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LeVar Burton is known for his role as Geordie La Forge inStar Trek: The Next Generation. The chief engineer of the USS Enterprise is known for his signature VISOR which allows the born blind character to see. Burton also gained fame for his role as Kunta Kinte inRootsand his children’s seriesReading Rainbow.
Burton has since become a huge pop-cultural icon and has even helmed multiple episodes of variousStar Trekshows. However, this stage did not come easy to him as the actor recounted many incidents of his life where he faced prejudice. One particular incident where he was harassed by the police was reportedly a defining moment for him.
LeVar Burton Had A Run-In With Cops When He Was In College
The world knowsLeVar Burtonas the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise Geordi La Forge inStar Trek: The Next Generation. The actor has mentioned how big of a fan he was of the original series and would hang out with a producer of the show, who was also working with him on another gig.
“If I had gotten the role… I would have been in television more than film”: Deadpool & Wolverine Star Nearly Snatched LeVar Burton’s Role in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Burton gained notoriety for his role as Kunta Kinte in the TV showRoots, based on Alex Haley’s novel of the same name. The actor was only nineteen when he was cast and the role made him a household name.Rootsexplored the life of Kinte, who was enslaved in Africa and then sent to North America, and the struggles his descendants went through.
LeVar Burton reportedly encountered his own share of troubles with the law when he was a student at the University of Southern California. The actor mentioned that he was routinely stopped by the LAPD as he matched the description of a stereo thief. Once, he was reportedly stopped by the same cop who had checked him before (viaThis is My Story),
Seemingly from nowhere his path was cut off by an LAPD cruiser the doors flew open and suddenly he was staring down the barrel of a shotgun at point-blank range…a dawning realization hit him that they didn’t see him at all they only saw the color of his skin and to them that meant he didn’t belong there.
The actor also mentioned that due to the number of times he had been stopped by the cops, he was always carrying his student ID because he had to prove to them that he was a resident of the neighborhood.
LeVar Burton LovedStar TrekBecause Of Its Inclusivity
Gene Roddenberry’sStar Trekwas unlike many other sci-fi franchises at the time, which usually viewed the future through a dystopian lens. In contrast, the show saw the future in a positive light and added many elements that promoted inclusivity and diplomacy.
“There was a real gift of challenge in that role”: LeVar Burton’s VISOR in Star Trek: The Next Generation Led Him to Develop a Whole New Method of Acting
It was these elements that reportedly attracted LeVar Burton to the show in the first place. The actor was reportedly born in Germany as his father was stationed there and would hold American pop cultural artifacts dearly, among which wasStar Trek. The inclusion of actors like Nichelle Nichols in the show redefined Burton’s life (viaEd Surge),
Gene Roddenberry’s version of the future was different. Seeing Nichelle Nichols [the African American actress who played Lt. Uhura] on the bridge of the original Enterprise meant the world to me. As a storyteller, Roddenberry was saying: ‘When the future comes, there’s a place for you.’ It was a representation of the future that I could project myself into.
The actor mentioned how he realized that seeing oneself in a sci-fi story added a lot to its longevity and that it was necessary to have a place for everyone in the future.
Star Trekis available to stream on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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LeVar BurtonStar Trek: The Next Generation
