CODA Xindi

[mactavish]

The Xindi do appear to have disruptors like the Klingons. They are also [obviously] advanced in weapons technology (i.e. "the Weapon").

I get the distinct impression, however, that the Xindi are not particularly widespread... indeed, it seems that they've never left the Delphic Expanse (except to attack Earth).

Regarding why the Xindi always seem to dock and board when attacking enemy vessels, I've always thought that it was either a.) because polarizing the hull somehow affects their transporter technology, b.) they can't send over more than one or two people at a time (limiting the effectiveness of boarding parties), or c.) they prefer the physical act of boarding enemy ships. Sure, maybe they <b>could</b> use their transporters to board, but isn't it more fun to climb through that airlock and blast the first homeotherms you see?

Like I said, I'd guess they do have warp drive technologies, but that the subspace corridors are faster for their travel needs. I'd also guess that their impulse drives are pretty good, considering that they can outrun <i>Enterprise</i> in STL pursuit.

I don't think we've seen Xindi missile weapons of any kind thus far, but that doesn't mean they don't have them; their disruptors just do the job pretty well (as "the Weapon" seems to indicate).

I think that they possess standard sensors, particularly due to some comments Degra made about <i>Enterprise</i> having sophisticated sensors for a warship. I took that as a sign that their sensor technologies are fairly similar.

I haven't noticed any universal translator technologies amongst the Xindi. It seems that they all understand each others' languages. I'd say that the Primates, Arboreals, and Reptilians all speak Xindi Standard, while the Insectoids and Aquatics both speak their own languages (though, as I said, they all understand each other).

The Primates, Arboreals, and Aquatics seem to make use of cruisers, while the Reptilians prefer warships and the Insectoids, fast attack cruisers and [perhaps] transports (for their spawn). They also all seem to use shuttles and escape pods, too. How would you classify Degra's vessel? Scout? Science vessel?

And finally, "the Weapon." How would you build something like this? How big is the damned thing anyway? It seems to be considerably bigger than the largest Xindi ships, but how big <b>is</b> that?

mactavish out.

[Tobian]

I haven't seen all the episodes on Enterprise - have we seen the Xindi actually use Transporter technology?

If they have it, it could be that it's a huge machine that only the largest ships can support (or uses vast quantities of energy and can't be run off a car battery like Enterprises )

I suspect that low numbers would be a problem. The Xindi like to attack en-masse in large boarding parties. It could also be that they also like to attach their ships - for one it's an AWFUL lot harder to hit a ship if it's attatched to you! Weapons which do starship levels of damage also explode in YOUR face too It also is a means, as you pointed out, to circumvent things such as polarized hull plating, navigational deflector shields (you never know, a large magnetic field might be all they need - did anyone explain how they don't have forcefields and yet have a..... navigational forcefield ) or in more advanced enemies shields.

I agree with your assesments on the weapons and the sensor systems.

The whole thing about the subspace coridoors is a little wooly. The episode i watched last night showed these coridoors to be fixed points and possibly even one way only - yet they talked about making them in another episode. This makes me wonder if they have some vast machine of 'Sphere builder' origin which actually cuts the rifts for them - or maybe only large vessels can do it. The fact that they intend to make one to earth is confusing if they only work in the expanse?!

The "Weapon" it's self; while being an awsome special effect; is incredibly hard to judge the size on. In the epeisode we saw it underwater it looked huge, but then it was next to only small craft and shuttles. I wouldhave to go back and check but there might be a shot of one of the Xindi craft next to the 'test' weapon, but sgain this might not be a full size craft if it was only for testing against a small moon.

Something singularly troubles me about allot of this of course - the Xindi are VERY close to the heart of the Federation and we learn they later join the Federation to fight the sphere builders - YET while some of their technology is 'enterprise' era - technology to make subspace rifts which traverse lightyears in seconds and make weapons which destroy whole planets places these things FAR above even 24th century technology! Warp drive then is just not as fast!

[mactavish]

I'm not sure that I agree with your assessment of the Xindi weapon. Sure it's powerful. Sure it's advanced (thanks to the Sphere Builders). I wouldn't consider it too advanced, however, as it was designed by Degra, a 22nd-century Xindi-Primate engineer. I don't think that the Xindi weapon is overpowered; it's a question of Earth's defenses (or lack thereof). A weapon of that size most likely incorporates some Sphere Builder tech, but the majority would likely be of Xindi design and manufacture.

