Changes: Ceti eel

Revision as of 10:31, 3 April 2016

Chekov ceti eel — A young Ceti eel crawling on Pavel Chekov's face

A Ceti eel larva emerging from Chekov's ear

"Allow me to introduce you to Ceti Alpha V's only remaining indigenous lifeform."

– Khan Noonien Singh, 2285 (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

The Ceti eel was a burrowing desert animal native to the planet Ceti Alpha V, capable of surviving extremes in its environment. The Ceti eel was the only known indigenous creature that survived the orbital shift of Ceti Alpha V following the explosion of Ceti Alpha VI.

Ceti eels incubated their larvae within the plates of their jointed carapace. Upon emergence, the eel larvae could enter the ear of a larger animal, where it wrapped itself around the cerebral cortex. The effect caused the host extreme pain and rendered them extremely susceptible to outside suggestion. Over time, as the larvae matured, the subject suffered from madness and eventual death.

Twenty of Khan Noonien Singh's followers were killed by Ceti eels in this fashion, including his wife.

Marla McGivers was referenced as Khan's wife in lines cut from the final film. [1]

In 2285, Khan used Ceti eels to gain the cooperation of Captain Clark Terrell and Commander Pavel Chekov of the USS Reliant. However, both men fought against the eels' control of them; Terrell even committed suicide (vaporizing himself with his own phaser), rather than execute Admiral James T. Kirk as Khan had ordered him to do. After Terrell's death, Chekov collapsed in agony, whereupon the eel that had infected him – possibly sensing the death of its "brother" – crawled out of Chekov's ear and fell to the ground, where it was quickly vaporized by Kirk. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Background information

As part of its campaign to protect its exclusive right to market Star Trek-related items, Paramount sought and obtained a design patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the Ceti eel. Called an "ornamental design for a toy animal", it was issued in 1984.

The name "Ceti eel" is never referenced during the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Khan describes the animal without naming it, and McCoy doesn't recognize it when it exits Chekov's ear, though Chekov had told Kirk and McCoy of it when they were on Regula I.

In Evan Carlos Somers' original draft for DS9: "Melora", Fallit Kot (then named Megzie Del) – who had served an eight-year prison sentence due to Quark – threatened to kill Quark by using a type of Ceti eel, planning to insert it into Quark's ears. According to Somers, these creatures would have been "the Ceti eels introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but this variety didn't cause mental vulnerability for mind control [....] I thought that would be a fitting, torturous end for someone who had caused eight years of suffering." (The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine, p. 62) In the first draft script of "Melora", the creatures were described as "tiny lizards" and were kept in "amber liquid" which was in "a transparent tube". They were described as "a cousin of the Ceti Alphan Cortical Parasite" and were said to "enter through the ears causing instant madness", though the time they took to destroy the victim's mind was also referred to as potentially variable (from a couple of hours to a week), depending on the wishes of their owner. The idea of using the creatures in "Melora" was later altogether abandoned, in rewrites.

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, screenwriters of the film Star Trek, created the Centaurian slug as an homage to the Ceti eel. [2]

