THE PLOT
Realizing the threat posed by the steadily approaching Borg, Picard agrees to a Starfleet request he had previously resisted: He allows his ship to become involved in a war games exercise, presided over by Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith), a master strategist of the Zakdorn race. The engagement is one that's well-suited to preparing for a Borg attack. Riker will command the Hathaway, an 80-year-old vessel that is only partially working, in simulated combat against the Enterprise.
With the Hathaway hopelessly outmatched by Enterprise, Riker's only chance lies in finding ways to trick and surprise Picard. Kolrami doesn't think Riker is up to the challenge. He's read Riker's file, and "found him wanting." But with assistance from Worf's tactical skills, Geordi's engineering abilities, and Wesley's science experiment, Riker may have a few surprises in store for both his captain and the pompous Zakdorn.
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Has developed tremendous respect for Riker. He recognizes that Riker's lighthearted personal style differs from his own, more serious one. But he has the sense to see this as a strength, rather than as the weakness that Kolrami insists it is. He defends Riker's lightheartedness to Kolrami, observing that the very joviality the Zakdorn disdains is what makes the crew so loyal to Riker. His desire to see his first officer do well does not impact his own desire to win, however, and he sets Data to work analyzing Riker's past performance in combat situations to try to figure out exactly what the younger man will do.
Riker: Enjoys a challenge, even a challenge he has little chance of turning into a victory. It is for this reason that he challenges Kolrami to a game of Strategema, knowing that he has no chance of winning or even of managing a close match. He simply wants to play the man who is the best, even if he can't win. This same quality is in evidence in his command of the Hathaway. He uses every resource given to him to trick and bluff Picard in the war game. He doesn't really expect to win. But he relishes the challenge of showing what he can do with these limited resources.
Worf: Another very good episode for Worf. His reaction to Kolrami is well-judged. Once he learns that the Zakdorns' reputation for strategy has never truly been tested, he loses all interest in Kolrami, stating that with no actual test, his reputation is meaningless. He does not see the point in the mock combat, but is eager to join Riker's crew to try to outwit the Enterprise. He employs guile as a tactic to good effect, first in the war game, then in more dire circumstances.
Data: Prodded by Pulaski, he challenges Kolrami to a game of Strategema... and loses. This prompts a crisis for Data. He assumes that since he believes he made no mistakes, then there must be some fault in his systems. Picard snaps him out of it by telling him that it is quite possible to lose even when no mistakes are made, and Data is able to re-think his game strategy to stymie Kolrami in the tag.
Annoying Space Bureaucrat of the Week: Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith) is arrogant, superior, and smug. He's more or less the perfect Starfleet bureaucrat. He's not actually evil, but you still want to see him get a severe comeuppance. His disapproval of Riker's jovial nature is convincing. To a certain type of personality, people with a tendency to joke about serious subjects can easily come across as frivolous, no matter how good their record may be. Once the situation turns deadly serious, Kolrami folds into a cardboard coward - the predictable path for the script, though it would have been far more interesting had Kolrami stepped in at that point with a brilliant strategy that proved his reputation.
THOUGHTS
"Starfleet is not a military organization." Uh-huh. It has a naval command structure, mandatory court-martials for captains who lose their ships, and court-martials for officers accused of misconduct. Junior officers who disobey a captain's orders can be charged with insubordination. In the event of a war, Starfleet is trained and ready to fight on the front lines. But no, it's not military. No sir, nothing military about it at all.
What's that old saying about something that quacks like a duck... ?
That bit of grumbling to one side, Peak Performance starts out rather well. I particularly enjoyed the nod to the Borg. I assumed they would go unmentioned until Best of Both Worlds, so it was a nice surprise to have the encounter from Q Who used as an excuse for Picard to OK this exercise.