Look at it this way: 20th-century Earth's nuclear arsenal could have destroyed the planet. A few hundred tactically-placed nukes below the planet's surface would almost certainly break the planet apart. Even if the Xindi weapon isn't hyper-advanced, I'm sure that - given a big enough power source and guidance from the Sphere Builders - they could produce a big enough gun to blow a planet into little pieces.

The Xindi do indeed have transporters (as seen in "The Council"); the Reptilians used them to kidnap Hoshi off the <i>Enterprise</i> bridge. I do agree with your assessment of why they board enemy vessels, however; I think they like the act itself as well as the ability to avoid messy space battles (i.e. hard to target a ship latched onto your hull without damaging your own ship).

I think that the Xindi as a whole are probably somewhat more advanced than humanity, not as much as the Vulcans, and in different areas than the Andorians (who seem pretty evenly matched in terms of starships). Remember, though, that even the Andorians wanted to capture the Xindi weapon; maybe the weapon itself is a good example of a prototype super-weapon that even Andorian engineers couldn't reproduce. Or maybe they could, given time, but thought it an easier task just to steal the beta test and reverse-engineer it.

I think we're going to see the Vulcans, Andorians, and maybe Tellarites join Starfleet and the Xindi-Primates, Arboreals, and Aquatics in destroying the weapon near Earth... thus laying the foundation for the Federation (and maybe giving us a Romulan War in Season 4).

mactavish out.

[Space_Cadet]

Admitily, i still disagree on whether they have warp technology. Remember, in "Expanse", the probe came through a space vortex and not out of warp drive. But like i said before, we'll find out what the subspace vortex traveling is like.

here's a site with Xindi ships if anyone is interested...

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/sc...indi_ships.htm

[mactavish]

Thanks for the ship pics.

I completely understand your views regarding whether the Xindi have warp drive or not. I guess part of the reason that I think they must is this: if they can't travel at warp, why doesn't <i>Enterprise</i> simply retreat at warp when they are attacked?

It seems to me that when the Andorians stole the Xindi weapon prototype, they were pursued briefly (but please correct me if I'm wrong). This says to me that they have warp drive, but perhaps not a very good top speed.

I prefer to think that they have to have the capacity to create a warp drive simply because all of the other races of similar technological capability have warp drive (or something similar). Of course, maybe they don't... maybe that's why they haven't spread beyond the Delphic Expanse. Perhaps they rely simply on their subspace vortex technology and impulse drive systems to get where they're going. If the subspace vortices are created using Xindi technology (as opposed to something created as a result of the spheres' presence), then maybe that <b>is</b> their warp drive... kind of a quantum-tip tunneling drive system that finds microwormholes and forces them open so they're big enough to accomodate one or more vessels. Maybe they are the same natural phenomena exploited by the Vaadwaur from the Delta Quadrant; they did indicate that their subspace corridors stretch throughout the galaxy...

In any case, I'm just going to assume that - if they wanted to - they <b>could</b> build a warp drive system, but that they prefer to use their subspace vortex network to get around when traveling long distances. It was suggested on <i>Voyager</i> that vessels could only use impulse drives inside the subspace corridors, so maybe the Xindi (assuming that these are the same phenomena) intentionally leave warp drives and cores off their vessels for fear of damage or destruction due to a reaction between those technologies and the fabric of subspace.

Well heck... now I'm not sure what to think!

mactavish out.

[Space_Cadet]

... I guess part of the reason that I think they must is this: if they can't travel at warp, why doesn't Enterprise simply retreat at warp when they are attacked?

I'm pretty sure they could but don't want to cause of certain reasons, like they're warp drives are knocked out or they want to face up to them and take some into questioning.

In any case, I'm just going to assume that - if they wanted to - they could build a warp drive system, but that they prefer to use their subspace vortex network to get around when traveling long distances

That seems very plausible

[mactavish]

Do you guys perceive any sort of connection between the Xindi and the Suliban? I mean both are being manipulated by temporally-active individuals or groups, both have technologies superior to what they would be able to come up with on their own, and both are changing history based on their interactions with their contacts.

Do you suppose that the Suliban Cabal's future contact is in some way working against the Sphere Builders (besides the obvious)? It's like this whole Temporal Cold War has multiple time traveling (or at least time tampering) groups pitted against each other, but none of their agendas seems clear (except for Daniels', of course).

