter Mica Burton (who plays Allandra La Forge) and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Sindey La Forge). LeVar and Mica will also appear on The View, hosted by TNG guest star Whoopi Goldberg.

TOMORROW: We're chatting with @levarburton and his daughter @MicaBurton when they join us LIVE to discuss the new season of #StarTrekPicard ! pic.twitter.com/8Hrk1uMp3H — The View (@TheView) March 22, 2023

“The Bounty” debuts on Thursday, March 23 on Paramount+ .

The third and final season of  Picard  premiered on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, exclusively on  Paramount+  in the U.S., and Latin America, and on February 17 Paramount+ in Europe and elsewhere, with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly. It also debuted on Friday, Feb. 17 internationally on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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When he comes aboard and is informed that Ro is dead, I want him to ask, “Should we flood the ship with anyon particles or is she for real dead?”

Ha yes… unfortunately this time, the particles would have no effect.

LOL!!! Good one!

Hi Geordi, Ro’s dead.

Crap! <starts walking into walls>

…what are you doing LaForge?

Just checking…

In case if some Hardcore’s was wondering why they did not fall trough the floor or such at that time. I have an simply easy solution, they where phase shifted so they where invisible, but Artificial Gravity still affected their Human Body Atoms so. That’s why Gravity still was working on them

You know Gravity and Black Holes are brothers, just the later is Big Chad like :) So the flaw this new Cloak had was already on screen. It’s Gravity

Uuuh… 5 seconds in, the Starship on the lower right corner of the screen, below the Akira???? Oh my.! :O

I saw it too!!!

Kind of puts a slight middle finger to a certain visual reboot new Trek show. 🤣😂

I don’t think it’s meant as a front. For one they somehow implied that the one eventually becomes the other. And for another there is yet another ship above the akira which kiiinda looks like from that certain new show. So we will see.

Yeah, I wouldn’t view it as an affront to SNW at all (Matalas is clearly just paying homage) If anything, it’s a middle finger to naysayers and nitpickers to stop taking it all so seriously.

Though it is interesting to think that the Pike-prise could be refitted to become the classic Jeffries model.

Yeah, I think so too. Its a hommage to the classics, just as the whole show is. As a nitpicker (but not naysayer) myself, I don’t think its a middle finger to me. While I don’t think the SNW Enterprise would fit into that 288m long TOS vessel, I can gladly live with that inconsistency.

No, what I mean is, a jab at people who hate SNW for the inconsistent visuals. Like, using the SNW model sometimes, the TOS model others — it’s basically a tongue-in-cheek way of saying to people (who refuse to accept SNW because it looks different)… “stop taking this so darn seriously, it’s just a TV show and we’re just having fun.”

It may just be that the Pike-Prise is the second refit of the Constitution. We saw in S1 of Picard the SNW version of the Enterprise as a hologram in SF HQ

Granted there’s always been some issues with visual continuity, but its clear the SNW/PikePrise is what the Enterprise was supposed to look like at tha time.

Or, as I suspect is the case, both the original Jeffries and the SNW redesign are the same ship, and will continue to be shown interchangeably, based on how the showrunner feels about it.

I’m hoping the LDS crossover makes a meta joke about it.

Can we all just agree that FX were more primitive back in the 1960s — SIXTY years ago — and leave it at that? There is no need to explain Klingon ridges, sleeker ships, styrofoam rocks, etc.

Totally agreed. I wish they’d just pretend the original Connie was now the SNW version. But even producers have nostalgia for it, it seems, and can’t let go.

Agree 1000%

That doesn’t explain why the outer space and spaceship VFX on the current batch of shows is so horrific. I’d much prefer visible matte lines, if the ships actually looked sharp and objects in space had the kind of hard-edged clarity that is at least in the ballpark for how stuff actually looks, as opposed to all this gauzy space seen through dirty portholes.

This does have a precedent, kind of. VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA had great undersea ship miniature effects, but 30 years later SEAQUEST comes along and every time they showed an exterior of the sub it suddenly looked like SPACE GHOST it was so awful.

The CG on VOY and ENT was a big step back too, but the whole aesthetic of space is corrupt on these new live-action series.

