Ceti eel

Ceti eels are a fictional animal featured in the Star Trek film and television franchise. They were introduced in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and were used as a central plot device in the movie.

Ceti eels are small larva-like parasites that are native to the planet Ceti Alpha V. Unlike other animal organisms, it is their young which are actually the most dangerous. As once described by Khan Noonien Singh, "You see, their young enter through the ears and wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex. This has the effect of rendering the victim extremely susceptible to suggestion. Later, as they grow, follows madness and death."

Khan Noonien Singh, his wife Marla McGivers and many of his augment followers were marooned on Ceti Alpha V after a failed attempt to take control of the Federation starship USS Enterprise from it's captain, James T. Kirk.

Notes & Trivia

 * On the TV series Supernatural, an antagonsist known as Eve, the self-proclaimed mother of monsters creates a black eel-like insect that takes possession of human victims. One of the show's two main protagonists, Dean Winchester (played by Dark Angel actor Jensen Ackles) refers to them as "Khan eels".