— Charles to John Herschel when asked to aid in stopping the satellite saboteursrc“ "I was put in charge by King William IV. Not you!" ”
Charles Thomas Coram is the governor of Township Number Nine. He is a former soldier and a former member of British parliament.
Charles features in The Brick Satellite and is played by David Zack.
| Production | Played by |
|---|---|
| Episode 2: The Brick Satellite | David Zack |
Biography[]
Political Career[]
Charles was born in London, England. He became a solider and later a Member of Parliament. Charles has a burgeoning political career and was asked by King William IV to run a Township. Charles was assigned as Governor of Township Number Nine. Charles greatly disliked the Township, viewing it as an afterthought in the British Empire. He decided to attempt to use the land to grow sugarcane and build himself a fortune.
However, in 1832 Charles was joined in Township Number Nine by John Herschel and Anna Hanover who were given permission to use the Township for their secretive work in constructing the first Brick Satellite. Charles was intructed to aid them in whatever they needed. Initially, Charles and Herschel got along but when Herschel left, leaving Anna Hanover in charge, Charles became increasingly irritated.
Return of Herschel (1835)[]
Herschel returned to Township Number Nine in September 1835, much to Charles' annoyance. As production restarted on the Brick Satellite Charles attempted to sabotage the project by contaminating the clay the bricks were made from and damaging the flywheels. When consulted by Herschel about these things, Charles refused to help search for a saboteur.
Despite the attempted sabotage, production on the flywheels concluded two months later. Charles was invited to and attended the party celebrating the satellite and was invited to speak. In his speech Charles began insulting the satellite but was cut off by Anna. That evening Charles left the Township.
Attack on Township Number Nine (1835)[]
The following day Charles returned to Township Number Nine with a team of mercenaries to attack the township and destroy the satellite. During the attack, Charles specifically sought out Herschel and Anna in order to kill them. However, he was stopped by Rose Stratford who knocked him out with her Printing Press Plate.
Personality and Traits[]
Charles is an incredibly selfish and volatile person. He is a man who craves both money and power and will do anything in order to get it. Charles does not regard those he serves as Governor of Township Number Nine very highly and as a result, this leaves him generally ostracized from the rest of the Township. Whilst others, such as Anna Hanover, attempt to invite Charles into their social circles, Charles generally turns them away angrily, ultimately, furthering his own isolation. However, Charles believes himself to be incapable of doing any wrong and as such, blames others for this. Charles also holds a number of views that turn away a number of the people of Township Number Nine. Charles generally views his status as a white, British man very highly and as such has a number of views that are both misogynistic and xenophobic. He has a blatant dislike for Anna Hanover due to her being both a woman and American. As well as this, Charles has a blatant disregard for the sciences, viewing them as merely a barrier to his own success. Charles is very quick to anger and violence. He cares little for others, especially when they stand in the way of his goals, and is willing to turn to extremes, such as murder, in order to achieve what he wants.
Relationships[]
Anna Hanover[]
Anna Hanover is Charles' enemy. Charles generally finds Anna extremely irritating as he views the arrival of the scientists in Township Number Nine as a hindrance to his plans. Charles dislikes the scientists but holds a grudge against Anna specifically. Charles loathes Anna's position as both an intellectual and a leader, due to her being both an American and a woman. As a result, this increases his resentment towards her. Alongside this, Charles dislikes Anna's personality and how she is talkative and excitable. However, in contrast to this, despite Charles' ill-mannered and generally bad-tempered interactions with her, Anna generally treats Charles kindly and with respect. She generally attempts to invite Charles to join them despite this often leading to him making rude remarks in return. Generally, Anna views Charles as a misanthropic man yet still treats him kindly. However, Charles has a deep hatred for Anna and almost takes joy in attempting to murder her.
John Herschel[]
John Herschel is Charles' enemy. Much like with Anna, Charles is irritated with John as he views the arrival of the scientists as a hindrance to his plans. However, initially, Charles tolerated the scientists as he was instructed by the monarchy to aid them in their work. Charles' relationship with John is greatly influenced by John being a man, as Charles has more respect for him than he does for his female counterparts. Charles and John initially got along, and Charles had some respect for him. However, following John's departure from the Township, Charles became increasingly angry with him. Generally, John has a lower tolerance for Charles' behavior than Anna. He will often reprimand him, though Charles rarely listens to him, instead merely finding John as a nuisance. Ultimately, John views Charles as a nuisance to be tolerated. Meanwhile, Charles dislikes John and is willing to murder him in order to achieve his goals.
Trivia[]
- Charles is named after the character Tom Coram in the original Brick Moon novella. As Chester Thomas already had the name Thomas, Matt opted instead to make Thomas his middle name.