# What's the point of Kobayashi Maru (STAR TREK question) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129 "2009-05-12T02:37:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/41 "2009-05-14T05:15:29Z")
I hacked into this thread to program everyone to tell me how wonderful I am. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/42 "2009-05-14T05:54:12Z")
You smell of farts. \>\_\> Just in case there’s any confusion, this post is entirely in jest…I am not really accusing Snoooopy of smelling of farts. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/43 "2009-05-14T06:49:30Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > You smell of farts. \>\_\> Your transmission was garbled. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/44 "2009-05-14T07:11:13Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > You know what is also unwinnable? A debate about a hypothetical test from a make-believe movie. So you never have faced death [sub]by interminable fan overanalysis[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/45 "2009-05-14T08:48:53Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > The rolleyes is unneccessary and insulting, and you do not have the wit to back it up. > > Not every military (or heavily armed warships upon which we stick women and children) uses simulations commonly, and since we do not know what kinds of activities they do use, speculation that they obviously should seems misplaced and self-centered on your part. That you think it a good idea, and may be right, does not mean it is a neccessary aspect of their curriculum. Why are you talking about real world militaries to back up a point about _Star Trek_? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129/46 "2009-05-14T16:39:07Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > smiling bandit, I believe you’re taking my comments far too literally. My original assertion was that it would not be difficult to mask the K-M’s 0% success rate, and I apparently used poor wording (“flight simulation”, then “command simulation”) as an example. Regardless, they do not mask the 0% success rate. In fact, despite Spock’s pretensions to logic, it immediately struck me that he was angry with Kirk not simply for winning, but for breaking his record. Spock wanted to win, and wanted the pleasure of his K-Maru crushing everyone. Note that it was _Spock_ who accused Kirk, not an instructor. Of course, Spock in this universe is a lot more emotionally vulnerable than in TOS. > [@TwistofFate](#): > > Why are you talking about real world militaries to back up a point about Star Trek? If you had read the passage closely, you would have noticed that I simply pointed out that not every military uses direct simulations as part of training. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-kobayashi-maru-star-trek-question/496129.md?page=2)