Peak Performance
Summer, 1989. The acquisition of a satellite dish meant that I could finally
tune in to this new Star Trek: The Next Generation show that had excited science fiction
fans, and my first impressions all came from this episode, "Peak Performance".
For that reason, I still have a bit of a soft spot for it.
Knowing that a battle was about to be simulated instinctively told me this must be
a lighter episode, possibly less than true to the show's normal reality, but hindsight has
shown that we actually get a good, fairly fully-formed dose of the regular characters in this one,
plus some decent guest stars. Not all that bad a place for a novice to start watching...
The alien guest star Kolrami (Kohlrabi? - sounds like a vegetable root I know that makes a good soup)
clicked in first for me, not surprising as his quirks are showcased
while he makes his entrance. The actor (Roy Brocksmith) seems to have been somewhat typecast
as disruptive bureaucrats at this time (see the feature Total Recall for another memorable outing),
but he can give the caricature some extra alien embellishments here which make things a bit more fun.
Riker first began to stand out a bit when he challenged Kohlrabi to a game of stratagema, and explained
what all that meant to Geordi. I began to like him at that point. He continued to do well while recruiting
a team to help him face another uphill challenge.
Wesley gets to make a special contribution in this episode, without it stealing the show or the final fix,
and Wil Wheaton gives an entertaining performance. Certainly nothing there to create the negative
impression many other fans seem stuck on.
Keep your eyes peeled and you may also spot Glenn Morshower as security officer Burke, ready to take over
Worf's duties while Worf is otherwise occupied. Morshower began getting small roles in dozens of feature films
shortly afterward.
But the most memorable and enjoyable part of this episode has proven to be Dr. Pulaski becoming Data's
main cheerleader and egging him on to knock the guest star down a peg. This plot strand has a very enjoyable
payoff when all is said and done. And this good first impression of Pulaski soon became my enduring
impression of her - no matter how hard she knocked against Data in the early episodes of the season
when I finally got around to seeing those, I knew where the arc was heading, and I could easily stay
on board with her journey.
The episode's final turns also feature an appearance by the Ferengi, and Armin Shimerman (later DS9's Quark)
is on hand to provide the commanding performance. It still lands a bit more on the aggressive side,
with all the usual Trekkian ship-to-ship posturing, rather than the financial/humorous side that the Ferengi
later became better known for, but both sides are nicely present here. I do remember thinking that these
aliens had a pretty weird spaceship design.
Captain Picard himself showed some strength and made a good, if understated, impression on me,
but this particular story definitely seemed to be less about him, and more about the entire team.
Perhaps that was a good indication of how this show would be different from its predecessor.
All in all, "Peak Performance" was a pretty good episode for first impressions. I definitely wanted to tune
back in for more, and see how this crew handled more non-simulated challenges.
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