Riker's preparations for the war games are fun to watch. He selects his crew well, and putting the two characters who most hate to lose - Riker and Worf - into a situation where there are few options for winning creates an interesting scenario. As they prepare little tricks and traps, the stage is set for what seems likely to be an entertaining encounter between the two lead characters, and their differing command styles.
A funny thing happens on the way to the contest. The Ferengi crash the episode, taking the whole show on a left turn into a completely different story. I don't know whether the writers were trying to up the stakes by creating a genuine threat (to the extent that the Ferengi could ever be said to fill that role), or whether they simply did not want to answer the question of which of the two leads would win. Either way, it effectively derails the show. The contest the entire episode had been building toward is forgotten in favor of a rather standard and uninspired "action climax."
I would have far preferred to have simply carried out the contest. As I see it, there are two possible outcomes. Most likely: Picard wins through having the vastly superior ship, but only after Riker does a tremendous job with the resources at his disposal, thus earning Kolrami's respect. Less likely, but potentially more interesting: The trick with the warp drive allows Riker to win the engagement, thus setting up a situation for the rest of the series in which the First Officer is actually the more capable commander in a direct military engagement. If that were the resolution, officially recognized by Starfleet in the wake of the war game, then that could have set up some truly interesting situations for Seasons Three and beyond.
But no. The Ferengi come in with a stupid Third Act that has nothing to do with the episode we've been watching up to that point, but which allow Picard and Riker to be back on the same side for the finale. And with that, the war games are over, and Data gives Kolrami (who, all too predictably, becomes a coward when the going gets tough) his comeuppance.
It's far from the worst of what's been a very uninspired set of episodes. But given the promise of the first half, it is the most frustrating of the past five, because it so clearly could have been good. Instead, the series contents itself with mediocrity. Again.
Rating: 4/10.
Realizing the threat posed by the steadily approaching Borg, Picard agrees to a Starfleet request he had previously resisted: He allows his ship to become involved in a war games exercise, presided over by Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith), a master strategist of the Zakdorn race. The engagement is one that's well-suited to preparing for a Borg attack. Riker will command the Hathaway, an 80-year-old vessel that is only partially working, in simulated combat against the Enterprise.
With the Hathaway hopelessly outmatched by Enterprise, Riker's only chance lies in finding ways to trick and surprise Picard. Kolrami doesn't think Riker is up to the challenge. He's read Riker's file, and "found him wanting." But with assistance from Worf's tactical skills, Geordi's engineering abilities, and Wesley's science experiment, Riker may have a few surprises in store for both his captain and the pompous Zakdorn.
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Has developed tremendous respect for Riker. He recognizes that Riker's lighthearted personal style differs from his own, more serious one. But he has the sense to see this as a strength, rather than as the weakness that Kolrami insists it is. He defends Riker's lightheartedness to Kolrami, observing that the very joviality the Zakdorn disdains is what makes the crew so loyal to Riker. His desire to see his first officer do well does not impact his own desire to win, however, and he sets Data to work analyzing Riker's past performance in combat situations to try to figure out exactly what the younger man will do.
Riker: Enjoys a challenge, even a challenge he has little chance of turning into a victory. It is for this reason that he challenges Kolrami to a game of Strategema, knowing that he has no chance of winning or even of managing a close match. He simply wants to play the man who is the best, even if he can't win. This same quality is in evidence in his command of the Hathaway. He uses every resource given to him to trick and bluff Picard in the war game. He doesn't really expect to win. But he relishes the challenge of showing what he can do with these limited resources.
Worf: Another very good episode for Worf. His reaction to Kolrami is well-judged. Once he learns that the Zakdorns' reputation for strategy has never truly been tested, he loses all interest in Kolrami, stating that with no actual test, his reputation is meaningless. He does not see the point in the mock combat, but is eager to join Riker's crew to try to outwit the Enterprise. He employs guile as a tactic to good effect, first in the war game, then in more dire circumstances.
