The Jihad ( episode ) The Vedala , the oldest known spacefaring race , summon Kirk and Spock to recover the Soul of the Skorr , a stolen religious artifact that has the potential to ignite a holy war across the galaxy . ( " Season finale " ) Summary . In the transporter room , Captain Kirk tells Sulu to have the maintain position and reminds Scott he has his orders . Kirk and Spock beam down to the asteroid and are welcomed by a Vedala female , who introduces them to the others who will form their expedition : Tchar , the hereditary prince of the Skorr and Master of the Eyrie ; Sord , a powerful reptilian ; Em / 3 / Green , an expert lock - pick and thief ; and Lara , a great hunter with a flawless sense of direction . The Vedala tells them that Spock was chosen for his analytical mind and scientific expertise , and Captain Kirk for his leadership abilities and adaptability . Tchar explains their top - secret mission . Two centuries past his people were great warriors with advanced military technology and the ability to breed vast armies rapidly . Today they are a civilized people because of Alar , a religious leader , their teacher and salvation , who brought them peace and made them great . He died and was made immortal by recording his brain patterns and preserving them in a piece of indurite sculpture , the Soul of the Skorr . The Vedala tells the team that the artifact has been stolen , but that the theft has been kept secret . If it is discovered missing , it could ignite a galaxy - wide holy war – a jihad . Now it is hidden on a very unstable " mad planet " . It has constant earthquake s , harsh weather , gravity shifts , tidal wave s , volcanic lava flows , and severe cold winds . Three previous expeditions have tried to recover the Soul of the Skorr , but they all were all lost . Kirk agrees to lead this next expedition . The Vedala transports the group to the planet where the Soul of the Skorr is hidden . After barely escaping a lava river at the cost of their land vehicle , they near a position that Tchar spots from the air . Kirk and Lara explore the terrain ahead while Tchar flies on to investigate the fortress where the Soul of the Skorr is being kept . Spock notes the Vedala were efficient in equipping them and he will become acquainted with their supplies . Lara comes from a world with numerous females and tells Kirk she finds him attractive . He puts her off by reminding her of the importance of their mission . Rejoining the group , they head for the fortress on foot to rendezvous with Tchar . Encountering an ice field , Em / 3 / Green plummets into a crevasse and Spock manages to grab his hand , with Kirk close behind , grabbing the Vulcan ' s feet . However , Tchar flies above the crevasse and manages to rescue him . After his rescue , Em is tired and wants to be left behind , but Kirk has Sord carry him , as the group needs his unique abilities to complete the mission . Sord sees a lifeform on the supposedly uninhabited planet . Upon reaching the fortress , Em must quickly pick the locks or they will explode . The team is attacked by mechanical birds that protect the building . They narrowly make it inside , bypassing a booby - trapped lock on the entrance . They find the Soul of the Skorr a thousand feet up in the air within the fortress , but the group is caught in a place without locks , so Em / 3 / Green can ' t free them . Kirk expected this , concluding that the previous missions failed because of sabotage from within each expedition . Kirk suspects that it was Tchar who originally stole the artifact . Tchar swoops down from high above and admits his treachery , saying that his people have become a docile race , slaves to the illusion of peace , cowards lost in their comfort . This sick dream , as he views it , has stolen the Skorrs ' souls . He is the Prince who wants to lead his people into battle because the ensuing war will make the Skorr great again , or if his race dies , they will have at least fought well , living and dying with honor . Tchar starts a fight with Kirk and Spock , who win thanks to their null - gravity combat training they conducted the week before . After deafeating him , they insist on taking Tchar back to the Vedala . Kirk and Spock manage to hold down Tchar , while Kirk hooks his foot on the artifact and calls for them to be retrieved . Arriving back on the Vedala asteroid , they thank them and assure them Tchar will be treated for his madness , but the Vedala can offer no reward to the expedition : for the good of the Skorr , their mission must always remain secret . The Vedala promises there will be no questions and no medals , only their thanks . In time , the members of the expedition will even lose their memory of the mission . Kirk and Spock beam back to the " Enterprise " and find that , remarkably , only two minutes have passed since they beamed down to the asteroid . Kirk tells Sulu the Vedala changed their minds and orders everyone back to their stations . The crew of the " Enterprise " still have a lot of places to go in their exploration of the galaxy . Memorable quotes . " " I was sentenced to this mad expedition . My people are cautious , what you would call cowards . " " " " I like this place . It ' s got variety ! " " " " Vulcans . Never liked them much myself . Cold - blooded critters , all of them . " " " " I wouldn ' t say that . Mr . Spock is a . . . unique personality . " " " " But not Human , like you and me . Maybe you got different customers . My world there ' s a lot of females , not so many men . Come we find a man attractive , we say so . I ' m saying so . How do you find me ? " " " " Fascinating . But we ' re not here on a pleasure trip , Lara . " " " " All the more reason to take what pleasure there might be in it . " " " " We ' ll all die here ! " " " " A statistical probability . " " " " You ever quote anything beside statistics , Vulcan ? " " " " Yes , but philosophy and poetry are not appropriate here . " " " " We ' re tired , sore , hurt , and angry . But we ' re also just about there . " " " " Far too close , captain . I appreciate your action on my behalf but your first duty is to the group and the mission . " " " " Quite right , Spock , and that responsibility includes not losing the best science officer in Starfleet . " " " " You two going to argue honors or are we going to get on with it ? " " " " I can ' t go any farther . I ' m not even afraid anymore , just very tired . " " " " The re - wiring of the power leads is complex and time - consuming . " " " " I could do it if you can diagram the schematics , sir . " " " " Kirk , there is a ravine sixty meters to your left . If it can be blocked , the lava will flow past those rocks to one side . " " " " Got it ! " " " " That ' s it . End of a long hard journey . " " " " We still have to go back , James . I ' d tell you true , I find you an attractive man . If we were . . . together , the trip ' d be easier . And if anything happened , why . . . we ' d have some green memories . " " " " I already have . . . a lot of green memories . " " " " I ' m not built for that sort of thing , I ' ll wait for you down here . " " " " I know where you are , a thousand feet up , no method of reaching the soul except by air , by flight , Tchar . " " " " We cannot reward you . For the good of the Skorr , this must be forever secret . You have only our thanks . " " " " Got nowhere to keep a medal , anyway . " " Links and references . References . Alar ; army ; asteroid ; Birdman ; gravitic shift ; gravity neutralizer ; hereditary ; hologram ; indurite ; insect ; jihad ; Kelvin ; Lara ' s homeworld ; lava ; lock ; lockpick ; mad planet ; Master of the Eyrie ; mechanical sentinel ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; null - gravity combat exercises ; phaser bank ; power pack ; prince ; ravine ; Seven Gods ; Skorr ; Skorr temple ; Soul of Alar ; Soul of the Skorr ; specialist ; standard year ; statistics ; tidal wave ; timed - trigger ; Vedala ; Vedala asteroid ; Vulcan s ; warrior race