It’s so bizarre to read this in the present, knowing how incredible TNG was, but I get it - the original crew WAS Star Trek to them.
The dedicated fans revived this series in syndication, well after it had gone off the air in 1969, and felt attached to the characters that they had obsessed over between then and the 1980s. Like modern fans, they thought that departure from what they knew would ruin it.
I wish I could go back in time and tell them that TNG is going to rock.
yes, in this case the pertinent piece of information is not that he is hero of all 80’s childrens’ childhoods, book advocate and reading rainbow star LeVar Burton. what matters for the point i am trying to make is that i am presuming the pov of the editor of that article: oh, hes the black guy who is gonna be the new spock. (his character name is not “the new spock”)
its ok to do that. I don’t think LeVar Burton is going to not get the point.
Its also a bit hard to make out, but they spell his name Lavar as well. I could see him stylizing it at some point and going from Levar to LeVar, but his name is Levardis and did not ever go by Lavar from what I can find. So, going back to my point, editor clearly ignored and deprioritized him in particular vs the white members of the cast.
It also feels like they intentionally picked that photo for contrast value: smiling so broadly when that is something “the original Spock” never did. They were going for the outrage factor, truth be damned.
i like this idea, could buy that