2.21 — “Peak Performance”

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5 responses to “2.21 — “Peak Performance””

1. 

   Randi Cohen

   April 30, 2015

   Ah, Kev, when you recall great TOS episodes it just makes TNG look so lame by comparison. Maybe 3rd season will be better.

   I felt this was a snoozefest, other than Worf telling Riker he will be… annoyed if Riker loses the challenge match to the alien, and Pulaski convincing Data to challenge the alien and the resulting subplot. Brent Spiner is hilarious when attempting to psychoanalyse Riker too… he is only fun part of this episode.

   Does Riker have a thing about losing in ridiculous supposedly warfare-style games to older men? I found Picard’s impassioned defense of Riker to be corny at best, and generally the alien was not remotely convincing as a superb strategist, starting with the way the training session was set up in the first place (really? no way to turn the simulation off if you run into an actually dangerous situation in open space? what strategist would insist on that kind of set-up?). It would have been cool if the alien had somehow put the Ferengi there on purpose to be a secret challenge to the Enterprise. As it is, the episode is sort of toothless because neither the alien strategist nor the Ferengi are particularly impressive or menacing and there is not much at stake. Putting your heroes in a situation in which they clearly outclass everyone they meet just comes off to me as lame. I thought the writers figured this out when they introduced the Borg, but I guess they forgot.

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2. 

   Kevin Black

   April 30, 2015

   Very incisive! “Generally the alien was not remotely convincing as a superb strategist”–yes, yes, yes. And several good ideas for improving the episode. The problem at this point is that TNG seems to be going for a conventional TV formula where you assemble a bunch of appealing characters, come up with a premise where they have to do something a little bit unusual, and turn off your brain for an hour and hang out with them. Which would probably be more appealing if we didn’t have the example of TOS reminding us that so much more is possible. I watch a little bit ahead, so I’ve been going through the documentaries on the Blu-ray season set, and there are all these reminders how the audience really responded to the show even early on, with conventions and fan clubs and Star Trek being the talk of the early Internet. Rick Berman is quoted a few times saying the development of the Internet was driven by Star Trek and porn.

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3. 

   Randi Cohen

   April 30, 2015

   Yes! So much more is possible!!!!

   I guess that I find Worf and Pulaski likeable but the other characters remain a bit hard for me to connect with. Not sure if that is the acting or the writing or both (Patrick Stewart is a great stage actor but not sure if he translates to the small screen super well, at least for me).

   But anyway, when I think of Firefly or Farscape, which did characterization and witty dialogue and providing the characters with real drama and real challenges so darned well, the only thing that TNG seems to have going for it really is the star trek logo. That might have been enough back then (and maybe that explains why in general nobody on TNG seems to be trying all that hard to improve things). I just hope season 3 gets better!

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4. 

   R. Alex Reutter

   May 7, 2015

   Would you like to play a game?  I like this little caricature of a guest star.  I like the purpose of the episode, in that neither Picard nor Riker particularly wants to participate in the war games, but sees it as necessary because of the Borg, so we get a little reference back to a previous episode.

   I like Riker’s recruiting of Geordi and Worf by feeding them problems they want to try to solve.

   I’m intrigued by Riker challenging the guest star to Strategema.  Hopefully there’s some purpose to it, like Riker wanting to evaluate how the guest star thinks.  [note: Nope, nothing except to introduce the game so that Pulaski gets Data onto his subplot.  sigh.]

   The refitting of the Hathaway is nicely done.  I don’t believe it being done in 48 hours, but I like Wesley’s ruse to get them some antimatter, and I like Worf’s trickery.

   What’s the deal with Pulaski’s statement that Data is supposed to be perfect?  This subplot is dopey, but she seems to have come around from her initial intense dislike of Data to caring deeply about him.  I feel like they’ve slowly earned that over the course of the season.

   The problem is the Ferengi.  Why couldn’t we simply continue with the wargames without interlopers?  Seems melodramatic and unbelievable to suddenly “make it real”.

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5. 

   Randi Cohen

   May 7, 2015

   Great point especially about Riker’s challenge being pointless.  I had a sense something was missing at the time I watched it but couldn’t put my finger on what it was.  I would have definitely respected Riker more if there had been any kind of purpose behind his actions…

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