There are only a handful of elements that are absolutely essential to all known lifeforms, and carbon is easily the most important. Certainly hydrogen and oxygen in the form of water and other compounds are also essential, but without carbon there simply would not be life as we know it. There are many reasons for that, but that discussion is not for tonight.
This time we shall start at the basics and next time we shall work our way into more complex topics. Since carbon is so essential and important, this will be a multipart series. I expect three or so, but that depends on how motivated I am to root around for things that will be interested.
Unlike beryllium and boron, carbon, at least 12C, is more common than it should be. The reason is fascinating, and we shall talk about that tonight.