Summary

Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek#23!

Star Trekjust elevated Lore to godhood, as the android brutally murders a “god” from the Original Series. Although the franchise’s “God War” has ended, the universe is still not safe, as Lore, Data’s evil brother, is seeking to obtain godhood for himself. InStar Trek#23,Lore attacks the Pleroma, the “Realm of the Gods” in a grand fashion, slaughtering a powerful being first met by Captain Kirk.

Actor Robert Walker Jr played Charlie X on the first season ofStar Trek.

Five panels of Lore killing Charlie X

Star Trek#23 was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. Lore has tracked Sisko and the crew of theTheseusto the Pleroma. The assembled gods are less than thrilled to see him, and one in particular, Charlie X, rages against Lore. He admonishes Lore, calling him a “bad robot” and that he cannot just barge in and disrespect them.

Lore retorts by telling Charlie to address him by his name—right before burning the young god alive.

Star Trek Picard Dominion Lore (1)

Charlie X’sStar TrekOrigin, Explained

Charlie X Was A Petulant, God-Like Brat

TheStar Trekuniverse is chock-full of powerful beings, some of whom could be viewed as “gods,” and Charlie X, introduced in the episode of the same name during the Original Series’ first season, is one of the most dangerous. A normal human boy who was raised by an ancient and mysterious race, Charlie possessed all of that species’ power, and none of their maturity. Charlie was a menace to theEnterpriseand the Federation, and the episode ended with his adopted people coming to take him home. Charlie X has not been seen since.

The Charlie X fans met in the first season ofStar Trekwas a whiny and petulant little child, and viewers could not help but to loathe but also feel a modicum of pity for him. Like most teenagers, Charlie tested boundaries, but was capable of punishing anyone who pushed back. In one chilling scene, Charlie removes the faces of people laughing at him, and another, makes unwantedadvances at Yeoman Rand, who rejects him and is punished. When Charlie’s race returned to him, viewers in 1966 felt relief, and hoped to never see him again.

Star Trek #23 cover, Lore playing multi-dimensional chess with  Benjamin Sisko, Dr. Crusher & others as pieces.

Charlie’s Death Announces A Dark New God in theStar TrekUniverse

Yet Charlie returned duringStar Trek’smost recent story arc: “The Pleroma,” and showed signs of progress. However, gods age much differently than mortals, and Charlie still had a ways to go. Unfortunately, Charlie will never be able to develop further as Lore uses the Orb of Destruction to fry the teenage god alive. It was a power move on Lore’s part: he was not only punishing someone he saw as insolent, but also announcing that a dark and evil god had arisen in theStar Trekuniverse.