Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Devil's Due (1991) User Reviews

A Fun Enough Throwback Jaunt

[iratherbe · 8/10 · 15 November 2018]

A leftover & / or homage to a TOS type episode?

Anywho, though I agree with those who look for a higher level of SciFi & relish the more humanitarian, technical & philosophical themes, I must confess to a guilty pleasure in liking this episode.

ST: TNG often was able to procure very good character actors for one-off bits. Marta DuBois did a bang up job as the fetching "she-devil." I would have expected a greater portfolio of work thru out her career.

Side note ... always thought Ardra would have been a great foil, match & partner for Q!

Picard always the rational skeptic

[robert3750 · 8/10 · 25 September 2020]

Picard exhibits his rational skepticism when confronted with a being who claims to be The Devil, complete with impressive powers. Marta Dubois enjoyably plays the role to the hilt. A bonus is Brent Spiner showing his acting skills in a precredit sequence where he plays Scrooge.

She would be called ambitious and a real go-getter by some.

[thevacinstaller · 7/10 · 25 March 2021]

Interesting premise with a bit of tip toeing around directly confronting the harm that can be done by adherence/interpretation of ancient religious text by replacing bible with 'contract'.

This episode is essentially my idea of how organized religions came to be ---- a tool made by humankind to civilize a society that had not yet invented government. In this case they came up with a devil creature who would heal the polluted planet for the 'small ask' of enslaving the entire populace 1000 years later ---- seems like a bad deal. Maybe slavery of Ventaxians was a big thing at that time?

The episode itself is fun and executed wonderfully. I ponder where Ardra's attraction to Picard comes from? Thing for a bald men? The uniform? Was it genuine or an attempt to pacify Picard or lure him out of his skepticism?

The overall message is that you shouldn't trust lawyers. I bet the slavery part was in really small lettering too!

I'm going with my interpretation that this a veiled commentary on the messy business of strict adherence to religious text.

What is real and what is not?

[russem31 · 23 April 2006]

ST:TNG:87 - "Devil's Due" (Stardate: 44474.5) - this is the 13th episode of the 4th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and fitting 13th since this episode is about the Devil in disguise.

It's about a mythic figure named Ardra who supposedly comes back after 1000 years of peace and prosperity which they were granted by her, in exchange for their own enslavement at the end of the period. Is she real or a fraud? That's up to Picard and crew to decide in this comical episode.

Trivia note: We see Data also continue his quest for humanity by playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a holodeck rendition of "A Christmas Carol" with Picard as teacher. Data deduces from this experience that he wants to follow the ways of the method actor! Also great music score for this episode.

Worth a rewatch

[jimmyace · 6/10 · 22 November 2020]

Yeah, not quite a 7. 6.8 if I could be precise.

Still worth a re-watch if you're cherry picking the entire series or educating the kids.

A modern version of this would have been super dark. This is suitably fun, does hark back to TOS a little and probably would have been better placed in Season 2.

Hilarious!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 19 November 2014]

Normally, my favorite episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" are those with are monumental in scope--and are often two-parters involving the Borg or Klingons. However, there are a few standalone episodes that are truly wonderful. They don't relate to any other episodes but they are nonetheless terrific. The best of these, clearly, is "The Inner Light", but another wonderful one, with a VERY different mood, is "Devil's Due".

The episode begins with the Enterprise being brought to a planet after some Federation folks are kidnapped (this is a rather frequent theme, by the way). WHY this occurred is a trip. It seems that the planet's version of the Devil is coming...and in a panic, the people will do anything--even kidnap Federation staff. Picard is a bit annoyed by all this but his annoyance grows exponentially when this devil appears before him and the leader of the planet! This incredibly cool and rather sexy being announces that she's come to collect her due...and her due is the planet as well as anything orbiting it--which includes the Enterprise. What follows is a silly "Devil and Daniel Webster" sort of court case in which Picard tries to invalidate the contract with this 'lady'--but really it's just a delay tactic in order to allow LaForge to seek out the source of this woman's magical and very formidable powers!

So why did I like this episode so much? Well, it's something most episodes of the series never were...FUN. The performance of Marta Dubois as this evil and mythical 'Ardra' was simply delicious. While a bit over-the-top, it was done in such a fun and seductive manner that I was simply captivated by her...and you wonder why Picard didn't just shut up and give his soul to her! Lots of fun and a great change of pace.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 7/10 · 7 September 2022]

Data's talking about understanding humanity again.

But our attention is being distracted by an emergency signal from the Federation science station on Ventax II. Transmission isn't good but it sounds like some large scale calamity is overtaking the science station. Something is troubling Doctor Clark and the people upon the planets surface.

