Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Charlie X TOS

Charlie X is a first season classic Star Trek episode written by Gene Roddenberry and DC Fontana. The USS Enterprise 1701's rendezvous with the USS Antares coincides with a rather unusual human being. In this 8th episode epic, the young castaway Charlie Evans beams aboard Kirk's ship secretly manifesting psychokinetic powers. Charlie is the only survivor of a spaceship crash which marooned him on a hostile alien planet for 14 years! Imagine. Now 17, the boy is clearly taken with the beautiful Yeoman Janice Rand with unexplained strange scenarios unfolding in his vicinity. Tellingly the USS Antares Captain and Navigator make for a hasty departure, refusing even Kirk's friendly offer of saurian brandy!! Something is definitely afoot!



On the Enterprise Bridge Spock analysis of the Charlie X scenario reveals little results with McCoy as usual poking holes in the vulcans logical reasoning.

SPOCK: Doctor, didn't the boy make any reference at all to Thasians?
KIRK: Do you believe the legend, Mister Spock, that Thasians still exist on that planet in some form?
SPOCK: Charlie's very existence proves in fact there must be some intelligent form of life on Thasus. He could not possibly have survived alone. The ship's food concentrates would have been exhausted in a year or so. 
MCCOY: By which time he would have been eating fruits, vegetables.
SPOCK: Probes of Thasus indicate very little edible plant life.
MCCOY: And probes have been known to be wrong, Spock.
MCCOY: Doctor, are you speaking scientifically or emotionally?






Yeah, thats Spock for you getting McCoy back in the end! LOL. Meanwhile in the recreation room Uhura is singing "Oh, On the Starship Enterprise" to a rapt audience. Quick to react the boy silences Uhura's lovely voice in an attempt to gain Rand's attention with his card tricks. No-one cops on it was Charlie! In other emotional outbursts he injures crewmen or makes them vanish at will. The dudes a real charmer. Later when the USS Antares hails the Enterprise, the poor devils try to warn the Kirk's crew about Charlie, when unexpectedly debris is found drifting in space. Spocks analysis reveals it is USS Antares.



Kirk eventually realises he can't risk delivering Charlie to Alpha Five, fearing Charlie Evan's relatives will be next for the high jump. Finally at long last the Enterprise receives a message from an alien Thasian ship. Its the good guys to the rescue! LOL.The Thasians gave Charlie extraordinary mental powers so he could survive alone, but fear he cannot live safely with humans. Now its pay back time! Charlie's pleas fall on deaf ears. Omnipitent Thasians take Charlie back to live with their own kind. So ask yourself trekker. Would you invite Charlie X to live in your basement?



Live Long and Prosper, Trekkie and Trekker.

6 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I think Charlie might wreck just a little too much havoc. Although he might be fun at parties.
Good to hear from you, Spacerguy!

Nigel G Mitchell said...

I always felt so sorry for Charlie at the end, even with everything he did.

Maurice Mitchell said...

Charlie's plea was sad but he took a guys face away so he deserved it. A powerful episode.

Anonymous said...

I would really like to give Charlie a second chance, but he's far too dangerous. He needs to be in the hands of someone like the Thasians or the Q Continuum... someone with the power to punish him if he steps out of line.

I'd like to believe that, once he matured a bit, he was at least able to visit human society on occasion if not reintegrate.

- James

Jessica L. Celaya said...

Sounds like a cool episode. I haven't watched the original series yet, but am in the middle of TNG.

SpacerGuy said...

Charlie is one dude who has serious problems accepting rejection! Alex.

So did the whole Enterprise bridge crew Nigel, its because he isn't a villain just a kid.

The faceless girl was really freaky especially for 1960 in an age where CGI didn't exist. We're spoilt now, Maurice.

Charlie X is the episode where Uhura sings 'Oh on the starship Enterprise' and Spock plays the vulcan lute. I wonder is Spock smiling, Jessica?

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