Geordi La Forge's Iconic Star Trek Visor Was Exactly What Fans Joked It Looked Like

The term "Hollywood magic" describes how Hollywood studios (and other studios for that matter) create the fictional worlds you see in a TV show or movie. Sets, props, and camera tricks are all used to sell the illusion — no AI-generated nightmare fuel necessary. Sometimes studios create bespoke set pieces, and other times they dress up mundane items.

The show "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was full of standout characters and upped the visual sheen from its precursor, at least from the second season onwards. One of the more intriguing characters was Geordi La Forge, played by LeVar Burton (fans of "Reading Rainbow" represent). While Geordi had plenty of standout moments, the one thing everybody remembers about him was his iconic VISOR, a prosthetic device worn over the eyes that let him see. Yes, he was born blind, and the device looked ridiculous. Fans thought it looked like a hair clip being worn like sunglasses. And as it turns out, they were mostly right.

The book Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 (a guidebook for the series that includes interviews and behind-the-scenes pictures) reveals that the design for the VISOR was inspired by a hair clip, specifically one worn by the roommate of the show's scenic artist, Michael Okuda. He was intrigued by how the clip's teeth pattern "caught the light," so he borrowed it, spray-painted it gold, and showed the transformed hair clip to Gene Roddenberry himself. The rest is TV history. While Burton never actually wore the test clip (as far as we know), without it, Geordi could have looked very different.

Sci-fi properties like "Star Trek" have inspired plenty of real-life inventions. We might not have portable language translators if it weren't for the universal translators of "Star Trek." And given recent advances in technology, we might soon add the VISOR to that list since smart glasses can help blind people read. The actual VISOR prop, however, had the opposite effect.

According to a BBC interview, using the VISOR was "a living hell" for LeVar Burton, as it reduced his active vision by "85-90%." He claims he bumped into just about everything, from light stands to cables. In the show, he played a blind man who could see thanks to the VISOR, but on set, he couldn't see thanks to the VISOR prop itself.

Previously, we said that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" received a visual revamp starting with the second season. Props and sets looked better, and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) grew facial hair. While Geordi's VISOR looked more convincing, it was also heavier. According to Burton, the only way to keep it screwed onto his head was, well, with actual screws. These kept the VISOR nice and secure, but the flanges on the interior dug into his temples — not enough to cause any actual damage, but enough to give him headaches after 15 or 20 minutes. And that went on for six years. Talk about suffering for art.