The Biology of a Ceti Eel

[Michael]

A few minutes ago I finished reading the original script for "The Wrath Of Khan". Hell, what a good story! The dialog is so spot-on and stylish.

But, nit-picky as I am, I have a little question concerning the Ceti Eel. When introducing them, Khan says they killed twenty of his people (including his beloved wife). Before implanting two of the eels into Terrel's and Chekov's ears he further explains that they "wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex. This has the effect of rendering the victim extremely susceptible to suggestion. Later, as they grow, follows madness, paralysis -- and death."

All of this seems to be true with Captain Terrel, who later struggles with madness and kills himself with a phaser. But what happens to Chekov?! He seems to be on the verge of madness, too. But he doesn't die. No, the eel actually leaves him for no reason at all! Why -- or am I missing something?

(And yes, I know McCoy is giving Chekov some kind of injection. But how could he possibly know about the Ceti Eel?)

 

[FalTorPan]

One also wonders how the eel can find its way to a person's cerebral cortex without destroying the person's inner ear.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Belar said:
But what happens to Chekov?! He seems to be on the verge of madness, too. But he doesn't die. No, the eel actually leaves him... Why -- or am I missing something?

Couldn't find his brain. Starved to death...

 

[Kryton]

Well, cynically, the "rule of a regular character" shouldn't surprise anyone.

By way of Treksplanation, perhaps seeing his captain about to kill his mentor...and THEN seeing him turn the phaser on himself caused such elevated synaptic activity in his brain the eel found it an irritant and exited before it had fully developed which would have killed Chekov.

Which actually makes a certain amount of sense...perhaps the eel's presence in the cortex normally forces a reduction in synaptic activity, making the subject dull and open to suggestion.

I'm just spitballin' here, of course.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The young eels are probably psychically connected. When its sibling was in distress, the other one came investigating. Then Kirk phasered it.

 

[Michael]

Therin of Andor said:
The young eels are probably psychically connected. When its sibling was in distress, the other one came investigating. Then Kirk phasered it.

Yes, of course this could all be true. But I was just wondering if there is an on-screen explaination for this. That seems not to be the case here.

Ah, I found a plot hole!

 

[Therin of Andor]

Belar said:
I was just wondering if there is an on-screen explaination for this. That seems not to be the case here.
Ah, I found a plot hole!

Why should movie have to explain every bit of action? Sometimes I run late for work and apologize to the boss. Other times I arrive early, but don't explain that I had a restless night and decided to get up in case I drifted off and missed the alarm. And sometimes I accidentally arrive on time. I leave it up to him to ponder what's up, if he so desires.

 

[Michael]

Therin of Andor said:

Belar said:
I was just wondering if there is an on-screen explaination for this. That seems not to be the case here.
Ah, I found a plot hole!

Why should movie have to explain every bit of action? Sometimes I run late for work and apologize to the boss. Other times I arrive early, but don't explain that I had a restless night and decided to get up in case I drifted off and missed the alarm. And sometimes I accidentally arrive on time. I leave it up to him to ponder what's up, if he so desires.

Yes. I feel exactly the same about that! STAR TREK (or, more specifically, its writers) does not have to make EVERYTHING clear to me. In fact, that's what I like about it! That not everything has to be clear. That there's room for interpretation (maybe that's why I love DS9 [and its end] so much). After all this is the most fun stuff to read in this forum. IMHO.

What I just wanted to know is if THIS is one of these occasions where there is no further explanation. Which'd be really okay for me. :thumbsup:

 

[Basill]

Something about Kryton's "Trekspanation" about increased synaptic activity got me thinking. That might not be too far fetched, but what if it was a combination of factors that ultimately did the trick?

Perhaps it was part of McCoy's field treatment when they were discovered. Remember both men were pretty disoriented; maybe he administered a stimulant or other agent at that time. (Not sure I recall seeing that, but it's at least likely- They did cut away for a short time for Saavik to tell Uhura to shut up!) Maybe that alone didn't immediately affect the eels, but after they beamed into the cave, and both guys were put into the position of increased stress and therefore rushes of adrenaline and what-not, the combination caused the eels to want to flee. Khan knew that the eels made victims very susceptible to suggestion, and madness would follow, but then he had only ever observed this effect in people that were primarily loyal to him. Perhaps a combination of stimulant and some moral tendency to fight Khan's "suggestions," lead to increased stress and a natural brain chemistry that was no longer an optimal environment for the brain bugs. Chekov's made it out, Terrel's didn't make it to the escape hatch.

 

[Michael]

Basill said:... both guys were put into the position of increased stress and therefore rushes of adrenaline and what-not, the combination caused the eels to want to flee. Khan knew that the eels made victims very susceptible to suggestion, but then he had only ever observed this effect in people that were primarily loyal to him. Perhaps a combination of stimulant and some moral tendency to fight these "suggestions," lead to increased stress and a natural brain chemistry that was no longer an optimal environment for the brain bugs. Chekov's made it out, Terrel's didn't make it to the escape hatch.

