Star Trek VI doesn't make sense from the Klingon point of view.

[SpHeRe31459]

^Recall that the Romulans of TOS were much more Federation-friendly than their TNG counterparts. It's not entirely implausible that a Romulan diplomat would be present for such a meeting. Were Smilie and the others concerned about his presence being a security risk, they could simply have asked him to leave.

--Sran

Right. Remember the Romulans go into a period of focusing on their internal matters and basically disappear from the Alpha Quadrant political landscape sometime after the TOS movies and stay that way until TNG "The Neutral Zone". But before this it seems that they were more present in politics. And of course started to become much more present diplomatically again with the Dominon threat on the other side of the TNG-era. So when big quadrant affecting events happen it does seem like they're interested.

Given the Romulan dislike for Klingons (and vice-versa), and the even bigger threat an alliance between Klingons and the Federation would pose to their empire, you can certainly see why they'd want it derailed. Which they try to do again in the TNG-era throughout Season 4.

 

[Armored Saint]

Two reasons for the presence of some Romulan diplomats:
1- For the two negociating superpowers, it provides an external point of view and perhaps a mediator.
2- This third superpower may ensure that the two others are not conspiring against it.

 

[MikeS]

Reading this thread enforces my view of how tightly written this film is. Try to pick it apart and a reason can be found to explain most of it. A brilliant movie. I was going to compare it to Shakespeare - a continuing theme in the movie - but I think that might be taking the adulation a little too far...

 

[Rarewolf]

You have the ironic situation of Humans and Klingons working together to try and insure that Humans and Klingons can't work together.

But sure security is non-existant in orbit, one torpedo could take out the whole conference.

 

[trevanian]

Two reasons for the presence of some Romulan diplomats:
1- For the two negociating superpowers, it provides an external point of view and perhaps a mediator.
2- This third superpower may ensure that the two others are not conspiring against it.

I figure each of these governments think the others are always plotting against it, if not together then at least separately. In fact, I always liked the idea (even wrote it up) of the klingons setting the Feds up to take the fall for something big in Romulan space, basically doing the YOJIMBO thing, to knock the two big competitors down to size.

My version would have taken place after SFS, with the klingons using a mockup of the Enterprise (since it was already destroyed, nobody could prove it wasn't the real thing) to attack a Rom conference, and Kirk&co, in their stolen BoP and klingon makeup, find the ruse and Kirk has to destroy another Enterprise in order to stop interstellar war. You'd have that long-awaited 'fed fleet facing off against kling fleet with rom fleet on the third leg' moment, with the Rom fleet pivoting to face the klings when the ruse was discovered, and the roms offering to 'escort' the kling fleet home.

 

[Armored Saint]

I figure each of these governments think the others are always plotting against it, if not together then at least separately.

Yeah, when a Federation crew and a Klingon/Romulan/etc one are both caught in a trap, they're immediately accusing eachother.

The Klingon Empire have been able to depict the Genesis affair as an act of agression. A similar Romulan interpretation of the Khitomer Conference would be desatrous.

The Klingons and Romulans shared some technologies together. The Federation try to steal the cloaking technology. The Romulans are directly related to a founding people of the Federation. A lot of Klingons tried to bypass the Organian treaty.

So, the three governments have a lot of reasons to be suspicious and maintaning a bit of trilateral relations (including a Space trash to throw disavowed diplomats).

In fact, I always liked the idea (even wrote it up) of the klingons setting the Feds up to take the fall for something big in Romulan space, basically doing the YOJIMBO thing, to knock the two big competitors down to size.

Interesting indeed, and it seems to be what some Anti-Khitomer Feds feared. Since TNG, this kind of plan seems to be mainly attributed to the Romulans, as if the Klingons were no more able to be themselves sophisticated deceivers.

 

[TenLubak]

There is more going on than admiral Cartwheel, and the Bald Romulan Ambassador. Somebody on the Klingon homeworld (Kronos) probably went to the moon called Praxis. He might be responsible for blowing it up with a dynomite (a really big stick from the using matter/anti-matter and gunpowder). That Chang portrayed by Christopher Plummers is the bastard I'd bet murdered his own people, even if he himself didn't do the dirty work. But Cartwright might have supplied the Dynomite because Kingon stuff is shitty brown electronics with no more reliably than Radio Shack short wave radios and detonators.


It makes sense that Klingons are embarassed, and the ones who did it are of course would not like anyone to search and find evidence that might implicate them. But even from the most basic sense Klingons are too damned proud to ask for help like the jerk that was onscreen talking to Capt. Sulu of Excellsior.

Or maybe it was just a unfortunate accident from the smooth headed Kingons. Like the fellow who played Trlelane, he couldn't ever say Klingon. Klingins he says. Oh well...I guess maybe all those smooth heads were on the moon when it blew up because I never see another Smooth head Klingon after Praxis Blows up.

The only thing that makes a lot of sense is the pride, and knowing that some of thier own people were responsible for such an 'accident' (on-purpose) blowing up of the moon. So no body wants to talk for different reasons,

 

[Grendelsbayne]

There really isn't any reason to suspect the Klingons of sabotaging Praxis.

What could their original payoff possibly be? If they wanted to force a war between their Empire and the Federation, they would have faked a Federation attack on a high profile target that wouldn't simutaneously cripple their energy production capabilities.

Praxis was an accident, pure and simple. The conspiracy was a reaction to the accident, an attempt to pre-emptively end the peace process.

 

[Greg Cox]

Given that Praxis was meant to be the Star Trek version of Chernobyl, just as Gorkon was loosely based on Gorbachev, there's no reason to think that Praxis was anything but a colossal accident, caused by insufficient safeguards.

Unless we think Russian hard-liners deliberately sabotaged Chernobyl in order to trash their own environment!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^Recall that the Romulans of TOS were much more Federation-friendly than their TNG counterparts.

Sorry, I'm a little late here, but this is false. The Romulans in TOS tried to start a war with the Federation. In TNG, they did not, and they went out of their way to avoid it, at least right up until NEM.

The balance of power that the Federation and the Romulans "enjoyed" in the TOS era was established in "Balance of Terror". It does not negate the adversarial relationship between the powers.

In any case, there is no downside to having ambassadors and observers present during negotiations with other powers. There is only upside, and the presence of embassies facilitates espionage. If allowed, of course there'd be Romulans present.

 

[Data Holmes]

I always liked the idea that the Praxis incident was a failed weapons test, of the klingons attempt to make a Genesis Torpedo. It's why the Klingon atmosphere is FUBAR.

Also, I always saw Changs BoP as the ultimate blending of the three powers technology, Klingon ship, romulian cloak, federation torpedo technology.

The film suffers from the loss in editing of the federation military industrial complex players pushing for a starfleet invasion. They are sitting around the office when they are watching the trial, and still named in the credits.

So, you have the federation military industrial complex wanting war for profit, starfleet elements wanting war because they fear obsolescence due to peace, you have Klingons wanting war over honor reasons, and romulans wanting the Feds and Klingons fighting so they can step in and take over.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

The only problem is, how stupid do the Klingons have to be to jeopardize both their largest, most important energy facility and their homeworld itself by testing such a powerful weapon on Praxis when they have access to all kinds of other, less important worlds/moons/asteroids they could use?