In article ,
Ron Wanttaja wrote:

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 23:59:23 -0500, Bob Noel
wrote:

In article ,
"Jay Beckman" wrote:

IIRC, Kirk admitted that he cheated and technically, he didn't solve the
KM
scenario.

Did he actually say he cheated?

IIRC, he admitted to hacking into the computer to change things so he COULD
win.... his son then claimed that he cheated.

Ron Wanttaja

Kobayashi Maru scenario
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

See Kobayashi Maru (disambiguation) for related links.

The Kobayashi Maru scenario was an infamous no-win scenario that was
part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy in
the 23rd century. It was primarily used to assess a cadet's discipline,
character, and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation.

In the scenario, a cadet was placed in command of a starship on patrol
near the Organian Neutral Zone. The starship would receive a distress
signal from the Kobayashi Maru, a civilian freighter that had been
disabled in the zone after having struck a gravitic mine. If the cadet
chose to enter the neutral zone in violation of treaties, the starship
would be confronted by three Klingon K't'inga-class battlecruisers. The
test was considered a no-win scenario because it was impossible for the
cadet to simultaneously save the Kobayashi Maru, avoid a fight with the
Klingons, and escape from the neutral zone with the starship intact.

There were likely several variations of the Kobayashi Maru scenario
that existed at various times. It's probable that the Academy
instructors periodically retool the scenario to fit current events in
the galaxy.

In the 2250s, James T. Kirk became the first (and only known) cadet to
ever beat the no-win scenario. After taking the test and failing twice,
Kirk took the test a third time after surreptitiously reprogramming the
computer to make it possible to win the scenario.

Kirk got a commendation for "original thinking", and later commented
wistfully that his stunt "had the virtue of never having been tried."
Kirk would later defend his "cheating" by arguing that he didn't believe
in the no-win scenario. Ironically, Kirk also defended the test itself
by suggesting "how we face death is at least as important as how we face
life".

During the filming of The Wrath of Khan, some people voiced concern
at the notion of Kirk having "cheated" to pass the test. However,
Nicholas Meyer defended the notion, saying it revealed an aspect of
Kirk's character, and that the film, or Kirk, shouldn't be restricted by
"television mentality".

In 2285, Kirk, then an admiral serving as an instructor at the Academy,
supervised Lieutenant Saavik's performance in the Kobayashi Maru
scenario. Former USS Enterprise crew members Spock, Sulu, Uhura, and
McCoy participated as "actors" in the simulation. Saavik's performance
was predictably dismal; as Kirk observed, "She destroyed the simulator
room and [the crew] with it." (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

The term was later generally applied by Dr. McCoy to define an
unwinnable or potentially fatal situation. He considered his and James
T. Kirk's imprisonment on Rura Penthe to be a "Kobayashi Maru". (Star
Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

A similar simulation was later used in the 24th century. It involved a
damaged Ferengi ship and Romulan warbirds instead of Klingon
battlecruisers, and was performed on the holodeck. (VOY: "Learning
Curve")

Background

Spock stated that he had never taken the Kobyashi Maru test, suggesting
the test may have been introduced in the period between Spock's Academy
training and Kirk's. However it's also possible that as a science
officer for much of his Starfleet career, Spock was not required to take
the test. In his death scene at the conclusion of Star Trek II: The
Wrath of Khan, he would describe his sacrifice as his solution to the
scenario.

The Kobayashi Maru scenario has appeared in several novels and short
stories (as published by Pocket Books, these are not canon, but have
been approved by Paramount). Julia Ecklar's The Kobayashi Maru tells how
Kirk, Pavel Chekov, Montgomery Scott, and Sulu each faced the problem.
Kirk won the scenario by reprogramming the simulation so that the
Klingons believed he was a famous starship captain, though he was only a
cadet at the time. Comic book stories of the Star Trek (DC volume 2)
series are based on Ecklar's scenario. Three short stories in the
Strange New Worlds anthology series have also tackled it. In "The Bottom
Line," by Andrew Morby (SNW III) and Shawn Michael Scott's "Best Tools
Available," (SNW VI) cadet Nog solves it in two entirely different (and
thoroughly Ferengi) ways. Kevin Lauderdale's "A Test of Character" (SNW
VII) depicts a different solution from Ecklar's, one in which Kirk's
tampering is "cheating without cheating," since Kirk merely creates a
level playing field, where success is not guaranteed. Pocket TNG:
"Boogeymen" depicts Wesley Crusher's Kobayashi Maru-type test. In Peter
David's New Frontier novel, Stone and Anvil, cadet Mackenzie Calhoun
faces the challenge in his own unique way.

Screenwriter Jack B. Sowards named the scenario after the Kobayashi
family who were his neighbors.

Bridge Officer's Test
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

The Starfleet bridge officer examination is a series of tests for
Starfleet officers who wish to be able to take command, besides the
command officers such as Captain, First Officer, and Second officer. The
test has many stages, but the final exam requires the officer to make a
choice that sends one person under their direct command to certain
death. No one who fails the test can serve as a command officer on the
bridge of a starship except in emergency situations.

In 2370, after attending her Starfleet Academy reunion, Deanna Troi felt
she was one of the few classmates who hadn't risen to command level
status. This combined with the bitter memory of how badly she acted
under pressure two years earlier when the Enterprise hit a quantum
filament, led her to talk to Commander Beverly Crusher. Crusher, who
takes the night watch of the bridge, tells her that she took the exam in
2362 when she wanted to contribute more than just in sickbay. (TNG:
"Disaster")

This led Deanna to try the test, which Commander Riker administered. The
final portion of the test, which also included a question and answer
portion, was to make decisions in a holodeck simulation. In it, the
officer is required to ask an officer to sacrifice themself to save the
ship. She had failed the final exam several times before realizing that
its purpose was to ascertain whether or not she would be able to send a
subordinate to certain death. Afterwards she passed the exam, and was
promoted to Commander. (TNG: "Thine Own Self")