External link

Ceti eel at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Ceti eel.jpg|thumb|Adult Ceti eel]]
+[[File:Ceti eel.jpg|thumb|An adult Ceti eel]]
 [[File:Chekov ceti eel.jpg|thumb|A young Ceti eel crawling on [[Pavel Chekov]]'s face]]
-[[File:Chekovs ear-ceti eel.jpg|thumb|Ceti eel larva emerging from Chekov's ear]]
+[[File:Chekovs ear-ceti eel.jpg|thumb|A Ceti eel larva emerging from Chekov's ear]]
 {{aquote|Allow me to introduce you to Ceti Alpha V's only remaining indigenous lifeform.|Khan Noonien Singh|2285|2}}
 The '''Ceti eel''' was a burrowing [[desert]] [[animal]] native to the [[planet]] [[Ceti Alpha V]], capable of surviving extremes in its environment. The Ceti eel was the only known indigenous creature that survived the [[orbit]]al shift of Ceti Alpha V following the explosion of [[Ceti Alpha VI]].
-Ceti eels incubate their larvae within the plates of their jointed carapace. Upon emergence, the eel larvae can enter the [[ear]] of a larger animal, where it wraps itself around the [[cerebral cortex]]. This causes the host extreme pain and renders them extremely susceptible to outside suggestion. Over time, as the larva matures, the subject suffers from madness and eventual death.
+Ceti eels incubated their [[larva]]e within the plates of their jointed carapace. Upon emergence, the eel larvae could enter the [[ear]] of a larger animal, where it wrapped itself around the [[cerebral cortex]]. The effect caused the host extreme pain and rendered them extremely susceptible to outside suggestion. Over time, as the larvae matured, the subject suffered from [[insanity|madness]] and eventual [[death]].
-Twenty of [[Khan Noonien Singh]]'s followers were killed by Ceti eels in this fashion, including his wife.
+Twenty of [[Khan Noonien Singh]]'s followers were killed by Ceti eels in this fashion, including his [[wife]].
-{{bginfo|[[Marla McGivers]] was referenced as Khan's wife in lines cut from the final film.'' {{Star Trek Minutiae|academy/literature329/twok.txt}}}}
+{{bginfo|[[Marla McGivers]] was referenced as Khan's wife in lines cut from the final film. ''{{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/twok.txt}}}}
-In [[2285]], Khan used Ceti eels to gain the cooperation of [[Captain]] [[Clark Terrell]] and Commander [[Pavel Chekov]] of the {{USS|Reliant}}. Chekov's eel inexplicably left his body after a time, while Terrell fought the effects of his eel, and ended up killing himself instead of [[Admiral]] [[James T. Kirk]] (as Khan had ordered him to do). ({{film|2}}) Chekov, seemingly stronger-willed than Terrell, collapsed shortly after, forcing the eel out of his ear, where it was quickly vaporized by Kirk.
+In [[2285]], Khan used Ceti eels to gain the cooperation of [[Captain]] [[Clark Terrell]] and [[Commander]] [[Pavel Chekov]] of the {{USS|Reliant}}. However, both men fought against the eels' control of them; Terrell even committed [[suicide]] (vaporizing himself with his own [[phaser]]), rather than [[death penalty|execute]] [[Admiral]] [[James T. Kirk]] as Khan had ordered him to do. After Terrell's death, Chekov collapsed in agony, whereupon the eel that had infected him &ndash; possibly sensing the death of its "brother" &ndash; crawled out of Chekov's ear and fell to the ground, where it was quickly vaporized by Kirk. ({{film|2}})
-== Background ==
+== Background information ==
 [[File:TWOKCetiEelPatent.jpg|thumb|Detail of D275777]]
-*As part of its campaign to protect its exclusive right to market ''Star Trek''-related items, Paramount sought and obtained a [[Design patents|design patent]] from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the Ceti eel.  Called an "ornamental design for a toy animal", it was issued in 1984.
+As part of its campaign to protect its exclusive right to market ''[[Star Trek]]''-related items, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] sought and obtained a [[Design patents|design patent]] from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the Ceti eel. Called an "ornamental design for a toy animal", it was issued in {{y|1984}}.
-*The name "ceti eel" never appears during the movie.  Khan describes the animal without naming it, and McCoy doesn't recognize it when it exits Chekov's ear, though Chekov had told Kirk and McCoy of it when they were on [[Regula I]].
+The name "Ceti eel" is never referenced during the [[Star Trek films|movie]] {{film|2}}. Khan describes the animal without naming it, and McCoy doesn't recognize it when it exits Chekov's ear, though Chekov had told Kirk and McCoy of it when they were on [[Regula I]].
-*In [[Evan Carlos Somers]]'s original draft for {{DS9|Melora}}, [[Fallit Kot]] (then named Megsy Del) was to kill Quark by using a Ceti eel but the idea was later abandoned in rewrites. (''[[The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine]]'', p. 62)
-*[[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], screenwriters of {{film|11}}, created the [[Centaurian slug]] as a homage to the Ceti eel. [http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/22/orci-and-kurtzman-reveal-star-trek-details-in-trekmovie-fan-qa/]
+In [[Evan Carlos Somers]]' original draft for {{DS9|Melora}}, [[Fallit Kot]] (then named Megzie Del) &ndash; who had served an eight-year prison sentence due to Quark &ndash; threatened to kill Quark by using a type of Ceti eel, planning to insert it into Quark's ears. According to Somers, these creatures would have been "''the [[Ceti eel]]s introduced in ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'', but this variety didn't cause mental vulnerability for mind control [....] I thought that would be a fitting, torturous end for someone who had caused eight years of suffering.''" (''[[The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine]]'', p. 62) In the first draft script of "Melora", the creatures were described as "tiny lizards" and were kept in "amber liquid" which was in "a transparent tube". They were described as "a cousin of the Ceti Alphan Cortical Parasite" and were said to "enter through the ears causing instant madness", though the time they took to destroy the victim's mind was also referred to as potentially variable (from a couple of hours to a week), depending on the wishes of their owner. The idea of using the creatures in "Melora" was later altogether abandoned, in rewrites.
+[[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], screenwriters of the film {{film|11}}, created the [[Centaurian slug]] as an homage to the Ceti eel. {{TrekMovie.com|2009/05/22/orci-and-kurtzman-reveal-star-trek-details-in-trekmovie-fan-qa/}}
 ==External link==
-*{{NCwiki}}
+*{{mbeta}}
 [[de:Ceti-Aal]]