Power Rangers In Space Overview

Power Rangers In Space: Season 6
Episode Count: 43
Air Date: February 6th, 1998-November 21st, 1998

WOW!!! I'm practically speechless over this season!!! Power Rangers, prior to this season, was just a cheesy action adventure series that featured a group of teenage superheroes saving the day from absurd looking rubber monsters under far fetched scenarios and over the top humor.  Sure we had some great episodes here and there as well as some minor arcs to keep us invested in this ongoing story of these wacky teens in multi-colored suits fighting the forces of evil.  But by last season's Turbo, it seemed the show had lost all hope of staying alive in the eyes of kids everywhere. The ratings had reached an all time low and the only reason another season was green lighted was because the mid-season switch over with the new cast as well as much improved writing breathed enough new life in the ratings that Haim Saban wanted to officially wrap these up with a final show.  This time, instead of Sentai parody series, new head writers Judd Lynn and Jonathan Tzachor were given the difficult task of adapting Megaranger, a video game and device themed Sentai into a space opera centered season about the latest in the line of Power Rangers fighting an intergalactic war against new horde of villains.  I mean, it was unprecedented and unpredictable how well the show's unofficial final year would be but Haim and his writers raged on and what came out of it was possible the finest season of the franchise ever written!  For once, it was just a season of a bunch of teens saving the world on a daily basis while trying to balance homework, tests and other generic adolescent problems. For the most part, we got a refreshing new series with inventive concepts and an overarching narrative that was carried all througout the season. From the opening teaser in the two part opener, "From Out of No Where, Part 1 and 2" with the previous 5 seasons' worth of villains showing up to finally reveal the United Alliance of Evil to the universe threatening two part finale, "Countdown to Destruction, Part 1 and 2", the stakes have been higher as the remaining Turbo Rangers become the new Space Rangers with a new character, Andros as their leader. This time, finding Zordon was the ultimate goal and the majority of episodes dealt with searching for him and investigating various planets for his whereabouts.

But of course, the search for Zordon wasn't the only running main storyline of the season as once again, Andros was put front and center with his own personal search for his long lost sister, Karone.  In "Never Stop Searching", we learn his sister was kidnapped when they were playing in the park by some mysterious and sinister creature but has not lost hope of finding her. I really LOVE Andros, he was such a new and refreshing kind of character. Sure at first, he seems like the stereotypical stoic leader but even more so by working on his own when he meets the former Turbo Rangers but he has such nice layers to him. Even after giving the 4 new Space Rangers their powers in "From Out of No Where, Part 2", Andros is still hesitant to get close to them and that's just fascinating to watch his develop that trust towards them. Also, He is a fish out of water type of character as he finds himself in earthly situations he doesn't understand like in "Save Out Ship" and "A Ranger Among Thieves" but ultimately shows how trusting and loyal he is to his fellow Space Rangers.  Andros also shows concern for otherworldly creatures, showing his good heart, like "Andros and the Stowaway" when he bonds with Seymour so quickly.  I also like his romance/relationship with Ashley that developed throughout the season.  While they don't become a full on couple, it was always nice seeing them flirting, going on dates and just being so cute around each other.  Well, damn, I guess they WERE a couple after all! LOL I guess the only time this season I didn't like Andros was of course in "Red with Envy" when his sudden jealousy over Zhane and Ashley came out of nowhere and was so uncalled.  I mean he orders Zhane not to come with the other rangers on a mission when he is seriously needed! WHAT!? So out of character for Andros and while he apologized at the end for over reacting, there was still no reason for that. Overall, Andros' characterization was great to watch, especially discovering at the end of the season that his home was with the rest of the rangers on Earth when at the beginning the season, he was so hesitant to work with them.  Now that's what a call a well done character arc.

