Peak Performance by: David Kemper and directed by: Robert Scheerer

 

“Peak Performance” is written by: David Kemper and is directed by: Robert Scheerer.  It was produced under production code 147, was the 21^st episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, the 47^th episode overall, and was broadcast on July 10, 1989.

 

It’s interesting that “Q Who” introduced the Borg and in doing so seems to have established a multi-season story arc, at least partially.  For Star Trek in the 1960s the continuity could best be described as loose, there are recurring elements certainly and some episodes had sequels, the characters largely remained static.  “Peak Performance” is the first episode to directly address the events of “Q Who”, mainly that it is the inciting incident for this episode.  That is at least until the final act twist of a Ferengi threat that while writer David Kemper uses it to tie the episode together in conflict, it is perhaps the weakest aspect of the episode.  Kemper characterizes the Ferengi as the capitalists Roddenberry wants them to be, but in terms of what they do in this episode as an ancillary plot point to practically everything else the episode is attempting to do.  It doesn’t cause problems such as say, turning the message of the episode on its head about being strategic and not necessarily going for the win as important for beating threats like the Borg.  As a conclusion, it works quite well and the B-plot of basically the entire Enterprise crew being at odds with the strategist sent from Starfleet to observe and note the war games at the center of the episode.  Starfleet is positioned in this episode as almost explicitly a military organization, something that Picard outright disputes although the military is very much a part of what Starfleet is.  It is an organization with a structure of leadership and discipline based off the military structures of the United States even if the primary mission of Starfleet is exploration, Gene Roddenberry envisioning the future as explorative without the imperialist/colonialist mindset.  Picard as a character being against the military aspect of Starfleet is actually an interesting idea, even if Kemper’s script here is only doing that by having Picard deny the military aspect of Starfleet entirely.

The trouble with that is that “Peak Performance” isn’t a Picard episode, it’s more an ensemble piece to explore how the crew works together in a crisis.  That is at least how Riker, Geordi, Worf, and Wesley work together.  They are the main cast members playing defense in the war game at the center of the episode.  The war game also allows some interesting nostalgia for the original series, the Hathaway sets are clearly redresses of Enterprise sets either left over from the original series or are from the films that would have been out at this point, with some additions to make them feel like a design in between ships.  This is also the second episode in a row where Michael Dorn as Worf might be given some of his best material, despite being a relatively minor character in the episode.  The same can be said towards Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher, he is able to use cunning to slip back to the Enterprise and give the Hathaway an advantage.  That trickery from Wesley and Worf in tandem being used against the Ferengi.  The big conflict does come partially from the fact that both ships have their weapons disabled throughout the episode, the war game itself is a computer simulation though that also begs the question as to why its two physical ships and not a complete computer simulation, or even a holodeck simulation.  Obviously the answer is that if it wasn’t the case of two ships, the episode wouldn’t actually happen.

 

The character of Kolrami, played by Roy Brocksmith, is a fascinating aspect of the episode.  The archetype being played with is one of smug authority, this is a man who thinks he knows exactly what is best for the Enterprise and Starfleet.  Brocksmith’s performance is both physical as he makes Kolrami have this specifically weird walk and way of speaking that just reads as the absolute worst.  He plays this game of Strategema against Riker, Riker knowing he is going to lose but wants to play against one of the best, and then Data, who is goaded into it by Pulaski who really wants to see Kolrami knocked down a peg.  He isn’t until the very end, but the B-plot does become one where Data’s sense of identity and competency is destroyed and Pulaski actually regrets goading the confrontation on.  Strategema as a game isn’t quite explained, it is shown from the perspective of the two opponents looking at two screens as moves are being made.  It’s like some sort of computer simulated war game, and the script understands to not have the exposition for the audience while the rest of the crew would understand the game’s inner workings.  This is one of those B-plots in the episode that thematically fits with the A-plot, something that Star Trek: The Next Generation that is slowly getting better at as the first two seasons have gone forward.

 

Ovearll, “Peak Performance” while not quite being peak performance is still a fairly strong episode.  The script is incredibly strong in the first two acts, though the final act with the Ferengi just kind of becomes a bland conclusion.  Part of that is that the Ferengi aren’t particularly great aliens, their appearances in the first season were very hit and miss while the teamwork of the Enterprise crew is just a more interesting dynamic for the episode to take.  7/10.