| Degra, a Xindi-Primate in 2154 |
 |
| The second Xindi-Primate councilor in 2154 |
Xindi-Primates were members of the multi-species Xindi race.
The Primates were ape-like and they, more than any other Xindi species, resembled Humans. (ENT: "The Shipment") In common with Humans, they had skin that varied in complexion and most of the Primates had ten fingers. They had, like all Xindi, distinctive ridges on their cheek bones. They also had larger foreheads but no eyebrows. (ENT: "The Xindi")
The Primates were seen as fair, honest and trustworthy by other Xindi. (ENT: "The Shipment") However, they were not seen as being very resilient. (ENT: "Azati Prime")
They were also the most intellectual species of Xindi and therefore one of their own, Degra, was assigned to develop the weapon to destroy Earth. However, this intelligence also helped in convincing Degra that the Guardians' promises were empty.
Degra and his associate were the Primate representatives to the Xindi Council.
| Xindi species |
|---|
| Aquatic • Arboreal • Avian • Insectoid • Primate • Reptilian |
Appendices
Appearances
- ENT:
- "The Xindi"
- "Rajiin"
- "The Shipment"
- "Proving Ground"
- "Stratagem"
- "Azati Prime"
- "Damage"
- "The Forgotten"
- "E²"
- "The Council"
- "Countdown"
- "Zero Hour"
Background
In scripts for episodes ranging from season three premiere "The Xindi" to third season finale "Zero Hour", Xindi-Primates were commonly referred to as "Xindi-Humanoids".
Following approval of the facial design for the Xindi-Reptilians, the makeup for the Xindi-Primates began to be designed. This turned out to be a fairly easy job, as it had already been decided that a common feature among the Xindi was to be spiky cheek-ridges. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 149, p. 56) The Xindi-Primate makeup ultimately consisted of a single prosthetic piece which spanned from the actor's mid-skull to their cheekbones. Although the appliance was extremely tight around the eyes, it was important that the relevant actors took time to have the prosthetic applied. This process took approximately an hour and a half, whereas the removal of the makeup required an additional forty-five minutes. Remarked Tucker Smallwood, "That's not something you want to rush, no matter how late or tired you are. Not if you value your skin!" [1]
For the typical Primate head design, the hairline was raised, in an effort to make the aliens look significantly different from how extraterrestrials on the show commonly looked; Hair Designer Michael Moore also tried out various hairstyles for the Primates in a series of concept sketches. "Somewhere in the work I just decided to try to bring the spots down lower and then blend it in with the rest. And so I sent that, along with the other drawings I had, to Rick [Berman] – and the envelope came back to me with a big check on that one," recalled Moore. "Sometimes when you send 12 drawings up, you think, 'I bet he's going to go with that one' – and I had that feeling with this one." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 149, p. 56) The actors playing Xindi-Primates regularly had their hair appropriately styled at the same time as their makeup was being put on. [2]
The costumes for the Xindi-Primates were inspired by centuries-old European uniforms, as Costume Designer Bob Blackman was intent on making them look like "something that was a little more ancient" than the costumes for the other Xindi species. "Caucasus shapes, from Eastern Europe/Russian shapes, is where I went to get this, 16th-17th-18th century – so it's kind of like Cossack coats," Blackman explained. "But that was just in order to find something that would give them some bulk, and some strength in how they looked." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 149, p. 56)
Apocrypha
In the novelization of "The Expanse" and "The Xindi" (entitled The Expanse), the Primates are cited as having been the second Xindi species to have evolved a very high degree of intelligence, preceded by the Xindi-Aquatics. The book also states that the Primates dominated most of the Xindi homeworld for eons, ruthlessly oppressing the other species (which they considered inferior) to the point where the others (particularly the Xindi-Reptilians and Insectoids) developed a hatred of them that remained into the 22nd century. The reason why the Primates were the Xindi species that developed the weapon is given as being that they were the most talented engineers.