In Charlie X Why Didn't Charlie Like Tina?

[Pauln6]

That just reminded me of this exchange between Admiral kirk and Yeoman Rand from DC's first Trek Series Issue 33

Ha ha - that poor woman. I'm so bemused why writers seems so incapable of doing anything decent with her character. I think she's great. In my cheesy fanfic story she was kidnapped by aliens, half-rescued herself, saved the life of a landing party, and is having dreams upon which the plot may hinge. I guess I need to add some tongue in cheek romance with Kirk into the next dream sequence...

 

[Ithekro]

Well she did say to look at her legs, and the comic presents them all to well.

 

[Maurice]

That just reminded me of this exchange between Admiral kirk and Yeoman Rand from DC's first Trek Series Issue 33

Ick.

 

[Starborn Dragon]

I think Tina is much better looking than Rand myself.

 

[TRON JA307020]

He had a society of giant heads. I'm sure there was a socialization of thought.

Yes, but not a human society. That's my point, and I don't know why I'm having so much trouble getting it across. It's very simple: Charlie's upbringing was very different from ours, so we can't assume we can use our own experiences as an analogy for his.

I understand what your saying Christopher but for Charlie to want Janice in the way he wants her is hormones talking. He didn't learn that from the big heads. Basically its biological and instinct. He wants sex and if Tina can give him that I would think he would at least go sew some wild oats then if he still loves rand he could have continued to make a prick of himself.

 

[FormerLurker]

^Not necessarily. It is not a cultural bias that controls what has been called "Enamorata"(sp.?). The idea that someone is drawn or compelled to pursue one and only one recipient of their infatuation doesn't depend on whether they were raised to believe in monogamy. Some people, and Charlie may well have been one, fall hard for a single person, and won't accept anyone else. By now you've heard of (mostly) women that marry, are happily together with their husbands, and then either by accident, or war, or something the man dies; and as a result, the woman spends the rest of her life, sometimes decades longer than they were married, alone. It happens because the only one they wanted, the only one that they wanted to be with, was the one they married. No one else will serve their emotional needs. Heck, my own grandmother did this. She was married to my grandfather for 30 years, until he was killed in a traffic accident. She spent the next 37 years alone, until her own death, never once even considering having another romantic relationship.

 

[Christopher]

Well, like I said, I don't think it's that, because Charlie isn't like other people. Analogies don't work -- that's what I'm saying. His situation is unique because, A, he was raised without other humans around, and B, he has superpowers that have always given him instant gratification. So he just can't cope with not getting something he wants. Like I said, he didn't reject Tina because of Tina; he just refused to be distracted from Janice, because Janice was what he wanted, and in his experience, he always got what he wanted. It's as simple as that. Sure, yes, of course it's more complex for other people, but Charlie is not other people.

 

[FormerLurker]

Actually, I agree with you, Christopher. Pubert postulated that what Charlie wanted was something to wrap around his manhood, and the episode was wrong to suggest he would step past an opportunity to do so with Tina, just to get Janice. I merely suggested that with others, like Pubert was speaking for, that it's more complex than that.

As far as Charlie is concerned, he isn't that complex. He didn't want Tina because he already had his goal in mind; Janice. Janice trying to turn him away frustrated him, and he took it out on Tina because his lack of complexity made him petty. And that was the true danger of Charlie Evans; a petty, self-aggrandizing boy with superpowers, and the will to use them however he wanted.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Well, like I said, I don't think it's that, because Charlie isn't like other people. Analogies don't work -- that's what I'm saying. His situation is unique because, A, he was raised without other humans around, and B, he has superpowers that have always given him instant gratification. So he just can't cope with not getting something he wants. Like I said, he didn't reject Tina because of Tina; he just refused to be distracted from Janice, because Janice was what he wanted, and in his experience, he always got what he wanted. It's as simple as that. Sure, yes, of course it's more complex for other people, but Charlie is not other people.

True. It might have been more of him wanting to get what he want or else. Actually I just rewatched the episode and after he phased out Janice he pretty much just wanted to take the enterprise and get to a colony with more people. He didn't even give Janice a second thought at that point. So I might be wrong here. But man if a looker like Tina was interested in me at that age I probably would have taken her up on it.

 

[urbandefault]

Judging by the scene where the aliens come to take him back, I think Charlie was, developmentally, probably not much more than 6-8 years old.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Judging by the scene where the aliens come to take him back, I think Charlie was, developmentally, probably not much more than 6-8 years old.

He was definitely a immature 17 year old. Though he did do a pretty good taking over the Enterprise. He was doing fine until Spock and McCoy turned up the juice on him.

 

[Pauln6]

Yeah I think those are all good analyses of his motivations. Tina was an obstacle not a potential substitute.