I know many don't like the whole TCW angle, but just think of the entertainment you can have by introducing even more tampering from other groups (such as the Delta Quadrant's Krenim Imperium or perhaps some deranged El Aurian scientist seeking to "correct" his peoples' history regarding the Borg)! Heck, the fact that the Xindi are being manipulated in order to change the past is not only unsurprising; it's actually quite understandable. I mean look... if you had the ability to alter the timeline, wouldn't you? Particularly if you could have someone else do most of the work? I know that I would. I'd make the changes and keep making changes until I got what I wanted (Annorax be damned!)!

I am seriously considering including the Krenim Imperium in my 22nd-century Series as a nearly incomprehensible foe. I was considering using the Tholians, but the Krenim - with their temporal torpedoes and their time-altering weapon - could certainly make life in the age of <i>Enterprise</i> even more interesting than it already is! I love the Krenim (despite the fact that we know so little about them). I am even considering dropping one of their warships into the Beta Quadrant via a temporally-unstable wormhole but not telling the players who they are or where they came from.

And as far as that goes, I think that the Vaadwaur would also be an entertaining addition. Though most of them are in stasis on their homeworld in the DQ, I think that a colony or two remained active, perhaps hiding their true nature and waiting for the time that their people "rose from the ashes," so to speak.

What does this have to do with the Xindi? Well, this all came up because I was thinking about what might happen if the Vaadwaur (or the Turei) encountered the Xindi in one of the subspace corridors. Maybe the Xindi think that their technology creates the portals, but the reality is that they are the same corridors used by the Vaadwaur and their predecessors.

Maybe a Xindi vessel or group of vessels goes haywire and jumps onto another branch in the system, emerging in the Delta Quadrant. Maybe the same thing happens with a convoy of Turei cargo ships, but they end up in the Expanse. Or maybe a Vaadwaur battle group somehow shifts in time, emerging in the 22nd century Alpha Quadrant rather than the 15th century Delta Quadrant (or wherever). I've always wanted a reason to bring the Vaadwaur into my various Series, and I think that the whole Xindi arc may be the key.

The other idea I had was that the Xindi are actually from the Delta Quadrant, having traveled via subspace vortices into the Delphic Expanse millennia earlier. That could explain their use of the corridors, and perhaps some other details as well.

And thus have the Xindi remade the 22nd century for me... though I still want to stat out their ships.

mactavish out.

[mactavish]

So what about the two Xindi hand weapons we've seen? The Insectoids used that sonic boom weapon (which kind of reminded me of the one used in the <i>Tek</i> sci-fi series as well as the thing used by Tom Cruise in <i>Minority Report</i>), and the Reptilians used that "glop gun" to splatter stuff on the bulkhead that sprayed several crewmembers with some kind of energy or chemical attack.

If I recall correctly, at least one of the Xindi weapons had it's energy matrix controlled by some sort of worm, thus indicating a biological component to [at least some of] their technology. That same weapon - a Reptilian firearm, I believe - self-destructed when Reed tried to test it or take it apart or adjust it or something.

So how would these items be represented in RPG terms? I think the "glop gun" is pretty simple, but the sonic boom gun still puzzles me. Is it equivalent to a stun setting with knockback, or is it something more?

What kind of hand weapons do you supposed the Aquatics use?

mactavish out.

[redwood973]

Originally posted by mactavish
What kind of hand weapons do you supposed the Aquatics use?

Super Soaker?

[Space_Cadet]

mactavish,

For the repetilian disruptor rifle with that worm inside that also seems to replicate itself.. i'd say it uses a disruptor setting of 7 and it is unlimited in power. As far as ranges goes, i have to figure that out.

I did come up with some species attributes but still incomplete. Feel free to critique it and make changes, anyone.

*Primates: none

*Abboreal (sp): +1 Prescence, +1 Intellect

*Reptillian: +1 Vitality, +2 Strength, -1 Prescence, -2 Agility, -1 Intellect
Edges- Resolute

*Insectoids: +3 Strength, +2 Agility, -1 Vitality, -1 Prescence, -1 Intellect
Edges-Resolute, Amidexterious

*Aquatics: (?)
Flaws- Weak willed (?), Slow

[mactavish]

It seems like all of the Xindi suffer from some degree of paranoia as well, possibly due to the destruction of their homeworld, the influence of the Sphere Builders, and so on.

