The Prin are an extraterrestrial race of aliens that visited the Plateau in The Lost World.
Biology
The Prin are a bipedal humanoid species with enlarged craniums. They have tan, mottled skin dotted with black strip markings. Their blood is blue in color and they have yellow eyes. Earth's atmosphere is known to be toxic to them, but a biological function allows them to withstand it for three years.
History
During the early 20th century, a pair of Prin explorers manned a space vessel, know as the Perigee to Earth with the intent to study the planet. However due to an equipment malfunction they crash-landed their vessel on the Plateau. In order to refuel their ship they had to dismantle most of the ship's major nano-circuitry systems to create synthetic workers that would work the mines. As time went on, some of the creations, particularly the Workers began to display independent thought and sentience. Some would attempt to escape, which prompted the Prin to command their loyal Trustees to retrieve them.
After two year of hard work their project was nearly complete and when the Challenger Expedition encountered them, the Prin's Trustees accidentally captured Veronica and Malone, thinking they were machines. However their error was quickly discovered when the Prin attempted to cow the Workers into submission, and upon seeing their supposed rebels display red blood, the Prin saw they were humans, and released them. They explained their presence on the Plateau and the purpose of the camp they made.
Though the humans asked the Prin for a ride off the Plateau, the aliens politely refused, explaining that the gravitatinonal forces of the solar system would align soon and enable their return trajectory and they had only a small window to go, else they would have to wait for another twenty-seven years.
The Challenger Expedition members were sympathetic towards the Workers, as the Prin revealed that once the refueling was finished the units would be re-purposed back into the ship's guidance system for it to take off. While the Prin saw the units as nothing more than machines, the Expedition thought otherwise. They staged a nearly successful rebellion with the units, but were held back when the Prin threatened to deactivate the units with a mere flick of switch. Only when one of the units sacrificed herself to save another, did the Prin realize their mistake and the sentience born in their creations.
Through a compromise, the units returned as components of the ship, with their memories intact. The Prin promised once they escaped the planet's orbit the pair would take the units to a far away world, where the new race of sentient machines would develop into their own destinies.
Culture
The Prin are a highly advanced culture, and despite the technological superiority, believe in non-interference. In their experience they saw it was wiser to allow emerging civilizations to discover the wonders and horrors of science for themselves.
Technology
The Prin possess advanced technology such as stealth technology that can cloak a vessel to the naked eye. In addition they possess staffs that can emit a stun wave to overload the nerves of the victim. Their medical technology can also remove wounds with a mere wave of a tool. They have examples of molecular technology found in their ship which could be dismantled to create autonomous machines that resemble humans.
Appearances
- The Lost World, s02e16, "Quality of Mercy" (2001)