And to refute the other aspect of your post, while many of the techniques used in 68’s 2001 were mostly traditional and somewhat primitive or at least long-established, the quality was and remains stunning.

I hope we get a better look at the ships in the episode because now the ship just below the space dock doors looks very familiar too.

The Stargazer perhaps? We know from the end credits that the Defiant, Enterprise A and Excelsior are there. The A is visible by the Akira and Constitution. Season 2 told us that the Enterprise D Primary hull is also there. To the left in that shot is the HMS Bounty and a Romulan BoP.

It looks like the Stargazer to me too

I agree for the most part, but those Trek shorts did commit the the crime of putting Kirk, Spock and McCoy and a classic episode on the discoprise like that’s the TOS ship itself. I just find it funny. Now, if you have a discoprise and TOS constitution in this episode..that’s something to think about.

What’s the Akira?

Akira class…the one that looks like a 24th century NX-01….was in First Contact and episodes of DS9.

Akira class starship, you can see it from behind in the background of the museum shot, above the TOS Connie

I almost with they didn’t. She deserves better than to be looped in with those other ships.

Oh my… I am in Canada, someone post a screen shot of that Connie?!? How great to have it where the newer era ships are all hijacked electronically/AI and the TOS movie era and the Connie have to be used to take them out with innovative tactics…

I see it too.

This will totally not set the fanboys off.

Geordi looks great!! And very imposing. I’m super excited to get deeper into this part of the story. It’s going to be a late night for me. At least I’m on California time.

Between Mandolorian and Bad Batch dropping at 12am PT on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and now this at 12am PT on Wednesday night/Thursday morning..it’s been a long few weeks of long nights in the middle of the week for me

Glad I’m not alone here.

For me it’s 3:00 AM…

I hope I’m wrong, but I have a bad feeling about this one…..

I’m curious, because I have predictions on how fans will feel. What are your concerns?

This season has been fan service, but it’s played out fairly well dramatically. The faux pas’ have been easy to overlook. If this ends up being the homage to techno-bulls**t episode, suspending disbelief could be quite the heavy lift here….

You mean technobabble? Just because Geordi is involved?

Could be Chief O’Brian, technobabble ended up being deux ex machina filler for plenty of wobbler TNG episode. It’ll be a bad look for the episode if our heroes stop in just to fill up on some techno bulls**t

Well, it didn’t happen so this is just one more instance of a fan inventing something to be angry about.

I wouldn’t mind hearing Geordi say “phase inducers” or “warp plasma relays” just for old times’ sake.

There’s gotta be a starboard power coupling somewhere on that station

Some of us love the technobabble scenes because they are usually true to how science and engineering gets done even if the word and concepts are utter fiction.

TNG and Voyager always completely owned the process of problem solving through collaboration.

I need Picard to stop talking about it and do it. So far we’ve just seen Riker, Shaw and Seven actually delivering.

This show is aware of its past while taking characters in new directions. It is not fan service. It is Star Trek.

And…BOOM! That nails it.

Yeah, they played their Fan Service Cards so good that some little faux pas, as you wrote, is okay. Like how Shawn known the nearly eradicated entire Mankind Turbolift line and the Earring from Kira

“Tonight several Starfleet legends return…” For those that have seen this it is certainly an understatement😉. I’m very much looking forward to episodes 7 to 10.

I’m going to hazard a guess and say the several legends are of the duranium blend type and not the flesh and blood sort.

My guess is a longful sweeping pass by the Excelsior, E-A, Defiant and the TOS Connie

close… but the NX-01 refit was there too.

I want to love it, but this scene is all a little cringey.

Because there were humans showing emotions? I’m not getting it.

Because of the writing, performances, and editing.

They can’t all be Code of Honor I guess…. <eye roll>

…all of which are solid.

Awkward and badly written

Based on this clip and the photos released, it looks like the Titan must drop Riker, Worf, and Raffi off at Daystrom Station before going to see Geordi.

They needed to bail to go snag a cloaking device is my guess.

All the feels!

Have to admit the hug between Geordi and Bev worked for me. Hey, want to escape a decompressed cargo bay for old time’s sake?

