diff --git a/edb/pgsql/compiler/clauses.py b/edb/pgsql/compiler/clauses.py
index 210002b3ef9..8e05299268e 100644
--- a/edb/pgsql/compiler/clauses.py
+++ b/edb/pgsql/compiler/clauses.py
@@ -401,8 +401,11 @@ def fini_toplevel(
     # Type rewrites go first.
     if stmt.ctes is None:
         stmt.ctes = []
-    stmt.ctes[:0] = list(ctx.param_ctes.values())
-    stmt.ctes[:0] = list(ctx.type_ctes.values())
+    stmt.ctes[:0] = [
+        *ctx.param_ctes.values(),
+        *ctx.ptr_ctes.values(),
+        *ctx.type_ctes.values(),
+    ]
 
     if ctx.env.named_param_prefix is None:
         # Adding unused parameters into a CTE
diff --git a/edb/pgsql/compiler/context.py b/edb/pgsql/compiler/context.py
index 39ba9294d3b..14a270aa4ca 100644
--- a/edb/pgsql/compiler/context.py
+++ b/edb/pgsql/compiler/context.py
@@ -220,7 +220,11 @@ class CompilerContextLevel(compiler.ContextLevel):
     #: CTEs representing decoded parameters
     param_ctes: Dict[str, pgast.CommonTableExpr]
 
-    #: CTEs representing schema types, when rewritten based on access policy
+    #: CTEs representing pointer tables that we need to force to be
+    #: materialized for performance reasons.
+    ptr_ctes: Dict[uuid.UUID, pgast.CommonTableExpr]
+
+    #: CTEs representing types, when rewritten based on access policy
     type_ctes: Dict[FullRewriteKey, pgast.CommonTableExpr]
 
     #: A set of type CTEs currently being generated
@@ -322,6 +326,7 @@ def __init__(
             self.rel = NO_STMT
             self.rel_hierarchy = {}
             self.param_ctes = {}
+            self.ptr_ctes = {}
             self.type_ctes = {}
             self.pending_type_ctes = set()
             self.dml_stmts = {}
@@ -361,6 +366,7 @@ def __init__(
             self.rel = prevlevel.rel
             self.rel_hierarchy = prevlevel.rel_hierarchy
             self.param_ctes = prevlevel.param_ctes
+            self.ptr_ctes = prevlevel.ptr_ctes
             self.type_ctes = prevlevel.type_ctes
             self.pending_type_ctes = prevlevel.pending_type_ctes
             self.dml_stmts = prevlevel.dml_stmts
diff --git a/edb/pgsql/compiler/relctx.py b/edb/pgsql/compiler/relctx.py
index b6ba2abd813..4e331896409 100644
--- a/edb/pgsql/compiler/relctx.py
+++ b/edb/pgsql/compiler/relctx.py
@@ -1359,6 +1359,21 @@ def _lateral_union_join(
             type='cross', larg=larg, rarg=rarg)
 
 
+def _needs_cte(typeref: irast.TypeRef) -> bool:
+    """Check whether a typeref needs to be forced into a materialized CTE.
+
+    The main use case here is for sys::SystemObjects which are stored as
+    views that populate their data by parsing JSON metadata embedded in
+    comments on the SQL system objects. The query plans when fetching multi
+    links from these objects wind up being pretty pathologically quadratic.
+
+    So instead we force the objects and links into materialized CTEs
+    so that they *can't* be shoved into nested loops.
+    """
+    assert isinstance(typeref.name_hint, sn.QualName)
+    return typeref.name_hint.module == 'sys'
+
+
 def range_for_material_objtype(
     typeref: irast.TypeRef,
     path_id: irast.PathId,
@@ -1386,12 +1401,24 @@ def range_for_material_objtype(
     )
     rw_key = (typeref.id, include_descendants)
     key = rw_key + (dml_source_key,)
+    force_cte = _needs_cte(typeref)
     if (
         not ignore_rewrites
-        and (rewrite := ctx.env.type_rewrites.get(rw_key)) is not None
+        and (
+            (rewrite := ctx.env.type_rewrites.get(rw_key)) is not None
+            or force_cte
+        )
         and rw_key not in ctx.pending_type_ctes
         and not for_mutation
     ):
+        if not rewrite:
+            # If we are forcing CTE materialization but there is not a
+            # real rewrite, then create a trivial one.
+            rewrite = irast.Set(
+                path_id=irast.PathId.from_typeref(typeref, namespace={'rw'}),
+                typeref=typeref,
+            )
+
         # Don't include overlays in the normal way in trigger mode
         # when a type cte is used, because we bake the overlays into
         # the cte instead (and so including them normally could union
@@ -1426,9 +1453,9 @@ def range_for_material_objtype(
                     type_rel = sctx.rel
                 else:
                     type_cte = pgast.CommonTableExpr(
-                        name=ctx.env.aliases.get('t'),
+                        name=ctx.env.aliases.get(f't_{typeref.name_hint}'),
                         query=sctx.rel,
-                        materialized=False,
+                        materialized=force_cte,
                     )
                     ctx.type_ctes[key] = type_cte
                     type_rel = type_cte
@@ -1782,6 +1809,36 @@ def range_from_queryset(
     return rvar
 
