# Kobiyashi Maru Wizard Mode (Star Trek Pinball)

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2017-03-10  
**Duration:** 21m 37s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prRRHi-3Mtg

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## Analysis

Zach Sharpe demonstrates Stern Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru wizard mode and overall game design on the Straight Down the Middle channel. He explains the medal system (bronze/silver/gold) earned through timed mode completions, shows mode stacking mechanics, demonstrates multiball features including Vengeance Multiball with magnetic hold and jar mechanics, and plays through multiple tier levels of modes to illustrate the game's depth. The video emphasizes combo-focused gameplay design by Steve Ritchie and showcases tier-2 and tier-3 mode variations with different mechanics.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Kobayashi Maru is the first wizard mode, reached by completing all six modes — _Zach Sharpe at start of video, 'Kobayashi Maru, which is the first wizard mode. You do so by completing all six modes'_
- [HIGH] Modes are timed and players earn bronze, silver, and gold medals based on hit frequency, which affects Kobayashi Maru payout — _Zach Sharpe explaining level one modes, 'Metals are bronze, silver and gold imagine that and the more you get the better your Kobayashi Maru wizard mode will pay off'_
- [HIGH] Vengeance Multiball uses a magnet to hold the ball and can be jarred loose for a three-ball multiball (otherwise two-ball) — _Zach Sharpe describing mechanic, 'For Vengeance Multiball, it holds it up there with a magnet, which is really clever, and if you can jar it loose like I did, then you'll get a three-ball multiball'_
- [HIGH] Modes cannot timeout if you don't hit a switch; the timer stops if you don't hit anything — _Zach Sharpe explaining mode mechanics, 'you can't really time out modes because if you don't hit a switch, it will stop the mode timer for you'_
- [HIGH] Steve Ritchie designed the game to reward combo play and encourage shooting combinations — _Zach Sharpe on design philosophy, 'that's what Steve Ritchie wanted. I want this to be a combo ass game and to be rewarded for hitting combos'_
- [HIGH] Second tier modes change from timed hit-as-many-shots mechanics to roving special shot mechanics — _Zach Sharpe comparing tier mechanics, 'the second tier mode isn't just a timed hit as many shots as you can. It's a roving special shot, which is really neat'_
- [MEDIUM] Klingon Battle is the toughest mode in the game according to the player's assessment — _Zach Sharpe's opinion, 'I find, actually, Klingon Battle, for me, is the toughest mode'_
- [HIGH] The game has three tier levels of modes with each subsequent tier being more difficult — _Zach Sharpe explaining progression, 'Prime Directive 2, Space Jump 2, Save the Enterprise, etc. etc.' and discussing tier-3 Klingon Battle_

### Notable Quotes

> "I want this to be a combo ass game and to be rewarded for hitting combos. That's what I like doing."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, mid-gameplay commentary
> _Articulates the game's core design philosophy by Steve Ritchie around combo-driven gameplay_

> "The thing that I love about this game again is that it's so deep. Each second tier, third tier mode, they all have their own animations, which is really cool."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, around 70% into video
> _Highlights perceived depth and replayability through unique mode variations and animations_

> "For Vengeance Multiball, it holds it up there with a magnet, which is really clever, and if you can jar it loose like I did, then you'll get a three-ball multiball."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, early-mid gameplay
> _Explains innovative multiball mechanic using magnetic hold with physical jarring interaction_

> "you can't really time out modes because if you don't hit a switch, it will stop the mode timer for you"
> — **Zach Sharpe**, late-game commentary
> _Clarifies mode timer design to prevent artificial timeout-based failures and encourage active play_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Star Trek | game | Pinball machine by Stern being demonstrated; features SAM system, medal-based modes, tiered difficulty, and Kobayashi Maru wizard mode |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Host/player of Straight Down the Middle channel; demonstrates game mechanics and gameplay strategy throughout video |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Designer of Stern Star Trek; emphasized combo-focused gameplay philosophy in game design |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | YouTube pinball video channel hosted by Zach Sharpe; produces long-form pinball gameplay and explanation content |
| Kobayashi Maru | product | First wizard mode in Stern Star Trek; reached by completing all six base modes with medal requirements |
| Vengeance Multiball | product | Multiball mode in Stern Star Trek featuring magnetic hold mechanic and jarring interaction for three-ball vs two-ball multiball |
| Klingon Battle | product | Mode in Stern Star Trek with tier-3 variant; identified as the toughest mode by player; features warp ramp shots and single-shot difficulty escalation |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Wizard mode design and progression, Medal system and mode difficulty scaling, Multiball mechanics and innovation (magnetic hold, jarring), Mode tier system and replayability
- **Secondary:** Combo-focused gameplay design philosophy, Playfield shot difficulty and accessibility

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Zach Sharpe expresses consistent enthusiasm for game depth, innovative mechanics (magnetic multiball), and combo-reward design. Occasional frustration with missed shots but directed at own play, not game design. Praises game features multiple times ('Such a cool game', 'really cool', love the depth).

