How Star Trek: The Next Generation Explored Blindness & Accessibility With Geordi LaForge

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Throughout the many additions to the Star Trek universe, one key element remains at its core: a fundamental drive to explore topical difficult subject matters, like racism, sexism, and even fascism, all through futuristic allegory. Star Trek: The Next Generation took these philosophical and ethics based quandaries to the next level, often the subject tackled by the fan favorite Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but one character embodies the idea of striving for a better future unburdened by discrimination. That character is the ship's chief engineer Geordi La Forge (played by LeVar Burton, who might be appearing is Picard season 3).

LaForge is one of the primary characters aboard the USS Enterprise D. He is also blind, but wears a VISOR (which stands for Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement) in order to see. The devive works by transmitting electromagnetic signals though neural implants in the VISOR, straight into his brain, allowing him to see, albeit slightly differently than most sighted humans. He is able to see the full spectrum of light, which includes ultraviolet and even infrared. These skills make him an important member of Starfleet, as he is able to use his “disability” as a way to come up with and create solutions most officers couldn’t.

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While his skills are appreciated aboard the ship, and his blindness never an issue among crewmembers, this is not always the case when dealing with those he comes across. In the episode «The Enemy'' audiences are presented with the first real example of nasty prejudice towards LaForge, simply due to his lack of sight. In the episode, LaForge is stranded on a planet with harsh electromagnetic storms. While exploring the