20 Things You Never Knew About Star Trek: Insurrection

3. A Beautiful Sunrise

Star Trek Insurrection Geordi
Paramount Pictures

There is one scene in Star Trek: Insurrection that stands out, which is of course the sunrise scene featuring Geordi LaForge using his new eyes for the first time. Though the character had managed to ditch the VISOR in Star Trek: First Contact, this scene marked one of the very few times that Levar Burton got to appear without any prosthetics or appendages over his eyes in Star Trek.

The scene was included, not to make Levar Burton's life any easier, but to make Captain Picard's life more difficult. Rick Berman initially wasn't sold on the idea of having LaForge's eyes regenerate, feeling that it was a little too heavy on the emotional side of things. However, Piller managed to argue his case successfully.

He felt that if Picard had to make the choice of asking his officer to give up his eyes, it would help to give him a bit of pause - but that he ultimately would decide to go ahead with saving the Ba'ku, thus giving him an even greater ethical and moral standing.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"