Star Trek: Who Plays Ardra & Why Is She Familiar To Hallmark Fans?
Throughout their seven seasons on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the crew on the USS Enterprise butted heads with a vast assortment of intergalactic villains. A few of their most memorable foes include the warriors of the Klingon and the malevolent cyborgs of the Borg Collective, though the team also dealt with plenty of unique solo villains during their adventures across the stars.
One of the most intriguing opponents to face off against Picard and company was the alien con artist Ardra, who impersonated the mythical Ventaxian devil of the same name and fooled the people of Ventax II into believing she was a god. In the episode "Devil's Due," a Federation distress signal draws the Enterprise to Ventax II, where Picard investigates the return of this so-called devil and her supposedly magical powers.
While the manipulative Ardra is one of the more unique enemies ever faced by the Enterprise crew, she might actually seem very familiar to fans of the Hallmark television network. This alien imposter is played by Marta DuBois, best known for her role as Roberta Hansen in Hallmark's "McBride" film franchise. A quick-witted homicide detective who shares a romantic history with the titular Mike McBride (John Larroquette), Roberta Hansen has appeared in every single McBride film to date as McBride's partner and confidant.
DuBois made appearances across a variety of prolific television series
Though Marta DuBois remains most well known for her performance in Hallmark's popular mystery film franchise, during her decades-long television career, DuBois has appeared in some of the most iconic television shows of all time.
Outside of her memorable appearance on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," DuBois' impressive resume also includes small parts in "Walker, Texas Ranger," "The A-Team," "Matlock," "MacGyver" and "Law & Order: LA." DuBois was also well known for her performance as Princess Koji in the Emmy-winning adventure series "Tales of the Gold Monkey," and for her recurring role as Michelle Hue throughout "Magnum, P.I."
DuBois' last role came in a 2013 episode of the acclaimed comedy-drama series "Bones," playing a woman named Maureen Serrano who poisons a beloved ballroom dancer. Although DuBois passed away in 2018, she left behind a legacy that stretched across some of the most popular shows in television history –- and played one of the most memorable villains in all of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"