The Xindi

Infobox Star Trek episode
series = Enterprise
name = The Xindi


ep_num = 53
prod_num = 301
date = September 10, 2003
writer = Rick Berman Brannon Braga
director = Allan Kroeker
guest = Richard Lineback Stephen McChattie Tucker Smallwood Randy Oglesby Rick Worthy Scott MacDonald Marco Sanchez Daniel Dae Kim Nathan Anderson Steven Culp
stardate = unknown
year = 2153
prev = The Expanse
next =

:"Xindi are also a species in "Star Trek" fiction".

"The Xindi" is the premiere episode of the third season of "". The episode officially introduced the season's story arc in which the crew of "Enterprise" scour the Delphic Expanse to prevent the Xindi from destroying Earth (although some exposition was provided in the second season finale, "The Expanse").

Plot

Based on information from a freighter captain "of questionable character", Jonathan Archer leads "Enterprise" to a mining colony within the expanse. He strikes a deal with the mine's foreman, a man who is characterized as equally suspicious. In exchange for a half-liter of platinum, Archer and Trip Tucker are allowed to meet with a Xindi-Humanoid worker named Kessick. Archer tries to extract the coordinates of the Xindi homeworld, Xindus, from him, but Kessick refuses to help the captain unless Archer assists him in escaping the planet.

Archer refuses, but he soon learns that the foreman had ulterior motives in allowing him access to Kessick. Kessick has trapped him and Tucker in the mine and has recalled three warships to the planet in order to gain control of "Enterprise". He plans to use the crew as slaves in the mine.

Kessick claims to know how to escape the mine, but asserts that he will only tell Archer if the captain agrees to allow him to escape on his ship. Archer reluctantly agrees, and Kessick leads him and Trip through the mine's sewage removal system. However, the group is discovered by the mine's foreman, who floods the system with plasma in an effort to kill them. They escape before being killed, but fall into the hands of the foreman's security forces.

By this time, T'Pol, on board the "Enterprise", determines that a rescue attempt must be made before the warships arrive. She orders a team of the newly-assigned MACOs to the surface in a shuttlepod. They perform remarkably well in combat, and manage to rescue Archer and Trip and kill the foreman very effectively. The shuttlepod returns to the ship, which takes off just as the warships arrive. Unfortunately, Kessick is injured in the firefight on the surface and dies shortly thereafter. On his deathbed, however, Kessick manages to reveal the location of the Xindi homeworld. When the ship arrives there, however, they find nothing but a field of debris, which they determine has been there for over a hundred years. Therein lies the dilemma: If the Xindi attacked Earth because they believe their homeworld will be destroyed by humans in the future, how can their homeworld already be destroyed?

Themes and significance

This show introduces several major themes that are revisited throughout the third season. One is Archer's willingness to use morally questionable tactics to save his people. He first puts the crew in danger by accepting the questionable advice and later threatens and manhandles Kessick to extract information. Although these actions were not indefensible, Archer's limits and tolerance for unordinary and violent tactics would be tested as the season progressed.

A second theme introduced was the function and authority of the MACOs. As the rescue mission was being planned, the MACO leader, Major Hayes, became involved in a heated conflict with "Enterprise" security chief Malcolm Reed about whose men should participate in the mission. Issues relating to the Hayes and his MACOs' allegiance and power would be revisited in the episode, "Hatchery".

The introduction of these themes came at the expense of Malcolm Reed's ego. In the opening scene, Archer and Reed are in the command center. Reed objects to Archer's plan to visit the mining colony on dubious intelligence, saying it will put the crew at risk. Archer responds heatedly to this, asserting that since the "Enterprise" has been in the Expanse for six weeks and found nothing, the crew must take some risks to find the Xindi and save Earth. Later, T'Pol chooses Hayes' rescue plan over Reed's. Hayes claimed that his men should perform the rescue while Reed's men, who know the ship's layout better, stay on board to defend against a possible boarding. Reed claims it was a matter of military pride, not strategy but dismisses this in favor of Hayes' plan.

Finally, the episode explores interspecies prejudice. Tucker, a human, is experiencing sleep problems as a result of the death of his sister in the Xindi attack on Earth, but he is unwilling to attempt to alleviate his insomnia by participating in neuro-pressure sessions with T'Pol, a Vulcan. In response, Doctor Phlox, a Denobulan, resolves the problem by getting T'Pol to persuade Tucker to attempt the therapy after tricking him into going to T'Pol's quarters to drop off a report. The neuro pressure sessions continue through the show's third season, allowing both characters to explore their misconceptions about the other's species. They also cause the couple to grow increasingly intimate, most significantly in the future episode, "Harbinger".

The third season would explore Xindi politics, characteristics, and history, gradually revealing more information about the council and the destruction of the planet.

how changes

"The Xindi" marked the start of "Enterprise"'s "new direction" following two seasons that were heavily criticized for a lack of focusFact|date=April 2008, and low ratings due to issues with its network, UPN. The launch of a season-long arc was an attempt to try and break the "status quo" of previous "Star Trek" series, and would be moderately successful as a whole.

Some minor cosmetic changes occurred with the new format. A new, more upbeat arrangement of "Faith of the Heart", the series' controversial theme song was introduced. The appearance of T'Pol was softened somewhat. Concurrent with her resignation from the Vulcan High Command, she was now depicted wearing a series of colorful, more casual outfits. Her physical appearance was also altered, with more traditional Vulcan eyebrows added to the makeup; also, a new wig for actress Jolene Blalock was introduced, giving T'Pol a less severe hairstyle.

Novelization

"The Xindi" was adapted as a novel in conjunction with the preceding episode, "The Expanse", by J.M. Dillard. Entitled "The Expanse", the book was published by Pocket Books in trade paperback format in October 2003. These two episodes stand as the final televised "Star Trek" episodes to be novelized to date. Dillard's novel is notable for covering issues left untouched by the televised episode, such as explaining the rationale behind T'Pol's change of uniform.

External links

* [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/ENT/episode/1729.html Startrek.com episode synopsis]