How would other characters have handled the Kobyashi Maru test?

[t_smitts]

Kirk and Saavik are the only officers (in canon) whom we've seen take this supposedly no-win test.

Now we don't know if it still exists in the 24th Century (I assumed the Klingons would be replaced with some other hostile, territorial race).

I also tended to suspect this was a test for cadets focusing on command. Doesn't seem like there be much use in making med students, counselors, and science officer, most of whom probably aren't likely to command a starship under normal circumstances. Those in engineering or security, I suppose could go either way.

My question is how do you think Picard, Riker, Sisko, Janeway, etc. would handle this test?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Janeway would fire an enhanced multi phasic tachyon beam (rerouted through the deflector dish) at the hostiles but this would not work and everyone would die.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Picard would likely try to hail the hostiles to try and get them to stand down and then invite them over for tea.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

And they would all die.

 

[montag01]

It seems the test does assume that the cadet is going to violate the Neutral Zone to save the Kobyashi Maru. It'd be somewhat amusing to have a very officious, cautious cadet (perhaps non-human) who says, "I'm sorry. Under no circumstances will I violate the Neutral Zone," and just decides to move on, the stranded ship and its crew be damned. I wonder which course of action is likely to be more frowned upon in the no-win scenario. Probably none of the captains we see would do that, of course--as Kirk says, risk is part of sitting in the chair. But Data in the early days of his sentience might be fairly "by the rules" in a way that even Saavik couldn't be, sense the natural emotional response is to save people in danger.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Picard would surrender, citing the Prime Directive.

And they would all die.

Sisko would kill everyone and then feel guilty about it.

 

[T'Girl]

At some point during the Kobyashi Mura, right in the middle of the simulator room, Jonathon Archer would get beat up.

 

[Arpy]

Picard would win the no-win scenario. How? By making it so.

Garak would lose the scenario and in disgrace drop out of the academy. Not till years later, running into him on Tzenketh where he was working as a cobbler, would you find out that in fact the dropping out was a cover. He had been tapped by one of the intelligence agencies after he'd revenged himself on the Kobayashi Maru test givers.

Harry Kim was slapped in the face by his teacher on the way though the door. Not since Jonathan Archer...oh never mind...I'm an asshole.

 

[Captain Rob]

Janeway would flip the script by suddenly firing a spread of torpedos at the Kobayashi Maru. Blowing it up while she stays safe. That way nobody gets the stricken ship. By violating the Neutral Zone, they were law breakers anyway. Serves them right. Then she'd spend seven years returning to base. Stopping at every little insignificant place she could.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Janeway would flip the script by suddenly firing a spread of torpedos at the Kobayashi Maru. Blowing it up while she stays safe. That way nobody gets the stricken ship. By violating the Neutral Zone, they were law breakers anyway. Serves them right. Then she'd spend seven years returning to base. Stopping at every little insignificant place she could.

No. No one is allowed to beat it other than Kirk!!

Get with the mythology man.

 

[Mage]

Janeway would flip the script by suddenly firing a spread of torpedos at the Kobayashi Maru. Blowing it up while she stays safe. That way nobody gets the stricken ship. By violating the Neutral Zone, they were law breakers anyway. Serves them right. Then she'd spend seven years returning to base. Stopping at every little insignificant place she could.

That's what Calhoun did, from the New Frontier novels. Blew up the Maru, making sure they wouldn't fall into Romulan hands.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Enterprise *really* dropped the ball by not doing a Kobayashi Maru origin story, showing us Archer's Enterprise making the real rescue that inspired the test.

The post-series novels tried it (Archer retreated), but that book wasn't very good, and more interested in keeping continuity with 80's fan-made blueprints (where the Kobayashi Maru was an old refitted Klingon ship being used by human traders) than the series itself (where Human/Klingon first contact had only been a few years prior)

 

[T'Girl]

Enterprise *really* dropped the ball by not doing a Kobayashi Maru origin story, showing us Archer's Enterprise making the real rescue that inspired the test.

Only problem with that would be finding a "neutral zone" to violate. In ENT various species seem to have areas of space, but not well defined knife edged borders that you're not supposed to cross.

 

[R. Star]

Janeway would flip the script by suddenly firing a spread of torpedos at the Kobayashi Maru. Blowing it up while she stays safe. That way nobody gets the stricken ship. By violating the Neutral Zone, they were law breakers anyway. Serves them right. Then she'd spend seven years returning to base. Stopping at every little insignificant place she could.

Actually I really could see Janeway firing torpedoes at the Kobayashi Maru.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

Sisko would kill everyone and then feel guilty about it.

But if he had to do it all over again... he would.

 

[T'Girl]

But if he had to do it all over again... he would.

But only after erasing the log entry where he confessed to killing everyone.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

It seems the test does assume that the cadet is going to violate the Neutral Zone to save the Kobyashi Maru. It'd be somewhat amusing to have a very officious, cautious cadet (perhaps non-human) who says, "I'm sorry. Under no circumstances will I violate the Neutral Zone," and just decides to move on, the stranded ship and its crew be damned.

This is brought up in the TOS novel "Kobayashi Maru," in which members of the Enterprise senior staff (Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Kirk) discuss how they each handled the test.

Miles O'Brien would try to modify the transporters to beam the Kobayashi Maru crew/passengers to his ship without entering the Neutral Zone. He'd fail and get stuck inside the simulator to be tortured by the Klingons for six simulated months.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Enterprise *really* dropped the ball by not doing a Kobayashi Maru origin story, showing us Archer's Enterprise making the real rescue that inspired the test.

The post-series novels tried it (Archer retreated), but that book wasn't very good, and more interested in keeping continuity with 80's fan-made blueprints (where the Kobayashi Maru was an old refitted Klingon ship being used by human traders) than the series itself (where Human/Klingon first contact had only been a few years prior)

That was bizarrely lacking in drama. All the people hating on Archer and wanting a transfer etc.. for his decision just made no sense. It as quite a let down after the build up of that title.

 

[T'Girl]

^ For centuries to come, the general philosophy at the Starfleet Academy was "don't be an Archer."

 

[R. Star]

Enterprise *really* dropped the ball by not doing a Kobayashi Maru origin story, showing us Archer's Enterprise making the real rescue that inspired the test.

The post-series novels tried it (Archer retreated), but that book wasn't very good, and more interested in keeping continuity with 80's fan-made blueprints (where the Kobayashi Maru was an old refitted Klingon ship being used by human traders) than the series itself (where Human/Klingon first contact had only been a few years prior)

That was bizarrely lacking in drama. All the people hating on Archer and wanting a transfer etc.. for his decision just made no sense. It as quite a let down after the build up of that title.

Not having read the book, I'll have to take your word on it. I'm quick to jump Archer's case about a lot of things, but running away from that? Seems more smart than Suicide Saavik's last stand. Okay, you can't save the ship, save yours. I'd think that would be pretty early in the captain's instruction manual.