Power Rangers In Space Season Review

Power Rangers in Space (1998) was the 4th installment of Power Rangers and the 6th overall. PRIS used footage from Megaranger. This season was the first to deviate from its Sentai's theme, mostly by accident. When the producers first saw the mecha footage from Megaranger, they thought Megaranger was a space themed Sentai. In reality, Megaranger was a video game themed Sentai. However, because they were already in pre-production, writer Judd Lynn decided to go with the space motif. After the failures of Power Rangers Turbo, it was thought that PRIS would be Power Rangers' last season. As a result, the writers went all-out, with one of the most ambitious seasons ever. The result was a semi-dark season that would tie six seasons worth of story lines into one whole season, in a race against time to find Zordon before the evil forces take over the entire universe. This season had a recurring story line, with continuity from one episode to the next. Much of the campiness that was visible during the first five seasons was toned down significantly during this season. Andros was and still is one of the deepest, most well developed characters ever, and the main villains, Astronema and Ecliptor, even received a high level of development compared to most villains. Later on, it was revealed that Astronema was Andros' long lost sister, Karone. This season is one of the most popular seasons ever, and the two part finale, Countdown to Destruction, is considered by most to be the best season finale to date as well as one of the most popular episodes ever. This season is widely viewed as the season that saved Power Rangers from cancellation.

The Good

The character development and the story writing imo are among the best ever during a PR season. The cast, for me, is the second best behind MMPR S1, and has both my favorite pink and blue rangers. This season had some very intense drama with many cliffhanger moments. The production job, considering the low budget and the misunderstanding regarding the Sentai footage, is among the best ever done. This was also one of the first seasons that actually had descent American-ranger fight scenes, where as the American footage in previous years was for the most part awful. Also, a big bonus was that Ron Wasserman returned to sing the opening theme song, which is one of my all-time favorites for PR openings.

The Bad

The only bad thing about this series is that it was the first to feature a battlizer, this weapon would get out of hand imo in the seasons to come.

The Ugly

There's nothing ugly about this season, it's one of the best seasons ever.

My Rating

9.5/10 (Grade A)- In Space has the best story of any Power Rangers season.

My Favorite Episodes

Episode 4 (Shell Shocked)- While many people berate this episode I actually liked the fact that the Power Rangers teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, especially since I'm a fan of both shows.

Episode 5 (Never Stop Searching)- Reveals that Andros has a missing sister, and develops his bonding with his new team, especially Carlos.

Episode 10 (A Wasp with a Heart)- Technically filler, but I would argue this episode gave Cassie some good character development. It also showed that not all monsters are one dimensional.

Episode 14-17- This arc involves the first appearance of Darkonda and eventually leads to the Mega Voyager.

Episode 19-20- The first appearance of Zhane, the Silver Ranger.

Episode 23 (A Date with Dangerr)- Zhane dates the main villain, Astronema.

Episode 25 (Always a Chance)- Adam returns to help Carlos regain his confidence.

Episodes 26-30- This arc involves the reveal that Astronema is Andros's long lost sister, and has many good emotional moments.

Episodes 31-36- This is the Psycho Rangers arc, and the Psycho Rangers are badass.

Episodes 42-43 (Countdown to Destruction)- Simply, the best season finale ever in Power Rangers.