On the report prepared by Admiral Marcus about Harrison's having gone rogue, the words "Praxxis Project" can just about be seen if you look closely at a blanked-out section. As we seem to see Praxis in shattered fragments in the film, it seems likely that its destruction is heavily linked to Section 31 and Khan. But the same report indicates that the Project was "compromised." Assuming that the goal of the operation was to destroy Praxis in order to weaken the Klingons, how can it be said to have been compromised, i.e. failed?
Prax(x)is Project
- Thread starter Noddy
- Start date
At what point in the film is this report seen?
Anyway, I've got a few options:
1. The end goal wasn't the destruction of Praxis, e.g. Praxis was destroyed but it didn't weaken the Klingons.
2. The destruction of Praxis was never wanted, perhaps they wanted to avert it. Or at least claimed they did (see 4)
3. Compromised doesn't mean it failed.
4. The report is a red herring.
5. Whatever's shattered is not Praxis.
6. The project name's a coincidence and it never involved the destruction of Klingon moons.
ETA: The idea that they wanted to destroy Praxis and at the time succeeded sounds far-fetched. Its destruction in TUC seemed implausible enough, to suggest that Starfleet might have had the resources to pull it off on purpose, or even try to, doesn't sound believable. But it would fit Khan's job description pretty well. OTOH, an event of that magnitude would have been investigated to death and any involvement of Starfleet would be extremely risky, in comparison firing a few untraceable torpedoes on Kronos is nothing. Marcus could have just leaked that if he wanted a war.
A theory: They put in the word Praxis, and the shattered moon in there just to have potential ties for Star Trek 3's story, whatever that story might end up being, and without a definite meaning behind them, similarly to how "Remember" was used in TWOK as something that could be easily retconned to mean anything.
Anyway, I've got a few options:
1. The end goal wasn't the destruction of Praxis, e.g. Praxis was destroyed but it didn't weaken the Klingons.
2. The destruction of Praxis was never wanted, perhaps they wanted to avert it. Or at least claimed they did (see 4)
3. Compromised doesn't mean it failed.
4. The report is a red herring.
5. Whatever's shattered is not Praxis.
6. The project name's a coincidence and it never involved the destruction of Klingon moons.
ETA: The idea that they wanted to destroy Praxis and at the time succeeded sounds far-fetched. Its destruction in TUC seemed implausible enough, to suggest that Starfleet might have had the resources to pull it off on purpose, or even try to, doesn't sound believable. But it would fit Khan's job description pretty well. OTOH, an event of that magnitude would have been investigated to death and any involvement of Starfleet would be extremely risky, in comparison firing a few untraceable torpedoes on Kronos is nothing. Marcus could have just leaked that if he wanted a war.
A theory: They put in the word Praxis, and the shattered moon in there just to have potential ties for Star Trek 3's story, whatever that story might end up being, and without a definite meaning behind them, similarly to how "Remember" was used in TWOK as something that could be easily retconned to mean anything.
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Here is the Starfleet Memorandum about Harrison and Praxxis in PDF format. It was originally from the www.areyouthe1701.com promotional site.
I think it's proper to include an unredacted version of the Starfleet Memorandum.
They are talking about an Io construction facility, which would suggest the one where the USS Vengeance was constructed, so the Praxxis project might be all about the USS Vengeance. Although the planet Scotty flew by might be said to resemble more one of the other Galilean moons than Io. (Another shot with sound and lens flare in space)
Either way, it does not sound anything like destruction of moons, the document speaks of "final tests of Praxxis in progress" and deployment of Praxxis at a colony, possibly where where the Klingons were expected to attack. The name of the colony was not redacted, and if anything severe was tested there... It would have been. Sounds like a ship to me. Compromise seems to refer to Khan's knowledge of the Vengeance, which is also what allowed him to get to the bridge and take it over.
Best explanation seems to be that Praxis exploded earlier, which was a big hit to the Klingons, and Section 31 named the project Praxxis after it to signify that it would put the Klingon empire at a significant disadvantage.
They are talking about an Io construction facility, which would suggest the one where the USS Vengeance was constructed, so the Praxxis project might be all about the USS Vengeance. Although the planet Scotty flew by might be said to resemble more one of the other Galilean moons than Io. (Another shot with sound and lens flare in space)
Either way, it does not sound anything like destruction of moons, the document speaks of "final tests of Praxxis in progress" and deployment of Praxxis at a colony, possibly where where the Klingons were expected to attack. The name of the colony was not redacted, and if anything severe was tested there... It would have been. Sounds like a ship to me. Compromise seems to refer to Khan's knowledge of the Vengeance, which is also what allowed him to get to the bridge and take it over.
Best explanation seems to be that Praxis exploded earlier, which was a big hit to the Klingons, and Section 31 named the project Praxxis after it to signify that it would put the Klingon empire at a significant disadvantage.
That sounds good to me!
Khan knew all about the Vengeance from the beginning, seeing as how he had a big hand in its design, so I can't see how his knowledge of it would represent a "compromise."
When one of the people intimately familiar with your most top-secret vehicle is suddenly suspected of defecting your project is considered compromised.
You should see what the Praxxxis Project entailed. 
The idea I read earlier in the forum was that after Nero escaped from Rura Penthe, destroying a Klingon armada easily, and going on a rampage afterwards, they felt threatened and increased energy consumption, and consequently mining, leading to an even earlier demise of Praxis.
However, as I said, this might not be Praxis at all:
Memory Alpha said:
Maybe after the destruction of Vulcan, which no doubt resounded all around the quadrant, they attempted to blow up moons. But it is very troubling if they succeeded in making anything bigger than a small surface explosion.
Why overcomplicate things by suggesting that it might not be Praxis. The idea of earlier over mining sounds reasonable.Memory Alpha said:
ST6 left it quite unclear how mining could make a moon blow up, or how mining would be related to energy production exactly. What was being mined? (Or did the Klingons place too many anti-personnel mines in the corridors, with poor security measures, in their fear of people like Harrison coming in and sabotaging the facility?)
But if the moon (or one of the possibly several moons the Klingons would be exploiting, at any rate) could blow up at time T1, it probably could also blow up at time T2, especially if the blowing up was the result of something the Klingons did. And even more so if the blowing up was the result of sabotage by outsiders, initially mistaken for something the Klingons did.
Timo Saloniemi
But if the moon (or one of the possibly several moons the Klingons would be exploiting, at any rate) could blow up at time T1, it probably could also blow up at time T2, especially if the blowing up was the result of something the Klingons did. And even more so if the blowing up was the result of sabotage by outsiders, initially mistaken for something the Klingons did.
Timo Saloniemi
