Peak Performance

Having recently watched each of the 22 episodes of Season Two again, I decided to rate them in order of my personal preference.

The points awarded to each episode are only used in comparison with other episodes of this season. The Top 6 shows as listed below are the ones I would choose to put forward from season two and add to my list of Top TNG shows of the entire series.

Each of these S02 'Top 6' shows will be reviewed again once I have completed watching the entire series as part of my REVIEW 2022.

Q Who (10/10) A Matter Of Honor (10/10) Peak Performance (10/10) Samaritan Snare (10/10) Pen Pals (09/10) The Measure Of A Man (09/10)

Three other episodes could have been included in this list, but overall missed the cut simply because I didn't feel they were quite as strong as these six.

Contagion (08/10) Unnatural Selection (08/10) Where Silence Had Lease (08/10)

Bottom Four Shows Of Season Two Up The Long Ladder (03/10) Shades Of Gray (03/10) Manhunt (03/10) The Dauphin (03/10)

Well Star Trek has a lot of filler episodes of course, but at least a lot of them are good.

This is nothing but boring an 100% pointless. Nothing of importance happens in this snoozefest of an episode.

The Federation interrupts the work of the Enterprise to involve it in a type of war games which tests the ingenuity of the crew as they face off. Everything is done in simulation and no harm is to come. Part of the episode has to do with each ship and its "captain" getting the upper hand. Each plots in an interesting way to outdo the other. The bad thing is that both ships have had their weapons systems eliminated for the duration of the game, leaving the possibility open for an attack. Who should show up but the Ferengi. They throw a monkey wrench into things but, in the process, challenge the two captains to face a real threat without any weapons.

There is a subplot as well, as Data loses some of his confidence due to his performance against an arrogant overseer of the games. He feels he should be unbeatable and his lack of "confidence" leads him to withdraw and try to figure out what went wrong. This is an interesting twist until Picard intervenes. This is certainly an imaginative episode.

Agent Aaron Pierce (television series, "24", actor, Glenn Morshower) appears, interestingly enough, as an interim security officer/chief.

I recognized him almost instantly, even if his red hair was a bit of a giveaway. But also, his character's demeanor is very similar to his role on 24. It doesn't hurt that I watched this episode on a Tuesday, after just seeing an episode of 24 the night before.

Also interesting is that he, at the time 30 years old, plays an impatient young ensign (though some trivia will note he is mistakenly addressed "Lieutenant" by Capt. Picard at one point), while on the series 24, he plays a wise, intuitive, and (apparently) experienced Secret Service agent at the ripe old age of 40.

IMDb lists him appearing in another episode of ST:TNG, so I'll look forward to spotting him in that...

Enterprise plays war-game style simulations to improve the battle readiness of the crew.

This is an enjoyable episode with some strong character moments for a number of the regular crew.

The plot is a very simple and effective premise that sets a up a practice showdown between various members of the Enterprise crew who are on board different ships. There is a good build up to the battle situation, a fun sub-plot and a conclusion that works well.

Most of the regular characters contribute with cool moments, my favourite probably being Wesley, Worf and eventually Data. Riker's prowess in battle is bragged up to the point of ridiculousness by certain segments dialogue in the script and the guest character serves as a point of ridicule but little else.

I enjoyed the visuals such as the Stratagema scenes and Ferenghi make up.

It's a 7.5/10 for me but I round upwards.