Ardra has a business arrangement which she personally negotiated 1,000 years before. Now she has come to claim what's hers. Is she a magician or the devil. She seems amicable.

Let's be honest here, Picard's an idiot, Ardra can come to my house at any time.

Tantalising story featuring the lovely Ardra, but there is nothing in her behaviour to suggest that she's a devil. "The advocate will refrain from making her opponent disappear." A light hearted tail and at no time do we really feel threatened by Ardra.

I would rank this as one of the better stories of the series but we do seem to have left the Star Trek galaxy behind.

Ardra is HOT!

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 20 November 2014]

...And not just because she can take on the image of the various Klingon and Terran "Devils".

What is ironic here is that the Klingon home world had not yet been named "Qon'Os" (Pronounced Kronos), Picard has to refer to "Feklar of Klingon"- in the first season, we had heard The Klingon home world referred to as simply "Kling".

Marta DuBois is "Ardra", a "devil" figure for the planet "Ventax II". She literally steals this whole episode.

The enterprise receives an urgent distress call from some scientists on Ventax II, look for another notable performance from character actor Paul Lambert who is in the movies planet of the apes, Spartacus, and all the presidents men. He is the one who implies, when Picard asks, that the danger is coming from Ardra, who is for all intents and purposes, "the devil".

And Marta is a remarkable "Devil", she plays the part with gusto and enthusiasm, as well as some very nice costumes. When she appears in Picard's quarters, she is the epitome of the word "sexy".

And so we have another courtroom drama like we had with "the measure of a man", Picard challenges her claim on Ventax II, which by now includes anything that was in orbit, including the enterprise and everybody in there.

And, it appears that she can enforce her claim, it does not seem like there is anything the enterprise or any member thereof can do to stop her from doing what she wants to do, she can change her form, she can move people around at will, she can cause earthquakes on the planet, and she can even make the enterprise completely vanish. How do you fight somebody with powers like that, is she another member of the Q continuum?

The answer to these questions is hilarious, as Picard ensues a legal fencing match. He initially gets trounced, but Le Forge gives him something to hide "up his sleeve".

"... I believe it is our job to out-con the con artist!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 25 January 2024]

This story opens with Data (Brent Spiner) practicing his approach to method acting on the holodeck, which would serve him in good stead when he had to perform as an impartial judge in the latter part of the episode. Depending on one's mood, this story will come across as either menacing or downright hilarious. It gets over the top at one point when a dreaded devil from Ventaxian mythology makes its way back from a thousand year respite to reclaim its dominance over the planet Ventax II. Captain Picard is not taken in by the nonsense, and submits to a trial of sorts in which the Ardra (Marta DuBois) entity will claim his body and soul should he lose the argument. One has to wonder what Ardra might have been doing for a thousand years, but in that time she had gotten quite horny, attempting to seduce the Captain for some afternoon delight. With adroit questioning, Picard managed to demonstrate to the Ventaxian leader Acost Jared (Marcelo Tubert) how the progress made by the planet over the course of its history was all of its own doing, and had no reliance at all on a supposed contract deemed to have been negotiated by Ardra. With a little help from Lieutenant Commander LaForge (LeVar Burton), Picard managed to duplicate all of Ardra's parlor tricks to expose the self described devil as a fraud, one who had a whole closet full of aliases should it have become necessary. All in all, this was a fun episode in its own right, even if one considers it a throw away.

Comedy Gold

[tbp8 · 10/10 · 3 April 2018]

How can you not like this gem? Hands down one of the funniest TNG episodes!

Entertaining!

[PenitentPasser · 8/10 · 15 December 2021]

My favorite part of this episode is towards the beginning when Captain Picard is talking to his senior staff. He announces that he's going to go down to the planet to try to release the hostages, and we see Worf looking completely defeated knowing that no matter what he says it will be wrong...a fate he resigned himself to based on every previous episode when he's given a suggestion or opinion.

A TOS-esque Episode

[Samuel-Shovel · 5/10 · 30 December 2019]

In "Devil's Due" the Enterprise runs across a lady claiming to be a devil-like being on an agrarian planet and has come to rule the planet's inhabitants. Picard believes she is a charlatan but has trouble proving her powers aren't real.

It's very odd they decide to turn the last 15 minutes of this into a courtroom drama. Having an argument about whether or not someone is a god in a weird arbitration where Data will decide is just stupid and bizarre. It felt like a bizarro version of Miracle on 34th Street. The solution is fine it's just the way we get there that is unsatisfying. Picard should have exposed her in the public eye.

