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"The Jihad" was the first season finale of Star Trek: The Animated Series, airing during the week of 12 January 1974. The episode was written by Stephen KandelMA, directed by Hal SutherlandMA and novelized in Log Five by Alan Dean Foster.

Description[]

VHS teaser
Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock join a team of aliens trying to recover a sculpture containing the soul of their spiritual leader before a Holy War breaks out.

Summary[]

The USS Enterprise is summoned to a Vedala asteroid, where a Vedala briefs Kirk and Spock about a threat to the galaxy. Skorr Prince Tchar explains that a sacred artifact was stolen, one that will incite a vengeful galactic war if the general population of his homeworld finds out about it. The Soul of Alar artifact has been tracked to the Mad Planet, a geologically unstable world where three expeditionary forces sent by the Vedala were lost. The fourth team will consist of Kirk, Spock, avian Tchar, tracker Lara, reptilian Sord, and lockpick Em/3/Green.

The team materializes on the Mad Planet with provisions and an all-terrain vehicle. The artifact's indurite composition is quickly located by scanner before planetary conditions overload it. Since Lara has seen it, her infallible sense of direction will serve to guide them. The team faces wildly changing climates and hostile terrain en route, and are forced to burn out their vehicle's engine to evade lava from erupting volcanoes. They press ahead on foot until they come across a locked Skorr temple.

As Em/3/Green picks the complex lock, flying robot sentinels capture Tchar. Inside, the team locates the missing artifact floating out of reach within a force field. Kirk suspects a traitor killed the other teams, and calls out Tchar, who flies into view above them. Tchar congratulates them on getting them this far, but reveals himself to be an insane zealot who conspired to lead his brethren to battle, even if his war wipes out his people. He engages a gravity neutralizer to give his teammates a good death, so they can combat him in the air. Fighting in zero-g, Kirk and Spock are eventually able to grab hold of Tchar and the artifact, then request recovery.

The team rematerializes on the Vedala asteroid, with Tchar now sealed within a clear container. The Vedala thanks them for their service, which has to remain secret for the good of the Skorr, and promises to cure Tchar of his insanity. When Kirk and Spock beam back to the Enterprise, only a couple of minutes have elapsed, allowing them to provide a cover story that nothing has happened.

References[]

Characters[]

Episode characters[]

Em/3/GreenJames T. KirkLaraMontgomery ScottSpockSordHikaru SuluTcharVedala
Referenced only
AlarSeven Gods

Novelization characters[]

Arex Na EthEm/3/GreenJames T. KirkJohn KyleLaraMontgomery ScottSordHikaru SuluTcharVedala
Referenced only
AlarLeonard McCoySeven Gods

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Vedala cartunnamed Alpha and Beta Quadrant starships

Locations[]

bridgethe galaxyMad Planettransporter roomVedala asteroid
Referenced only
DenmarkEarthengineeringsickbaySkorrStarfleet HeadquartersTaurean systemTerratin

Races and cultures[]

GnalishHumanNasatSkorrEdosian or TriexianVedalaVulcan
Referenced only
KlingonRomulanTerratin

States and organizations[]

FederationStarfleetStarfleet Headquarters

Science and technology[]

belt lightcartographycompact drive systemcomputerelevatorengineenergy cellforce fieldgravity neutralizerhologramimage projectornavigational computerphaserpistolrobottransportertridee tapeviewscreenwheel

Materials and substances[]

bloodbonegashailiceinduritelavametalozonepaperplasticplexalloypositronrainsandsulfurwater

Ranks and titles[]

ambassadorapostlecaptaincommanderFederation Starfleet ranks (2260s)first officerhelmsmanhunterhuntresslieutenantmaster of the Eyriemechanicnavigatorpicklockprincescience officerslaveStarfleet ranksteacherthieftransporter chiefwarrior

Other references[]

alienanimalappleassignment patchatmosphereaye-ayebatbirdboulderbrainbushidocabincaptain's log, USS Enterprise, 2269carnivorecenturyciliacity burrowClass-A Security Prime OrdercoordinatescratercyclonedaydilithiumdinosaurdolldragonearthquakeenergyfalconfortressgargoyleglaciergovernmentgrasshistoryhomeworldhumanoidinsectjihadKelvinkillbootlog entrylogicmedalmetermillenniaminutemonkey wrenchmonsoonmoonmountainmushroomnull-gravity combat exercisesparsecphilosophyplanetoidplanetplantpyrrhic victoryquadrantraces and culturesreptilerockropeseal-tarpsecondsectorshovelSoul of Alarspacespatial equatorspiderstarStarfleet uniformStarfleet uniform (2265-2270)starshipsuicidetempletentacletreetsunamiuniversevegetablevolcanowarwormyearzero-g

Appendices[]

Related media[]

Background[]

Novelization[]

  • It was titled simply "Jihad".
  • As he was unaware how Tchar would be visualized, author Alan Dean Foster described Skorr wings as bat-like.
  • The Vedala asteroid was a self-propelled, terraformed homeship. Foster revisited the concept in his novel-length adaptation of "The Eye of the Beholder", in which propulsion systems drove six moons of Boqu II alongside the Enterprise for an unusual excursion outside the Milky Way Galaxy.
  • The all-terrain vehicle came with a retractable canopy. For much of the trip, Sord walked rather than squeeze his bulky frame into the vehicle.
  • Instead of Spock falling out of the vehicle, as seen in the episode, he had hastily climbed out when it stalled to fix a broken seal. It suddenly lurched away without him, leaving him sprawled on the ground.
  • Tchar's talons gashed Kirk's chest and drew blood during their personal combat in zero-g, but Kirk was returned to the Vedala asteroid fully healed and rested.

Images[]

Connections[]

Timeline[]

published order
Previous episode:
The Ambergris Element
TAS episode produced Next episode:
The Terratin Incident
Previous episode:
The Eye of the Beholder
TAS episode aired Next episode:
The Pirates of Orion
Previous story:
The Ambergris Element
Log Five
Log five
Next story:
last story
chronological order
Previous Adventure:
The Pirates of Orion
Memory Beta Chronology Next Adventure:
Albatross
Previous Adventure:
The Pirates of Orion
Pocket Next Adventure:
Albatross


Translations[]
1993
German : Dschihad, translated by Lore Straßl. (Goldmann)
1994
Romanian : Jihad, translated by Eugen Predatu. (Editura Cristian)

External link[]

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