Power Rangers in Space (often abbreviated as "PRIS" or referred to as "...In Space") was a television show, the sixth season of Power Rangers. It was the first full season of Power Rangers to be handled by show runners Judd Lynn and Jonathan Tzachor.
It was loosely based on, and involved footage from, the Japanese television show Denji Sentai Megaranger (or Electromagnetic Task Force MegaRanger), the twenty-first Super Sentai series. The show was a turning point in the history of the Power Rangers franchise, as the season brought about the end of six years worth of storylines and was the ending of the practice of having the Power Rangers be a continuous serial-style show with a regular cast that carried over from one season to the next. It is also one of the most popular seasons of "Power Rangers" in the franchise's history and is credited for saving the franchise from cancellation after the previous season's poor ratings. This season was the outbreak for all PR history, stating that this was the last season. But due to major ratings, they succeeded and went on to making a new season.



Production

Power Rangers Turbo had been a struggle regarding constant changing in the show's cast and adapting humor-driven sentai footage to match a more serious themed storyline, PRIS would be an even bigger nightmare. With a reduced budget (due to the failures of Turbo) and rumors that the show would be cancelled if the ratings did not improve, the writers decided to go all out in terms of providing PRIS an interstellar finale which would draw the various storylines from the previous seasons to a close. The decision to make the series space-centric came after seeing preliminary character designs for Denji Sentai Megaranger and their respective Zords. The preliminary sketches showed the Megarangers riding surfboards in outer space and Zords that went from spaceship to giant robot. But there was one small problem: Saban and Toei failed to communicate with each other regarding the plot for "Megaranger". Saban assumed it would be an outer space-themed Sentai series; in truth Toei had created a video-game/electronic gadget-themed Sentai series that never left Earth.



Faced with an impossible task of reconciling the wants of the writers and the footage at hand, it was decided by Judd Lynn to go ahead with the "space war" storyline in spite of the problems with the Megaranger footage. A great deal of the budget would be spent creating cheap green screen space footage for the Zords traveling in space as well as shooting new fight scenes with the "...In Space" Rangers which were tinted a different color for broadcast so as to create the appearance of the battles taking place on alien worlds.

Two team-up episodes were commissioned along the way bringing Blake Foster (Justin from "Power Rangers Turbo") and Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam, succeeding Zack as the second Black Power Ranger, Green Zeo and Original Green Turbo Ranger) to the show to try and tie up loose ends. The Phantom Ranger, who's identity was never revealed in "Turbo", was also brought back for a multi-episode arc, but plans to reveal his identity fell through due to budget problems forced Lynn to cut the episode where his identity was to be revealed.

Also, the show would be the first Power Rangers series to be completely serialized, in that the series was the first series to rely on a continuing plot that unfolds episode by episode. This series also featured plot devices and storylines never before seen in a Power Rangers series. The series is also highly regarded for being the first Power Rangers series to feature sympathetic and multi-dimensional villains in the form of Astronema and Ecliptor. Astronema was Red Space Ranger Andros' sister, Karone, who was kidnapped by the cruel Darkonda as a child and raised by the cyborg Ecliptor to be the evil Dark Spectre's harbringer of evil. When Astronema learns the truth about her identity, she is tortured and brainwashed into staying evil by Dark Specter and Darkonda. Ecliptor, who sees himself as Astronema's father due to him raising her, gains a level of depth not seen by many villains on the show when he tries to defend his adopted daughter, only to be cruelly tortured by the sadistic Darkonda, who forces the two to merge into a singular entity, leaving Ecliptor broken both physically and mentally.



Synopsis

After being defeated by Divatox, the Turbo Rangers leave for space in search of their old mentor, Zordon. They come across the new Red Ranger, Andros, who initially doesn't trust them, but after they help him in battle and help save his Astro Megaship, he awards them all new Astro Morphers, allowing them to transform into new Space Rangers. With the aid of new allies and old, such as the Silver Space Ranger, Zhane, and the Phantom Ranger, they face the monstrous Dark Specter, his herald of evil, Astronema, Astronema's loyal general and adopted father Ecliptor, and the homicidal Psycho Rangers.
For the bulk of the series, the plot involves the Space Rangers trying to find Zordon, who's being prepared for death at the hands of Dark Specter so that the monster could absorb his powers into his own. To keep the Rangers from doing this, Astronema and Ecliptor launch attacks on Earth to keep the Rangers busy saving the planet instead of traveling to alien worlds. The arrival of the Psycho Rangers came on the heels of Andros discovering the truth about Astronema, that she was Karone, his sister. It takes time for her to come to grips with this, but she proves to the Rangers who she really is by turning against Dark Specter and re-joining her brother. The remaining Rangers realize they were wrong about her and accept her. This does not last, as the arrival of the sadistic Darkonda results in Astronema being re-brainwashed and Ecliptor being defiled when Darkonda (who has multiple lives) forcibly gives Ecliptor cybernetic implants to remove any trace of good within him. This culminates in the eight episode "Psycho Rangers" saga when Astronema releases 5 evil, insane cybernetic Rangers on Earth to hunt down and kill the Space Rangers.

In the final two parter of the series "Countdown to Destruction", everything comes full-circle when Dark Specter attacks the Earth and all remaining strongholds of good in the universe while absorbing Zordon's life into his own at long last. The Space Rangers, the Alien Rangers, the Phantom Ranger, the Blue Senturion, the Gold Ranger, and the KO-35 rebels fight hard but they are outnumbered and outgunned. The Space Rangers, having lost two out of four Megazords, fight hard to defend Earth, but even with weapons such as the Battlizer, they are overwhelmed and forced to regroup. Darkonda decides he's done with being an underling and destroys Dark Specter with a weapon meant for Earth, but he is killed as well. Astronema is now the "Queen of Evil" now that Dark Specter is gone much to Divatox's chagrin, and Andros, in a last-ditch effort, goes to the Dark Fortress to try to turn her back to good.

As the five remaining Space Rangers fight on Earth, Andros finds Zordon on the Fortress, no longer in danger of losing his power. Zordon tells Andros to shatter his energy tube, allowing his energy to wipe out the forces of evil (those allied with Dark Specter) and he would perish in the process. Before Andros can do so, Astronema attacks him, and Andros is unable to hurt her, and gets beaten badly in the process. She is about to kill her own brother, but Andros deflects her fire, back at her, killing her.



Ecliptor comes in and sees what happened, and his caring for Astronema returns. The two of them fight, with Andros winning, but then the unthinkable happens. Andros had no choice but to detonate the tube containing Zordon, which Andros did not want to do. Andros shatters the tube, allowing Zordon's essence to expand throughout the universe. All of the known villains in the Power Rangers universe are obliterated, almost. Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, and Divatox are changed into human form, no longer evil.

The Dark Fortress touches down on Earth, and Andros, with his sister's lifeless body in his arms, emerges. As he cries for her, she comes back to life. The Rangers are overjoyed and evil has been defeated.



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