The Jihad
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 12 January 1974
- ON
- NBC
- STARDATE
- 5683.1
- DIRECTED BY
- Hal Sutherland
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 22014
WRITTEN BYWritten by Stephen Kandel
Kirk and Spock are recruited by the ancient Vedala for a secret mission: recover a stolen sacred relic before its theft plunges the galaxy into a holy war.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Kirk and Spock are summoned to the asteroid home of the Vedala, an ancient and powerful race, and asked to join a hand-picked team. Their task is to recover the Soul of Alar, a sacred sculpture holding the spirit of the Skorr's great religious leader. It has been stolen, and if the Skorr learn of the theft they will launch a holy war across the galaxy. The team includes Tchar, a Skorr prince, the reptilian Sord, the insect-like lockpick Em/3/Green and the huntress Lara. On a violently unstable planet where earlier expeditions have failed, they face eruptions, wild shifts in the weather and mechanical sentinels. At the temple, Tchar reveals that he stole the relic himself, hoping a holy war will restore the Skorr to their days as conquerors. He is overcome and the relic recovered. The Vedala return everyone home only minutes after they left, and their memories of the mission are set to fade.
- 01David Gerrold, who wrote several live-action and animated Star Trek episodes, voices Em/3/Green. He lobbied for the role to earn his Screen Actors Guild card.
- 02Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett do not appear, with Jane Webb voicing Lara. It is one of two animated episodes in which James Doohan does not voice Scotty.
- 03To save money, starship designs, the mechanical sentinels and Tchar's animation were recycled from earlier episodes.