Summary

• Geordi's VISOR was based on a plastic hair clip, and its design included ports on either side and a strap to secure it to the head.
• Geordi's VISOR allows him to see the electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared and ultraviolet light.
• Geordi can detect changes in heart rate and perspiration to tell if someone is lying, and can send live video feeds of what he sees.

For all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) wore a futuristic VISOR that allowed him to see. Born blind, La Forge received his first VISOR (short for Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement) at the age of five. Although it did not enable him to see in exactly the same way as those with normal eyesight, it did allow him to see much of the electromagnetic spectrum. Geordi's VISOR became a quintessential and recognizable part of his character and its abilities contributed to several TNG storylines.

Geordi La Forge serves as the Chief Engineer on the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for most of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Geordi is an intelligent and competent engineer who can find a solution to almost any engineering-related problem, often with the help of his best friend, the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). Despite being a highly advanced piece of technology, Geordi's VISOR caused him near-constant pain, but he refused to take painkillers or try experimental surgery. Here are 10 cool things about Geordi's VISOR and eventual ocular implants.

10 Geordi's VISOR Design Was Based On A Plastic Hair Clip

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, Geordi's VISOR was inspired by a plastic banana hairclip that someone had brought onto set. The hair clip was used as a prototype for the actual prop, and its look was incorporated into the final design. Someone eventually had the idea to have ports on either side of Geordi's head that the VISOR would connect to, and the VISOR had a strap that went around the back of actor LeVar Burton's head to secure it in place. Wearing the VISOR prop sometimes caused headaches for Burton and limited his actual eyesight, but he would not get to forgo the VISOR until the second TNG movie, Star Trek: First .

9 Geordi Can Detect Electromagnetic Signals & See Infrared And Ultraviolet Light

Although Geordi's VISOR does not give him traditional vision, it allows him to see much more than the average human does. Thanks to his VISOR, Geordi can see a lot of the electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared and ultraviolet light. To someone with traditional sight, the view from Geordi's VISOR would be largely incomprehensible, but he has adapted to this way of seeing. Geordi's VISOR detects the electromagnetic symbols, and then compresses them to avoid overloading Geordi's senses. Although earlier versions of a VISOR existed, Geordi seems to have an advanced version that is not very common even in the 24th century.

8 Geordi Can Tell If Someone's Lying Based On Their Perspiration & Heart Rate

Usually, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) is the officer who reveals when people are lying, thanks to her Betazoid ability to sense the emotions of others. However, in the TNG season 2 episode "Up the Long Ladder," La Forge notices that the clones from the Mariposa colony lie about the whereabouts of Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur). Geordi states that "when someone lies there are certain physical manifestations," and he can see those changes with his VISOR. He says this doesn't always work with aliens, but he can always tell when humans are lying.

7 Geordi's VISOR Can Be Connected To A Tricorder To Create A Tracking Beacon

When the Enterprise investigates a distress call on the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone, Lt. Commander La Forge ends up trapped in a cave on the planet with a Romulan named Centurion Bochra (John Snyder). As dangerous electromagnetic storms rage on the planet, they begin affecting the nervous systems of both La Forge and Bochra. The storms eventually render Geordi unable to see despite the fact that his VISOR remains undamaged. In an attempt to find a beacon that will allow them to the Enterprise, Bochra talks Geordi through the process of connecting his VISOR to his tricorder to fashion "a neutrino Geiger counter" that can locate the beacon.

6 Geordi Can Send A Live Video Feed Of What He's Seeing

In the TNG season 1 episode "Heart of Glory," Geordi reveals that he has developed a device known as a visual acuity transmitter that can project the images seen by his VISOR onto a viewscreen. This device was a small square that connected to the side of Geordi's VISOR, and it only had a range of a few kilometers. Captain Picard is fascinated to see the way that La Forge sees, and he remarks that it must be difficult to filter out all of the unnecessary information. The visual acuity transmitter is never used again after this episode, although there are a few other times when the viewer gets to see through Geordi's eyes.

5 Geordi Can Be Connected To A Probe And See What It Sees

As an engineer, La Forge loves tinkering with things and he tests out various other uses for his VISOR over the course of TNG. In TNG season 7's "Interface," he, Data, and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) test out a device that allows Geordi to virtually control a probe and see what it sees. Although the device works, it causes a sensory overload and too much neural stimulation. Picard orders Geordi to stop experimenting with the machine, but he continues to use it to search for his mother and the recently missing USS Hera. Data anticipates Geordi's actions and helps him navigate the interface safely, and Geordi discovers that his mother and the Hera are really gone.

4 Visuals Can Be Input Directly Into Geordi's Visual Cortex

While Geordi's VISOR is normally used or modified for positive reasons, there have been times when an enemy used Geordi's VISOR against him. In the TNG season 4 episode "The Mind's Eye," La Forge is kidnapped by Romulans who use his VISOR implants to input images directly into his visual cortex and brainwash him. When he returns to the Enterprise, Geordi has no memory of his capture, and he becomes the unwitting puppet of the Klingon Ambassador (and secret Romulan agent), Kell (Larry Dobkin). The Romulans have brainwashed Geordi to assassinate a Klingon leader, but thankfully Data realizes something is amiss and stops La Forge before it's too late.

3 Geordi's VISOR Can Be Reconfigured To Create A Hypersonic Pulse

When the Enterprise stops at a space station for maintenance, Geordi, Commander Riker, Data, Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi are taken hostage by a group of terrorists. Data suggests using Geordi's VISOR to create a hypersonic pulse which will render everyone in the room unconscious apart from Data. The captured Enterprise officers work together to distract their captors and set off the pulse. Data then manages to Picard aboard the Enterprise and stop the baryon sweep that was being used to decontaminate the ship. Without Geordi's VISOR, Data would not have been able to get free and help thwart the terrorists' plot.

2 Geordi's Ocular Implants Have Telescopic Vision & Infrared Capabilities

Although the technology for ocular implants existed as early as TNG season 2, Geordi did not opt for robot eyes until Star Trek: First . By the time La Forge switched to ocular implants, they allowed him the same visual range that his VISOR had, including the ability to see infrared light. The ocular implants also gave Geordi telescopic vision, and allowed actor LeVar Burton to have full use of his eyes. Despite the fact that the ocular implants were an improvement over the VISOR, Geordi still sometimes lamented that he didn't have traditional vision.

1 Geordi's VISOR Has Inspired Both Science And Fashion

Star Trek has always had a habit of predicting and influencing the future, and Geordi's VISOR did that in more ways than one. NASA scientists were inspired by La Forge's VISOR in 1999 when they developed an optical viewing device to help visually impaired people see and read. Called the t Optical Reflective Display (or JORDY), the device was even named after Lt. Commander La Forge. Geordi's VISOR has also influenced the world of fashion, as mega popstar Rihanna cited La Forge's VISOR as her inspiration for a line of sunglasses in 2016. Geordi La Forge and his VISOR have become one of the most recognizable sights to come out of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Geordi continues to be a great inspiration for many Trek fans.