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Near the end of the episode A Matter of Time, we see a tray of items including Geordi's VISOR. However, Geordi spends half the episode on the surface of the planet and is clearly still wearing his VISOR at the time.

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Was this a production oversight or does Geordi have more than one VISOR? I don't see why he would need more than one, unless he keeps older models around (the flashback in TNG: Identity Crisis showed that he has had multiple versions over the years).

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    The way I see it, you have two options: There's nothing saying that he owned more than one, therefore it's an oversight; or, there's nothing saying that he owned only one, therefore it's just one of his spares. Either way, we don't actually know for certain how many VISORs Geordi owns, though the image in your question could easily be used as evidence for him owning at least 2. Jul 14, 2017 at 15:33
  • I feel that the question in the body should be the question in the header, but that would be up to you which is the more important one Jul 14, 2017 at 16:16
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    @DCOPTimDowd - You're right. Edited. Jul 14, 2017 at 16:20
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    I've got more than one pair of glasses - why wouldn't Geordi? He can also probably replicate them easy enough, so if his "only" one went missing while he was asleep, he'd just make a new one and alert security that something was up
    – NKCampbell
    Jul 14, 2017 at 19:26
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    does the image need to be in a spoiler tag? Feels like overkill. The question can be worded so that there is no relevant info that could be considered spoilerish
    – NKCampbell
    Jul 14, 2017 at 19:27

2 Answers 2

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Per the original screenplay, Geordi owns more than one VISOR.

[The vessel's interior, similar to its exterior, is truly futuristic, with multifaceted panels containing minimal blinkies. As Data ENTERS, he immediately notices two large collector trays.]

[Normally slid into a rack, the trays are exposed and filled with objects stolen from the Enterprise: two tricorders, a neural stimulator, a hypospray and bioscanner, one of Geordi's visors, PADDS, a small desk top viewer, a Klingon knife, piles of isolinear chips and other computer chips, palm beacons, even bar glasses and silverware from Ten Forward, and various other whatsits from here and there. Data examines the loot and turns to Rasmussen.]

As to why he has more than one, I think we can safely assume that if he decides to self-maintain his VISOR, he'll need the ability to see when doing so.

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It is never stated that he has only one visor. Given that in the referenced episode, he clearly still has a visor, it seems reasonable to assume that this is evidence of him having at least two.

Frankly, it would be unusual to only have one instance of a piece of portable technology that you require to function. Most people with glasses today have at least a backup pair, which might not be as good (old prescription, damaged, etc) but will work in a pinch until they can get something new. Given Geordi's critical role as Chief Engineer, it would be irresponsible for him not to have a backup in case his main visor broke or was stolen.

Yes, I know there are worse cases of irresponsibility in Star Trek, but I'm sticking with my argument.

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  • In principle he could replicate a second one pretty easily, but the replicator is not a safety-critical system. From a reliability standpoint, it's much better to have the second one available at any time.
    – Kevin
    Mar 18, 2018 at 18:30

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