I've just been watching Undiscovered Country again straight after reading the section 31 books and I was wondering. Could they have had something to do with Praxis???
Praxis and section 31
- Thread starter new_mercury
- Start date
Section 31... everyone's favorite boogey-man.
What motivation would Section 31 have for causing the explosion on Praxis? The conspiracy created to undermine the treaty with the Klingons would not benefit the Federation, it would cause war. Ultimately Section 31's purpose is to safeguard the security of the Federation using whatever means necessary. The conspiracy was a threat. Section 31 would not have been involved.
Unless they had reason to believe the Klingons were already moving towards war.
^ Perhaps. I suppose one could argue that the explosion it's self was a Section 31 operation in order to deter the Klingons. The conspiracy then was formed as a response.
Salad Shooter
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Knock Praxis out of orbit and destroy the Klingon Homeworld... no more Klingon Threat. The Federation is protected. Instead of wiping out the race they managed to get the Klingons to stop planning a war and play nice for awhile. Either way, problem solved.
I have no doubt 31 is playing these games with everyone who is NOT a Federation member. Somewhere is a database of all the "threats" to the Federation and a list of "solutions."
For example, Betazoids suddenly develop force-like powers and go rampaging... they have a solution for that involving a sudden incurable virus that targets telepathic races and spreads like wildfire. Looks natural, acts natural, problem solved.
A race that developed on an ice world suddenly becomes a danger to the Federation... that world starts experiencing catastrophic climate change and ultimately they have to ask the Federation for help.
Only very very rarely do they have to get involved. The threat has to be on a genocidal scale or quadrant-wide for them to put a "solution" into play.
Section 31 is not the only intelligence player involved in doing "bad things" for some reason though they're fan boys and girls first suggestion. What about Starfleet Intelligence proper?
Which is odd because moments before he realized he was missing a sock, he had a long and dramatic speech about how the evolved humans of the 24th century have surpassed the need for socks.
Or that sometimes bad things just happen without any sinister motives or organizations behind them? I'm sick of Section 31 quite frankly and hope the concept is never again revisited in Trek.
I tend to agree, BillJ. The story of Section 31 played a role in the DS9 saga, which tendered issues of sacrifice and how we move the line of morality during a time of war, even in a more 'highly evolved' society. It doesn't really fit in the 'mood' or aesthetics of Trek elsewhere. I think it's played out at this point.
SI doesn't do things like this. They have rules. And ethics.
It's fairly obvious who would have been the best served by the explosion of Praxis...
Let's assume the calamity was a deliberate deed. Clearly, the deed was not enough to reduce the Klingon military threat. It was more than enough to trigger that threat, though. Against whom? Both the Feds and the Romulans seemed to be Klingon enemies at the time, but the Feds were apparently still the ones facing the onslaught - and the Feds were going to be directing their forces solely against the Klingons in turn.
Praxis gave a pretext for attack. But the two warring sides had not lacked in pretext previously, yet there had not been open war yet; a balance of terror had apparently prevented it. Now the balance had been tipped: Romulans were buddying up with Federation top leaders.
It thus looks like a fairly obvious Romulan plot. First promise aid or at least noninterference to the Feds, then blow up Praxis, and you finally get the war you have been waiting for, the one where your two worst enemies maim each other until you can come and take over. For all we know, the Romulans promised the same aid or noninterference to the Klingons, too, to be doubly sure...
The biggest question mark here is how Valeris, a relatively small player in the conspiracy, knew of the tripartite involvement, of the role of the Romulan ambassador. Supposedly, that information should have been kept secret from both the Klingon conspirators and the Starfleet ones, at all costs! Yet at Khitomer, Romulans sit together with Vulcans who in turn sit apart from the Federation. Perhaps the fully Vulcan Valeris (along with other, more highly positioned Vulcans) was in fact at the very top tier of the conspiracy? Perhaps the Vulcanoid unity movement was playing the rest of the galaxy for suckers?
Timo Saloniemi
Let's assume the calamity was a deliberate deed. Clearly, the deed was not enough to reduce the Klingon military threat. It was more than enough to trigger that threat, though. Against whom? Both the Feds and the Romulans seemed to be Klingon enemies at the time, but the Feds were apparently still the ones facing the onslaught - and the Feds were going to be directing their forces solely against the Klingons in turn.
Praxis gave a pretext for attack. But the two warring sides had not lacked in pretext previously, yet there had not been open war yet; a balance of terror had apparently prevented it. Now the balance had been tipped: Romulans were buddying up with Federation top leaders.
It thus looks like a fairly obvious Romulan plot. First promise aid or at least noninterference to the Feds, then blow up Praxis, and you finally get the war you have been waiting for, the one where your two worst enemies maim each other until you can come and take over. For all we know, the Romulans promised the same aid or noninterference to the Klingons, too, to be doubly sure...
The biggest question mark here is how Valeris, a relatively small player in the conspiracy, knew of the tripartite involvement, of the role of the Romulan ambassador. Supposedly, that information should have been kept secret from both the Klingon conspirators and the Starfleet ones, at all costs! Yet at Khitomer, Romulans sit together with Vulcans who in turn sit apart from the Federation. Perhaps the fully Vulcan Valeris (along with other, more highly positioned Vulcans) was in fact at the very top tier of the conspiracy? Perhaps the Vulcanoid unity movement was playing the rest of the galaxy for suckers?
Timo Saloniemi
So Timo you're suggesting or implying that the Tal Shiar is responsible for Praxis?
I read his post more as a "Should someone have wanted to do this..." sort of thing.
If the Romulans or the Federation, through their respect intelligence/covert agencies, had done something, proof would have to have come to light by the most recent period of time portrayed. One doesn't just blow up a moon without leaving some kind of evidence behind.
But, going back to the main point, why would Section 31 have been involved? The reason for Praxis' explosion is given: over-mining of the natural resources and woefully inadequate and insufficient safety protocols. (The events involving Praxis were designed to mimic the Chernobyl disaster, which helped to bring about the end of the Soviet Union, the real world equivalent of the Klingon Empire).