As for the rest of the Space Rangers, I'll start with our former leader turned Blue Space Ranger, T.J.  I LOVE how T.J. was the unofficial second in command of the team as it continued his own arc of being such a great ranger as he developed his skills as the Blue Space Ranger.  While, "T.J.'s Identity Crisis" was a wonderful deconstruction of his character; the highlight of his character this season came in "Five of a Kind" when we saw how great of a strategist he was when coming up with various plans against the rangers' newest and possibly enemies all season.  It showed that T.J., no matter his new color or position on the team, still had the awesome intuition and excellent forward thinking to be one of my favorite rangers of ANY season. No wonder he was such a fan favorite among fans! :) Next is Cassie as the new Pink Space Ranger.  While she doesn't get the best episode in "When Push Comes to Shove" (I mean she carelessly leaves her diary in public and gets blackmailed into a date...really??? O_o) But her best moment is without a doubt in "The Wasp With A Heart" where we see the loyalty and trustworthiness that Kat talked about when she chose her as her successor last season. She once again comes to the defense of someone, or in this case, a monster she doesn't only know but a monster that tried to kill her when he shows her mercy.  I LOVE to continue to see this compassionate side of Cassie and while her rift with Ashley in "A Rift in the Rangers" came out of no where as well, we see her guilt over it and learns how to not take her relationship with Ashley for granted.  Speaking of Ashley, let's talk about our Yellow Space Ranger.  NOPE, I'm not talking about "Grandma Matchmaker", I'm just glad Ashley stood up to her in the end but it doesn't mean that episode was any less obnoxious and terribly written. I'd say Ashley's best episode was the comedic "Invasion of the Body Switcher" as when she is captured, she manages to show how resourceful and quick thinking she is when she tricks Body Switcher to turning her into Astronema as well as knowing what to do to show Andros she was Ashley, NOT Astronema. She does the same thing in A Rift in the Rangers" when she is captured and escapes her captures by once again showing she can think her way of life threatening situations.  Of course, there's her developing romance with Andros all season. Shame he never kissed her when...you know....the world was about to be conquered and the universe was almost taken over but anyway.  You can say Ashley helped Andros begin to open up to others as she was always the one forcing him to have fun and interact with the other rangers outside of searching for Zordon and lamenting over his sister. It should Ashley to be very caring and protective of Andros; making their relationship feel even more genuine. STILL, WE ALL WANTED A KISS!!! -_-  Moving on to Carlos, our new Black Space Ranger. He's the first to find out about Andros' kidnapped sister in "Never Searching Stop" and goes alone to risk his life for Andros, showing him for the first time the lengths the other rangers are willing to go to protect him.  Then of course, there's the incredibly well written "Always A Chance", when Carlos is once again faced with the guilt of hurting a teammate, this time, actually hurting a fellow ranger and deeply questioning his place on the team.  I love how he learns to overcome his fears when a veteran ranger is in trouble as well as from his mistakes when he saves Adam from the same trick Liz-Wizard did before. Really great stuff with Carlos' character there.....that being said...."Carlos On Call" is the anti-thesis of that. F^&* Silvy, that is all!!!

Lastly, our 6th and final ranger of the Space team, Zhane is introduced officially in "Survival of the Silver". I like the whole history build around Zhane as the quote on quote legendary Silver Ranger. While Zhane can be an overly charismatic, smug bastard, he never loses sight of his duties as a ranger.  In "Red With Envy", he sees past Andros' uncalled for behavior to risk his own life to help the others and does so again in "The Silver Secret".  Of course, his sudden attraction to Astronema almost nearly distracts them from that but I'll take that exception because their little romance is SOOOOO cute!!! :) His mini-arc with his limited powers was fun if not rapped up too absurdly for my tastes.  Then again, this is Power Rangers and this show can get VERY absurd from time to time.  The only thing wrong with Zhane was toward the end when he keeps rescuing the team out of no where with the Galactic Rover.  I was so shocked that an initial awesome and revolutionary 6th rangers was being reduced to last minute saves.  Just BOOOOOOOO!!! And all just to promote that damn toy for kids at the time!!! -_-  I want to talk about the differences and changes to the season compared to the previous 5 years. First, Alpha 6 is a HUGE improvement this season!!! Love his new voice and his sudden ability to be useful to the time; coming to the rangers add numerous times like in "Satellite Search", "The Rangers' Mega Voyage" and "The Enemy Within". Then there's the new base of operations in the Astro Megaship, which was an amazing shift from the Command Center/Power Chamber.  It was just cool and refreshing seeing a new headquarters for the rangers especially with rooms like the bridge and the sim-deck; things we've never seen in Power Rangers before. D.E.C.A. was also a cool new ally for the rangers being the Astro Megaship's artificial intelligence by being able to help the rangers in their search for Zordon, intergalactic travels and ship's functions. Of course, the highlight of both characters are in "The Impenetrable Web" when they work together to keep Ecliptor from gaining control of the Megaship.