*Casually turns into a neon glow Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for the feels*

Soon as Geordi was done with his hugs, he went straight to the holodeck for some Leah Brahms time

When you touch my engines…..

Man, Gates McFadden thought she had some s**tty dialouge.

I have a feeling he doesn’t need to. He has the real thing.

I’ve noticed they’ve been putting a bunch of TOS sound effects in this new season. No idea why.

Original sound designers not still around to bitch about it.

Because they rock and are memorable?!!?!? Works for me.

Matalas is a huge TOS movie era buff.

Given today’s episode, I think it’s because Shatner is going to be in the final episodes.

If anything it’ll be Paul Wesley. Shatner recently came out and called modern Star Trek garbage, so i’m not sure they’d want him back.

Nostalgiabait, the whole point of season 3.

Not watching the clip until I see the show, but I do have to ask why they have so many uniform variants now. There’s the standard uniform; Riker’s version; Ro’s version; Geordi’s version; and the leather jackets.

Riker also retroactively got a new version of the TNG movie uniform.

Seems like TMP redux. :)

Well Geordi is above the rank of Captain so that has always been the case. And both Kirk and Picard had alternate uniforms in TOS and TNG respectively as Captain.

Hopefully it’s better than last weeks. I was in the show until I was taken out last week.

If you love fan service, you’ll be damn near orgasmic. If you hate it, it’s time to gouge out your eyes.

On the full screen version of the episode trailer, About 15 seconds in shows exactly what they are looking for at Daystrom. Didn’t catch it at first. Plain as day.

It will be interesting to see what they need that for. Good catch.

what was it

It was… The Data/Lore/B4 synth body which turned out to be what was holding the station manifest they needed. He was right there in the episode preview. Well, the version of the preview on the Star Trek website.

Just done watching. Too many fanboy and geek moments. And a bit of dodgy writing. But overall, I LOVED IT!

My prediction when I first saw this one is that it would be a make-or-break episode. Not just because it’s past the halfway point… fans still on the fence will either be all-in now, or totally checked out.

Been dying to talk about it too because I have many thoughts, and because I haven’t seen 7-10, I am also free to speculate openly.

My fear: are they going to have Worf captaining the Defiant, Seven on Voyager, and Picard on the E-D in the finale? Will they clone Kirk and put him on the bridge of the A, and form a Star Trek All-Star Armada to defeat the NuDominion?

It sounds too silly to be true, and Matalas proven that he’s better than that so far, but boy…it really feels like it’s headed that way after this episode.

I wondered that myself. I really hope not. Yet at the same time, I really hope so.

Well, they did just cast a new Kirk… and Matalas did say his goal this season was to “correct the mistakes of the TNG films” and Kirk’s death is often seen as one of the biggest…

One of my headmates (prefer that term over alters or personalities) has a whole lot of thoughts that he’s super hesitant to share because he’s not sure if he’d be accepted or believed or anything. (You’ve talked to him before I believe and I think he’s talked here too, he’s the one that adores Weyoun.) His thoughts are kinda overwhelming all of the rest of us but I think one thing I can say is that part of him hopes for the overdone new Trek trope of a fleet showing up to save the day at just the right moment but instead of it being only the ships at the museum, he’s hoping for either Garak and the Cardassians or someone representing Odo and the rest of his side of the Dominion.

This episode is simply amazing.

Curious: are you someone who genuinely likes fan service? My prediction was that anyone who doesn’t like that sort of thing would hate this one.

I’m indifferent to it. If the story is good, and if the fan service isn’t distracting, I don’t care about it. For example, the scene on the bridge — while egregious fan service — does lead to a nice character beat with Seven.

I don’t mind a bit of subtle fanservice. Unfortunately Season 3’s fanservice has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Awful. But fans ignore the terrible writing and cheap nostalgiabait, so sad.

We agree, but for different reasons.

Den of Geek

Star Trek: Picard – Where Have Worf, LaForge, and Crusher Been?

Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, and Levar Burton are set to join the cast of Picard season 3, but what have their characters been up to since Star Trek's Next Generation days?

