Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the finale of Picard and the continuations of Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy and Strange New Worlds, the advent of new eras in Star Trek Online gaming, as well as other post-56th Anniversary publications such as the new ongoing IDW comic. Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{spoiler}}, {{spoilers}} or {{majorspoiler}} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old. Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. 'Thank You

READ MORE

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki
Register
Advertisement
TOS neural parasite

A blastoneuron encountered on the planet Deneva in the year 2267.

The blastoneurons were a type of neural parasites, a dangerous lifeform of undetermined origin.

These lifeforms are sometimes referred to as Denevan neural parasites. This is a misnomer as they did not originate on Deneva, but the name persists as there was a prominent outbreak there.

History and specifics[]

BlastoneuronST3Srcbk

Neural parasite anatomical diagram.

The blastoneurons were roughly disc shaped, and anatomically resembled a single large brain cell. They were capable of individual flight, but most commonly attached themselves to humanoid hosts, via a "stinger" which tapped into the nervous system—for example, through the spinal cord. This allowed control over the host, though it also caused severe pain and madness.

These parasites were believed to have traveled from the Beta Portolan system to Levinius V, then Theta Cygni XII, and in the year 2265, Ingraham B. By 2267 they had reached Deneva, where they were encountered by the crew of the Federation starship USS Enterprise. The crew of that ship discovered that the parasites, which were impervious to most environmental factors including high temperature and radiation, were vulnerable to high-intensity visible and ultraviolet light, and were able to eradicate them by placing a series of UV light-producing satellites in Denevan orbit. (TOS episode: "Operation -- Annihilate!")

In 2270, Na'kuhl extremists from the 29th century released Denevan neural parasites on Deep Space Station K-13. Admiral Isaac Garrett dispatched a ship that uncovered the Na'kuhl interference. Working with Commander Montgomery Scott and K-13's medical officer T'Met, the station was bathed in UV light, disrupting the parasites. Unfortunately, the station was lost anyway when the damaged Na'kuhl Daemosh-class timeship opened a time portal that stranded K-13 elsewhen. (STO - Agents of Yesterday mission: "Painful Omens")

Alternate realities[]

In the Kelvin timeline, the blastoneurons had taken on a more gelatinous form, pink in color, and primarily encased the cranium of a victim. In this timeline, the creatures reached Deneva in 2258. (TOS - Operation: Annihilate comic: "Part 1")

Presumably, the organisms experienced a different evolutionary spread in the alternate reality that accounted for their different physical attributes.

Gallery[]

Victims[]

Appendices[]

Background[]

References[]

External links[]

Advertisement