Adult Ceti eel
Ceti eel larva emerging from Chekov's ear
The Ceti eel is 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 native survivor of the orbital 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. As the larva matures, the subject grows falls prey to madness and eventual death.
Many of Khan Noonien Singh's followers were killed by Ceti eels in this fashion, including his wife.
- Marla McGivers is widely believed to have become Khan's wife (a notion confirmed in the script and novelization of The Wrath of Khan), although the final film does not make this clear.
In 2285, Khan used Ceti eels to gain the cooperation of Captain Terrell and Commander Chekov of the USS Reliant. Chekov's eel left his body after a time, while Terrell fought his creature's effects, and ended up killing himself instead of Admiral James T. Kirk (as Khan had ordered him to do). (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Background
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 Patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the Ceti eel. Called an "ornamental design for a toy animal" it was issued in 1984.