Star Date: Season 1 Episode 3

Charlie X

"We're at the hands of an adolescent." Spock

The Enterprise meets Charlie Evans courtesy of the cargo ship, Antares. Charlie is an adolescent boy suffering some serious teen angst and need for approval. Unfortunately he's lacking any and all social skills due to spending almost his entire life growing up with on other humans on the planet Thasus. Wouldn't be such a big deal but... Charlie has some wicked mind powers dunh-Dunh-DAHHH! After a few frustrated efforts at friendmaking Charlie starts acting out and crewman start vanishing.

That's Telekinesis KIRK!

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CASUALTIES:

Captain Ramart
(the "t" is silent. duh)

Lieutenant Tom Nellis

and the entire survey ship...

Antares
Crew of 20

It could have been worse folks. Charlie raised all hell on the Enterprise before the Thasians interceded and returned the ship to normal. They couldn't save the Antares though.

PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT:
  Shat-Attack!  It could be me, but this episode seems to show off for the first time all the fantastic William Shatner school of acting techniques we love.  Unpredictable and varied timed pauses. Impish grins. Volume veering all over the place. Right hand flourishes.He even takes Charlie to Fight-School!

Bones! He is on it once again. Comedic delivery is tight. Balletic strides on-camera. DeForest Kelley is my hero.

The Romance Escalates! So... Spock is warming to Uhura. Love is in the air as Uhura improvise a little Ode de Spock as our favorite Vulcan provides Vulcan-Harp accompaniment. Nichelle Nichols kills it in this scene as well. I am jealous of every pair of eyes there that day.

REACTION:
As I type I am watching this episode for the sixth time. I'm not going to say this is the episode where I GOT Star Trek - that seems to overstate it - but this is the point where something happened. So much in this episode. Telekinesis. Melodrama. Spock/Uhura. Bones humor. Shat-Attacks. Then the Themes! The dangerous youths. Juvenile Psychology. Crime and Punishment. Does it take a village to raise a child or just one good father figure? And an extra special amount of crossed eyes courtesy of Robert Walker Jr. And finally the great problem-solving of Captain Kirk.  If you can, take a moment and check minute 41:42 to see the very first all-out William Shatner brainstorm performance. You'll be treated to simultaneously wonderful and and awful moments just crammed together so close it can't be anything but delightful. Kelley and Nimoy doing the camera friendly stage-glide at 41:45. Thank you for that director. Thank you.

Well, I'm all in now. This is entirely too much fun.