Television Review: Charlie X (Star Trek, S1X07, 1966)

Charlie X (S01E07)

Airdate: September 15th 1966

Written by: D.C. Fontana
Directed by: Lawrence Dobkin

Running Time: 43 minutes

The Man Trip, the very first episode of Star Trek, was what the fans of The X-Files would later call “Monster of the Week” or MOTW episode. Many episodes of The Original Series were MOTW, including the second episode. Charlie X, however, was very different MOTW episode that featured very different and quite memorable monster.

The plot is set around Thanksgiving Day (which is later set by Star Trek canon makers to be Thanksgiving Day in year 2266 AD). USS Enterprise has a rendezvous with small cargo ship Antares. Captain Ramart (played by Charles J. Stewart), its commanding officer, asks Enterprise, which is much larger and more accomodating ship, to take its passenger, a teenager named Charles “Charlie” Evans (played by Robert Walker Jr.). When he was three years old, Charlie became sole survivor of ship crash on planet Thassus. Fourteen years later he was picked by Antares. Captain Kirk agrees to take Charlie and take him to Alpha 5, nearest human colony.

Kirk and the rest of his crew are fascinated by Charlie, who appears to have survived harsh and unforgiving conditions of alien planet by using ship’s food banks and learning to speak via memory banks. But Charlie is also socially awkward and this becomes very apparent in the presence of opposite sex. He quickly develops infatuation with Yeoman Janice Rand and uses every opportunity to pursue her. At first it is source of amusement for Kirk, but things get very uncomfortable for Rand.

Soon, situation becomes much more serious after series of strange incidents. When agitated, Charlie literally makes crew members disappear, or become disfigured. Antares, which apparently tried to warn Enterprise about their passenger, is destroyed in explosion. Kirk and the rest of the crew soon realise that Charlie possesses almost god-like powers and they must use all kinds of tricks to make Charlie relinquish them or get them of their ship.

Originally seventh episode produced, Charlie X became second episode out of convenience. Since the entire plot takes place within confines of the ship, it is typical example of low budget “bottle episode” that didn’t require much special effects. It was aired early, thus allowing more demanding episodes to have their special effects refined in post-production.

Charlie X was the first episode written by D.C. Fontana, 27-year old writer that be later credited for many classic episodes of The Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, thus becoming one of the most celebrated Star Trek authors. Her script was well-written, intelligently exploring themes of power and responsibility, creating situation in which the adult world is at the mercy of a teenager, a subject that was becoming increasingly relevant with emergence of Baby Boomer generation and social turmoil of the 1960s.

The episode also featured character of Yeoman Janice Rand and, despite some tropes that modern viewers might see as sexist, was later named as the favourite of all Star Trek episode by Grace Lee Whitney. But it was strong performance by Robert Walker Jr. that stood out. Walker, who was in mid 20s, very convincingly played a teenagers and even employed Method acting on the set, deliberately avoiding contact with his colleagues to make his character more alien. As such, Charles Evans is the best known role in his career and one of the best performances in The Original Series.

Not everything in the episode was perfect and some of details show the series’ age. Characterisation of Spock wasn’t properly established and he at times appears too emotional. Music number featuring Uhura, although featuring vocal abilities of Nichelle Nichols, seems a little bit out of place in Star Trek. And the deus ex machina ending, when Enterprise gets rescued by all-powerful alien Thasians, who, despite their good intention, became responsible for the whole mess, creates precedent that would later be used many Star Trek episodes, both better and worse than Charlie X.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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