West magnetic pole in goofs

[dreyenerd · 9/10 · 19 July 2019]

The designation of west magnetic pole is listed as a goof. It is true theat the poles of a magnetic field are generally designated north and south, but they do not necessary align with the rotational poles of a planet. The earth's north and south magnetic poles do not align exactly with the rotational poles. In fact the earth's magnetic field appears to have flipped several times in the past, putting the north magnetic pole near the South Pole. If the Ventaxian magnetic field were aligned at 90 degrees to its rotational axis, the magnetic poles would be aligned along its equator. It is conceivable that the inhabitants of such a planet could designate them arbitrarily as east and west in order to describe their location on the surface of the planet.

Great Outfits, Fun Premise

[laurenmpetrik · 8/10 · 7 July 2020]

This episode came across well--the portrayal of Ardra/the Devil was exemplary, and the premise of a devil coming back to reclaim her people after a thousand years away certainly struck a chord.

I will enjoy you morning, noon and night

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 13 July 2021]

Enterprise encounters a planet where the inhabitants live in fear of being enslaved by a devil-like entity.

This is an over the top episode that is quite enjoyable when not taken too seriously.

The plot and characters are straight out of 60s Trek, with a species wearing absolutely no alien makeup and human names. There is also an attractive, OTT, female villain who wants to have sex with Captain Picard.

Barely below the surface of all the silliness are some very strong themes about the manipulation of religious beliefs to exploit entire population with fear. These are dark themes for such an absurd plot and they are addressed in very a unsubtle way. If you take your Trek seriously, you will not enjoy any of this, but it entertained me throughout.

All performances are enjoyable for me with Patrick Stewart playing straight man to an outrageous Marta Dubois who owns every scene of the episode in which she appears. Brent Spiner also contributes well.

For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.

Collecting on a prophecy

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 23 September 2019]

The Enterprise in this TNG story responds to a request for help from a science team on a planet. When they get there all they can do is beam up the head of the Federation team Paul Lambert. The rest are taken prisoner by a frightened and frenzied government and population.

A mythical creature named Ardra has come to collect on a prophecy that says after a millenium of peace and prosperity the planet is to be turned over to her for rule.

I'm surprised that Ardra as played by Marta Dubois didn't say she was a member of the Q continuum. That would have gotten John DeLancie's attention.

She's full of tricks this Ardra and something to look at. But is that all there is to her?

Big kudos for DuBois, she's a goood foe for Patrick Stewart.

I Thought Troi's Mother Was Bad!

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 25 August 2014]

It's sad that a television series must suffer through ups and downs when it comes to creativity and screen writing. Unlike a police drama or a sitcom, science fiction banks on creativity each week, and when it fails, it is really obvious. This episode is incredibly lacking. You have a culture that had incredible strife a thousand years previous to the events of this episode. In their mythology, the planetary inhabitants believe that a female figure named Ardra will come back, requiring quid pro quo for saving their civilization. She shows up and is quite formidable. She is able to shape-shift and make the world vibrate. She also teases Picard and makes his life uncomfortable. In retrospect, she might have done better, leaving him alone or at least using a lighter touch. The people on the planet have evolved so far technologically and culturally and have turned into complete idiots when it comes to their religion. The thing plods toward an ending where Data is made an impartial judge and Ardra and Jean-Luc do the Darrow/Bryan thing. It's certainly not surprising that we are pulling for Picard in this simplistic venture, but it is really weak.

My nominee for WORST episode of Star Trek TNG

[ColonelPuntridge · 1/10 · 14 March 2018]

Bad plot, bad acting, bad dialogue. ST:TNG had an unfortunate tendency to be didactic and preachy, attempting to teach childhood virtue lessons like "don't be a bigot", "work hard", "be polite", "tell the truth", "keep an open mind", and "believe in yourself". Sometimes this could be excused as an extension of Captain Picard's goody-goody-ishness and priggery, which contrasted nicely with Captain Kirk's swashbuckling willingness to cut corners in ST:TOS, but here the virtue-lesson is stifling. Even the jokes fall flat; there's only one funny line, when Data says "Your leeway has run out, Captain."

7.1??

[tavives · 1/10 · 26 September 2013]

I have to disagree with anyone who gives this episode a higher rating than 1 star. This is an embarrassingly bad episode on a lot of levels.

Essentially it is a warmed-over next gen version of "Plato's Stepchildren" from TOS. And in addition to that as it's been pointed out is a recycled script from "ST: Phase II" from the 70's Everything about this episode just irritates. Ardra, in addition to being annoying, is immature and petty. The whole "Picard as sex slave" deal is just kind of gross and is something that he would never agree to even if backed into a corner. On top of it all, Ardra looks like some sort of outer space prostitute. Picard seems particularly repulsed by her, yet the episode end with her making rather coy sexual overtones toward him.

