Continuing from the last episode, the Protostar drops out of protowarp, placing the ship over 4,000 lightyears away from their previous location. Excluding Gwyn, the three other crew members confront Dal about their desire to head for the Federation, which Dal rejects citing his rule as captain and his distrust of the Federation. Later, Dal and Jankom discover the Protostar's holodeck. Dal runs the Kobayashi Maru training simulation while Gwyn and Zero investigate the purpose of the Protostar and why the Diviner covets it.
Tropes:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Dal tries the Kobayashi Maru over a hundred times and on his final try he comes up with a strategy that nearly wins it, all while not knowing that it's supposed to be an Unwinnable Training Simulation.
- An Aesop: A good captain listens to his crew and puts their needs before his own desires, as Holo-Spock explains to Dal.
- Affectionate Nickname: During his last run, Dal gives nicknames to his holo-bridge crew: Uhura is "Earpiece", Scotty is "Moustache", Odo is "Jellyman", Spock is "Pointy Ears", and Crusher is "Big Red".
- Anachronism Stew: This version of the Kobayashi Maru scenario is a mix-and-match of mid-and-late 23rd century and mid-24th century elements, in both terms of setting and characters.
- Boarding Party:
- Dal's desire to get off the ship leads to Holo-Spock beaming them suddenly to the Klingon vessel where Holo-Spock proceeds to defeat the bridge crew. They end up taking control over the Klingon Bridge in no time.
- Chakotay's log mentions the ship is being boarded, but doesn't say by whom.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Early in the episode, the crew push Dal to let them go to the Federation, arguing they can’t rely on the Protostar's technology to protect them forever, especially since the protowarp is now inoperable. Dal argues that if they do, they could be arrested for allegedly stealing the ship. Jankom retorts that they can also be taken in as refugees.
- Breather Episode: After the previous two parter filled with drama, this episode mostly focuses on Dal's attempts to win the unwinnable Kobayashi Maru scenario, and the humor that arises. There are, however, important revelations relating to the Myth Arc of the series, and an important moment of Character Development for Dal.
- The Cameo: Robert Beltran (briefly) reprises his role as Chakotay, now a captain.
- Classified Information: Janeway is unable to access the Protostar's original directive for this reason. Even when the data is decoded, it's fragmented and will take time to piece together.
- Confusion Fu: For his final run through the Kobayashi Maru, Dal decides that the only way to win is to act so unpredictably that the simulation can't adapt. It almost doesn't work because the simulation just spawns more ships, but Dal gets lucky when he beams himself over to the last ship by accident.
- Continuity Nod:
- Dal is seen playing the game from the TNG episode "The Game".
- The holo-programs that Janeway demonstrates include Ceti Alpha V and a Jane Eyre novel of the sort that the real Janeway partook in.
- The Kobayashi Maru is taken from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, down to Klingons as the aggressors, though it uses the TNG-era Klingons and Enterprise-D. The test's display graphics from Wrath are also faithfully reproduced (albeit slightly tweaked to fit the TNG-era LCARS design aesthetic).
- The simulation uses holograms of Uhura, Spock, Scotty, Beverly Crusher, and Odo, complete with archival audio clips of these characters (except Crusher, who gets new lines courtesy of Gates McFadden).
- Dal's climactic strategy involves blaring rock music, similar to the climax of Star Trek Beyond.
- Dal recalls an old Klingon saying: "Revenge is a dish best served cold." This is a double reference to Khan, who is actually the one in Star Trek canon to have said that, and General Chang from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, who waxed poetic about revenge and cold (though in the context of the Cold War, and not in the same sentence).
- Dedication: This episode is dedicated to three actors of the Star Trek franchise who had passed away: Leonard Nimoy, René Auberjonois, and James Doohan. (It also features Nichelle Nichols, who died about half a year after this episode was aired.)
- Designer Babies: A flashback reveals that Gwyn is this, having been created directly from her father's genetic material.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Dal decides to run the Kobayashi Maru, figuring he'll ace it and prove he's worthy of being captain. Viewers familiar with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan or Star Trek (2009) will know he's in for a rough surprise. Dal only thinks to ask the point at the very end.
- While selecting a holographic crew, Jankom suggests one James T. Kirk. Dal dismisses that idea out of hand, claiming the crew doesn't need two captains, not realizing Kirk actually managed to "beat" the Kobayashi Maru test himself (by cheating, but a distinction he holds nonetheless).
