The Xindi superweapon is launched.
The Xindi superweapon was a massive, mobile particle beam weapon designed to be able to destroy entire class-M planets. There were actually three weapons built.
The weapons were built by the five Xindi species in cooperation, at the instigation of the Guardians, who had informed the Xindi that Humans would be responsible for the destruction of the future Xindi homeworld in the 26th century. The weapon's primary goal was the destruction of Earth.
The weapon was designed primarily by Degra, a Xindi-Primate scientist and member of the Xindi Council, and constructed by the Aquatics. Most of the weapon's components were built by the Xindi, but at least one came from 2573. To prevent any one species from controlling the weapon, it required activation codes from at least three of the five species in order to function.
See also: Xindi bioweapon
Destroyer/Probe
This was the first of the Xindi superweapons. This one was launched against Earth in March 2153 as a test, arriving in Earth orbit through the use of a subspace vortex, allowing it to bypass Starfleet and the defense grid. It wiped out seven million people, carving a swath of destruction from Florida to Venezuela; as it did so it transmitted telemetry back to the Council. Afterwards its Xindi-Repitilian pilot self-destructed it; the debris landed in Central Asia where it was recovered by a Vulcan transport and then analyzed by Starfleet.
Second Prototype
This superweapon prototype was unmanned and used in a "proving ground" inside the Delphic Expanse, where it was tested by Degra himself in December 2153. The tests did not go as planned, as the weapon's materials had been sabotaged by Gralik on behalf of Jonathan Archer of Enterprise. The weapon was subsequntly stolen by the Andorian warship Kumari and destroyed by Enterprise. The Andorians had hoped to take it home to use as a deterent against the Vulcans.
Final Weapon
The final version of the weapon was substantially larger than its two predecessors and was designed to be manned by a skeleton crew. It was contructed in secret on Azati Prime, though when the Enterprise discovered it there, it was moved to the same planet as the Council. When it became apparent that Captain Archer was becoming successful in convicing the Council to delay the attack on Earth, Commander Dolim's forces, working in concert with the insectoids, stole the weapon. They also kidnapped Enterprise linguist Hoshi Sato and brainwashed her into decrypting the third activation code.
Enterprise, along with forces of the primates, arboreals, and aquatics, attempted to stop the weapon from entering the vortex to Earth, but were repelled by a reptilian and intectoid fleet. The reptilians and insectoids were assisted by the creation of numerous anomalies by the Sphere-Builders, and one ship of each race escaped into the vortex with the weapon. The insectoid ship was very shortly destroyed by the reptilian one, however, when its commander questioned Dolim.
The weapon emerged in Earth orbit ten hours later, but very close behind it was the vessel of the late Degra, manned by Enterprise personnel including Jonathan Archer, Malcolm Reed, and Hoshi Sato, as well as a MACO squad. The Kunmari ran interference for Degra's lightly-armed vessel, enabling the Enterprise team to board the weapon and destroy it by overloading its reactor. Captain Archer was thought killed in the attempt.
Appearances
- ENT: "The Expanse"
- ENT: "Proving Ground"
- ENT: "Twilight"
- ENT: "Azati Prime"
- ENT: "The Council"
- ENT: "Countdown"
- ENT: "Zero Hour"