I never realized precisely how many of the informal names for locations on Pluto and Charon were pop-culture/science-fiction references. That said, these pictures ignite a certain childlike wonder in the solar system in me. I only wish we had more programs like these to remind us how fascinating space really is.
Me too. I sure am not an astronomer but that looks super odd.
To me it looks like isotastic rebound from an impact crater into a surface less dense than rock. If Charon is mostly ices, the impact probably melted a great deal of that area, then created a central peak that due to the weird surface looks different than what we see on the moon and Mercury. Pure speculation, but that is my guess.
The lack of global cratering is a huge mystery, and that ridge in the upper right of the image is gorgeous. The topology in the upper left limb is pretty odd as well. Overall just really asymmetric, full of personality. Cannot wait to hear the isotope ratios and also learn about any solar wind interaction.