How would you deal with Kirk's cheating?

[Sionnach Glic]

Blatantly stolen from a thread on SDN, say you're in charge of overseeing the Kobiyashi Maru test when Kirk "wins". How would you deal with him?

[Tyyr]

Give him a pass. Read him the riot act. Fix the security loophole.

[Coalition]

He did cheat. I will admit he was inventive showing a security flaw, but the test is designed to see how you deal with fear, and finally deciding when the lives of your crew are worth more than the people you are trying to save.

[Aaron]

Written reprimand, fix the exploit.

[Tyyr]

He did cheat. I will admit he was inventive showing a security flaw, but the test is designed to see how you deal with fear, and finally deciding when the lives of your crew are worth more than the people you are trying to save.

And its an absolute failure at that if everyone knows about it going into it.

Kirk was on his third trip though, it wasn't going to teach him a damn thing at that point.

[Teaos]

Tell him off, mark on his record, get over it.

[Aaron]

They should just shitcan the entire test, you can't tell me that everyone at the Academy doesn't know about it and what happens at this point. Give Kirk a reprimand, fix the exploit and then make the test voluntary. A rigged test isn't going to teach you a thing.

[Tyyr]

Exactly. If you cannot win it how does it teach you anything except your instructors are assholes? It's a lesson best learned in other simulations. Let poor planning, bad luck, etc. honestly bring a cadet to the point where they can't win and then see how they handle it.

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Award him for creative thinking, yet give him a failing mark since he really didn't get the point of the test.

[Tsukiyumi]

Award him for creative thinking, yet give him a failing mark since he really didn't get the point of the test.

What's the point of the test, then? That you should give up because someone tells you something is impossible? Or that you should always follow the rules?

I'd say he got the point perfectly, and seems to be the only person to do so.

[Graham Kennedy]

There's an interesting difference between the two tests. In the original, Saavik is devoid of orders; she's basically on a routine patrol, and when she gets the distress call it's entirely up to her what she does. And indeed, Sulu makes it pretty clear that she's breaking the law in taking the ship into the Neutral Zone.

Whereas in Kirk's test, Uhura reports the ship in distress and adds that Starfleet has ordered them to perform a rescue mission.

Interesting difference because of this : had I been in Saavik's place I would have logged the distress call, noted that I had no legal option to mount a rescue, and continued on my patrol. And I would have regarded that as... well not a victory perhaps, but as a successful mission.

Kirk, however, didn't have that option.

[Tsukiyumi]

Maybe the scenario changed because of change in Starfleet's mission focus?

[Reliant121]

Give him a reward for his thinking, and trash the test.

[Monroe]

Kick him from the academy for academic dishonesty.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Give him a commendation and trash the test.