Are the Reptilians the new Klingons for <i>Enterprise</i>? They seem very determined and unwilling to compromise, show a penchant for combat, and even seem to enjoy hand-to-hand and melee fighting.

How about the Insectoids? I can't really think of another <i>Star Trek</i> race that they resemble too closely. They are a lot like the Klingons, too, in that they shoot first and ask questions if there are any survivors. Their apparent devotion to their young kind of reminds me of the Cardassians, but that's where (in my mind, at least) the similarities end.

The Arboreals are reminiscent of the <i>TOS</i> Tellarites in my mind... but maybe it's just a physical appearance thing. They do, however, seem really into the physical sciences (i.e. chemistry, physics, metallurgy, etc.).

The Primates we've seen are pretty human in their behaviors, so I would guess that using the human species template is probably a good idea.

The Aquatics are kind of a mystery. They are not really like any other alien race we've seen. I guess I'd peg them pretty much the way that you have, but I would like more information before making any real decisions.

The Sphere Builders, while not actually Xindi, are also of interest to me. How do you suppose their paradimensionality would be represented in-game? They seem technically advanced, and they have the ability (technological? psionic?) to view possible future timelines as well as measure their probabilities. How would that work? I guess it's more a plot device than anything, but I would be keen on knowing how to play that ability in an Episode.

mactavish out.

[Tobian]

I'm not 100 % sure here - but was that Sphere builder actually in the room or was she some kind of holographic projection?

The indication is that the our space is inhospitable to their physiiology so they are altering it. The guy they recovered from the 'big blob' died soon after they brought hm into our space, so that said she is either a hologram; has some form of personal forcevied device / sybspace device or simply doesn't stay past a few minutes in the presence of the Xindi.

Ii suspect that the Sphere builders ability to see in the future is not unlike the Starfleet timeships. Plus we don't know if the Sphere builders didn't tamper with their OWN past - sending records of the war to their own past - allong with a plan to change the past. They may only be able to send information to the past - because otherwise why didn't they just blow up earth themselves (as the Borg tried to do) - that said perhaps Daniens timepolice can detect spatial rifts and interviene but they can't detect communications easilly - hence they decided to influence the past rather than go there themselves.

I think the problem with the Xindi is in some ways an attempt to answer Startrek critics perceptions of startrek aliens - they are walking steryotypes - such as klingons are practically pressed out of a mould Instead we have 5 steryotypes all in one - but at least it helps viewers understand who is arguing with who.. If they allooked human it'd be hard to discern. The Reptilians have made their case plain - The aArboreals and the primates seem to be fairly similar in some ways - but in my estimation the insectoids are just as much of a mystery as the Aquatics.

While the insectoids seem to err on the side of battle with the Reptillians - it could only be because they have a common (percieved) enemy - they might often fight tooth and nail because they are both warlike. We haven't really seen them except to invade the ship allongside the Reptilians - I suspect this is a budget thing but they may be more than just reptilian clones in CG

I would say that the Xindi have to have been the most advanced species in the Delphic expanse because they seem an unlikelly choice otherwise - they fight with each other too much to have been chosen if there was an option B - Of course alternatelly the Sphere builders might have several plans up their sleves and seem to use their internal arguments to manipulate them as a whole so that might be the other reason. Reason 3 might be simply that the Xindi will be in the Federation in the future - perhaps without their help and without the Xindi in Starfleet they may not beable to defeat the Sphere builders... Items of technology the Xindi have might be essential to technology we've seen in the future for the Federation and it could all potentially change - the wedge they are driving in now COULD be a FAR more insidious weapon against the Federation than the uber weapon it's self!

[Space_Cadet]

Xinidi Reptiliian ship has a crew complement of 22

[mactavish]

How many bodies did they find aboard the Xindi-Insectoid vessel in "Hatchery"?

mactavish out.

[Space_Cadet]

I don't know..i've seen Hatchery once. But all i know so far is that the Xindi Repetillian ship had 22 aboard before it got whipped by Degra and Enterprise. Another thing about the Reptillian ship is that it was referred to as a "scout". But i m not sure if they mean the ship was scouting or if it was scout-class vessel. Any ideas?