Editing Geordi La Forge (section)

==Fictional character biography==
In the series, Geordi was born [[blindness|blind]] and wears a VISOR, an arc-shaped [[prosthesis|prosthetic]] attached at the temples that provides him with [[visual perception|vision]]. [[Cybernetics|Interfacing]] directly with his brain, the device enables him to "see" much of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]] – [[radio wave]]s, [[infrared]], [[ultraviolet]], and beyond, but not normal light perception, though it does allow Geordi to see the visible light section of the electromagnetic spectrum.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Lasbury
| first = Mark E.
| title = The Realization of Star Trek Technologies The Science, Not Fiction, Behind Brain Implants, Plasma Shields, Quantum Computing, and More
| publisher = Springer International Publishing
| orig-date = August 24
| year = 2016
| chapter = 7 Geordi's Visor: A Vision of the Future
| pages = 199–228
| language = English
| isbn = 9783319409146 }}
</ref>

La Forge was born February 16, 2335, in [[Mogadishu]], [[Somalia]] of the African Confederation on Earth to Silva La Forge, a Starfleet command track officer and eventual Captain of the USS ''Hera'' (NCC-62006) and Edward M. La Forge, a Starfleet [[astrobiology|exozoologist]].<ref>(''TNG'': "[[Interface (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Interface]]")</ref> He has also mentioned having a sister, Arianna. La Forge stated that with two parents in Starfleet he was an "[[army brat]]", frequently moving homes depending on where his parents were stationed around Earth (or other planets), which mirrors Burton's own youth (he was born on an American base in Germany). He attended Zefram Cochrane High School<ref name="Star Trek: First Contact">(''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'')</ref> and then [[Starfleet Academy]] from 2353 to 2357.<ref>(''TNG'': "[[Conundrum (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Conundrum]]")</ref> In 2357, he was assigned as an [[Ensign (Star Trek)|ensign]] aboard the USS ''Victory'' under Captain Zimbata.<ref>(''TNG'': "[[Elementary, Dear Data]]")</ref> After his first cruise, he was transferred to the USS ''Hood'' serving with then Lt. Commander [[William Riker]] for her 2361-64 cruise, during which he was promoted to [[lieutenant (junior grade)|lieutenant junior grade]].<ref>(''TNG'': "Conundrum")</ref>

La Forge once impressed Captain [[Jean-Luc Picard]] by staying up all night to fix a shuttle craft that Picard mentioned had a superficial problem. Upon learning this, Picard decided he wanted Geordi on his next command<ref>(''TNG'': "[[The Next Phase]]")</ref> which ended up being the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS ''Enterprise''-D]] where Geordi was assigned to him as a helmsman. At the beginning of [[Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2|Season 2]], he was promoted to Lieutenant and named Chief Engineer; in [[Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3|Season 3]], he rose to Lieutenant Commander, a rank that he held for the duration of the series and movies. He and the android [[Data (Star Trek)|Data]], the second officer aboard the ''Enterprise-D'', quickly become friends.

In 2372, Geordi is transferred to the new ''Sovereign''-class starship [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|''Enterprise''-E]]. When the ship travels back in time to the 21st century, he works alongside Dr. [[Zefram Cochrane]] and helps him successfully launch Earth's first warp-capable vessel and achieve [[First contact (science fiction)|first contact]] with the [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcans]].<ref name="Star Trek: First Contact"/>

During the Ba'ku incident, La Forge began to experience pain in his eyes after sojourning on the planet. Doctor [[Beverly Crusher]] removes his ocular implants to discover that his [[optic nerve]]s have regenerated and he has gained normal sight. This effect is caused by the healing properties of the Ba'ku [[ring system]] and, at the time, it is speculated that the effect will fade after La Forge leaves Ba'ku.<ref>(''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]'')</ref> This diagnosis proved correct; La Forge again wears the implants in ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]''.

