What's the deal with the Xindi probe?

[eyeresist]

I think it's generally agreed that the Xindi arc was an exciting and innovative part of Star Trek Enterprise, but the way it kicks off involves a certain amount of fridge logic. If the Xindi hadn't sent the small test model of their doomsday weapon, Earth would have had no idea that the Xindi wanted to kill them, let alone who and where their enemy was. Surely the Xindi should have conducted all tests in their own territory, and only sent the final, sure-fire weapon to Earth.

The real life explanation is Berman and Braga's tendency to end seasons on big cliffhangers without giving a thought to how the story would resolve (Space Nazis!). But what is the in-universe reason?

I recall someone saying that the probe malfunctioned, but I don't know where exactly that was said.... Even if this was true, what was the probe supposed to achieve in the scheme of things?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I rationalise it by saying the Sphere Builders ordered it, and the Xindi blindly agreed with their gods. Remember, the Xindi thing wasn't so much to destroy Earth in 2153 as it was to alter the outcome of a battle with the Sphere Builders in the 26th century.

 

[Ithekro]

Perhaps it was a test to see if they could get to Earth with a device and fire it. They would need to know how to get their. Even with the larger version there wasn't enough defenses to stop the device, just Archer.

I wonder if the test was also temporally shifted. Could it have arrived sooner than expected (being launched after Archer arrived in the Expanse)?

 

[SPCTRE]

I rationalise it by saying the Sphere Builders ordered it, and the Xindi blindly agreed with their gods. Remember, the Xindi thing wasn't so much to destroy Earth in 2153 as it was to alter the outcome of a battle with the Sphere Builders in the 26th century.

Works for me.

 

[Nebusj]

I think it's generally agreed that the Xindi arc was an exciting and innovative part of Star Trek Enterprise, but the way it kicks off involves a certain amount of fridge logic. If the Xindi hadn't sent the small test model of their doomsday weapon, Earth would have had no idea that the Xindi wanted to kill them, let alone who and where their enemy was. Surely the Xindi should have conducted all tests in their own territory, and only sent the final, sure-fire weapon to Earth.

But, also, if the Enterprise weren't getting cheat tips from the future, then 22nd Century Earth would have no idea who had sent the Small Xindi Death Ball Of Death. They might have started a frantic, panicked defense preparation, but they'd have no idea where to send the Enterprise to. There'd just be sitting and waiting for who knows what, when, from what direction.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Ahh, Future Guy. You were unresolved, but you were resolved to point us in the right direction.

 

[eyeresist]

I wonder if the test was also temporally shifted. Could it have arrived sooner than expected (being launched after Archer arrived in the Expanse)?

I have a couple of theories, and that ties into one of them.

1) The probe could have accidentally been affected by an anomaly in the Expanse and gone off course or been transported to Earth. Or, the Sphere Builders, Future Guy or Daniels could have shifted the probe's course for their own obscure purposes.

2) The probe may have been intended as a strategic strike, to knock out Earth's defenses and space flight capability. This would clear the way for the later probe to do the larger job of eradicating all life on the planet. I parallel it to Japan's initial strategy in WWII, which was to knock out the US Pacific fleet in one blow and thus remove them as a serious threat.
But the probe malfunctioned and ended up wasting its firepower on a random bit of Florida.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

In fairness, had I been alive in 2153, that random bit of Florida would have killed me, so I'll always twitch when it's hit regardless. Besides... maybe I'm the embodiment of Earth's defenses and space flight capability!

(Trip's lines about Tarpon Springs in "The Crossing" have now stunned me twice in life; I grew up a few miles from there.)

 

[Ithekro]

The probe was manned, if I recall.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I rationalise it by saying the Sphere Builders ordered it, and the Xindi blindly agreed with their gods. Remember, the Xindi thing wasn't so much to destroy Earth in 2153 as it was to alter the outcome of a battle with the Sphere Builders in the 26th century.

Works for me.

Because, RELIGION.

Always a satisfying explanation

 

[SPCTRE]

I rationalise it by saying the Sphere Builders ordered it, and the Xindi blindly agreed with their gods. Remember, the Xindi thing wasn't so much to destroy Earth in 2153 as it was to alter the outcome of a battle with the Sphere Builders in the 26th century.

Works for me.

Because, RELIGION.

Always a satisfying explanation

 

[T'Girl]

Remember, the Xindi thing wasn't so much to destroy Earth in 2153 as it was to alter the outcome of a battle with the Sphere Builders in the 26th century.

Works for me.

Prevent the future Federation from having a hand in the sphere builders defeat, which reiterates what has been said in other episodes and the movies, without Earth there is no United Federation of Planets.

")

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If Future Guy hadn't told Archer about the Xindi, no one would have ever known who sent the probe.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

That's what I'm saying, yeah. He may never have been unmasked, but his final appearance was a hell of a handy one.

 

[Nebusj]

That's what I'm saying, yeah. He may never have been unmasked, but his final appearance was a hell of a handy one.

Really, Future Guy and the Suliban did much more to save the Enterprise than that Daniels klutz ever did.

 

[Starborn Dragon]

Curtis: They did tests on me then uh... (drinks shot) They probed me.
Dean: They probed you?
Curtis: Yeah, they probed me... again and again and again and... (drinks shot again) ...and again and again and again and then one more time.
Dean: Yikes.
Curtis: That's not even the worst of it.
Dean: How can it get and worse, I mean, some alien made you his *****?
(long pause)
Curtis: They... they made me slow dance...

Supernatural, Tall Tales

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

That's what I'm saying, yeah. He may never have been unmasked, but his final appearance was a hell of a handy one.

Really, Future Guy and the Suliban did much more to save the Enterprise than that Daniels klutz ever did.

Future Guy saved the whole human race, really. Like I said, if he hadn't revealed the probe's origins to Archer, nobody on Earth or in Starfleet would have ever known about the Xindi. The probe is NOT the reason humans found out who wanted to kill them - Future Guy was the reason. So there is no 'fridge logic' here. It really does make sense, when you think about it.

 

[JeffinOakland]

It makes no sense. Like a lot of ST, you have to shrug and enjoy it for what it is. ST is really about the characters/philosophy anyway.

 

[Willow]

That's what I'm saying, yeah. He may never have been unmasked, but his final appearance was a hell of a handy one.

Really, Future Guy and the Suliban did much more to save the Enterprise than that Daniels klutz ever did.

Future Guy saved the whole human race, really. Like I said, if he hadn't revealed the probe's origins to Archer, nobody on Earth or in Starfleet would have ever known about the Xindi. The probe is NOT the reason humans found out who wanted to kill them - Future Guy was the reason. So there is no 'fridge logic' here. It really does make sense, when you think about it.

This is the ONLY reason I would ever buy into the idea that Archer was Future Guy. ARCHER saved the human race...

 

[Gaith]

The plot point of scanning the molecules of the probe only to find a negative-year value, thus proving it was from the future, remains one of the stupidest plot points I've ever encountered... and I'm willing to accept transporters, and the idea that objects and people might have a quantum signature that indicates if they're from a parallel reality.