2. Peak Performance
I'll admit... I didn't actually sit down and watch this episode all the way through until about a month ago on a lazy Sunday. After the events of "Q Who," the Federation begins a war games program to prepare themselves for the inevitable Borg invasion, and the
Enterprise crew is divided between the mother ship and the derelict
U.S.S. Hathaway, commanded by Commander Riker. Observed by Federation representative Sirna Kolrami, the
Hathaway crew must use any resources at their disposal for battle ready status. However, a Ferengi vessel appears in the midst of "battle" and demands to take the
Hathaway under its own flag and demands to know why the
Enterprise would fire on one of its own vessels. While it was produced during an especially turbulent season with the writer's strike and the abysmal finale that immediately followed it, this episode blended humor, action and suspense in a way that few other episodes have. I recommend you dust off that sixth disc of season 2 that you probably haven't touched considering that this episode is accompanied on that disc with the abysmal "Shades of Gray."