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At the start of Picard season one, the disgraced Admiral begins assembling a team to help him investigate his old shipmate Data. But when his new crew included Captain Rios and former Starfleet officer Raffi, both the characters in the show and its fans had a question: Why not bring back the old crew? Over the course of season one and season two, members of that crew slowly came back together, starting with his number one Will Riker and counselor Dianna Troi, and continuing to Data and Guinan. 

For the show’s third and final season, the remaining members of the Enterprise crew will finally rejoin their erstwhile captain. According to Variety , Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, and Levar Burton have been added to the cast of the upcoming season. Give or take a Wesley Crusher, Miles O’Brien, or Tasha Yar, and these additions complete the main cast of The Next Generation . As we’ve already seen Riker, Troi, and the others, much has changed since that group was last seen together in 2002’s Nemesis . So what have the returning characters been doing for the past twenty years? 

In Nemesis deleted scenes, Dr. Crusher returns to her post as the head of Starfleet Medical. Presumably, she resolved whatever issue caused her to leave that position before the start of The Next Generation season three, when she reclaimed her job as Chief Medical Officer from Dr. Pulaski. If aspects of the future glimpsed in “All Good Things…” remains in place, Crusher is on her way to a marriage (and divorce) from Picard, and preparing to captain her own ship, The Pasteur .  

“All Good Things…” also revealed matrimony in Geordi La Forge’s future, as he has started a family with Dr. Leah Brahms in that timeline. Another possible future, as seen in the Voyager episode “Timeless” finds La Forge serving as captain of the USS Challenger . But the most in-canon look we’ve seen of La Forge occurs in the Picard prequel comic book Countdown . There, Commander La Forge works at the shipyards on Utopia Planatia, helping create a new fleet to aid the evacuation of Romulus.  

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Of the three returning characters, fans have seen the most of Worf, thanks to his service on the starbase Deep Space Nine . Worf left DS9 to become the Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire, working closely with Chancellor Martok. In “All Good Things…” Worf remained among the Klingons, eventually becoming Governor of H’atoria. But in Star Trek novels, Worf returns to the Enterprise-E as First Officer, replacing Riker after he becomes Captain of the Titan. When Picard leaves the Enterprise to take the rank of Admiral, Worf becomes Captain, the first Klingon in Federation history to hold that rank. 

While the time shenanigans of season two can change any of these plot points, modern Trek has been glad to incorporate aspects from novels and comics. In the same way that Riker’s captaincy on the Titan has become a common part of the mainline Trek canon, the histories of these characters may be realized in full during the last season of Picard . 

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Star Trek: Picard's LeVar Burton Explains Why La Forge's Visor Is Missing

Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) is a steadfast officer on the USS Enterprise with a rather distinct piece of eye-wear on account of his blindness in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Luckily, the future technology in the world of "Star Trek" features impressive advancements like warp drives that can break the speed of light, replicators that can manifest all types of food and drink, near-instant teleportation across distances, and even physiological augmentations that allow the visually impaired, like Geordi, to not only see, but to perceive reality in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In other words, Geordi's iconic visor grants him greater vision than that of a normal human being.

However, it looks like Geordi's famous visor has finally been upgraded in "Star Trek: Picard" with the character's return , and while appearing on "The View," Burton was asked about the change. He replied, "After many years — we always talked about how Geordi's visor was one of the ways we telegraphed the sophisticated nature of technology in the 24th century. But it really became important to me after a while to just...we are in the 24th century! Can't we put that technology in an ocular implant? And so we did."

Technology is always progressing, especially in Star Trek

It appears that even though LeVar Burton appreciates his character and what Geordi La Forge represents to the visually impaired, Burton believes that the natural progression of technology would make the prolific visor obsolete at some point. This is why Geordi's visor is missing in "Star Trek: Picard," which also highlights how science is still progressing even in the far future.

