The Kobayashi Maru is the most notorious training program in Star Trek lore, and only a handful of Starfleet officers have been able to beat this legendary "no win" scenario. The simulation was designed to test the discipline, character, and command capabilities of Starfleet cadets on the command track. The Kobayashi Maru plays out as follows: the cadet is in command of a starship that answers the distress call of a civilian freighter stranded in the Neutral Zone. In order to rescue the freighter, the cadet would have to enter the Neutral Zone and risk triggering hostilities with the Klingon Empire.
Star Trek's test of character is deemed unwinnable because it's impossible to save the Kobayashi Maru freighter, leave the Neutral Zone unscathed, and avoid battle with the Klingons. Winning the Kobayashi Maru isn't the real test; cadets are being assessed on how they act in an impossible situation. That hasn't stopped various Starfleet officers from trying to win with varying degrees of success. Here's every character who attempted the Kobayashi Maru and which of them actually beat it.
Kirk (Cheated It, Beat It)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan reveals Kirk is the only Starfleet cadet to have beaten the Kobayashi Maru. To do so, he simply reprogrammed it so that it was possible to succeed. Although this was a cheat, Kirk was commended for his original thinking. Justifying his workaround, he stated he did not believe in a no-win scenario, an aspect of his character that sets up the impossible situation he later faces when his nemesis, Khan Noonien-Singh returns. However, despite the simulation's specific thematic implications for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, it has since become an enduring part of Star Trek lore.
Kirk In Star Trek 2009 (Cheated It, Beat It)
J. J. Abrams's Star Trek reboot presents the moment when Kirk beats the Kobayashi Maru. There are subtle differences in the Kelvin timeline's version of the test — namely that the ship is explicitly ordered to rescue the freighter from the attacking Klingons. Tired of losing, this Kirk also cheats the test by rewriting the program to allow him the ability to immediately disable the Klingon shields. In the Kelvin timeline, Kirk's cheating isn't met with the same out-of-the-box thinking. Instead, he's disciplined for his action and is forced to redeem himself to Starfleet and the program's creator, Spock, by defeating Nero.
Saavik In Star Trek II (Failed)
Kirstie Alley's Saavik is the first Starfleet cadet to be seen attempting the Kobayashi Maru simulation on-screen, in the opening scenes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Her performance is overseen by Admiral Kirk, and she's assisted by Enterprise crew members including Spock, Sulu, and McCoy. Faced with the no-win scenario, Saavik almost immediately enters the Neutral Zone to save the freighter, only to be fired upon by three Klingon battle cruisers, killing several members of the crew. She orders a full evacuation of the ship, earning her performance an assessment of "predictably dismal."
Boimler In Lower Decks (Failed 17 Times)
In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 8, "I, Excretus," Bradward Boimler became obsessed with getting a 100 percent score on a Starfleet command drill involving the Borg Queen. It's indicative of Boimler's constant need to prove his worth as a Starfleet officer to his senior officers. This obsessive need to prove himself is likely why he attempted the Kobayashi Maru simulation 17 different times while he was at Starfleet Academy.
Dal In Prodigy (Failed 100 Times, Then Beat It)
Another young Star Trek character keen to prove himself was Dal R'El in Star Trek: Prodigy. While not official Starfleet officers, Dal and his crew of misfits found themselves in charge of the most advanced starship in the fleet, the USS Protostar. In order to test his leadership skills, Dal loaded up the Kobayashi Maru program in the ship's holodeck. Supported by a crossover cast of Star Trek legends including Spock, Dal becomes obsessed with beating the simulation, attempting it 100 times. Eventually, his non-Starfleet thinking led to him actually winning the no-win situation by going "full chaos."
Dal overwhelmed communications with loud music, barrel-rolled the ship to confuse the Klingons, and then eventually ejected the warp core and triggered an antimatter explosion. With the ship unscathed and the Kobayashi Maru free from the Klingons, Dal had beaten the simulation. Until he accidentally blew up his ship with a photon torpedo. Disappointed at his failure, Dal was given a pep-talk by the Spock hologram, who made an incredibly complimentary comparison between Dal and Kirk — the only other to beat the simulation.
Picard Considered Updating The Kobayashi Maru In Picard S2
In the Star Trek: Picard season 2 premiere, Admiral Picard states that he was considering updating the Kobayashi Maru simulation for the next generation of Starfleet cadets. Stargazer, the Picard season 3 prequel comic, revealed Picard's Kobayashi Maru update is based more on diplomacy than on conflict. It remains to be seen whether Picard's update will catch on, but Star Trek: Discovery's season 4 premiere suggests that it has not proved as popular as the original Kobayashi Maru simulation.
Michael Burnham in Discovery (Failed)
The first episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 is titled "Kobayashi Maru," and it puts the crew in a real-world no-win situation. After failing to rescue the crew of a space station from destruction, Burnham is reminded of the Kobayashi Maru simulation by Federation President Laira Rillak. Although Burnham didn't save everyone from destruction at the hands of Star Trek's Species 10-C, Rillak reminds her of the test and how it teaches officers about what they can and cannot control. When asked how a non-Starfleet officer knows of the test, Rillak states that she learned about it in her youth. This revelation means that, even in the 32nd Century, Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru is still a key part of the Starfleet curriculum.