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Straight Down the Middle produces educational long-form gameplay videos explaining game rules, mechanics, and strategy for community learning (confidence: medium) — Detailed mechanical explanations throughout video demonstrating modes, medals, multiball features, and tier progression to audience
- **[design_innovation]** Vengeance Multiball features innovative magnetic hold mechanic with physical jarring interaction creating variable multiball outcomes (2-ball vs 3-ball) (confidence: high) — Zach Sharpe: 'it holds it up there with a magnet, which is really clever, and if you can jar it loose like I did, then you'll get a three-ball multiball. If you cannot jar it loose, then you'll be stuck with a two-ball multiball'
- **[design_philosophy]** Steve Ritchie designed Star Trek to emphasize combo-driven gameplay with rewards for chaining shots together rather than single-shot focus (confidence: high) — Zach Sharpe: 'that's what Steve Ritchie wanted. I want this to be a combo ass game and to be rewarded for hitting combos'
- **[product_strategy]** Game features three-tier mode progression system (base, tier-2, tier-3) with escalating difficulty and unique animations per tier (confidence: high) — Demonstration of tier-1 timed modes, tier-2 roving shot modes, and tier-3 single-shot modes with unique mechanics and animations

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## Transcript

 Alright guys, we're going to play some Stern Star Trek. We're going to try to get to Kobayashi Maru, which is the first wizard mode. You do so by completing all six modes down here. And then we'll talk about the other tasks of this game as we progress. Two skill shots. First is a short plunge, so that third flipper hit the side ramp for a skill shot. Or you can hold that left flipper, full plunge it, and there will be a lit shot that you can hit within so many seconds to get another skill shot. I like to short plunge it and attempt to get that side ramp shot because so many of those and you can have a free ball. And I missed it. So on the level one modes, they're timed modes and you just try to hit as many lick shots as you can to get a better metal metals are bronze silver and gold imagine that and the more you get the better your Kobayashi Maru wizard mode will pay off so you try to get as many golds as you can There's a couple of multi balls in this game, standard multi balls. We'll talk about those as we get closer to them. Well that sucked. We got through Nero. At this pace we're going to need six balls just to get to the wizard. Alright, we're going to have a strong ball here. So I'm going to try to merge two rows of modes. So let's go with space jump next. This is really nothing better than that combo right there. I frown. You can backhand both ramps, which is really nice, as well as even the orbit sometimes you can backhand. Oh, that was bad, but I got the rescue. Roll over is enabled two times bonus, which is nice. All right, let's slow it down now Zach. So we hit our last shot to the left scoop to also start another mode. Let's go with prime directive. We're on ball two so we need all the modes completed that we can. What I'd like to do is complete a mode here and start another mode to stack a multiball with black. That would be ideal. So we got our bronze metal. But we're going to go for more. That could have been better. go for more? That could have been better. That could have been better. Alright, so that was actually, that was a bad thing to do. So I'm going to start Vengeance Multivolt, but my mode's almost done. So for Vengeance multiball, it holds it up there with a magnet, which is really clever, and if you can jar it loose like I did, then you'll get a three-ball multiball. If you cannot jar it loose, then you'll be stuck with a two-ball multiball. Oh, boy. And it's got a coil that fires a bad gas if you hit it up there, which is so cool. You hit it enough times, and you can defeat the vengeance ship. Come on, breakfast. Get a nice edible going there. There we go. Now we defeated it. See, it's acting crazy. Now we get our victory laps. I think you have to hit each of them one time. So we cannot start a mode until we do so. Thank you Well that wasn any good good. Try to get that side. There we go. And we have one more shot. Let's try to get a mode going again. Sack. Mode starts are not the simplest. Tight little shot. So we're going to go to destroy the drill and efforts to complete that and then get saved the enterprise to merge both back in orbit action a little bank shot to lock ball I will take it All right. Calm down, calm down. All right. This could be bad. This could be bad. All right. Zach, calm it down now. Here we go. All right. There we go. Complete the mode. Now we're going to try to save the Enterprise to join those two modes together and get some good bonus. or maybe not bonus but some awards rewards whatever okay well we got right ramp that i could not hit that all right so now we have vengeance multiple primed i guess i'm ready to go Now this is Klingon. No, this is Ventress. It is con. So we can go for that con, but I don't know. I find that it's just not worth the point. Fun to shoot though. Right now we're just focusing on that mode. That was just poor, poor shooting. Alright, so it did give us the mode. Super Spinner is lit. Super Ramps are lit. Not really focusing on score here. Just focusing on trying to get to Kobayashi Maru for you guys. Alright, so we're on ball three. We're going to start our last mode. We're going to try to get in out of that last mode so you guys can see Kobayashi Maru. Let's start clinging back. I could time out these. I mean, the one nice thing is you can't really time out modes because if you don't hit a switch, it will stop the mode timer for you. I mean, you can still be a