Unsurprisingly, Geordi's visor has influenced real-life efforts down here on planet Earth. As reported by the official Stark Trek website , Geordi's visual aid is actually becoming a reality as scientists learn more about how the brain interprets sensory information, so it might not be long before people are donning real-life visors inspired by the famous "Star Trek" character. Though modern-day advancements might be a bit further away from the new cybernetic eyes that Geordi has in "Star Trek: Picard," it sounds like his visor might be right around the corner. Either way, it is awesome that the creators of "Star Trek: Picard" decided to make such a decision when it comes to Geordi, and how an in-universe explanation (and pleading from Burton) changed the character.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation': The Cast Now!

Posted: May 2, 2024 | Last updated: May 2, 2024

'Star Trek: The Next Generation': Where Is The Cast Now?

"Space... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship 'Enterprise'. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!" Wow! What an amazing cult classic! "Captain Picard" and his crew, consisting of both human and alien beings, traveled the galaxy on mysterious adventures audiences had never seen before! Since the series ended in 1994, the franchise and the original crew itself have changed a lot! Let's take a look at the crew members and what they're up to today!

"Deanna Troi"

"Deanna Troi" was a half-human, half "Betazoid" being who served under "Captain Picard's" command aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D' and 'USS Enterprise-E'. She served as the ship counselor, helping her fellow crew members with their various problems.

Marina Sirtis

After the series ended, Marina Sirtis moved on to star in all of the Star Trek spin-off films including Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis. Much like the other stars on this list, Sirtis also starred in dozens of series later on in her career, such as NCIS, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and Grey's Anatomy. She is currently married to rock guitarist Michael Lamper.

"William Riker"

"William Thomas Riker" is probably most known for his longest campaign as an officer under "Captain Jean Luc-Picard" aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D'. Later on in the series, he accepts the promotion as Captain aboard the 'USS Titan'. "Riker" is romantically linked to "Deanna Troi," the starship's counselor.

Jonathan Frakes

Johnathan Frakes played the role of "William Thomas Riker" on the hit series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Before he went to space, he had already starred on a few popular shows like Hart to Hart, Highway to Heaven, The Fall Guy and many more. After the series ended, he moved on to star in several different television and movie productions such as well as all of the Star Trek feature films all the way up to 2002! He also hosted the show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Frakes is currently married to actress Genie Francis whom he met on the set of the TV mini-series North and South. The couple have two children.

"Lt. Commander Data"

"Lore" and "Data were both "Soong-type" androids created by "Doctor Nooniain Soong" and "Juliana Soong" at the Omicron Colony. "Lore" was the pure embodiment of A.I. having the first successful positronic brain. Due to his robotic nature, he had abilities the rest of the crew did not possess such as super strength and speed. "Lore" began feeling superior to his fellow crew members leading to him trying to destroy them. After a long and bitter conflict, "Lore" was eventually shut down and replaced by his brother "Data".

Brent Spiner

After The Next Generation, Spiner also went on to star in all of the Star Trek feature films. Since then, Spiner has starred in a number of different animated TV series such as Family Guy, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and Star Wars Rebels. Brent has also appeared in smash hit series like The Big Bang Theory and Criminal Minds.

"Dr. Beverly Crusher"

"Dr. Beverly Crusher" is the crew's doctor aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D', and later 'USS Enterprise-E'.

Gates McFadden

Gates McFadden wasn't as active in show business as the rest of her co-stars after Star Trek: The Next Generation ended. However, she did star in all of the Star Trek feature films up until 2002. Over the course of her career, she also starred in a few other TV shows such as The Cosby Show, The Practice, and Mad About You. She is currently married to John Cleveland Talbot, and they have one son.

"Worf"

"Worf" is a Klingon (a fictional alien species) and is a Starfleet officer aboard the 'Enterprise-D', as well as the ships that came afterwards.

Michael Dorn

After the show ended, Michael Dorn moved on to star in several minor roles, like most of his co-stars. He also starred in all of the Star Trek films as well as numerous other movies such as Ali, The Santa Clause 2, Heart Of The Beholder, and Ted 2. As far as television goes, Dorn has made a name for himself in the animated TV show scene starring in series such as Family Guy, Winx Club, Transformers: Titans Return, Adventure Time and many more.

"Geordi La Forge"

"Geordi La Forge" is the pilot and chief engineer of the 'USS Enterprise-D' , and later the 'USS Enterprise-E'.

LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton hosted and produced the PBS kids show Reading Rainbow in 1983, before Star Trek: The Next Generation. Afterwards he starred in several different shows such as Murder, She Wrote and has also lent his voice to several different animated shows such as Family Guy, Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.

"Wesley Crusher"

"Lieutenant Wesley R. Crusher" was the son of Lieutenant Commander "Jack Crusher" and "Dr. Beverly Crusher". After a long career on the 'USS Enterprise-D', he decided to leave the crew and join "Tau Alphan The Traveler" on his journey through space.

Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton was on Star Trek: The Next Generation for three and one-quarter seasons before leaving the show to pursue other projects. He made occasional appearances on the show, but eventually decided to attend acting school full time. He currently lives in Arcadia, California with his wife and two sons.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard"

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard" is a Starfleet captain, archaeologist, and diplomat. During the series, he captains the 'USS Enterprise' (NCC-1701-D) with the help of his intergalactic crew! "Picard" himself played a large role in the series galactic history, discovering over 27 alien species throughout the entire franchise.

Sir Patrick Stewart

Sir Patrick Stewart's life was changed after playing the role of "Captain Jean Luc-Picard" in the hit sci-fi series. He would play the role of "Captain Picard" ever so often in spin-off movies like Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: First Contact. Stewart has also played a large part in the X-Men franchise as "Professor Charles Xavier". Because of his unique voice, he has been able to star as a voice actor in dozens of animated series and movies such as Family Guy, American Dad, Chicken Little, and Ice Age. Patrick currently live in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Sunny Ozell.

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Published Apr 3, 2023

WARP FIVE: LeVar and Mica Burton on Making Star Trek: Picard A Family Affair On- and Off-Screen

The Titan finds themselves calling upon the father-daughter duo!

SPOILER WARNING: Discussion for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 6 "The Bounty" to follow!

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

Star Trek legend LeVar Burton last appeared on-screen as Geordi La Forge over 20 years ago in Star Trek Nemesis . However, La Forge has never strayed too far from Jean-Luc Picard’s mind. In the first season of Star Trek: Picard , when it was suggested that the retired admiral call upon his friends from his time on the Enterprise -D, such as William Riker, Worf, and Geordi La Forge, Picard dismisses the idea stating, “They would do it in a heartbeat, and that’s precisely why I cannot ask them. They would put themselves at risk out of loyalty to me, and I do not want to go through that again.”

StarTrek.com

However, as seen in the events of the third season of Star Trek: Picard , the crew aboard the U.S.S. Titan -A, which includes La Forge’s daughter Ensign Sidney, have uncovered a Changeling conspiracy that has infiltrated the highest levels of Starfleet. In “ The Bounty ,” Picard must turn to the only soul in the galaxy who can help in their time of most desperate need — his old friend, Geordi La Forge.

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to speak with both LeVar Burton and his real-life daughter Mica Burton , who plays his other daughter Ensign Alandra La Forge , about bringing the father-daughter dynamic to Star Trek: Picard !

On the Long-Awaited Return of Geordi La Forge

Star Trek fans have long clamored for LeVar Burton to reprise his fan-favorite role that of one of Starfleet’s top engineers. The former chief engineer of the Enterprise -D, and then later Enterprise -E, now holds the rank of Commodore and oversees the preservation and restoration of historic starships at the Fleet Museum.

Speaking on his return, LeVar calls the entire experience “stone-cold gas.” “I loved every moment of it,” explains Levar. “You got to understand, we never thought this would happen, a reunion. We believed that that ship had sailed on completing the circle, closing the circle for the Next Gen crew. This came as a huge surprise, and the fact that [showrunner] Terry Matalas has not just the skill as a writer, but his deep love of The Next Generation really has made this whole journey something truly special.”

And how easy or difficult was it to get back into the groove of the role of Geordi? It simply just clicked for LeVar, who notes, “I put on the spacesuit, and I put in the contact lenses, and I’m there.”

