Star Trek: 10 Things You Should Know Before Applying To Starfleet Academy

Even if you didn't grow up around Starfleet, you've probably still heard of the Kobayashi Maru. The sore-loser types especially might want to bone up on this command training conundrum and other no-win scenarios before their application hits subspace. Starfleet has a penchant for impracticable parlour games, so you'll have to hack your way around them.

It is common knowledge by now that a young cadet Kirk found a 'creative' solution to the Academy's impossible test by reprogramming the simulation to allow the rescue of the Kobayashi Maru from the Klingon Neutral Zone. Far from getting his marching orders for the crafty work-around, Kirk received a commendation for 'original thinking'.

Starfleet is unlikely to accept the computer trick twice, but the fact that Kirk beat it does prove that you can strategize your way through the seemingly inevitable and come off better for it. When another captain faced her own no-win scenario in the Delta Quadrant, she reportedly said to her crew, "If you can't outthink the Think Tank, don't try". Sometimes it pays to completely switch tactics!

However, throwing the rule book out the window can be dangerous, so don't go chasing Nausicaans! They're bigger, stronger, meaner, and they won't hesitate to stab you in (through) the back! Life might be a rich tapestry, weaving who we are, but (unlike some) we'd be pretty heartless if we didn't warn you against the members of this imposing species, prone to aggression and likely to swindle you at the dom-jot table. On the other hand, you can rig the game in return and see where the continuum of existence takes you next. It certainly won't be bland!