Star Trek has given sci-fi some of its greatest quotes, including this all-timer from Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life." This pragmatic life lesson came toward the end of The Next Generation Season 2, as the series established Picard as a more-than-worth successor to Captain Kirk.
"Peak Performance" is the penultimate episode of TNG Season 2. In the episode, a tense Starfleet training exercise is interrupted by a group of aggressive Ferengi, who seek to claim sensitive Federation technology for themselves.
The episode is notable for its novel take on space combat in Trek, but what makes it truly great is its A+ dialogue.
One Of Captain Picard's Best Pieces Of Advice Makes "Peak Performance" An All-Time "Next Generation" Episode
The Profound Impact Of Picard's Life Lesson To Data
In Season 2, Star Trek: The Next Generation started firing on all cylinders, and "Peak Performance" is a perfect example. The episode starts off comedically, as the Enterprise welcomes an idiosyncratic alien strategy expert aboard, and the tension ratchets up exponentially through the climactic final moments. In the midst of the episode, Picard drops an incredible bit of wisdom.
After the strategist, Sirna Kolrami, beats Data in the digital board game Strategema, the android officer suffers a crisis of confidence. Data is shook that he was bested by an organic player. He agonizes over trying to understand what "mistake" allowed him to be defeated. Worse, he worries that this means he could make a mistake in his duties aboard the Enterprise.
"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose," Picard tells Data, after ordering him to the bridge. It's a statement of fact, but one everyone needs to hear put this bluntly sometimes. When Picard adds, "that is not weakness; that is life," it becomes a valuable lesson for Data, and by extension, Star Trek' fans.
Picard's "No Mistakes" Quote Has An Unlikely Parallel With One Of The GOAT Baseball Movies
"Sometimes It Rains."
"Peak Performance" first aired in the summer of 1989. A little over a year earlier, the baseball-comedy classic Bull Durham offered its own spin on Picard's point, when Kevin Costner told his team: "Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains." In other words? Sometimes the end result is out of your hands.
Sometimes your very best still won't get the job done. It's a necessary lesson for athletes and gamers to internalize, but it's applicable to everyone. In the context of Star Trek, it is the kind of moment that drives home precisely what makes Captain Picard so different from Captain Kirk, and equally great in his own way.
This single line of dialogue from "Peak Performance" had a huge impact on solidifying Picard's character early in Next Generation's run. Beyond that, its meaning also extends far beyond Trek, standing as wise counsel in any context. This makes it an iconic Star Trek quote, and one of the best in sci-fi TV history.