- Eat the Bomb: Murf does this out of ignorance, swallowing a box of photon grenades. Luckily, Murf survives the blast with little more than bad gas.
- Epic Fail:
- Dal's first run of the Kobayashi Maru nets a score that doesn't break 5%. In fact, one of his scores is under .01%!
- Dal finally manages to beat the Kobayashi Maru, only to blow it at the last second by accidentally blowing up the Enterprise when he rests his feet on the firing controls of the Klingon ship.
- Failure Montage: Dal failing the Kobayashi Maru again and again and again, capped off each time by a photon torpedo blowing up the Enterprise.
- Fake Shemp: Spock, Uhura, Odo, and Scotty are portrayed with archival audio of their original actors, all of whom are credited.
- Fire-Breathing Diner: Murf belches intense light after the photon grenades go off inside him.
- Fleeting Demographic Rule: Dal becoming obsessed with trying to beat the Kobayashi Maru is very similar to Boimler's desperation to get 100% Completion on the "infiltrate the Borg" simulation in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "I, Excretus". Although the target audience for Prodigy probably shouldn't have been watching Lower Decks.
- Heroic BSoD: Gwyn is still rattled by her father's betrayal and spends part of the episode lying in sickbay despondent. Zero helps shake her out of her sadness.
- Hive Mind: Zero mentions that they were once part of a Medusan one and that they felt sad when the Diviner took them from it.
- Loud of War: Dal plays loud music over every channel to disorient the Klingons.
- Love Is a Weakness: Dreadnok argues this in the flashback to dissuade the Diviner from creating Gwyn. He warns him that such emotions could be used against him.
- Made of Indestructium: Murf swallows a box of photon grenades. When they go off, it results in a Fire-Breathing Diner and little else.
- The Mutiny: When Dal tries to abandon the Kobayashi Maru in his first run-through, his crew start to turn against him. Jankom encourages them, much to Dal's annoyance.
- Mythology Gag:
- The design of the Kobayashi Maru is based off of the ship's design seen in Star Trek Online's "No-Win Scenario" TFO.
- When asked to choose his crew, Dal is presented various badges throughout canon up to that point, even alternate timelines and illusions.
- During one of the failures, Dal shouts out "FIRE EVERYTHING!" in the same kind of inflection Nero did.
- Some of Dal's ideas are drawn from how canon characters attempted to handle the test, such as Sulu not entering the Neutral Zone and Mackenzie Calhoun simply shooting at everyone.
- Dal using AC/DC to overwhelm the Klingons' communications is reminiscent of Kirk using the Beastie Boys in a similar manner at the climax of Star Trek Beyond.
- The Needs of the Many: Holo-Spock name-drops this trope in a Rousing Speech to Dal, convincing him to finally take his crew to the Federation.
- The Reveal: The Protostar's original captain was Chakotay, and for some reason this knowledge has been fragmented so Hologram Janeway can't access it, including a password in Vau N'Akat despite them having no known contact with the Federation.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Dal's first suggestion dealing with the Kobayashi Maru? Turning the ship around and leaving them to their fate. However, the hologram bridge crew gives him a What the Hell, Hero? for this as he has absolutely no reasoning for leaving them behind.
- Ship Tease: When Gwyn thanks Dal for saving her from "Murder Planet", he claims that Janeway wouldn't let them leave without her, which saddens Gwyn a little. At the end of the episode, Jankom lets it slip that it was actually Dal's idea. Gwyn then gives Dal a quick smile (which he doesn't notice).
- Take This Job and Shove It: Hologram Odo threatens to "resign his commission" when Dal proposes abandoning the Kobayashi Maru.
- Uncertain Doom: Last we see of Chakotay, he and his presumably minimal crew are about to fight off a boarding party. Where he went after that, we don't know.
- Unwinnable Training Simulation: Dal decides to run the Kobayashi Maru, not knowing the point of it. Played for Laughs.
- Wham Line: "I'm suddenly realizing... you aren't my first crew."
- Wham Shot: Janeway brings up a navigational chart showing that their brief time in protowarp has flung the Protostar all the way into the Gamma Quadrant, 4,000 light years from their last location.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The holographic crew do not respond well to Dal's initial strategy of ignoring the Kobayashi Maru's distress call, with Odo even threatening to quit.
