Charles Eric Matthews, along with his twin sister Natasha, was born on stardate 237303.07 at Tycho City Neonatal Clinic, to parents Andrea and Reid Matthews. The youngest in a well-respected family, Charles always felt pressured by the shadows that his family cast. His mother was a senior engineer at Utopia Planitia Shipyards, having a firm hand in starship design, and his father was one of several chief science officers at Sol Station. His siblings were also held in high esteem - his older sister held the position of Professor of Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Biological Medicine at Oxford University and his brother Kieran had just been promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander aboard the USS Fearless. During his time at Tycho City Prep, and later at Starfleet Academy, Charles would often be regaled with the tales of what his family members were doing at his age, much to his annoyance. Despite often feeling disrespected and the need to prove himself, as well as distancing himself from what his family had achieved, Matthews developed into an extremely confident, gifted young man with a near eidetic memory.
However, tragedy would strike on stardate 238504.05. His mother and twin sister were unfortunately killed during the rogue synthetic attack that destroyed Utopia Planitia. The event changed Charles a great deal; while still an intelligent and gifted person, his confidence had completely drained away, and he became an extremely isolated and reserved individual. It was also following this event that Matthews became estranged from his father, the pair would argue a great deal, and this has resulted in them not speaking for well over a decade. In the aftermath of this ordeal, Charles found himself struggling emotionally and was prone to outbursts of anger and displayed several symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result, he was offered counselling through Starfleet Medical and assigned to a Vulcan therapist. It was during this time with Doctor T’Lora that helped Matthews develop a way to confront and control his emotions, using the meditation technique of Krakroa wh’Itri; and he almost adopted a Vulcan-like stoicism.
Following the end of his time at Tycho City Prep, and whilst still under the care of Doctor T’Lora, Charles moved to the city of Oxford in England and resided with his older sister. It was there that he developed a well-spoken British accent and completed his compulsory education, excelling in the sciences and engineering just like his parents and siblings had. Due to his family history, Matthews initially had little desire to join Starfleet Academy and was determined to find his own path. However, following a suggestion from his counsellor, Charles spent eighteen months living in the city of ShiKahr on Vulcan. Whilst there, he shifted his focus away from engineering and science and spent time studying Vulcan art and literature; he also became fluent in conversational Vulcan and began practicing the martial art Suus Mahna. Matthews’ time at Vulcan ended following a heart to heart with his old brother when visiting the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime. Kieran convinced Charles that he could be his own man and make their mother and sister proud; and that he could make a difference in Starfleet. The speech had stirred something within him, almost as much as being in the presence of the historic starships had, and his subsequent application to Starfleet Academy was duly accepted.
