The best of the 1990sPower Rangersseasons made the rest of the Zordon Era look worse in comparison. MostPower Rangersteamsexist in the same universe, but it’s often helpful to separate the franchise’s history into different eras. For example, during the Zordon Era, every season was building up from what the previous one had done, meaning you were more likely to enjoy the new episodes if you were already familiar with the show.
While this was true forPower Rangers in Space, which was a direct sequel toPower Rangers Turbo, the 1998 series was also a new beginning for the show. Between the new Red Ranger and the space setting,In Spacewas very different from the usual Angel Grove seasons.While a lot could have gone wrong with aTurbosequel where suddenly the team was led by a character no one had ever heard of,In Spaceturned out to be one of thebestPower Rangersseasons, if not the best.
Power Rangers In Space Took The Show To The Next Level And Saved The Franchise
In Space Was Better Than Its Predecessors In Every Way
Power Rangers in Spacetreated its heroes and villains as three-dimensional characters in a way that the show had never quite done duringMMPR, Zeo, andTurbo. While we could only expect so much character development from a formulaic kids' show where every episode had to end with the monster of the week being defeated,In Spacefound time to give its characters actual arcs. This was especially true for Andros, the Red Ranger, who was on a quest to find Zordon and dreamed of finding his sister. Unlike previous Rangers,Andros had an actual backstory and a goal.
The villains fromPower Rangers in Spacewere also complexand layered. Karone was kidnapped as a child and groomed into becoming Astronema, the Princess of Evil, who would one day have to fight her own brother. Ecliptor, who could have been just anotherPower Rangersvillainminion like Goldar, turned out to be a somewhat tragic character who seemed to genuinely care about Astronema. Even Darkonda, who was pretty much just evil, was a lot of fun and treacherous.
Zhane
Silver Ranger
Andros and the formerTurboRangers worked great together, and while I loved T.J.’s run as the Red Ranger,In Spacefelt like a better version of what the second half ofTurbohad tried to do. With darker, more complex stories and a ticking-clock storyline about finding Zordon before it was too late,In Spacetook the show to the next level and helped the franchise bounce back afterTurbo.
I Love MMPR, But In Space Was The Best Of The 1990s Power Rangers Seasons
Power Rangers In Space Was A More Refined Version Of Previous Shows
It’s hard to compare anyPower RangerstoMMPR. Despite its flaws,Mighty MorphinPower Rangersis the one that started it all and laid out the foundation for the franchise. Even when removing the nostalgia goggles,Mighty Morphinis a very entertaining show with charming, charismatic characters that quickly win you over. That said,Power Rangers in Spaceshowed how much better the show could be.In Spacestill had many of the tropes that had defined the show, but it was an improvement overMMPR,Zeo, andTurboin almost every possible way.
I believe thatSpace’s biggest advantage over its predecessors is that it had a blank slate to work with. Whereas Zeo and the first half of Turbo kept having to find ways of making Tommy and the others interesting after dozens of episodes,In Spacehad the chance to start fresh with relatively new characters joining a mysterious Ranger in outer space. Thanks toIn SpacesavingPower Rangersand raising the bar, we eventually got other masterpieces such as Lost Galaxy and Time Force.