What I also thoroughly enjoyed this season was the strong sense of continuity unlike last season's poor attempt to swipe up what we loved about the show for 4 years under the rug.  We got closer for most characters ranging  from Justin's heroic return in "True Blue to the Rescue" as well as Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster as Adam in "Always A Chance" when he transforms into the original Black Ranger to aid Carlos.  Even Bulk and Skull, two irritating and idoitic characters who spent the last 5 years as forced comic relief got closer here as their journery as bullies turned heroes came to an inspiring end! :)  Lastly, of course, there was the official wrap up of the Zordon Era with Zordon himself dying but it was a powerful moment that STILL resonates with fans of the franchise til this day.  "May the Power Protect Him, Always!" Speaking of mentors, this was the very first season without a mentor for the rangers as the Space rangers are the most independent team of rangers aka one of the best teams ever! What I loved about the Space team was their ability to work together so well under overwhelming odds.  There was no one to guide them in a season where they needed guidance the most and yet they far exceeded expectations! :) Especially when dealing with probably the best AND toughest rouge's gallery of villains of ANY season! So let's start talking about them! :)

Our main baddie, Astronema.....just a such an impressive villain!!! And this was BEFORE she got her cybernetic implants! O_O Astronema is one of, if not, my favorite villain of ANY season, not just because of how much of a badass she was from the get go but her incredible journey throughout this season. In the beginning, she's this threatening war general who's able to confront and outfight the rangers in almost every encounter she has with them. In the premiere, her immediate encounter with the former Turbo Rangers is to demand where the Red Ranger is and order their destruction after she's done with them.  In "Satellite Search", she OWNS the Space Rangers in battle and leaves them to be eaten by some gigantic creature on a random planet. AKA you just did not want to mess with Astronema!!! But then there was that (predictable but still emotionally rewarding) reveal of her being Andros' sister and I loved the build up to it.  We got plenty of moments of seeing bits and pieces of Astronema's humanity in early episodes where the fact she turned out to be Andros' sister, Karone, all along was so terrifically done! I loved her 3 episode arc in "The Secret of the Locket", "Astronema Thinks Twice" and especially "The Rangers' Leap of Faith" where she questions her allegiances to evil but ultimately embracing her inner goodness she had in her all along. And then after she completely reverts back to Karone, she once again captured and turn evil; only this time she's even more cold hearted and merciless than ever.  It was such a tragic moment not only for her but especially Andros who worked so hard to get her back! Man, that was the most depressing part of the season. Then you have Ecliptor, one of the most complex villains we'd have ever seen.  An evil general yes in the same vein as Goldar but Ecliptor was also Astronema's adopted father with his loyalty to her stemming from this unusual bond as well as genuine love he had for her.  He always puts Astronema's needs before his and goes as far at to save Andros' life when he realizes he's her brother.  It was sad to see him die at the end, especially when even after the cybernetic implants, he STILL loved her like a daughter. Not to mention, in the early episodes, he's just a badass, able to walk through the rangers' attacks like their nothing. Then there was his EPIC rivalry with Darkonda.

Man, Darkonda...how can I describe him??? One of the most twisted and deceptive villains we have ever had on this show.  The first of his kind, like many of the villains this season, Darkonda is a slimy little troll out to benefit only himself in the end.  He manipulate Astronema, constantly challenges Eclitpor and even manages kill Dark Specter in the end all for his own gain to seize ultimate power for himself! Damn, this guy was FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! A double crossing nightmare of the bounty hunter who is his first two episodes, "The Barillian Sting" and "T.J.'s Identity Crisis" was able to nearly defeat the rangers quick than other villains this season! WOW!!! I'm glad Darkliptor didn't stick around; becoming the grand monarch of evil instead! Speaking of Evil Monarchs, I'd say Dark Specter was the only disappointing villain this season.  Outside of being a reused Maligore costume, Dark Specter just never measured up to being the all powerful master of all the villains this season and the past 5.  I mean he could have clearly destroyed the rangers in an instance....but never does; especially considering he's the size of a planet! O_o  He unable to figure out Astronema was the one draining him of his powers again and again; making look like a lava looking fool! O_o I mean sure, someone as powerful as him doesn't need to get his hands dirty when he has a whole legion of villains at his disposal but the only thing I can say was awesome about him was when Darkonda destroyed him with the planet destroyer weapon and he took him out with him!!! But one memorable moment of badassery doesn't take away from a season of missed opportunity. Lastly, I MUST take about the other villains this season who could have and came very close to destroying the rangers on their own: The Psycho Rangers!!!