On The Next Generation and the Next Next Generation

During our chat, Mica Burton takes a second to rib her father, laughing while calling out, “You keep calling it a ‘spacesuit,’” to which LeVar retorts, “We all call them [that]. They’re our spacesuits. We call our costumes our ‘spacesuits’ because we wear them while we work in space.”

Mica adds, “That’s so interesting. Ashlei [Sharpe Chestnut] and I call them ‘jumpsuits.’” Responding very much like a father, LeVar exclaims, “Well, there you go.”

As Mica puts it, “Well, one sounds more fun than the other.”

On Officially Welcoming Mica Burton into the Star Trek Family

Mica Burton is no stranger to Star Trek , hosting the official 2021 Star Trek Day event. However, she now has her pips as Ensign Alandra La Forge, and is following in her father’s footsteps, literally and figuratively.

On the whole experience, Mica comments, “It's so mind-blowing that I'm even sitting here having this conversation with you, and that I got to join my family on-screen and knowing growing up that these are some of the most phenomenal actors of my generation that I'll watch on-screen.”

“I'm a fan of Patrick Stewart, and I've known him since I was born,” continues Mica, “So to be able to act across from him, to share lines with him, to know that we've worked on a project together, I can't put that into words, let alone know that I was there with my dad, my actual real-life dad. He drove me to work every day, even when my call time was way earlier before his. He drove me to work just so we could bond. I feel like that's stories that you can't write. I'm very aware of how lucky of a human being I am.”

Looking at his daughter, LeVar beams, “I can hardly describe it, truly extraordinary experience as a father and as a professional actor. For me, seeing the entire crew respond to Mica as a professional and to see her interacting with the cast and having them see her as an equal, it’s pretty cool.”

On the La Forge Family Affair

Commodore La Forge sees both of his daughters, Sidney and Alandra, follow in his footsteps and join Starfleet.

However, his eldest Sidney deviates, wanting to become a pilot, and finds herself aboard the U.S.S. Titan-A , while the youngest Alandra works alongside Geordi at the Fleet Museum.

Speaking on working with Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, LeVar exclaims, “We love Ashlei,” with Mica echoing the sentiment, “We love Ashlei!”

“Honestly, my favorite part about doing Picard press is talking about how much I love Ashlei, and how I have absolutely found a sister in that girl,” expands Mica, “She came over to our house for Thanksgiving while we were filming Picard , and we had her as a part of the Burton Family Thanksgiving, and it felt like she's always been there. We still to this day text and go out for drinks. She's a part of my heart and soul. I'm so happy that she is my sister.”

On working alongside her father, Mica details, “There is a scene that I can't give any context to because it's a huge spoiler. But I will say that because my dad is actually my father, I had to take a break from set because I got so emotional because he was doing such a good job evoking emotion, and I think that it really played well on camera, but it was because I was like ‘Ah, that's my dad. I can't turn that off. That is my father.’”

LeVar further elaborates, “And for me, as an actor, there was a moment in that scene that Mica is talking about where Geordi turns and looks at Alandra, and that is the inspiration for where he takes the conversation.”

“Oh god, don’t tell me that,” exclaims Mica, “Now, I’m even more emotional,” to which LeVar notes, “So definitely we used it to our benefit.”

On Their Favorite Special Moments

In “The Bounty,” Geordi and Alandra find themselves on the Titan , where LeVar recalls a moment while filming that scene. “I haven’t talked to him about it, him being Terry Matalas, but I imagine that scene that I play with Todd [Stashwick] on the bridge of the Titan when his character, a former engineer, meets Geordi La Forge for the first time. In my own life, I have that moment at least once a day. It’s the Donald Glover moment from Community , and it was pretty meta playing that scene with Todd because it felt like it was taken right out of the book of my life."

As for Mica, she reflects, “Oddly enough, I think my favorite moment on-set was wrap. There were so many great speeches and so many people I admire giving me, Ashlei, and the crew of the Titan those props of being the new young generation of Star Trek actors. It was so emotional to be seen. That was the moment hilariously at the very end, it clicked that these legends see us as…,” with LeVar finishing her sentence, “…the next generation.”

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Screen Rant

Picard never appeared in star trek’s mirror universe but his doppelganger was just as evil.

