The Xindi weapon
The Xindi superweapon was a massive mobile particle beam weapon designed to destroy entire planets. It was built by the Xindi in the 22nd century who hoped to destroy the planet Earth to prevent the destruction of their future homeworld by Humans in the 26th century, as they had been told would happen by the Sphere Builders.
Certain steps were taken to prevent any one species from controlling the weapon. The final version required activation codes from at least three of the five species in order to function. However, it could be fired instantly if all five codes were used. It could not be armed while the propulsion system was online.
History[]
Building the weapons[]
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 component came from the year 2573, supplied to the Xindi by the Sphere Builders. Another key component of the weapon was the mineral kemocite, which was provided by Gralik Durr's refining facility.
Research on the weapon was very dangerous. In September 2153, there was an accident in Degra's laboratory. Nearly all of his laboratory was destroyed, and three of his researchers were killed. The loss of the data caused the weapon's development to be set back by months, which induced the Council to consider developing a bioweapon.
Probe[]
The Xindi weapon prototype
The weapon had at least three stages in its development the first of which was a small probe piloted by a single Xindi-Reptilian, a soldier hand-picked by Commander Dolim.
The path of destruction cut through Florida by the probe's beam
In March of 2153 the probe was launched in a test attack against Earth, bypassing Earth's defences and arriving in immediate orbit though the use of a subspace vortex. As soon as it entered orbit the probe fired, cutting a 4000 kilometer swath from Florida to Venezuela, and killing seven million people in the process.
Telemetry from the test attack was transmitted back to the Xindi Council and after the attack the pilot activated the self destruct. Debris from the probe and the corpse of the pilot (surviving thanks to an undetonated charge in the vessel's engine) landed in Central Asia, where it was recovered by a Vulcan transport and handed over to Starfleet in San Francisco for analysis - quantum dating of the wreckage suggested components came from the future, collaborating what Jonathan Archer had been told by the Suliban Cabal's temporal benefactor and pointing Starfleet towards the Xindi. In response the starship Enterprise was launched on a mission to stop the expected follow-up attacks from the Xindi.
Test weapon[]
The second prototype being carried by the Xindi cargo vessel
The second prototype in the Calindra system
The second weapon prototype was unmanned and test-fired in a "proving ground" in the Calindra system inside the Delphic Expanse, under the supervision of Degra himself in December 2153. When not being used, this prototype was typically carried and could be transported by the Xindi cargo vessel.
The test did not go as planned, as the weapon's materials had been sabotaged by Gralik Durr on behalf of Jonathan Archer. The weapon was subsequently stolen by the Andorian warship Kumari. The Andorians had hoped to take it home to use as a deterrent against the Vulcans. It was destroyed when T'Pol entered the activation codes and issued an overload command. The Kumari jettisoned the prototype before it exploded, but the shock wave caused significant damage to their power and engine systems.
V'Las later used recorded footage of this test to justify preparations for a preemptive strike on Andoria to the rest of the Vulcan High Command, conveniently failing to mention that the Andorians had been prevented from studying it.
Primary weapon[]
Enterprise attempts to prevent the final weapon launching for its attack on Earth
The final version of the weapon was constructed by the Xindi-Aquatics on Azati Prime, and following Azati Prime's discovery by the Enterprise was moved to an underground facility on the Xindi Council planet for completion.
When it became apparent some members of the Xindi council were starting to question the attack on Earth, thanks to the arguments put forth by Jonathan Archer, a force of Xindi-Reptilians and Xindi-Insectoids decided to hijack the weapon, determined to complete the attack. Despite the best efforts of the Enterprise and the forces of the rest of the Xindi, the Reptilians and Insectiods successfully escaped with the weapon into a subspace vortex.
The Xindi weapon approaches Earth
The Xindi weapon is destroyed
The weapon headed straight for Earth, but a team from the Enterprise assisted by the Xindi followed closely behind and when the weapon arrived they transported inside to destroy it from within by causing an overload.
Legacy[]
Following the successful completion of the mission to stop the weapon the Enterprise and her crew received a heroes welcome at their return to Earth. However the incident also provoked heightened levels of Xenophobia on Earth, resulting in gathering support for the Terra Prime movement in 2155.
Also in 2154 the Vulcan Administrator V'Las showed the Vulcan High Command footage of the second prototype of the weapon, claiming the Andorians were adapting the Xindi technology to use against the Vulcans, hoping to provoke a conflict between Vulcan and Andor.
A reconstruction or replica of the Xindi probe in 2370
In 2370 a reconstruction or replica of the probe prototype was in possession of a Starfleet conspiracy who stored it in a secret facility on, or near, Earth.
In an alternate 2374, USS Voyager chief engineer B'Elanna Torres commented that the strong-force reversal field emitted by the Species 8472 bioships to destroy planets was similar to the pulse emitted by the Xindi superweapon.