Data: Prodded by Pulaski, he challenges Kolrami to a game of Strategema... and loses. This prompts a crisis for Data. He assumes that since he believes he made no mistakes, then there must be some fault in his systems. Picard snaps him out of it by telling him that it is quite possible to lose even when no mistakes are made, and Data is able to re-think his game strategy to stymie Kolrami in the tag.
Annoying Space Bureaucrat of the Week: Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith) is arrogant, superior, and smug. He's more or less the perfect Starfleet bureaucrat. He's not actually evil, but you still want to see him get a severe comeuppance. His disapproval of Riker's jovial nature is convincing. To a certain type of personality, people with a tendency to joke about serious subjects can easily come across as frivolous, no matter how good their record may be. Once the situation turns deadly serious, Kolrami folds into a cardboard coward - the predictable path for the script, though it would have been far more interesting had Kolrami stepped in at that point with a brilliant strategy that proved his reputation.
THOUGHTS
"Starfleet is not a military organization." Uh-huh. It has a naval command structure, mandatory court-martials for captains who lose their ships, and court-martials for officers accused of misconduct. Junior officers who disobey a captain's orders can be charged with insubordination. In the event of a war, Starfleet is trained and ready to fight on the front lines. But no, it's not military. No sir, nothing military about it at all.
What's that old saying about something that quacks like a duck... ?
That bit of grumbling to one side, Peak Performance starts out rather well. I particularly enjoyed the nod to the Borg. I assumed they would go unmentioned until Best of Both Worlds, so it was a nice surprise to have the encounter from Q Who used as an excuse for Picard to OK this exercise.
Riker's preparations for the war games are fun to watch. He selects his crew well, and putting the two characters who most hate to lose - Riker and Worf - into a situation where there are few options for winning creates an interesting scenario. As they prepare little tricks and traps, the stage is set for what seems likely to be an entertaining encounter between the two lead characters, and their differing command styles.
A funny thing happens on the way to the contest. The Ferengi crash the episode, taking the whole show on a left turn into a completely different story. I don't know whether the writers were trying to up the stakes by creating a genuine threat (to the extent that the Ferengi could ever be said to fill that role), or whether they simply did not want to answer the question of which of the two leads would win. Either way, it effectively derails the show. The contest the entire episode had been building toward is forgotten in favor of a rather standard and uninspired "action climax."
I would have far preferred to have simply carried out the contest. As I see it, there are two possible outcomes. Most likely: Picard wins through having the vastly superior ship, but only after Riker does a tremendous job with the resources at his disposal, thus earning Kolrami's respect. Less likely, but potentially more interesting: The trick with the warp drive allows Riker to win the engagement, thus setting up a situation for the rest of the series in which the First Officer is actually the more capable commander in a direct military engagement. If that were the resolution, officially recognized by Starfleet in the wake of the war game, then that could have set up some truly interesting situations for Seasons Three and beyond.
But no. The Ferengi come in with a stupid Third Act that has nothing to do with the episode we've been watching up to that point, but which allow Picard and Riker to be back on the same side for the finale. And with that, the war games are over, and Data gives Kolrami (who, all too predictably, becomes a coward when the going gets tough) his comeuppance.
It's far from the worst of what's been a very uninspired set of episodes. But given the promise of the first half, it is the most frustrating of the past five, because it so clearly could have been good. Instead, the series contents itself with mediocrity. Again.
Rating: 4/10.
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I haven't watched "The Measure of A Man" in years, but does it have the mandatory court-martials mentioned here?
ReplyDeleteOne of the big characterization bits for Picard in "Measure of a Man" is that the woman judging Data's case is the same woman who prosecuted him (over-aggressively) for his loss of the "Stargazer."
DeleteAlso, it was nice that you nailed down the third act issue for "Peak Performance". As you were describing the first two acts, I was trying to figure out why the episode hadn't made more of an impression on me during my last viewing. And then you hit the nail on the head: the exciting conclusion never happened.
ReplyDelete