Brig. Gen. David W. Smith is the mobilization assistant to the Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Southwest Asia. Saavik: I don't believe this was a fair test of my command abilities ...

Star Trek has settled the debate: the Kobayashi Maru test is absolutely critical for cadets. While at Starfleet Academy, cadets are put through their paces, physically and mentally.

(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife) For the two or three of you who may not be ‘Star Trek literate’, the Kobayashi Maru is a test given to all Starfleet cadets to measure how they ...

All players have to do is face a seemingly impossible task — overcome the famed Kobayashi Maru test. In the “Star Trek” universe, the exam puts Starfleet Academy cadets in a desperate situation.

The Kobayashi Maru test was designed to be unwinnable, forcing cadets to face the fact that they might eventually end up in one of those scenarios. Of course, we all know that Captain James T ...

-- Informal debriefing from the exam, "Kobayashi Maru," in Star Trek II, "The Wrath of Khan" I would never call myself a "Trekkie," but during my research for this piece, I searched "unwinnable ...