Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 31, 1995
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303201024
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,063 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To aid in a battle simulation program, the Enterprise enlists the skills of a master strategist from the Zakdorn race, Sirna Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith). Riker and Picard face off, with Riker helming a broken-down old derelict of a ship called the Hathaway. Riker bucks the odds, and the arrogant Zakdorn's low assessment of his abilities, using a holographic trick to distract the Enterprise, thus winning the contest. Only the contest attracts a very real Ferengi vessel that attacks the Enterprise, thus taking the game to another level, an opportunity to display their game skills in an actually dangerous situation. "Peak Performance" revolves around the air of superiority of the smug Kolrami, whose arrogance and master-level abilities in the strategy game Strategema drive the crew to distraction. The episode bursts with ideas about finding creative solutions to complex problems, that pit left-brain, or logico-mathematical, skills against right-brain, or creative, abilities--and very good ideas at that. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Starfleet War Games: Can Pupil Riker surpass Master Picard?, November 1, 2000

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 47: Peak Performance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Starfleet has sent the legendary Zakdorn strategist, Sirna Kolrami, the Third-level Strategema Grand Master to overseer a simulated war game. On one side we have the Enterprise, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his trusted Android Second Officer Commander Data. On the other side we have Commander William Riker, supported by La Forge, Worf and Wesley, in the Hathaway, an eighty-year old starship that does not have warp drive. Sounds really fair, huh? This would be a really good test for Picard and the Enterprise, especially with the Borg on their way from the far ends of the Star Trek universe. Okay, the set-up is somewhat lame, but Riker and his wily crew sure have fun coming up with all sorts of tricks to help even the odds. Then, just to make things interesting, the Ferengi show up and cause trouble. This episode is a bit above average, and even though nothing significant happens it does show the crew being innovative and having fun. Clearly a couple of key elements in the show's second season was not only showing the crew as highly functional but also establishing them as becoming more of a family. In these regards "Peak Performance" helps solidify both elements.

5.0 out of 5 stars Galaxy-class dreadnought (Enterprise) vs. Constellation-class cruiser (Hathaway), September 17, 2006

By 

Critical Thinker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 47: Peak Performance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Plot: The Enterprise is going to have a battle simulation in order to help train people for the coming Borg incursion (it's good that they show that Starfleet is actually preparing for this and that it's doesn't get shoved under the carpet until "Best of Both Worlds"). So, the Enterprise is going to test some of the crew by sticking them aboard the retired USS Hathaway (which doesn't have warp drive) and do a mock battle. With warning (although, I think we can forgive the mistake) a Ferengi Marauder cripples the Enterprise with plasma bursts...

Pretty good episode. It's fun to see everyone try and basically rebuild the museum-piece Hathaway and also that the reason for the whole mock battle was based on the incoming Borg. The only complaint is that the mock battle (if I remember correctly) was in Federation space. So the Ferengi battlecruiser appearing suddenly begs the question, "What was that Ferengi captain thinking? He could start a war between the Federation and the Ferengi Alliance, whom the latter would probably lose." Otherwise, pretty good.

Strong 4 out of 5 stars.

3.0 out of 5 stars A missed oportunity to examine the Ferengi culture, January 30, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 47: Peak Performance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Without question, Star Fleet would have the most rigorous standards for entry, advancement and evaluation. With billions of potential candidates from many different species, only the very best would even reach the level needed to apply. Therefore, command officers would constantly be put through new training exercises, sometimes with little chance of success. Such a scenario is the premise for this episode, where Commander Riker is to take command of an 80 year-old ship and lead it in a simulated battle against the Enterprise. The odds are overwhelmingly against Riker and his band, as their vessel, the Hathaway, is essentially a derelict, without antimatter for warp drive.
Relying on his knowledge of the security features of the Enterprise, Worf is able to simulate the appearance of a Romulan warship on the Enterprise view screen. This distracts the crew long enough for the Hathaway to inflict a great deal of simulated damage to the Enterprise. After applauding Riker and his crew, Picard believes that an approaching Ferengi warship is also a false image. However, this one is very real and attacks the unshielded Enterprise. Sustaining heavy damage and unable to immediately respond due to the weapons being taken off-line, Picard receives an ultimatum from the Ferengi. He must surrender the Hathaway or be destroyed. Once again, the guile of the Enterprise officers serves them well as they convince the Ferengi that another star ship is in the area.
There is also a major subplot, where a member of a species known for their strategic thinking is the Federation observer assigned to monitor the exercise. Arrogant to the point of being extremely obnoxious, Dr. Pulaski maneuvers Data into engaging him in a strategy game. While it is easy to root for Data, the subplot is much too dominant. I would have preferred more effort having been spent in explaining the exercise and fleshing out additional tactics. After all, the crew of the Hathaway had to have a secondary plan after the first. Also, there is very little explanation as to why the Ferengi would attack the Enterprise in such a blatant manner. Risking an interstellar war over a derelict vessel makes no sense without some additional justification. The Enterprise crew should have held a conference where the psychology and motives of the Ferengi were examined in detail.
This starts out as a very good episode, I found myself laughing at some of the "improvisations" performed by the crew of the Hathaway. However, the strength of the subplot and the inexplicable attack by the Ferengi weakened it to an average episode.