Star Trek: The Next Contemporary‘s Geordi La Forge could have been very different, as Wesley Snipes practically got the part that went to LeVar Burton. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge was featured in all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Contemporary, beginning as the Enterprise-D’s helmsman before moving on to becoming chief engineer in season 2. Geordi was blind, but was able to see employing an advanced VISOR mechanism.

Geordi was played by LeVar Burton for all seven seasons and the proceeding four TNG movies. The reputation was defined by his relationship with Data, the ship’s resident android, and his devotion to keeping the ship feeing smoothly. He was occasionally an underwritten attribute, but Burton – who had already become famous thanks to Roots and Reading Rainbow – was able to infuse the character with living and a charmingly nerdy personality even when it wasn’t certainly on the page. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Geordi La Forge.

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But Geordi could have been a completely different character absolutely had a casting decision gone the other way. In an interrogation with Collider, Wesley Snipes confirms he was up for the part of Geordi La Forge and almost got it. Snipes notes that he was disappointed not to get the role at the time, but that it worked out in that it allowed him to pursue a busines in feature film and the persona went to the right actor in Burton. Snipes would of course go on to be a major movie star in the 1990 s, with his vogue reaching its peak with the Blade trilogy of movies. Read his full exchange below 😛 TAGEND

I want to know if you can confirm that you were actually up for the role of Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Contemporary, or perhaps you auditioned for it?

SNIPES: Yes, that is true. I think that was in the eighties. Yeah. And deplores the fact that I didn’t get it. Not as disappointed as I was not getting the capacity in the first Coming To America, but that actually turned out pretty good. Because I think if I had get the capacity that I would have been in television more than film, and maybe would have been never got a chance to do everything else I’ve done.

Were you close to getting that role? Were you in the final few?

SNIPES: Yes. That’s how I remember it. Yeah. It was close. But yeah, a greater actor than I went on to make it famous. I applaud him, my friend, great and wonderful.

Snipes is loving about losing out on the capacity , observing Burton is both his friend and “the greater actor.” That last part is up for debate, but it’s unquestionable that both men’s vocations were defined by their relationship with Geordi La Forge. The capacity makes a sort of ethnic trifecta for Burton, along with Roots and Reading Rainbow, while Snipes himself notes he may have missed out on slew of busines opportunities had he been locked into a television series for seven seasons.

Audiences likely haven’t seen the last of Geordi La Forge. Burton has been open about the facts of the case that he’d like to return to the role on Star Trek: Picard, and Patrick Stewart himself has indicated that the intent is to get most of the TNG crew back for guest impressions as the series progresses. For his part, Snipes is currently starring in Coming 2 America and seems joyous both with his job alternatives and the good fortunes of his friend Burton.

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Source: Collider

Read more: screenrant.com