What would you do while taking the Kobayashi-Maru test?

Since, barring a miracle, death is imminent; I'd hand out Sudoku puzzles and other fun things to the crew. Including food, beverage and possibly illegal hallucinogens. That way, at least we'd die happy (or at least happier, (maybe)).


So, yeah, I'd do nothing about trying to achieve success.

I'd follow in the footsteps of Hikaru Sulu:

"Neutral zone??? Sorry guys. We need to get permission from the Klingons before entering the neutral zone. But we'll forward your distress signal to the Federation and have them ask the Klingons for official permission to launch a rescue mission."

He justified his decision by saying that an unauthorized intrusion into the neutral zone could start a war with the Klingons that would cost millions of lives.

He was right. Entering the neutral zone because those are your orders is one thing. Deciding for yourself to enter the neutral zone is quite another. A ship's captain should not take it upon himself to start a war without the knowledge of and permission of his government.


That said, I like the very rapid tactical thinking of Mackenzie Calhoun, who did enter the neutral zone (Romulan for his simulation):

No waste of time attempting to talk or parley with the Romulans when they decloak. Immediately fire on the Kobayashi Maru which, as a fuel transport, was carrying a very large quantity of fuel. The resulting explosion causes heavy damage to the Romulan vessels near it. Fire on and destroy those damaged vessels. Attack the Romulan vessel behind you viciously enough to force it to pull back. Then quickly flee at warp speed.

He justified his decisions by saying that he saw no way to save the passengers and crew of the Kobayashi Maru, but he was able to grant them a quick death instead of torture and an agonizing death at the hands of the Romulans. He also made the Romulans pay dearly for setting this trap, and made them think twice about doing something like this in the future. And he saved his own ship and crew.

But it would be better, I think, to have not entered the neutral zone in the first place without orders to do so.

As I understand it, there was no Kobayashi Maru to fire on.

It's there. It's part of the simulation.

Crew: 81
Passengers: 300
Cargo: 97,000 metric tons of fuel