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Denevan Neural Parasite

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TimelinePeople
Universe : Prime Timeline
Species Name : Denevan Neural Parasite [1]
Quadrant : Unknown

An intelligent species, the neural parasites were flattened, disc-shaped creatures about twelve inches across and an inch or two thick. They had little in the way of organs or internal structure, resembling a single gigantic brain cell. Despite this, they have a limited ability to fly in order to attack and infest their victims. On contact with a person - usually aiming for the back - the parasite would use a stinger to inject neural tissue into them. The tissue would entwine itself around the nervous system, making it almost impossible to remove. The parasite would issue commands directly into the mind of the host, and if not obeyed would cause the nervous system to send pain messages to the brain. So great was this ability to inflict pain that the host could die from it. [1]

The parasites are believed to be connected together through some unknown means, making them one gigantic hive mind. This allows them to lend strength to one another, making individual creatures almost impossible to kill - even sustained phaser fire did little to them, and they easily withstood temperatures of nine thousand degrees. However, they are vulnerable to ultraviolet light; illumination by a sufficient level of this will kill them and free the host. [1]

The origin of the parasites is unclear. The are known to have infested the Beta Portolan system in the distant past; in the 2060s they infested Levinius V, then Theta Cygni XII, and in 2265, Ingraham B. Their last known location was the planet Deneva, in 2266. Captain Kirk theorised that the neural parasites were so alien to that they might well originate from outside the galaxy. The Denevan infestation was eradicated when the USS Enterprise seeded the planet's orbit with over two hundred ultra violet satellites, which flooded the planet with UV light to a brightness of one million candles per square inch. [1]

Colour key

Canon source Backstage source Novel source DITL speculation

References

# Series Season Source Comment
1 TOS 1 Operation: Annihilate!
Series : TOS Season 1
Episode : Operation: Annihilate!

© Graham & Ian Kennedy Page views : 7,109 Last updated : 20 Sep 2016