Sphere - Builder The Sphere - Builders were a trans - dimensional species and a faction in the Temporal Cold War . Possessing advanced temporal technology , they were responsible for the creation of the Delphic Expanse sphere s in an effort to reconfigure space to be habitable for their species , as a prelude to invasion . History . The Xindi referred to the Sphere - Builders as " the Guardians , " and revered them as religious figures . After the destruction of the Xindi homeworld , the Builders repeatedly appeared to the Xindi survivors , guiding them to habitable planet s and valuable resources . Similarly , the Triannon s referred to them as " the Makers , " and believed that they were transforming the Delphic Expanse into a paradise for their eventual return . ( ) Attempted invasion . Using their ability to examine alternate timeline s , the Sphere - Builders discovered that , in the 26th century , the forces of the United Federation of Planets would eventually repel their invasion , and drive them back into their trans - dimensional realm . In an attempt to prevent the formation of the Federation , the Builders contacted the Xindi and falsely informed them that Humanity would eventually be responsible for the destruction of their race , and that the only way to prevent that would be to destroy Humanity first . They assisted the Xindi in the construction of a prototype weapon , supplying them with technology from the 26th century , and the weapon was subsequently launched against Earth , resulting in the deaths of seven million people . Wishing to oppose the Sphere - Builders , a representative of another faction in the Temporal Cold War informed Captain Jonathan Archer that the Xindi were constructing a far more powerful weapon , designed to destroy all of Humanity . Captain Archer subsequently took into the Delphic Expanse to find the Xindi . ( ) The Sphere - Builders also assisted the Xindi - Reptilian s in their attempt to synthesize a bio - weapon with which to destroy Humanity , a plan which had been disapproved by the Xindi Council . In order to help them keep their efforts a secret from the rest of the Council , the Builders transported three Reptilians back in time to Earth , the year 2004 , where the Reptilians worked on the virus . Captain Archer and T ' Pol were eventually successful in stopping the Reptilians , having been transported back in time by , a temporal agent from the 31st century . ( ) " Enterprise " first encountered the Sphere - Builders when they discovered a test subject in a small pod inside a trans - dimensional disturbance . As soon as the test subject was removed from the disturbance , he began to suffer from a form of rapid cellular degeneration , a result of existing outside of his trans - dimensional realm . Before he died , he attempted to destroy " Enterprise " to stop its crew from completing their mission in the Expanse . ( ) When the Xindi were confronted with evidence provided to Archer by Daniels that the Sphere - Builders were manipulating them , the Builders began to lose their credibility with a few of the Xindi species . This forced the Builders to confide in the Reptilians and Xindi - Insectoid s , using the Reptilians ' and Insectoids ' hunger for power to their advantage . Attempting to ensure their victory , the Builders promised the Reptilians that they would rule as the dominant species of a new Xindi empire , if they hijacked the weapon and attacked Earth . As Captain Archer took a team to stop the weapon , " Enterprise " attempted to disable Sphere 41 . The Builders boarded " Enterprise " and attempted to destroy the ship , but were unsuccessful in stopping the crew from disabling an interspatial manifold on the surface of the Sphere using a deflector pulse . This resulted in a chain reaction which destroyed the entire Sphere network and caused the Builders ' trans - dimensional space to collapse . As the Delphic Expanse returned to normal space , becoming incompatible for them , the Builders were forced to retreat back into their native realm . ( )