10. Kobayashi Moron Test
The Kobayashi Maru Scenario is a Starfleet test for cadets who are being tracked for command. You are put in charge of a ship that has to rescue the civilian freighter Kobayashi Maru that is stuck in the Neutral Zone. When you go to its aid, you are confronted by three Klingon Battlecruisers and that is where the 'no win' part of the test kicks in. It is impossible to rescue the Kobayashi Maru, fight the Klingons and escape from the Neutral Zone, you have to choose what you think is the best course of action and your command ability is evaluated. Kirk famously stated in The Wrath Of Khan that he was the only cadet to ever beat the no win scenario. He reprogrammed the simulation so that it was possible to rescue the Kobayashi Maru and he got a commendation for original thinking. Some fans at the time objected to Kirk cheating but Wrath Of Khan director Nicholas Meyer said ''it revealed an aspect of Kirk's character and that the film, or Kirk, shouldn't be restricted by "television mentality." In other words, Kirk as a character isn't diminished by the fact that he cheated, if anything it showed why Kirk is such a good starship captain due to the fact that he cant accept that there is such a thing as the no win scenario. No matter what he has to do, he will find a way to solve a problem. So fast forward to Abrams' Star Trek and it was a foregone conclusion that the film will include this famous piece of Star Trek lore. But instead of making it a pivitol moment that you will remember, the scene was written like it belongs in a crap teen comedy. Kirk reprograms the test and proceeds to act like a complete cocky jerk during the examination. He makes it clear that he's not taking the test seriously and is even allowed to eat an apple. I know some people think that the apple is a nod to Wrath Of Khan and the scene where Kirk is eating an apple but this conjecture was shot down by Abrams on the DVD commentary, so it is another example of Orci & Kurtzman nonsense. Why would he be allowed to take an apple into the test? Why is he making it obvious that he has done something behind the scenes? The point is that you reprogrammed it so that you could pass the test, but instead it appears the only reason Kirk went to all that trouble was so that he could annoy the Starfleet brass that was examining him. Nothing in this scene shows us why Kirk would make a great captain, he demonstrates no leadership qualities and it's a wasted scene.
We also find out that for some reason, Spock is the one who programed the Kobayashi Maru test. He might simply have input the data into a computer and made sure it runs ok, but it's another example of Orci & Kurtzman trying to link everything together in the same way Kirk's birth was linked to Nero. Spock didn't have to have anything to do with the test, the whole scene was written as a build up to Kirk and Spock's initial confrontation in the cadet hall when Kirk is receiving a stern talking to for his actions in reprogramming the simulation. Why was Kirk receiving a dressing down in front of all the cadets? Surely things like this are normally dealt with in private but not in Abrams Star Trek, Kirk and Spock have to have a verbal bitch fight in front of the whole school? The Kobayashi Maru test was a great opportunity to show the audience a glimpse of why Kirk belongs in command of the Enterprise. It would have made the audience root for him to be promoted and when he eventually does take command, it would have been far more believable. Instead, Kirk comes across as someone you wouldn't want anywhere near your ship and is not the Kirk that the crew would choose to trust their life with. And before you start telling me that it's a more rebellious Kirk because Nero changed the timeline, then you have been fooled into making excuses for poor script writing. Kirk is a character that is a TV and film icon, diluting him into a cookie-cutter jock does him a disservice in the same way if someone decided to reboot Colombo as a wise cracking, teen detective who loves blowing things up and having sex with witnesses, just because he has a glass eye does not make him Colombo. That is why this Kirk is not the Kirk that was so popular and unless Orci & Kurtzman make some drastic changes in the sequel, Chis Pine's Kirk will forever be overshadowed by Shatner.