Star Trek: Remembering Charlie X

Star Trek: Meet Charlie Evans

The second episode of season one of Star Trek was titled Charlie X and aired on September 25, 1966. It was written by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Lawrence Dobkin, and the character who is the main focus has left a lasting impression on many Trekkies. In this episode, the USS Enterprise picks up a 17-year-old boy named Charlie Evans (Robert Walker) who spent 14 years alone on a deserted planet.

The young man is anxious, distrusting, and unstable. He also lacks the proper training that’s necessary for him to exhibit restraint with his supernatural mental powers. He is unable to use his gift wisely and when anyone crosses him Charlie makes them disappear or worse. In the non-canon miniseries Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, Charlie is an adult. Although some original cast members are in this 3 part mini-series Walker was not utilized and Charlie was portrayed by William Wellman.

Charlie X: A change in plans

In the original episode, the Enterprise meets with the merchant vessel Antares in order to take charge of young Evans. The teen is the sole survivor of a transport ship that crashed on the planet Thasus when he was only 3. For fourteen years, Charlie was stranded in the wreckage and grew up alone. Evans learned how to talk from the ship's computer systems, which somehow remained intact.

Charlie is supposed to be transported to the colony Alpha V where he has relatives but fate intervenes. The crew members aboard Antares speak highly of the teen but also seem relieved when he is removed from their ship. Charlie tells Dr. Bones McCoy (DeForrest Kelly) that the Antares crew did not really care for him and that all he wants is to be liked.

A rude awakening for the Enterprise crew

The crew of the Enterprise soon realizes that Charlie’s solo life has not given him the social graces needed in order to function around other humans. Although he is eager to please Charlie becomes obnoxious and vindictive often reacting like a caged animal. Simultaneously he begins to admire Captain James Kirk ( William Shatner) and sees him as a father figure.

Charlie also develops a crush on Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) but she rejects him. The troubled teen exhibits extraordinary mental telepathy skills as well as the ability of matter transmutation. When Charlie becomes jealous because Rand is paying more attention to the song Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) is singing than to him he causes Uhura to temporarily lose her voice.

Captain Kirk responds

Charlie does not understand why the crew does not think it’s funny when he causes Mr. Spock, (Leonard Nimoy) to begin quoting random poetry. Evans seems mean-spirited and yet vulnerable at the same time as he freezes various people who are aboard the Enterprise, makes some of them vanish and he changes others into different forms.

Kirk realizes that the teenagers powered are too much to handle and wants to keep him away from a civilized world. In his anger at the plan Charlie makes all the phasers on the Enterprise disappear. A Thasian ship soon approaches the Enterprise and restores everything back to normal and the crew members who vanished soon reappear.

The Thasian commander reveals that it was his race that gave Charlie his powerful abilities so he could survive in their world. He acknowledged that these powers cannot be rescinded and that Charlie is too dangerous to live with other humans.

Charlie X becomes desperate

Evans becomes frantic and begs Kirk to allow him to remain on the Enterprise. He promises not to miss use his powers again and asks the Enterprise captain to not let the aliens take him away. Now that he has been around other humans Charlie Xdoes not desire to live with the Thasians who lack any physical form and have no capacity for love.

Kirk points out thatthe teen belongs with his own kind, but the Alien refuses to listen. Charlie X crisd out “I wanna stay!" just as he vanishes and is teleported away.The look of fear and desperation on the youbg man's face is a heart-wrenching moment and the scene ends with Rand crying.

Robert Walker

Robert Hudson Walker Jr. who portrayed Charlie X was born on April 15, 1940, to actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. He had 7 children and was married three times. His first wife was Ellie Wood Walker whom he married in 1962 and they divorced in 1976. He next married Judy Motulsky in 1978 and they divorced in 1980. In 1981 he married Dawn Walker.

The actor appeared in numerous television series including Naked City, Route 66, Ben Casey, Bonanza, Dallas, Murder She Wrote, LA Law, In The Heat of The Night, and the soap opera Days of Our Lives. He had roles in notable films including Ensin Pulver 1964, The War Wagon in 1967, Easy Rider in 1969, Beware the Blob in 1972. His last film role was Beyond the Darkness in 2018. Walker passed away at his home in Malibu California on December 5th, 2019.