Episode #87: Devil's Due
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION in TELEVISION :: The Copper Age of TV Sci-Fi
Page 1 of 1
Episode #87: Devil's Due
DEVIL'S DUE - episode #13 of 4th season / Air Date: 2/4/91
written by Philip Lazebnik, William Douglas Lansford; Directed by Tom Benko
The Enterprise arrives at a planet where the populace is in a state of panic. It comes to light that a deal had been made one thousand years ago with an entity called Ardra; after 1000 years of peace, the planet and its inhabitants now belong to Ardra, a version of the devil. Fulfilling the prophecy, earthquakes hit the planet and Ardra (Marta DuBois) appears. Picard suspects a con game right away - Ardra's flashy powers can be explained via clever use of high-end technology, even if she does seem like a female version of Q.
The mention of Q spells out the weakness of this episode: the whole story comes across like a 2nd-rate version of the usual Q shenanigans. The episode has its amusing moments and Ardra has a beguiling side, but there's nothing here beyond uncovering the con... I expected some last-minute punchline, but not even. It's not a 2nd-rate Q here, but a female Harry Mudd. At the end, the leader of the gullible populace thanks Picard for saving all their lives - gee whiz; almost like the kid's show Space Academy at this point. BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10
TNG Trivia: this was one of those stories originally written for the aborted Star Trek Phase II show - it probably would have been a bit more effective back in '78.
Similar topics
» episode #71 - A Day at the Zoo
» episode #34 - Every Dog Needs a Boy
» episode #13 - El Sid
» episode #07 - O.B.I.T.
» Episode #68: Tin Man
» episode #34 - Every Dog Needs a Boy
» episode #13 - El Sid
» episode #07 - O.B.I.T.
» Episode #68: Tin Man
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION in TELEVISION :: The Copper Age of TV Sci-Fi
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|