UGH UGH UGH!!! Skip this one. You'll be glad you did.

Star Trek Needs to Stay Out of Courtrooms

[dwanuga · 5/10 · 20 December 2021]

This episode falls into the same trap as many other episodes of Star Trek, Star Trek is not a show about lawyers. The premise of this episode is certainly fun, the acting is great, and the writing outside of the courtroom is solid. The entire arbitration sequence can be entirely dismissed with the application of even the smallest amount of logic, but that would make for a very short episode. Had the entire episode simply been built around a reasonable discussion instead of bringing the law into it, it could have been redeemed, but Trek ventures where it doesn't belong again and shows Data breaking away from basic logic in order to perpetuate the story.

A Senior Trekker writes......................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 25 January 2022]

Season 4 contains the 80th episode of The Next Generation, at which point it surpassed the output of the Original Series. A number of extended themes played out during this season delving into both the political backdrop and the personal lives of the crew. These continuing storylines proved extremely popular, however they did not detract from the use of Science Fiction to tell interesting stories. Senior Trekker continues to score every episode with a 5.

An enjoyable episode with lots of visual treats for those occasions when you don't want too much of an intellectual challenge. I'm not sure why it opens with a scene from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but Brent Spiner's dramatic turn and the jokes about method acting are quite funny. So let's get on with the main story, shall we.

Panamanian actress Marta DuBois gave a deliciously over-the-top performance as the scheming Ardra, assisted by some wonderful costume designs and the perfectly deadpan responses of Captain Picard to her attempted seduction. Of course, we know that Patrick Stewart had more than once asked for more "romantic" entanglements for his character and we can surmise that when this Latin Venus was offering him " a night that would put fire in your dreams for the rest of your life" his responses would not have been quite so frosty in real life.

Canadian strongman, Tom Magee, held many world titles and occasionally appeared in TV roles. He may only have been on screen for the merest second as Klingon Devil Fek'lhr but he made an indelible impression nonetheless. Sadly, while fondly remembered for her role in TNG as Ardra, Ms DuBois died in 2018.

Plato's Stepisode

[dalefl · 5/10 · 18 July 2022]

It's not hard to tell where the story came from for this episode. It does have one thing going for it - the humor. For that and only that I give it 5 stars. Everything else about it is ridiculousness. Ardra's entire case (in an unintentionally comical courtroom setting) is based upon her argument that no one can prove her wrong. Nowhere in the universe does that a case make. Even though Picard never believes her he and the Enterprise almost get hoodwinked into submission by a space pirate with a record 5 miles long. I guess there's no Interpol in future space. At any rate, the entire predicament could have been ended with three simple words:

PHASER ON STUN.

amused by the character 'ardua'

[csk-49754 · 1/10 · 3 February 2023]

Amused by the character 'Ardra' as played by Marta Dubois, and her appearance and wardrobes similarity to The character of 'Princess Ardala' as played by Pamela Hensley in 1979 on the epic series 'Buck Rogers in the Twentieth Century".

Wonder if this is simply a coincidence or just another Casual Hat Tip to the past.

Also thought it was funny during the episode when Picard was sleeping, and above him was the Windows looking out to space, and the stars clearly formed the Shape of the E. T. character with hand and one finger extended upward as the traditional "E. T. call home " pose.

I find it humorous seeing all the comical scenes in this and many science fiction series. Ofcourse, these are the only decent thing in this series.

This is Truly a dreaded series and should not reflect upon the awesome Star Trek franshise.

The Devil meh......

[stevenjlowe82 · 5/10 · 4 January 2023]

This isn't one of STNG's strongest episodes and an very low point in an otherwise excellent season. I know season's 1&2 of STNG have a bad reputation amongst the trekkie community but I honestly have a lot of love for season 1 as it gave us Tasha Yar who was criminally underused but I loved her character and she fit well into the crew. Season 2 was mostly pretty poor especially with Dr Crusher missing. I digress....

My feelings on this episode are so meh I had to fill the word count with a rant but it does connect. This episode feels like it belongs in S1/2 (more so 2 as I hate that season overall more) it all just feels a bit half hearted. The Devil character just wasn't well built up enough to feel like an actual threat or Devil or whatever she was pretending to be.

Some great Data/Picard moments and I really enjoyed the opening Christmas Carol scene but that wasn't enough to save this overall very meh episode.