WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 11, “Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I”
Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 11, “Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I” reveals that the Xindi have joined Starfleet over 100 years earlier than Star Trek: Enterprise predicted. The Xindi were unique in the Star Trek universe, as they were a group of five different sentient species that all evolved on the same planet. During the early 2150s, humanity was at war with the Xindi, following a devastating attack on Earth that killed 7 million people. The attack and the ensuing conflict were a hugely important event in the founding of the United Federation of Planets.
The conflict lasted for a year, until Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) brought the Xindi Wars to a close, with some timely intervention from Temporal Agent Daniels (Matt Winston). Daniels informed Archer that peace between humanity and the Xindi would eventually come, as by the 26th century, the species became members of the Federation, and also served in Starfleet. Now, Star Trek: Prodigy sneakily reveals that there was at least one Xindi Starfleet officer, serving under Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in the late 24th century.
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Captain Chakotay’s Protostar Had A Xindi From Enterprise In Star Trek: Prodigy
In Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 11, “Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I”, written by Diandra Pendleton-Thompson, and directed by Ruolin Li & Andrew L. Schmidt, Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and the crew discover Chakotay and the USS Protostar, marooned on the planet Icila. Grief stricken and embittered, Chakotay is a shell of his former self, having lost almost his entire crew to the Vau N’akat. As Hologram Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) explains Chakotay’s grief to the Prodigy crew, he sadly consults an image of the original crew of the USS Protostar, which includes a Xindi-Arboreal.
Other Star Trek Aliens Who Served With Chakotay Aboard The USS Protostar |
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Aurelian |
Andorian |
Edosian |
Bolian |
Klingon |
The Xindi-Arboreals were the most peaceful of Xindus’ five species, making them the most likely candidates to join Starfleet by the time of Star Trek: Prodigy. Their physical appearance was Sloth-like, described as such in the script for Star Trek: Enterprise season 3, episode 1, “The Xindi”, which accounts for their more laid-back and reasonable personalities. This is the second time that Enterprise‘s Xindi have made a comeback in Prodigy. However, it’s the first time that Star Trek has backed up the truth of Daniels’ words to Captain Archer, establishing that the Xindi have likely been Federation members since at least the 24th century.
Why The Xindi Joining Starfleet Was So Important In Star Trek: Enterprise
In Star Trek: Enterprise season 3, episode 18, “Azati Prime”, Captain Archer planned to launch a daring covert attack on a Xindi weapons facility. It was a suicide mission for Archer, and one that put the future development of Starfleet and the Federation at risk. To preserve the prime Star Trek timeline, Daniels took Archer to the 26th century to view the Battle of Procyon V, in which the Federation defeated the Sphere Builders and ultimately protected the Xindi home world. Daniels also gave Archer a Xindi heirloom as proof of the future collaborative relationship between them and the Federation.
Returning to the 22nd century, Archer uses the information of a Xindi Starfleet officer to convince his captors that they were being manipulated into war with the Federation. By gifting Archer the heirloom, Daniels effectively created a causal loop; the Federation only made peace with the Xindi in the 22nd century because they were already at peace in the 26th century. Or, as Dal would put it in Star Trek: Prodigy – “timey-wimey“. Despite the temporal headache, Archer’s diplomatic solution in Star Trek: Enterprise paved the way for the Xindi-Arboreal to bravely give his life to protect the USS Protostar in the 24th century.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
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Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
- Streaming Service(s)
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Paramount+
- Writers
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Brannon Braga
, Rick Berman
, Manny Coto - Showrunner
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Brannon Braga
, Manny Coto - Creator(s)
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Rick Berman
, Brannon Braga - Where To Watch
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Paramount+
Star Trek: Prodigy
Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
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Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
- Streaming Service(s)
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Netflix
- Writers
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Dan Hageman
, Kevin Hageman - Showrunner
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Dan Hageman
, Kevin Hageman - Creator(s)
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Kevin Hageman
, Dan Hageman - Where To Watch
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Netflix
