“Peak Performance” (2×21)
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This is a fun one. I always enjoy when Trek shows visit starships from other eras, and I always enjoy rooting for the underdog.
Lots of revealing moments for Riker, Data, Worf, and even Wesley—who, for once, isn’t a goody-two-shoes.
Even though I prefer Crusher and feel that she fits in much better with the group, I enjoy Pulaski. Diane Muldaur’s performance reminds me a lot of no-nonsense people in the medical field, and I like that she’s not afraid to be a bit catty. The smug and superior Zakdorn master strategist really irritates her, and she has no compunction about wanting to take him down a peg. And thanks to Roy Brocksmith’s pitch perfect preening and obnoxious performance, we sympathize with the sentiment.
The bridge set for the Hathaway looks like a redress of the bridge set for the Stargazer; that would make sense, given that they’re both Constellation-class ships. If so, given that the Stargazer bridge set was itself a redress of the Enterprise bridge set for the original Enterprise during the first three motion pictures, what a lineage!
Both fun and a little distracting to see a young Glenn Morshower as the episode’s throwaway ensign, replacing Worf at tactical while he’s away aboard the Hathaway.
Impacts on Star Trek Continuity:
The episode does highlight the weakness of the Ferengi as primary antagonists for TNG; they’re more of an amoral nuisance than an immoral threat. After all, the Ferengi wouldn’t have posed a serious threat in this episode if the Enterprise’s weapons hadn’t been disabled for the training simulation. It does make me chuckle when people complain about the Paramount+ era of Trek being too leftist or too “woke”; Trek is a story about a socialist utopia and TNG literally made its first major new bad guys the embodiment of craven capitalism!
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