[[File:Star Trek- Picard season-three Starfleet field jacket, operations division (1 March 2023, aboard Star Trek- The Cruise VI, 1 of 4).tif|thumb|left|The operations-division Starfleet field jacket as worn by Burton in the [[Star Trek: Picard (season 3)|third season of ''Star Trek: Picard'']]]]
In the [[Star Trek: Picard season 3|third season]] of the sequel series ''[[Star Trek: Picard]]'', La Forge is revealed to have fathered two daughters, Alandra and Sidney, who have joined Starfleet by 2401. Like their father, Alandra has become an engineer while Sidney has become a pilot. Alandra serves alongside Geordi while Sidney serves aboard the USS ''Titan''; he has become overprotective of them nonetheless. La Forge has become a Commodore and is the head curator of the Starfleet Museum, wherein he has been working on a secret project for twenty years. Picard, Crusher, their son Jack, and the ''Titan'' crew, on the run from a Changeling conspiracy in Starfleet, seek La Forge's help to try to clone the ship's signals, but La Forge points out that Starfleet has upgraded their ships to "talk" to each other. However, when his daughters and Jack steal a [[cloaking device]] from the Museum and install it on the ''Titan'', La Forge reluctantly goes along with them, whereupon he is reunited with an altered form of Data, fighting with his "evil twin" [[Lore (Star Trek)|Lore]] for control of their common android body.<ref>(''Picard'': "[[Star Trek: Picard season 3#ep6|The Bounty]]")</ref> La Forge helps Data overcome Lore's dominance of the body, which allows Data to kill the main antagonist of the season.<ref>(''Picard'': "[[Star Trek: Picard season 3#ep7|Dominion]]", "[[Star Trek: Picard season 3#ep8|Surrender]]")</ref> La Forge is reunited with the rest of the ''Enterprise'' crew; he helps Data and Crusher find the true nature of Picard's neurological disorder and loses his daughters to it, forcing La Forge to reveal his secret project: the full reconstruction of the ''Enterprise''-D.<ref>(''Picard'': "[[Star Trek: Picard season 3#ep9|Võx]]")</ref> Picard uses the ''Enterprise'' to infiltrate the antagonists' collaborators' base; La Forge assumes temporary command, letting Crusher destroy the base's power source with the ''Enterprise''{{'s}} torpedoes, eliminating the collaborators' threat once and for all, and oversees Picard's rescue. La Forge greets his daughters, who have been returned to normal, on the ''Titan'' over video; he is last seen playing poker with his ''Enterprise'' crewmates at the Ten Forward bar in Los Angeles, content with his life.

===Alternate timelines===
In one of the alternate universes experienced by Worf in the Season 7 episode "[[Parallels (Star Trek: The Next Generation)]]", Geordi is killed in a Cardassian attack on the ''Enterprise'' when Worf is suddenly confronted with unfamiliar tactical controls and cannot raise the shields in time. Geordi's VISOR is revealed to be the trigger of Worf's unplanned shifts through the timelines.

In the alternate timeline of ''The Next Generation'' series finale "[[All Good Things... (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|All Good Things...]]", La Forge has, by 2395, married "Leah" and had three children (Alandra, Brett, and Sydney) with her. He left Starfleet and became a novelist. However, these events may never happen because of the divergence of the time line at the episode's end.

In the alternate 2390 future in ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''{{'}}s "[[Timeless (Star Trek: Voyager)|Timeless]]", La Forge is a [[Captain (Star Trek)|captain]] and the [[commanding officer]] of the USS ''Challenger'', doing his best to stop [[Harry Kim (Star Trek)|Harry Kim]] and [[Chakotay]] from altering the time line. He had micro-implants in his eyes, allowing him to see without wearing his visor. However, Kim and Chakotay succeed in their mission, erasing the alternate time line. Despite trying his best to stop them, La Forge is sympathetic to their actions and even offers a full pardon if they stop. When they refuse, La Forge is forced to attack, but wishes them good luck and says that in their place, he would probably do the same. When the group's ship suffers a warp core breach and is going to explode, he offers to beam them aboard his ship so that they can survive, but they refuse and tell him to move off to a safe distance, which he does.

In the holographic alternate history depicted in "[[Future Imperfect]]", a fictitious La Forge had cloned eye implants and had no need of his VISOR.

During the non-[[Star Trek canon|canon]] events of the comic book mini-series ''[[Star Trek: Countdown]]'' (a prequel to the 2009 ''[[Star Trek (2009 film)|Star Trek]]'' film), Geordi (now a civilian) is reunited with Data and Picard during an effort to stop a massive [[supernova]] that threatens all of existence. Geordi ultimately designs the ''Jellyfish'', the advanced spacecraft that is piloted by [[Spock|Ambassador Spock]] in the film.<ref>''Star Trek: Countdown'' #3–4</ref>