LogFAQs > #933181485

#54 Geordi La Forge
"Rerouting the neurotypical sensimatrix kidsdubooyubee hypospray should be as easy as mitochondriating midichlorophorm dilithium unimatrices, Reg. I don't know what to tell you."

If anyone here is keeping score, yes, Geordi has bowed out of my list prior to Wesley Crusher. A mistake? No. Wesley has some serious issues, which we'll address reasonably soon. But Geordi is not only the franchise's biggest fount of inane technobabble -- yes, Anagram and Kaelee, I truly believe that he alone is even worse than anything Voyager ever throws at us -- he's also kind of a dick.

At first glance Geordi is an interesting character. His VISOR isn't just a nifty little symbol of 1980s tech nonsense, it's a symbol. A statement. "The blind can succeed. In the future, we will overcome any obstacle to better ourselves, and none shall be left behind." Early on in the series, Geordi's unique vision perception is utilized in a handful of missions. This does happen later on, though not quite as routinely, because there are only so many times it can feasibly factor in creative ways.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much where the fun bits conclude. Unlike most things TNG, Geordi seems to move backwards qualitatively over time. When the newer, generally superior writers started penning episodes for the Enterprise-D's Chief Engineer, a common focus was his difficult love life. This was clearly designed as a sort of overview of what it's like to be a nerdy science guy who fails at classically trite romance, which is sleep-inducing in and of itself but not downright offensive. The problem is that Geordi La Forge is... a stalker. He gets downright creepy. The infamous story folks love to mention is that he uses a hologram version of a fellow scientist to fulfill his "needs" and he reconfigures the woman's personality to better suit his own. This should be a morality play on not being a fucking weirdo but instead the woman winds up deciding that it's endearing. I have a suggestion for anyone who walks away from that episode feeling similarly: get help.

Geordi's friendship with Data is, to some fans, a highlight of TNG's cast chemistry. This would have potential if it weren't for the fact that every damned Data/Geordi buddy episode involves Geordi invariably getting fed up with Data and acting like a jerk. Sometimes he apologizes; sometimes he does not. Yet again, the writers try to craft something enjoyable but just wind up with a bland jackass who bounces technobabble off of Brent Spiner until he's irritated and then he walks away.

I resent Geordi La Forge because he's supposed to come across as a lovable romantic oaf and a great pal to Data who is super smart. In practice, he's a bad friend and a sexual stalker whose actor gets all the bonus points because he managed to pronounce sheer nonsense for seven seasons and four feature films.




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Hi! I'm Quinton.
Did you know that Emilia Clarke will be my wife in 2023?