You'd think that when you're under the stress of dying (or is it just me who considers it unpleasant) -- like it happened to Khan's wife and his other nineteen men -- it would also lead to "a natural brain chemistry [that is] no longer an optimal environment for the brain bugs". I think, this really can't be an explanation.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

It's definitely possible...

 

[Basill]

Belar said:

Basill said:... both guys were put into the position of increased stress and therefore rushes of adrenaline and what-not, the combination caused the eels to want to flee. Khan knew that the eels made victims very susceptible to suggestion, but then he had only ever observed this effect in people that were primarily loyal to him. Perhaps a combination of stimulant and some moral tendency to fight these "suggestions," lead to increased stress and a natural brain chemistry that was no longer an optimal environment for the brain bugs. Chekov's made it out, Terrel's didn't make it to the escape hatch.

You'd think that when you're under the stress of dying (or is it just me who considers it unpleasant) -- like it happened to Khan's wife and his other nineteen men -- it would also lead to "a natural brain chemistry [that is] no longer an optimal environment for the brain bugs". I think, this really can't be an explanation.

Well, my entire hypothesis depends on the fact that the eel that came out of Chekov came out prematurely. We don't actually know what the optimal environment for the eels are. Maybe "...madness and... death." is optimal. Maybe that is part of their life cycle. they were certainly feeding because they were growing. Maybe they even reproduce in dying victims. All I am saying is that the chemicals native to the brain (totally normal, even during times of stress) may have interacted with a stimulant (a non-native chemical) McCoy possibly introduced earlier. Kind of like Mentos and Diet-Coke! Once again, its just a treksplanation.

Now maybe Chekov's eel came out just as it would have in any other subject, (Madness) but since Khan's people didn't have sufficient emergency triage equiptment/supplies, or weapon's capable of incineration, they passed in a very different manner. (Death) Thus, Khan's predictions were fairly accurate, but in this instance, Terrel died during the madness phase by his own hand, and Chekov was able to be saved within hours of the eels egress.

Now that I think about it, Occum's razor makes that the more plausible explanation. But still all in fun

P.S. Chekov really has had some bad luck in Trek lore regarding his brain eh?

 

[Michael]

Basill said:P.S. Chekov really has had some bad luck in Trek lore regarding his brain eh?

For me, Chekov died years ago (in NV's "To Serve All My Days").

So, what you are saying is that McCoy gave them (Terrel and Chekov) something BEFORE they were on the Genesis Planet. Yeah, maybe that could have changed the normal way in which a Ceti Eel operates within the human body. Now I understand.

 

[Unicron]

It's worth noting too that there's no way for Chekov and Terrell to be carrying phasers in the Regula transporter room, the way the TWOK uniforms are designed. They just suddenly have them when the betrayal scene comes along.

 

[cardinal biggles]

I'm not sure where Chekov got his, but I'm pretty sure that Terrell took Jedda's phaser in the confusion of the fight between Kirk and David.

 

[Kryton]

Well, clearly he pulled his phaser from out his...ear.

 

[Unicron]

^^ I'm not so sure about that, because there's nothing to suggest he stole Jedda's phaser. I'd have to rewatch the scenes again, but from looking at the stills on TrekCore it seems implied that Terrell and Chekov had their phasers all along. Somehow.

 

[Basill]

It looks like they might have filmed something that could have explained how they got their phasers, but it doesn't make it into the cut. The simple fact... Jedda had a phaser but lost it before he was vaporized. And Terrel had not one but TWO phasers in his possession by the time he reveals his duplicity (eel induced)

From watching my DVD, Kirk's phaser was knocked out of his hands by David when he jumped him... Kirk had it pulled and ready when David attacked, but it is already gone when he turns to fight him hand to hand(knife.) But that was a good distance from Terrel and Chekov, so it didn't make it into their possession.

My theory... One of the phasers is Jedda's wrested from him offscreen in the last moments of the Kirk/David struggle. (This may have been filmed or planned, but who knows.) The other two phasers are McCoy's and Saavik's. McCoy didn't pull his phaser out until Jedda yells "Phasers down!" Saavik's was also out by this point, And both start lowering them immediately. They can then clearly be heard trinkling across the floor as David begins swinging at Kirk. Jedda has to back up to avoid the struggle, and the next time we see him he's plasma dust. There is no phaser in his hands as they shimmy into oblivion.

I think Terrel must have grabbed that from Jedda in the last instant of the fight and put it on his belt, where it remained... Terrel and Chekov then pick up the other two off the floor just as reveals the Khan plot. How's that?

 

[Basill]

Ok... so I may be totally wrong. After seeing Jedda toasted yet again, it appears there may STILL be a phaser lying on a box right in front of McCoy, between where he and Saavik were standing. So maybe the whole scene was just botched. But for treksplanation purposes, I tried.

 

[Data Holmes]

The real world reason for the phaser mystery is that the seen was reshot from kirk getting his but kicked by David to Kirk kicking David's but.