Season 13, Episode 30: Katastrophe

"Katastrophe"
Episode 30
Air Date: September 26, 2005

Well, we've had an episode dedicated not only to the rangers but their mentor and supporting character like Boom...that's surprising we haven't gotten an episode about their scientific expert of the team, Kat Manx.  Which is not too surprising considering she's been such a strong character that hasn't needed much development at all.  Cruger, being the rough and tough paternal figure of the rangers as their mentor, Kat has always been the compassionate, patient and of course, intelligent maternal figure of the SPD entourage at the academy.  It's also not surprising that she would get an immediate promotion by Commander Birdie to be the  new leading scientist of SPD main headquarters on a distant planet.  Of course, Kat is hesitant, Boom tells the other rangers who are extremely bothered by the potential of Kat leaving...until they realize could use this promotion since she's the best they've known; leading Z to come up with a plan to make sure things look like they are completely taken care of so Kat can make the decision to leave as they thinks that's what's best for her.  I mean of course, they can just talk to Kat and Cruger...you as a team, like they have been instead of making it seem like she's unneeded but whatever...drama and conflict for the sake of drama and conflict on this show. O_o

Anyway, the rangers are immediately interrupt by yet another generic giant robot attack but this one in particular doesn't have a pilot.  Turns out the robot is being controlled from another location by Professor Mooney, a former school rival of Kat's, who is working with Broodwing to scan the rangers' megazord weapons to create an unstoppable robot to finally counteract and destroy them once and for all.  Good to see Broodwing still continuing his own machinations to rule the world and beat Grumm at his own game.  Back at S.PD., Kat begins seeing how much she is NOT needed at S.P.D. as the rangers and Book take of everything for her.  Which leads her to lament the good times she shared with them and abruptly decide to leave the academy in favor of her new job at the main headquarters.  Of course, the rangers are upset she left without saying goodbye but you blame Kat guys since you made her technically seem useless all of sudden in just a day! -_-  Yeah, yeah, they did it because they wanted her to take the position and move on but why not...I don't know...talk about it with her as a team!??? O_o Anyway, Kat makes her way to the main headquarters while Boom takes over her old position in the science department.  Oh boy!!! Meanwhile, professor Mooney has finally finished make his ultimate giant robot against the rangers with a built in power core that is super destructive apparently; making it impossible for the rangers to destroy it.  Uhh huh...that's what they ALL SAY!!! :P

As the robot attacks the city, the rangers alongside the Omega ranger try to battle it but they are already having trouble without Kat monitoring the fight and assisting them....hmmmmm, you don't say.  Even the Omega Ranger mentions he wishes that Kat was there...sigh.  Kat is haven't much fun either with her new position as Commander Birdie tells her she'll have her own staff of specialists to do the work for her...and board meetings?! Jesus, leave now Kat while you can! O_O Of course, Kat wants to get her hands dirty but things are done different at the main headquarters.  Back at the academy, Boom is being a buffoon and making a fool of himself trying to following Kat's work that she even checks on him and realizes things are already going south as there is smoke all around her lab.  But Boom not wanting Kat to worry quickly ends the conversation in favor of helping the rangers trying to defeat this powerful new robot.  As Boom warns the rangers of the dangerous power source within the robot, Kat discovers the power source as well monitoring the fight and quickly tells Commander Birdie she knows who is behind it and must stop her old rival or the rangers will lose.  While Commander Birdie reminds her once again of her new position and duties, he finally relents and gives her a mysterious small box with the warning it will only last for 1 hour.....hmmmm...what could this strange gift be??? O_O

While the rangers continue to struggle fighting the robot, it manages to severely damage the Delta Max Megazord to the point where the rangers are violently sent hurling to the ground.  As Cruger sends the S.P.D. flyers to the rangers to continue the fight, Kat makes her way back to Earth to where Professor Mooney is.  She tracks him down to his lab cave where he and Broodwing are arguing over controlling the robot. As Kat and Professor Mooney trade jabs at each other, Broodwing unleashes an squad of Krybots to destroy her.  While the rangers one up the robot during battle, Kat finally uses her gift and morphs into the S.P.D. Cat Ranger........yeah! O_o  Well, the Kat Ranger (hehehe! right?) kicks ass and defeats all the Krybots just as the Shadow Ranger Omega Ranger arrive to assist her after locating the whereabouts of the robot's controller.  But Broodwing manages to destroy the remote to the robot as it's core is about to erupt and destroy the entire city.  While Cruger and Sam handle the robots, Kat quickly uses her genius intellect to quickly stop the core from exploding and taking New Tech City with it.  Luckily while a hilariously frantic Professor Mooney panics next to Kat, she finally stops the core and tells the rangers are clear to destroy it.  The rangers quickly take the unstoppable machine to space and form the blaster version of the megazord to finish it off....wait...couldn't they have done that before to stop the robot's core from destroying the city??? O_o Anyway, soon Cruger and Sam corner a runaway Mooney who Kat soon arrives to capture.  As the 5 rangers arrive and are surprised by the newest ranger, Kat soon demorphs and tells them she was only a ranger for an hour to which Cruger tells her "Luckily, she came when we needed her the most!" Awwww, the episode ends with Kat taking back her position as Boom can't help but confess how wrong things have been going without her there...including destroying her lab....Ooops!!! 0_0 All and All, "Katastrophe" is a an above average affair as Kat Manx, the rangers' scientific expert, finally takes center stage for an episode.  While it doesn't really develop her as a character, it's a pretty good exploration of the character who didn't really need much of it anyway. lol :)

Final Morph: C+