Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 8: Charlie X [VHS]

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Young Robert Walker, Jr. conveys much of the same creepiness as his dad (who is affectionately remembered as Bruno on Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train").

This episode reflects many concerns that are timeless, but also others that are characteristic of the 1960s, the period when the show was made. Young Charlie is a wild child. Should he be disciplined, and if so, how? Or should he yield to his impulses (which in this case are murderously destructive)? This episode ultimately sides with the importance of parental authority, reminding us that ST-TOS was often more Eisenhower-era than beatnik in its sensibilities. A point in its favor, I should add.

Other highlights to be enjoyed in this episode. Uhura sings gorgeously (as in "The Conscience of the King"). Shatner gets a chance to horse around in the gym. Grace Lee Whitney stands up against sexual harassment. And there are two strikingly gruesome Star Trek moments, which, once seen, never leave your mind. Two young female crewmembers get in Charlie's way. One lady has her face completely obliterated, another becomes hideously and shockingly aged in a matter of seconds. ST-TOS offers many of these never-to-be-forgotten visuals, some bloodcurdling, some breathtaking (two classic examples; the moment in "The Tholian Web" when the Thol ship starts building its web; the fruitless attempt to blast through the Talosian service elevator door in "The Cage/The Menagerie").

Though not one of the best ST-TOS episodes, newcomers to the show may enjoy this one.

This episode is about Charlie, a boy raised from birth by aliens. Reminiscent of stranger in a Strange land by Robert Heinlein except that Charlie is spoiled and unprincipled.

Charlie's naive attempts to court Yoeman Rand and Kirk's fumbling attempts at educating young Charlie make this a very watchable episode. As Charlie grows more aware of the extent of his powers, the episode becomes more exciting. Unfortunately, the resolution of the problem is not very satisfactory.

Uhura gets to sing, but the lyrics to her songs are horrid. If you rewatch the episode, you may want to remind yourself of your VCR's fast-forward button.

Still, this is decent Star Trek episode that deserves to be watched and considered.

This episode is sometimes difficult to watch for anyone who has ever been a teenager, especially a teenage boy. But it has a good premise, well executed. More than just a "troubled teen" episode, this one is about a 17-year boy (Robert Walker) who has had almost no experience interacting with his own species when he first comes aboard the Enterprise.

In the first half, Kirk has to be a reluctant father figure. It rounds out Kirk's character to see him in this role, for later he was mainly the dashing captain saving the galaxy and wooing alien babe forms. Star Trek II and III dealt with him in a father's role, but in a more superficial manner. He is not bad as a father but not perfect, either.

Charlie was the sole suvivor of a planetary expedition 15 years earlier, and aliens gave him godlike powers so he might survive. Now he has to interact with humans, but he can't resist using his powers whenever he is frustrated, which is often. This episode is a little like the famous Twilight Zone entry "It's a Good Life" in which a 6-year-old boy torments a community with his godlike powers. How he got those powers is unimportant. It was hypothetical: IF a child had godlike powers, then life would become a nightmare for all around him.

This is a good episode for Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand, who has a large role. Charlie's teenage hormones kick into gear when he sees her for the first time. It doesn't help that in the original series, women wore those incredible mini-skirts. The writing is a little non-PC: "Is that a girl?" "That's a girl." Maybe Kirk should've answered: "No, Charlie, that's a full-grown woman."

This episode has my favorite line in the original series, "Charlie, there are a million things in this universe you can have and there are a million things you can't have. It's no fun facing that, but that's the way things are." Every teenager has to hear those words, but none needs to hear them more than Charlie Evans does. He was marooned on a planet as a young child and grew to adolescence in isolation. Recently rescued, he combines the emotional instability of a teenager with the great power of the Thasians. They somehow managed to give him the power to move and alter matter using only his thoughts.
At first, no one suspects that he is so powerful, but soon the Enterprise crew realizes how dangerous he is. Fortunately, Charlie respects captain Kirk as a father figure, so Kirk maintains some control over him. Nevertheless, Charlie is still a rebellious teenager, so the control is fading rapidly. Furthermore, Charlie has a deep crush on Yeoman Rand, and he won't stay away from her. Kirk tries to take the Enterprise away from all human outposts, but Charlie takes control of the ship and Kirk realizes he has no choice but to challenge Charlie, even though it will probably lead to his death.
At the point where the climactic battle is about to take place, a Thasian arrives and releases the ship. This leads to one of the saddest scenes in the series, where Charlie pleads to stay on the Enterprise. All parents will understand the "I'll be good" plea of a child that has done something terribly wrong and is facing severe punishment. The Thasian proves to be very wise, noting that Charlie will either destroy them or they will be forced to destroy him to save themselves.
In many ways, this is a remake of "Where No Man Has Gone Before", the second pilot of the series. A human acquires great powers and simply does not know how to deal with them. In that sense, coming sequentially so close to the second pilot, this story is not nearly as powerful as it could have been. What makes it better than the pilot in many ways is the performance of Robert Walker Jr. as the frustrated adolescent. He understands the power and you can see the intense emotional hurt in his face when he doesn't get what he wants. Like all other teenagers he thinks he knows so much more about life and the world than he really does.
There is one aspect of this episode that I wish the producers had incorporated more into other episodes of the series and the subsequent movies. I am referring to Nichelle Nichols singing. She is very talented and while she did sing in a few other episodes, in my opinion, it was far too rare an event. Especially in many of the episodes of the last season, which could have used the spark that she would have provided. I rank the episode in the top fifty percent, but not by much.

