Jeopardy! photo: First look at LeVar Burton as guest host!

For a good while now, we’ve made it clear that LeVar Burton is at the top of our list for ideal Jeopardy! full-time hosts. He’s a long-time lover of trivia (did you see him dominating on Weakest Link back in the day), he legitimately wants the gig, and he’s been a part of viewers’ lives for generations. Maybe you know him for Roots, for Star Trek: The Next Generation, or the host of Reading Rainbow.

Come July 26, you’ll have a chance to know him behind the Jeopardy! pedestal as he begins his week-long stint as host. Below (courtesy of TrekMovie.com), you can see LeVar smiling while on the set of the show! (The game show films several weeks in advance, so no surprise his gig has already wrapped up.) It’s far too early to speculate on some of the contestants or the clues, but we have full confidence that Burton will deliver.

It’s hard to identify one single quality that makes LeVar the right man for the job, but he has the essence of Alex Trebek more so than any other candidate. We’re talking about someone here who loves knowledge, is empathetic, but can also have a good laugh with the contestants when the situation calls for it. He understands what being on Jeopardy! means to some of these people and he has a substantial amount of hosting experience. While Reading Rainbow is by all means a very different show, it allowed him to interact and understand people all over the globe.

There is no immediate timetable as to when Jeopardy! will be announcing their full-time host; we’ll continue to be optimistic about LeVar’s chances, but much of it may depend on the feedback to some of his episodes. As we mentioned, you’ll be waiting for weeks to see some of that play out.

Are you excited to see LeVar Burton as a guest host on Jeopardy! next month?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! After you do that, remember to stick around — there is more news ahead on Jeopardy! and a number of other shows. (Photo: Jeopardy.)