Better Know a Villain: In Space

Astronema
Actress: Melody Perkins

A new villain for the new season, Astronema heralds a brand-new paradigm where at least one villain each season is an attractive woman who is basically human in appearance. For that, all boys and men born between 1984 and 1996 should celebrate her.

Beyond that, she starts the season as basically a cipher. She gets better, but it takes quite a few episodes for her to have much more personality than "wild-overacting villain in leather."

Melody Perkins had a few bit parts on TV and retired in 2004. Not exactly the most surprising career arc for a Power Rangers actor.


Ecliptor
Voice Actor: Lex Lang

Ecliptor is Astronema's second-in-command. He's your standard noble demon type. You know, he's willing to help an army of unspeakable evil conquer the universe, but he has a code of honor. It's worth noting that his code says nothing about sending giant monsters to destroy city centers week after week.


Elgar
Voice Actor: Derek Stephen Prince

Elgar's back. No one's quite sure why. Not even the characters in the show.


Quantrons

Astronema's troops who exist mainly to get pummeled into the ground over and over and over.

Better Know a Villain: Turbo

Divatox
Actress: Carol Hoyt (1st half)/Hilary Shepard Turner (2nd half)

Okay, this one is going to take some explaining. You see, Divatox is a space pirate, but, one day, she decided that it would be cool to travel to some hidden dimension, wake up an unfathomable evil, and marry him. Anyway, long story short, in the movie that preceded this series, the Rangers showed up and blew up her husband but good.

In the series proper, she travels to Earth in order to get revenge, but eventually that shifts to her just wanting to conquer the whole planet. Because, well, why not, I guess.

Hilary Shepard Turner played Divatox in the movie, but then had to go on maternity leave, and so was replaced by Carol Hoyt until Turner could come back. Neither actress really made it beyond bit parts on TV, although in looking that up, I found that Turner had apparently guest-starred on Deep Space Nine, and I can vaguely remember her character. A new high for Power Ranger actor recognition!



Elgar
Actor: Danny Wayne Stallcup
Voice: Derek Stephen Prince

For some reason, despite the fact that the entire team of villains this season is composed of basically incomptent characters, the producers decided to add a comic relief villain. Of course, to make him stand out, they had to make him really useless.

Because of that, I've always had a soft spot for Elgar, I mean, he was basically a hopeless loser who was doing his best, but just couldn't do anything right. Let's just say I know what that's like.



Rygog
Actor: Ed Neil
Voice: Alexis Lang

Divatox's general who's sole weakness is his terrible, terrible design. I mean, the guy can barely walk. Hell, I'm pretty sure that the Rangers once beat him by pusing him on his side.



Porto
Actor: Scott Page-Pagter

Porto is Divatox's lieutenant in charge of making monsters to be annihilated by the Rangers, but only after teaching them an important life lesson. It's a more difficult job than you'd expect. You have to watch the Rangers, see their foibles, create a monster that exploits said foibles, forcing them to overcome it in order to win, and then do it all again next week. It's a thankless task, but someone's got to do it.



Piranhatrons
Actor: Men who gave up their lives in order to pursue their dream of becoming a Hollywood stuntman. The dream died hard.

The Piranhatrons are Divatox's soliders of choice who, like the Light Brigade of old, are sent to their certain doom at the hands of the Rangers. Theirs is a tale of quiet loyalty, grim determination, and the need to pad out episodes.