Young Robert Walker, Jr. conveys much of the same creepiness as his dad (who is affectionately remembered as Bruno on Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train").

This episode reflects many concerns that are timeless, but also others that are characteristic of the 1960s, the period when the show was made. Young Charlie is a wild child. Should he be disciplined, and if so, how? Or should he yield to his impulses (which in this case are murderously destructive)? This episode ultimately sides with the importance of parental authority, reminding us that ST-TOS was often more Eisenhower-era than beatnik in its sensibilities. A point in its favor, I should add.

Other highlights to be enjoyed in this episode. Uhura sings gorgeously (as in "The Conscience of the King"). Shatner gets a chance to horse around in the gym. Grace Lee Whitney stands up against sexual harassment. And there are two strikingly gruesome Star Trek moments, which, once seen, never leave your mind. Two young female crewmembers get in Charlie's way. One lady has her face completely obliterated, another becomes hideously and shockingly aged in a matter of seconds. ST-TOS offers many of these never-to-be-forgotten visuals, some bloodcurdling, some breathtaking (two classic examples; the moment in "The Tholian Web" when the Thol ship starts building its web; the fruitless attempt to blast through the Talosian service elevator door in "The Cage/The Menagerie").

Though not one of the best ST-TOS episodes, newcomers to the show may enjoy this one.

"Charlie X" is about a teenager named Charlie that boards the U.S.S. Enterprise after the ship he was on, crashed. He is the sole survivor of his ship and he has a few problems. He automatically has a crush on Sulu and won't take no for an answer. Charlie worries a lot about whether people like him or not and will destroy them if they develop any kind of temper against him. When anybody tries to hurt him or doesn't agree with him, he just makes them disappear. Except for Captain Kirk. Charlie and Kirk go into the workout room where Kirk tries to teach him how to fight. One of the crew that is looking on starts laughing when Captain Kirk slams Charlie to the ground and Charlie looks at him fiercely and says "Don't laugh at me," and makes him disappear. Sulu slaps Charlie after he won't quit stalking her and he won't listen to her telling him that she's not interested. Of course, he also makes her disappear. This is just about all that Charlie does while he is on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. Eventually, a mysterious illusion of a man's face appears onboard the Enterprise that commands Charlie to go back where he came from. Charlie then begs the captain and the rest of the crew to let him stay. Captain Kirk tells the illusion to take Charlie along, then he's gone and the Enterprise can function normally again.

"Charlie X" is a pretty good episode, but not the best that the original Star Trek series has to offer. However, if you're a true fan of the series, I definitely recommend getting "Charlie X" to add to your collection.

An omnipotent teenager can't figure out how to get along with adults. That's what I like about the original series, the messages are clear and timeless.

Spock plays (chess and lute), Uhuru sings, Kirk wrestles, and Yeoman Rand gets spanked! Definitely an eventful episode.

"Charlie X" teaches us that teenagers can be a problem in any century. Yep, even the 23rd century has its own share of troubled youths. The difference this time around is that some teens in the future have psionic powers. Therefore, leather jackets, switchblades, slicked-back hair, and motorcycles are the least of your troubles. If you cross the wrong teen two hundred years in the future, you might find yourself being blinked out of reality.

Seventeen year-old Charles Evans (Robert Walker Jr.) boards the U.S.S. Enterprise after being found by the S.S. Antares on the planet Thasus. It turns out Charlie is the last survivor of a doomed colonizing expedition who had been given extraordinary mental powers by the Thasians to help him survive on the planet. However, due to the teenager's isolated existence from other human beings while marooned, he never developed the proper social skills to co-exist with others. Thus, he becomes easily offended when rebuffed or annoyed on the Enterprise and uses his psionic powers to inflict punishment on his perceived tormentors. In short order, Charlie destroys the S. S. Antares, causes Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) to disappear, and breaks the legs of Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Much to the relief of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), a Thasian eventually appears on the ship to take Charlie back to Thasus.

Virtually every television series does an episode centered on the "troubled teen" that makes life difficult for the adult characters. This was Star Trek's take on the theme and what results is a forgettable outing. Walker is great as the troublesome Charlie. He delivers in spades as the arrogant, whiny, and annoying teen, but even with the sci-fi twist of bestowing psionic powers on him, "Charlie X" just comes across as routine and bland. Not even a memorable slap on Rand's backside by Charlie can salvage this episode.

Charlie is your average teenager, but must come to grips with the problems of adolescence, while dealing with his super powers. Somewhat entertaining.

As Charles Evans, the lone survivor of a crashed colonizing expedition to the planet Thasus, comes aboard the Enterprise from the S.S. Antares, but when Captain Ramart of the Antares contacts Kirk about Charlie, the S. S. Antares is suddenly destroyed. Charlie shows not only a lack of grief for the people who had become his benefactors, but almost an indifference to their deaths. He seems only concerned that his new "family" like and accept him. Unfortunately, teenage hormones and an isolated upbringing make that difficult.