I admit that when I decided I was obligated to watch TAS I looked down the episode list and spotted Jihad near the bottom and got worried. Apparently 40 years ago Jihad didn't have the same connotations as today because instead of being an episode at all about religion this turned out to be a heist adventure. Other than the fact that it is Trek and there are scifi trappings this is a classic heist both in set up (a gang of misfits are each picked for their individual talents) and it conclusion (oh noes, one of them WAS the villain).
The episode begins with the Enterprise rendezvousing with a group of ships from various races across the galaxy. They have been called together to help deal with a threat to all civilizations, but they can't be told what the threat is! Kirk and Spock beam to the surface and are greeted by a group of aliens. There is a woman who is the greatest hunter/tracker in the galaxy, an insect who is an amazing thief/lockpick, a lizardman who is strong/brave, and a bird man who is a birdman. The catlike organizer of the even explains that the bird people were powerful warriors 200 years ago until a religious prophet convinced them to be peaceful which they have been ever since. The soul of the prophet has been stolen and if the bird people learn of it they will freak out and start breeding warriors like crazy. To stop it this team (without the cat person, they apparently don't like where this is headed) must go to an unstable planet of volcanoes and earthquakes where they apparently know the soul is being stored.
They arrive on the planet with only a wheeled vehicle to get around. The birdman scouts from the sky as the rest of them crawl along slowly. A volcano erupts and they first try to block the lava flow and then have to race to safety. Spock falls of the cart and gets all annoyed at Kirk for saving him even though we all knew he would. They finally reach the temple where the stolen soul is located. The insect manages to pick the locks as the rest of them fight off flying mechanical sentries. The birdman appears to have been lost in the fight. As they make there way inside they see the soul floating high in the room. After trying to sneak up a ledge to it they discover it is being protected by a forcefield. Kirk figures out the only way this could be is if the birdman stole the soul in the first place (I am not sure his logic is sound, but he is right). The birdman emerges and they turn off gravity somehow. They grab the soul and birdman and all beam to safety. The cat person explains they can't tell anybody what happened and that they will erase the mind of the bird man. When Kirk and Spock beam back to the Enterprise Sulu is confused since they had only been gone a few minutes.
Review: This is a fun episode that also features a B story I didn't fit in above about the hunter lady aggressively pursuing Kirk romantically. Also they only use the word Jihad once and it is in reference to what the birdmen will do to the galaxy if they don't get their soul back.
8 out of 10
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