A Test of Character
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| SHORT STORY | |
| A Test of Character | |
| |
| Attribution | |
| Series: | The Original Series |
| Author(s): | Kevin Lauderdale |
| Publication information | |
| Printed: | June 2004, in Strange New Worlds VII |
| Pages: | 3-14 |
| Chronology | |
| Date: | 2254 |
A Test of Character is a short story by Kevin Lauderdale about how then-cadet James T. Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru scenario.
[edit] Summary
Before his third attempt at the Kobayashi Maru scenario, Kirk reprograms the computer, eliminating those parts of the program that made it impossible to win, thus creating a level playing field where success was at least possible, though not guaranteed. Admirals Jublik and Zheng gave Kirk a commendation for original thinking, as well as ninety-nine demerits, just short of the expulsion limit.
- The Kobayashi Maru scenario was first depicted in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, as was Kirk's admission of his unconventional approach to the test. This story is inconsistent with what Kirk told his crewmates in the novel The Kobayashi Maru. It is possible, given the campfire-story tone of the novel, that Kirk was telling a "better" story than what was strictly true.
[edit] See also
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: first story | Strange New Worlds VII
| Next story: Indomitable |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Better Man Chapters 3-7, 13 & 15 | Next Adventure: The Kobayashi Maru Chapter 2 | |