As first official evil team of rangers, the Psycho Rangers were insanely powerful and extremely tough villains who in handle full of episodes managed to defeat the rangers in nearly every battle they had with them. From deviously disguised arrival in "Rangers Gone Psycho" to their overwhelming resilience in "Ghosts in the Machine", the Psycho were relentless in their obsessions to destroy their individual counterparts. Sure, the Space Rangers are eventually able to defeat the Psychos one by one but it's not easily done as their weapons and zords aren't even enough to destroy one of them.  It sometimes takes the combined strength of their entire arsenal as well as clever thinking to outsmart the Psychos in order to defeat them and even then, their ghosts come back from the grave to wreck havoc!!! Jesus!!! I just loved the Psycho Rangers and the only reason they lost here was because they just couldn't focus enough as a team to destroy the rangers together.  Then there was Astronema using them to constantly drain Dark Specter's powers by recalling them away from battling the rangers as she didn't want him to get too suspicious of who could be behind it.  I honestly can't wait to see this evil group of psychotic monsters return next season as they were the icing on top of a sundae of excellent enemies!!! :) Anyway, the zords this season were also awesome as it was the rangers' largest arsenal of war machines yet.  The Astro Megazord was cool, the Delta Megazord was badass, the Mega Voyager was work of art and the Mega Winger was just plain entertaining to watch.  Shame 3 of the 4 were ultimately destroyed for good but the zords were such an improvement over....over.....a mini van zord!!!??? -_-

Pros:

• The first season to have two ongoing storylines through the season that were so well put together and expertly written.
• A series of some of the franchise' most deep and breathtaking episodes!
• A remarkable run of inventive, complex and highly entertaining villains!
• The moral ambiguity of the season's themes and personal arcs.
• An overall superbly written space war story!

Cons

• A rough start to the season with some dull episodes!
• The horrid TMNT crossover!
• The sudden inconsistent writing toward the end of the season before the finale.
• Some moments of out of character behavior in some terrible episodes.
• Some unresolved characters like the Phantom Ranger, Dimitria, Alpha 5, etc.

Best Episodes:

*Just a disclaimer as it was extremely hard for me to choose ONLY 5 of the best episodes this season because there were SOOOOO many great ones to choose from so bare with me!*

1. "Countdown to Destruction, Part 1 and 2"-Not only does the season come to an stunningly satisfying conclusion but the past 6 seasons as we say goodbye to Zordon, the rangers fight to save the entire universe and Andros faces off with his sister!!! Epic action, devastating farwell and an unforgettably powerful writing as the Zordon Era comes to a cataclysmic end! 

2. "The Rangers' Leap of Faith"-I just LOVED seeing the combination of Andros' story with Karone and the search for Zordon coming to head in an episode where Astronema makes her final choice of what side she's on. Add Melody Perkins' excellent performance, fantastic action and intense twists and we have ourselves a winner! :)

3. "Rangers Gone Psycho"-It's the unforgettable introduction of the Psycho Rangers!!! What's there else to talk about, it's badass and brutal episode for the rangers that nearly ends in their destruction!!! Jesus!! O_O

4. "Always A Chance"-Probably the best character centered episode of the season as once again the wrtiers do an amazing job of exploring not only Carlos' personal arc as a ranger but his insecurities and fears as a hero. Superb!!!

5. "Flashes of Darkonda"-An episode that best represents the space opera aspect of the season as Andros takes matters into his own hands during a very dangerous solo mission to find more information on his sister's whereabouts.  It ends with Ecliptor's personal revenge on Darkonda and the Astro Delta Megazord sliding down the streets of Angel Grove in a breathtaking cliffhanger not to be missed! :)

Worst Episodes:

1. "Grandma Matchmaker"- It's the episode where Ashley's grandma is an overbearing pain in the asss!!! One of the worst of the franchise people!

2. "Carlos On Call"-Carlos is an idiot for this episode, Silvy is a piece of unadulterated evil and the Psycho Rangers make an unnecessary and utterly pointless appearance here!!! WTF!!? -_-

3. "Shell Shocked"-The unbearable crossover that no one and I mean NO ONE asked for!!! -_-

4. "A Ranger Among Thieves"-Andros is made to look like a gullible moron for an episode just so some thieves can learn a valuable lesson??? I'll pass!!! -_-

5. "When Push Comes to Shove"-When push comes to shove, this episode was dumb and a waste of time!!! HA!!! :)

"Following one of the weakest seasons that almost ended the franchise, Power Rangers In Space far exceeded expectations by winning over kids and audiences with it's more mature storytelling, complex villains, moral ambitious themes and spectacular space war plot.  Our heroes were all flesh out nicely and the stakes have never been higher as the rangers' search for Zordon throughout the universe.  While there are glaring flaws like any other season, the overall quality of In Space is fantastic showcase of wonderful writing that ultimately led to higher ratings than ever for the show to continue beyond here!" :)

Final Season Verdict: A