Destined For Greatness

Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy, Episode 16

Original Airdate: 9-25-1999

Last Time: The Magna Defender killed himself in order to prevent a disaster that he was entirely responsible for causing. This was apparently sad. And Mike's back.

At the Galactic Apartment, where all of the Rangers seem to live, Leo gives a toast to Mike, who goes on to praise the Magna Defender for saving his life and then using said life in his quest for violent revenge. Mike exposits about the history of the Magna Defender, and how it is that Mike came to be here today. It doesn't make a terrific amount of sense, so let's just summarize as the Magna Defender took Mike's body and then dumped it right before he died. Great? Great. Later, Mike realizes that he has to explain how exactly he came to be on Terra Venture after falling off of the face of the Earth for several months. Everyone decides to laugh at that very real problem, and suddenly Leo remembers that it was Mike who drew the Quasar Saber and is better than him in every way, and so broods.

On the command carrier, Scorpius denies Trakeena's request to fight the Rangers and instead summons a monster named Skelecron, who has some sort of MacGuffin Warriors that can use the Rangers own power against them. New Credits! They show that this year's Battilizer will somehow look worse than In Space's abomination...amazing.

Later, Leo is brooding. Oh, you'd think that his brother miraculously being brought back to life would stop him, but no, no such luck. Kendrix drives up and asks why Leo can't just stop being so emo. He explains that he's feeling unsure of his right to be Red Ranger, and Kendrix can't quite bring herself to say much more than "Oh, Leo."

Mike shows up and the two brother have a talk about the value of life. It's very boring and thankfully interrupted by a monster attack. Skelecron captures all of the Rangers except Leo and Mike by means of magical mirrors. Leo gets cut on the arm, and Mike has to rescue him and retreat from the fight.

Back at the Galactic Apartment, Mike is tending to Leo, who's angry that they retreated instead of getting captured like the other Rangers. Mike, however, is much smarter than Leo, and had put a homing device on one of the Sting Wingers so that they could track the monster at their leisure.

Elsewhre, to the sounds of harpsichord music, Skelecron drains the captured Rangers' power into some new monsters. He notices the homing device, which was one of Mike's dog tags, and is forced to speed up the process. Skelecron is only able to get one finished by the time the brother arrive, though, and it is quickly beaten. However, the delay allows for the creation of another monster, which is also beaten. However, Leo drops his sword in the process, and Mike hands it back to him. Leo tells him to keep it, but Mike breaks my heart by insisting that Leo stay on as the Red Ranger. Mike insists that "Destiny doesn't make mistakes," which is, of course, meaningless tautology.

Mike and Leo finally make it to the warehouse where Skelecron is making his monsters, and run into the last two, as there was only one for each captured Ranger. Leo breaks Skelecron's mirrors, and the other Rangers escape. There's a very, very stock fight sequence, and the Rangers beat Skelecron with their Lights of Orion attack. The monster gets big, and traps the Galaxy Megazord in a mirror. Mike feels compelled to do something, but can't.

The ghost of the Magna Defender appears with his son and gives Mike his sword and a new morpher, and thus installs him as the new Magna Defender. I will still refer to him as "Mike," though. The Magna Defender disappears to the afterlife, and I'll miss his raspy voice and extreme willingness to endanger innocent lives. Mike morphs in an extremely busy motion that involves him throwing his sword into the air, opening part of a morpher on one wrist, inserting into the morpher on his other wrist and then catching the sword. Mike kills the new monster, and that'll about do it for the episode.

The other Rangers are happy that Mike is the new Magna Defender, but Damon claims that a bull isn't as cool as a condor. I guess Condor Zord sales had been lagging at the time, because, well, when I think of cool animals, condors are pretty far down on the list, right above voles and below the now-extinct tarpan.

Later, Commander Stanton is addressing the Terra Venture council of elders, adorned in their crimson jumpsuits of leadership. Mike shows up and confuses everyone, as he's supposed to be very, very dead. Commander Stanton asks for an explanation and Mike can't think of anything, but is saved by the council of elders who don't really care. Mike gets his job back and is bizarrely excited about it. Show Over!

Next Time: You think you've seen stupid episodes this season? Huh, is that what you think? You think Maya and Kendrix's grocery was moronic? Or maybe you thought that the villains deciding to break open sunflower statues in search of ancient magical power was dumb? Perhaps you thought it couldn't get more brainless than Kai's lust for a skater? Well, let me tell you something: You ain't seen nothing yet.