TNG never visited the Mirror Universe, but Star Trek: Picard revealed that the Confederation of Earth's Jean-Luc was just as evil as any Terran.

• General Picard's reign of terror in the Confederate Earth was just as brutal as the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation never visited the Mirror Universe due to a cooler, scientific approach by the producers.
• Fans had to wait until Star Trek: Picard to meet General Picard's evil alternate, as TNG rejected the idea.

Audiences never met the Mirror Universe version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but Star Trek: Picard revealed that he had an evil doppelgänger who was just as evil as anyone in the Terran Empire. In Picard season 2, the machinations of Q (John de Lancie) created an alternate timeline in which the United Federation of Planets becomes the Confederation of Earth. This brutal regime was the antithesis of Star Trek's Federation, drawing comparisons between the Confederation and the Terran Empire .

Both the Confederation and the Terran Empire placed humanity above all other species in the galaxy, leading to a bloody and brutal subjugation of other alien races. As Star Trek: TNG didn't visit the Mirror Universe , General Picard was the closest that fans got to seeing his evil counterpart. Just like the Mirror Universe version of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), the Confederation's General Picard was a cruel despot who had conquered countless worlds and killed scores of enemies .

Worf Ruled The Mirror Universe In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (No, Really)

General picard of confederation of earth was as evil as mirror universe.

Of the many reveals about Star Trek: Picard 's Confederation , the information about General Picard and his reign of terror was the most chilling. General Picard annihilated the Klingon home world Qo'noS, much like the Mirror Universe's Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) did in Star Trek: Discovery . Rather than command the USS Enterprise-D, Picard was in command of the CSS World Razer, a fearsome looking starship of which an oil painting was hung in the General's study . General Picard's study was also decorated with the skulls of some notable Star Trek figures, including:

• Borg Sentinel One of Two
• Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shawn)
• Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo)
• General Martok (J.G. Hertzler)
• Director Sarek (Mark Lenard)

Like his Prime Universe counterpart, General Picard also had a synthetic body, which he had acquired following a battle with Gul Dukat . The General's chateau was staffed by both Romulan and synthetic slaves, who maintained his home while he was on important business for the Confederation Corps. When Prime Picard arrives in the Confederation reality in Star Trek: Picard season 2, it's on the eve of Eradication Day, in which the General is scheduled to publicly execute the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching). The Borg Queen's skull would have joined the others in Picard's trophy room if Jean-Luc and the La Ceritos crew hadn't saved her.

Why Star Trek: The Next Generation Never Went To The Mirror Universe

The notion of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode set in the Mirror Universe existed from as early as 1987, when David Gerrold joked about a sequel to "Mirror, Mirror" in Starlog magazine which would have featured Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) and dangerous, carniverous Tribbles . Jerome Bixby, who wrote the original Mirror Universe episode of Star Trek: The Original Series pitched a sequel for TNG that would have featured older versions of the TOS characters . However, this idea was rejected by Paramount, who didn't want to feature them so heavily in TNG .

Of the many Mirror Universe episodes pitched to Star Trek: The Next Generation , hardly any of the failed pitches have become public knowledge.

A.J. Black's book Lost Federations: The Unofficial Unmade History of Star Trek suggests that the pulpy idea of a darkest timeline didn't sit well with " The Next Generation's cooler, scientific approach to Star Trek, particularly in the Piller era. " Black's assumption is largely correct, backed up by Michael Piller himself. Piller explained that he " wasn't interested " in revisiting the Mirror Universe during TNG , despite the multiple "Mirror, Mirror" sequels that were pitched to him . While Piller would eventually acquiesce and produce a "Mirror, Mirror" sequel on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , fans would have to wait until Star Trek: Picard to meet Jean-Luc's evil alternate.

All episodes of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Picard

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After starring in Star Trek: The Next Generation for seven seasons and various other Star Trek projects, Patrick Stewart is back as Jean-Luc Picard. Star Trek: Picard focuses on a retired Picard who is living on his family vineyard as he struggles to cope with the death of Data and the destruction of Romulus. But before too long, Picard is pulled back into the action. The series also brings back fan-favorite characters from the Star Trek franchise, such as Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.