 
+def _make_link_table_cte(
+    ptrref: irast.PointerRef,
+    relation: pgast.Relation,
+    *,
+    ctx: context.CompilerContextLevel,
+) -> pgast.Relation:
+    if (ptr_cte := ctx.ptr_ctes.get(ptrref.id)) is None:
+        ptr_select = pgast.SelectStmt(
+            target_list=[
+                pgast.ResTarget(val=pgast.ColumnRef(name=[pgast.Star()])),
+            ],
+            from_clause=[pgast.RelRangeVar(relation=relation)],
+        )
+        ptr_cte = pgast.CommonTableExpr(
+            name=ctx.env.aliases.get(f'p_{ptrref.name}'),
+            query=ptr_select,
+            materialized=True,
+        )
+        ctx.ptr_ctes[ptrref.id] = ptr_cte
+
+    # We've set up the CTE to be a perfect drop in replacement for
+    # the real table (with a select *), so instead of pointing the
+    # rvar at the CTE (which would require routing path ids), just
+    # treat it like a base relation.
+    return pgast.Relation(
+        name=ptr_cte.name,
+        type_or_ptr_ref=ptrref,
+    )
+
+
 def table_from_ptrref(
     ptrref: irast.PointerRef,
     ptr_info: pg_types.PointerStorageInfo,
@@ -1804,6 +1861,9 @@ def table_from_ptrref(
         type_or_ptr_ref=ptrref,
     )
 
+    if aspect == 'inhview' and _needs_cte(ptrref.out_source):
+        relation = _make_link_table_cte(ptrref, relation, ctx=ctx)
+
     # Pseudo pointers (tuple and type intersection) have no schema id.
     sobj_id = ptrref.id if isinstance(ptrref, irast.PointerRef) else None
     rvar = pgast.RelRangeVar(
diff --git a/edb/schema/reflection/structure.py b/edb/schema/reflection/structure.py
index 12ee09a07b4..4bb3a695d4e 100644
--- a/edb/schema/reflection/structure.py
+++ b/edb/schema/reflection/structure.py
@@ -837,21 +837,6 @@ def generate_structure(
                         sn.UnqualName(f'{refdict.attr}__internal'),
                     )
 
-                # HACK: sys::Database is an AnnotationSubject, but
-                # there is no way to actually put annotations on it,
-                # and fetching them results in some pathological
-                # quadratic queries where each inner iteration does
-                # expensive fetching of metadata and JSON decoding.
-                # Override it to return nothing.
-                # TODO: For future versions, we can probably just
-                # drop it.
-                if (
-                    str(rschema_name) == 'sys::Database'
-                    and refdict.attr == 'annotations'
-                ):
-                    props = {}
-                    read_ptr = f'{read_ptr} := <schema::AnnotationValue>{{}}'
-
                 for field in props:
                     sfn = field.sname
                     prop_shape_els.append(f'@{sfn}')
diff --git a/edb/server/bootstrap.py b/edb/server/bootstrap.py
index 31764d5d954..dfba8f7469a 100644
--- a/edb/server/bootstrap.py
+++ b/edb/server/bootstrap.py
@@ -1287,13 +1287,15 @@ def compile_intro_queries_stdlib(
             ),
         )
 
-    local_intro_sql = ' UNION ALL '.join(sql_intro_local_parts)
+    local_intro_sql = ' UNION ALL '.join(
+        f'({x})' for x in sql_intro_local_parts)
     local_intro_sql = f'''
         WITH intro(c) AS ({local_intro_sql})
         SELECT json_agg(intro.c) FROM intro
     '''
 
-    global_intro_sql = ' UNION ALL '.join(sql_intro_global_parts)
+    global_intro_sql = ' UNION ALL '.join(
+        f'({x})' for x in sql_intro_global_parts)
     global_intro_sql = f'''
         WITH intro(c) AS ({global_intro_sql})
         SELECT json_agg(intro.c) FROM intro