Ardra (person)

In the Ventaxian, Ardra was for all intents and purposes the devil. The Ventaxian people consider it bad luck to say her name out loud.

During what was the 13th century on Earth, the population of Ventax II found itself in the midst of a crisis. A number of Ventaxian city-states warred on an almost continual basis. The pollution levels on the planet were quite high. The Ventaxian people eventually managed to turn things around by themselves, but at some point a Contract With Ardra was created to explain the improvements on Ventax. This contract stated that Ardra would provide the Ventaxian people with 1,000 years of peace and prosperity, and at the end of the 1,000 year term the planet of Ventax - along with all the people on it - would become her property.

In the 24th century, a con artist learned of the contract, and decided it would be the perfect opportunity to exploit the people of Ventax II as the contract's term was nearly complete. She studied the legend of Ardra in great detail to prepare herself to impersonate Ardra. This included preparing a number of tricks - using holography, transporters, and tractor beams to simulate magical effects. This con artist impersonated Ardra so well that the people of Ventax were ready to surrender to her. However, she was soon exposed as a con artist by Captain Picard.