Power Rangers in Space

For veteran Ranger fans, this series was the culmination of six years of an entire universe in itself. Following "Space", future seasons would be separate series in themselves, connected only to previous seasons by guest appearances of previous Rangers for one or two episodes.

"Space" was the final bow to the legacy of the early '90s. The powerless Turbo Rangers (minus Justin, gratefully) form the last continuous link to previous seasons by teaming up with Andros, who is by far one of the best written Red Rangers ever (aside from 'Whole Damn Show Tommy'). The brief appearance of a new Silver Ranger (a colour many fans had been waiting to see since Gold Zeo) added some new spice to the lineup.

But solid storywriting is what made this series come out on top. The writers were able to link the past with the present, give the villainess Astronema a deep connection to the Rangers instead of a paper cutout evil bitch role, and made viewers develop sympathy for both the good and evil sides. Spry and sweet Karone, once out of those ghastly coloured wigs, won the hearts of many fans as a villain of real substance who was worth turning good, akin only to Tommy. For a childrens' show it was an incredibly dark moment to see Karone manipulated into her cyborg form, no doubt a bow to the Borg of Star Trek, but still chilling.

The series also tied up all the loose ends of the past by reuniting all previous villains under a mastermind, Dark Specter, who not only desired to rule the universe but also bore vendetta against his own henchmen. The final episode arc saw the restoration of the universe and the elimination of all previous villains with one of the greatest sacrifices of the Ranger saga.

With the possible exception of "Time Force", no future Power Rangers series could ever rival "Space" in terms of depth or intrigue. With the Space Rangers left the legacy.

In 1993 almost everyone liked the Power Rangers, but then everyone started to hate it when they started adding new things. I liked Power Rangers ever since it first came on TV. Now Power Rangers in Space is even better then the last shows (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo). The episodes are better and the show is even darker. I think if everyone who hates the Power Rangers should give them one more chance by watching Power Rangers in Space.

I loved the MMPR series; it was cheesy, but a nostalgic classic of my childhood. Power Rangers Zeo and Turbo weren't nearly as good as the first three seasons, but they're both decent and enjoyable. Personally, I think that this is easily the best Power Rangers season made on television. Sure, it ended the Zordon era, but it doesn't matter. The story lines and the concept are very compelling and the two-part finale is very emotional which I'll admit I did shed some tears out. The characters are likable and the villains including Astronema, Dark Spector and Ecliptor are menacing. The morphing sequences are great and the music is pretty good too, but I think the strongest aspect goes to the megazord fight sequences. They're fantastic to watch just like the other megazord sequences from the previous seasons.

Overall, I still love MMPR, but PRIS surpasses it as the best season ever made on television. This deserves a thumbs up from me!

Power Rangers In Space has the most developed story line (in my opinion) of any PR series before or since. Although it was presumably intended for a younger audience as previous PR shows where, In Space was more appealing to an older audience as well. This is perhaps the insight of the writes that many of the children who had watched the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers had continued to watch the show and would now desire more developed plot lines. The characters are far more complex than in previous Power Rangers series. The villains, for the first time are shown as beings with real lives, complex thoughts, fears, and dreams instead of single-minded cliché's who live only to destroy the Power Rangers and take over the world. The rangers too show more feeling and are put in more situations that require such emotion than in previous PR series. Overall, Power Rangers in Space is insightful and thought provoking.

This season took a darker turn compared to previous seasons, especially the cringe-inducing Power Rangers Turbo. This was originally planned to be the final season of Power Rangers, as Turbo's ratings were extremely low. As a result of that, the producers put out all the stops to make In Space an grand finale. In my humble opinion, they succeeded. The villainess Astronoma can actually be taken seriously, and the Rangers actually have some really strong villains to fight, both physically and in character! The only negative things I have to say about this season is that it ended the classic "Zordon" era, (although Lost Galaxy and Time Force were very good,)and that Melody Perkins' acting wasn't very good (though she did get better over time.) There are only two bad episodes in the whole season: the laughable TMNT team-up, and the one where Andros had to protect a baby alien. Overall, PRIS is worthy of praise, and one of the few Power Ranger seasons that can actually be taken seriously with a straight face.

Overall Rating = 9/10 (Excellent)