[DreamSword]

In Space

Pre-Show Preamble

In Space was very much the RPM of its day.

Back then, it was to be the final season of the show as a whole, so Saban decided to swing for the fences and go to places unexplored.

They started by upping the target demographic from 5 to 10, as by now that was the age of most kids who'd been keeping up with the series. This also allowed the story to touch on themes and subjects the series had strayed from.

To me, the aspect that stood out most was the concept that yes, humans can also be criminals, and they won't typically just have a change of heart overnight("A Ranger Among Thieves"). This was a huge shake-up from the typical Alien Menace the series had 99% of the time gunned for up until now.

That is not the episode we're focusing on today.

They also introduced the Psycho Rangers, who, while not the first set of Evil Rangers, were the first to actually be an entirely unique team, all with their own shades of character traits. Their fights were intense and brutal, essentially being single-minded murder machines who cared for nothing else as long as their prime directive was met.

That is not the episode we're focusing on today.

Space also brought us the first instance of the "Battlizer" though its concept is slightly different from how every Battlizer since would be designed. Still, the concept of a Red-unique power up was revolutionary, and remains not only in Power Rangers, but now Super Sentai to this day.

That is not the episode we're focusing on today.

This was also the first season to be set primarily out of Angel Grove, instead opting for more of a space opera approach. Certainly, there were a few locations they would visit every so often, and yes, they would visit the Surf Spot, located within Angel Grove every now and then, but the outer space exploration was certainly the prime focus, only to be arguably outdone by Lost Galaxy a year later when the series was revived.

The intent was always clear from the start: Do something fresh and new, while at the same time trying their best to wrap up every character arc, close every lingering plot thread they could, use as much original footage as they reasonably could, and have a fulfilling end to this franchise that meant so much to so many people at the time. It's the reason why many fans divide the Saban Era into the "Zordon" and "Post-Zordon" Eras, and is still regarded as one of, if not the best entry in the series to date. It was so popular that the rest of the Era would do its best to try and recapture that magic.

And while I do certainly love the season overall, I just can't find myself singing the same praises that alot of other fans do.

I already gave my thoughts about how I feel Lost Galaxy is an overall weak season, but there's one detail I purposely left out: One of the reasons I can't bring myself to absolutely love LG is that, to me, it very much feels like a watered down version of IS.

See, alot of modern fans lament how Neo-Saban went out of its way to avoid doing anything even remotely resembling RPM again, but personally, I fully supported that decision, and still do to this day. Because if I wanted to watch RPM, then guess what? I'd watch RPM. Variety is one aspect of this series that I've always valued, and it's why I hold alot of the Disney Era in such a high regard, even if I personally feel it has one of the weakest entries in the series, ontop of the terrible treatment the higher ups gave the franchise. Trust me, had Samurai ended up being RPM-2, I'd be alot harsher on it.

Thankfully though, while the idea wasn't fully gone, Saban did seem to atleast learn that trying to do PRIS over and over again wasn't too hot of an idea as the Era continued on. Say what you want about Wild Force, but atleast it was unique!

And uniqueness and finality are the two main aspects we'll be focusing on today; with not only what I feel is the best two-parter the series has ever done, but the best finale of any season to date.

Episodes 42+43: Countdown to Destruction

The Legendary War wishes it was this good.

Fun fact before we get into it though: This two-parter was written by Koichi Sakamoto, the guy who directed every season from MMPR S3 through RPM.

This episode details the darkest hour of any Ranger season. The United Alliance of Evil launches a full scale invasion of the entire known universe, creating a force so oppressive that even multiple Rangers from across space aren't enough.

Chaos and mayhem is the name of the game here too. Explosions, collapsing buildings, legions of robot soldiers... the forces of good can barely fight back against the oncoming onslaught. Even the villains aren't safe, as Darkonda goes through the final phase of his plan to betray Dark Specter.

There also seems to be no hope left for Karone, as even after Dark Specter and Darkonda are no more, she still assumes the identity of Astronema, and proceeds to lay waste across the universe, with Earth as her next target. The Space Rangers do their best to fight back, but quickly fall to the sheer numbers of the army that they're up against.

The Rangers fall back to try and regroup and make a plan of attack, and Andros decides to go off on his own to infiltrate the Dark Fortress, hoping that somehow, someway, he can still reach his sister. It's here that Astronema offers the people of Earth a choice: Either hand over the Power Rangers and swear allegiance to the UAE, or be slaughtered en mass. What results is the most badass moment not just for Bulk and Skull, but the people of Earth as a whole.

They're all eternally grateful for everything that the Rangers have done for them up to now, and show that by proclaiming they are all Power Rangers. Not only standing in defiance of Astronema, but outright fighting alongside the Rangers against the oncoming swarm. It's a really well done scene that often makes everyone's' "best moments" lists, and I am in no way trying to argue against that. It's not only extremely awesome, but a great final moment for everyone that the Rangers have helped up to this point.

Meanwhile at the Dark Fortress, Andros manages to sneak his way in and finds Zordon, who's been held captive the entire season. And it's here that Zordon says what I feel is the most shocking sentence in the entirety of the franchise.

"Shatter my energy tube."

Zordon, the prevailing big good of the whole series up to this point, outright tells Andros to kill him, so that way his magic can spread across the universe and fight back against the darkness. Andros is of course hesitant, but after a fight with Astronema and Ecliptor showing him that he has no other choice, he knows what must be done.

And indeed, the Zordon Wave rips across space, purifying and turning many of the evil forces to dust. It even shows us that Divatox and Dimitria are sisters, a loose hanging plot thread from Turbo. Many cry foul at Ecliptor getting killed, and I do agree, that's like the one weak point in this whole thing.

In the end, Astronema is freed from her mind control, the universe is saved, and the Space Rangers are free to all go home together. At long last, there is peace.

It's hard to explain just why this finale is so good, especially since it sort of requires viewers to be familiar with the entire series up that point. They went all out here. Every still surviving Ranger and villain showing up, the dreadful and hopeless atmosphere, the sheer scale of the action, and of course, every character action and reaction being very well thought out and emphasized. It's a wonderful end to not only In Space, but the Zordon Era as a whole.

In the end, the Rangers are not heroes to be admired not just because they can beat the bad guys, but because they keep going, despite how much they keep getting knocked down.

After-Show Bonus

The set design for the Astro Megaship was really smartly done! It was a set of walls on wheels, making the entire set entirely modular. Need a hallway? Rearrange them in a straight line. Need a room? Make a square. And it all looks really good to boot. Huge props to the set designers for their creativity and ingenuity here!