punk and really just lag along, but that's not what Steve Ritchie wanted. I want this to be a combo ass game and to be rewarded for hitting combos. That's what I like doing. Alright, get up. What do we got here? Try that spinner again, give us some good points. Let's get that last shot. So now we hit, okay, we've completed all six modes. So now what we're going to do is we're going to hit that center shot for the Vengeance ship to start Kobayashi Maru. We can hit it. And we missed it. There we go. So we get a complete set of runs, which isn't good. the four silvers, and only one gold. So that, based on those shots, is what I'm gonna get my bonuses for. Or not my bonuses, but my extra points for each shot. So each shot is a different mode that I completed. I believe you have to hit each shot twice if I remember correctly Side ranges are hard to hit during multiples. All right, so what do we got here? Warp seven, and we drained it, so Kobayashi murder's over. So for me, it's kind of tough to complete that wizard, but it is doable. So now what we're going to go for is to start another mode. So as you guys see now, I can go to the second tier of modes, Prime Directive 2, Space Jump 2, Save the Enterprise, etc. etc. The thing that I love about this game again is that it's so deep. Each second tier, third tier mode, they all have their own dots too, or animations, which is really cool. Oh, okay. I guess I want to start playing on that one. Get up there. Control it, control it, control it. Now I'm at warp nine, I think I got to get a couple more for free ball. What else was I going to say? I don't know what I was going to say. All right. Oh, the other thing that's really cool is now the second tier mode isn't just a timed hit as many shots as you can. It's got, I believe, it's a roving special shot, which is really neat. See if it goes that way. No, it's not going to. Try to get cue, Zach. You're going to get burnt. You're going to get burnt, baby. And you have to complete these modes too. You don't get enough shots and you're going to have to go right back. I got a gold medal. Ah, didn't want to start a multiball without a mode. Looks cool though. That sucks. So now we're just shooting for points here. Again, a very bad strategy to push. Very bad. But we'll try to complete clean on most of them. See if this counts. See if this can get a shot. Actually, it might get good. Dang. Woo! Whew! It's keeping them alive, Dad, keeping them alive. That's not keeping them alive, Dad. I wish I could have added the hole there. It's okay, let's calm it down. Try to start another round. I will gut you for your insolence. Oh, will you? Come on, Zach, right behind that flipper, baby. Ah! Right over that scoop. Nope, nope, nope. All right, settle it down. take a breath Oh Oh and then you drain like a dipshit all right we got an extra ball we'll take it so you've seen I didn't complete prime directive so So I'd have to start it again. You know what? Let's go to Klingon Battle so you guys can see the third tier. Klingon Battle 3. If I complete this, again, in an even more difficult mode. But if I complete this, then I hit my series of Klingon Battle. And I find, actually, Klingon Battle, for me, is the toughest mode. All right. You see now there's only one left shot. You have to hit so many. once it gets out of the pop box. Come on. I just love that. Extra ball is lit, I'm gonna try to actually, I'm gonna take that. And that's where you have a seizure. Woo hoo Look at it staying alive baby stayin alive Alright calm down Okay, just try to get that away. That wasn't very good. So now I have a right ramp to hit, and I missed. And again, if your time runs out and you haven't hit enough shots, your happy ass is gonna do it all over again. Right now, blow them. Okay, try to hit that middle shot. Alright, so four shots left. That warp ramp is where it's at, where that next shot's at. That's not very friendly. There we go. 9.5. Oh, let's get up there, baby. All right, so the mode is over. So it would be nice. Woo! Our vengeance is ready, but I'm going to try to lock that ball as well as start another mission. Damn. Not good. Not good. Oh, I tried backhanding it. Eh, I started another mode. I'm still going to try to get that Klingon Battle 3 going here. You can also lock a ball, which may be helpful. There we go, we start a vengeance battle here. Such a cool game. Damn, I did shake it. We got one more extra ball, so we'll try to make the best of it. We'll try to complete Klingon Battle. Getting a multiball right now would be pretty cool. I think I'm through all my warps. Oh, I'm down now. Well, we'll use that ball safely. Zach. There it is. Come on now, buddy. Ball one locked. Ooh. Ooh. Rescue. I feel like I'm a battle. 9.7. It'd be nice to get all the way through to 10. You. All right, so the motor's about done, see if I can get back in there right now. Find a little shot. Get down, get down. Woo hoo! was lucky. Locking a ball would be nice. Now it's tricking me, it says I can lock a ball right up top but I cannot because it'll shoot it right back at me. There's nothingness. One shot remaining for vengeance. Battle. But I don't think I'm going to... 39.8. Oh! Oh, that's Star Trek. You get a love when you complete a game And you've got so many things fired up to start some more stuff happening. But at least you guys got to see all of Klingon Battle. See, it's staying red. You got to see the multi-balls. You got to see Kobayashi Maru. And you got to see a crap load of Warp Ramp shots. I got to 9.8, I think. So almost got to the infamous 9.9 rolling over. 17 works. Pretty fun. Not a bad score. Alright guys, straight down the middle, this is Zach. Have a good one, check out our other videos. See ya. © transcript Emily Beynon

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 26ca56aa-d130-4b6e-b025-2b1067d314e3*