‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Devil’s Due’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One particularly fascinating belief about our modern world, is that humanity has managed to move beyond its silly fears and superstitions by way of technology, and it is understandable as to why so many hold to that notion. After all, we literally have the compendium of human knowledge at our fingertips, twenty-four-seven. So, if someone has a concern about a strange noise they heard in the middle of night or are trepidatious about visiting a certain place because of a perceived sketchy reputation… they can straight up google the facts about those matters and put their minds to ease. But sadly, while that is a comforting belief for certain, since so many of us have taken part in a quick knowledge download on the web to assuage a concern… it is in fact, completely and utterly wrong.

Because if the last few months/years in America have taught us anything, it would have to be that people are quick to indulge in their fears more often than not and will not listen to reason or facts in the slightest when those fears take hold. No instead, they are content in their worldview and will defend it to no end, for reasons that few of us will ever understand. And to complicate matters further, these folks are now eager to reinforce their lies and fears by banding together with others that share their skewed views online. Which has brought about all kinds of misinformation in a time when facts need to win the day and really, all of this relevant to our discussion today… simply because this particular conundrum, and the trouble it can cause, was put on full display, in the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For ‘Devil’s Due’ saw the crew of the Enterprise arrive at a world known as Ventax II where quite the problem was brewing. For this humble planet, one that had made its own technological advances and was aware of the fact that their people weren’t alone in the universe, was paralyzed with fear. For some odd tremors and unique visions made it ‘clear’ that a thousand-year-old prophecy involving a deal with their equivalent of the devil (named Ardra) was about to come to fruition. And the fact that a woman, who claimed to be Ardra, appeared out of thin air to complete said deal, only added to the terror and panic that was already paralyzing this planet, to the point where they were ready to hand this world over to Ardra. All of which, Captain Jean-Luc Picard believed was unnecessary, for there had to be a logical explanation to this whole matter.

Which of course, led him to dive deep into Ardra’s claims, and that eventually led to the discovery that she was in fact a charlatan who used this legend to gain control of an entire planet. But while that allows for a happy and satisfying ending to take place, what this episode has to say about our fears and how powerful they are, is striking to say the least. Because it simply teaches us that when the right person stands up and knows exactly how to stoke them, that people will be quick to indulge them and believe whatever they are told in order to quiet those fears. Which in many ways, makes this episode eerily prophetic in nature, since the United States just spent the last four years watching half the country be duped by the charms of its own Ardra, by way Donald J. Trump. 

If anything, surprise parallels just go to show that in order to overcome such matters and keep future men and women like Trump and Ardra from taking control of our most primal worries… that logic must prevail above all else. For had the Ventaxians done just that, they would have realized that their ancient scrolls invented Ardra, to help people gain focus, and of course, had America realized that Donny boy was selling lies and putting on theatrics, maybe the last four years would have been less stressful. But all snark aside, this really was quite the powerful tale when all is said and done. One that really does do a fine job of pointing out how emotion can overpower logic on a moment’s notice and how important it is to take a moment and ponder upon any odd situation that stokes our fears in an objective manner. Because to do so will allow for us to see the truth and the facts and save us a great deal of heartbreak and worry in the long run. Until next time.

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