The Impenetrable Web

Power Rangers in Space, Episode 40

Original Airdate: 11-14-1998

Last Time: The Rangers fought the Psycho Rangers yet again, and won on something of a technicality.

In space, Alpha and DECA are playing that 3-d chess game from Star Trek. Alpha wins by psyching out the computer, and DECA accuses Alpha of "blunking." Andros points out that the word is "bluffing" and does not seem concerned that his shipboard computer is suffering from some sort of memory problem. The Rangers receive an incoming transmission that a NASADA astronaut is trapped on the planet Forza. First of all, I wasn't aware that NASADA was landing people on alien planets. Second, that name makes me think of Silvio Berlusconi. It turns out that NASADA isn't actually sending astronauts on interstellar voyages, but it's all part of a ruse. The astronaut turns out to be Darkonda, who's back from sabbatical. The Dark Fortress shows up and traps the Megaship in a web while the Rangers are on the planet looking for the astronaut. Credits!

On the planet, the Rangers are cut off from the Megaship, which causes them to lose their powers. What, you never remember that being part of the Rangers' powers....well....uh...you weren't paying close enough attention. Alpha calls down to the Rangers and explains the situation. Andros suggest firing the lasers, but they don't work. Astronema sends Darkonda to capture the Rangers while Ecliptor is sent to capture the Megaship.

Ecliptor, not one to waste time, beams onto the bridge and menaces both Alpha and DECA. He ends up getting crushed by a door as Alpha escapes. Ecliptor chases her into a cargo hold, and DECA banks the ship, crushing him with various debris. Alpha escapes again, taunting Ecliptor on the way out. I was wrong, this was Home Alone on the Megaship.

Darkonda is on the planet, ordering the Quantrons to get the Rangers. On the ship, Ecliptor angrily demands that DECA lead him to Alpha, which it does, but Alpha....sigh....come on, inner strength....Alpha has put some ball bearings on the floor and Ecliptor trips. The Rangers fight some Quantrons on the planet's surface and get captured.

Meanwhile, Ecliptor reaches the engine room just in time for Alpha to blow him out the airlock. Ecliptor, however, manages to hang on and close the doors and make some progress on getting control of the ship. He finds out where the Mega Voyager is, and decides to blow that up instead.

On the planet, Darkonda is about to execute the Rangers, when Zhane comes out of nowhere on a dune buggy. Oh yeah, Zhane. No one ever remembers him. Hell, I bet the Rangers watched him show up and said, "That's right, there's a sixth Ranger...I totally forgot." Up in space, Ecliptor manages to beam himself into the computer. Darkonda, having completely lost his mind, decides to charge directly into the path of the speeding dune buggy, and get run over and destroyed. The remaining Quantrons are so demoralized by this action that they just kind of give up and let the Rangers go.

Alpha calls in to explain that Ecliptor is about the destroy the Mega Voyager, so the Rangers send Zhane to stop him. He arrives just in time to see Eclpitor arrive with extra power which, for some reason, has turned him red. Zhane tries to fight him, but makes no headway. Ecliptor decides to get on with it and grows to super-size.

On Forza, Andros has a plan to get back onto the Megaship. It involves the Battilizer armor, making it a bad idea by definition. It works, but that doesn't make the Battilizer look any less ridiculous. Elsewhere, Zhane calls for the Mega Winger, which fails miserably. Ecliptor starts wrecking the Mega Voyager's base. The other Rangers show up in the Astro and Delta Megazords. The Delta Megazord moves into attack....and is promptly cut to little pieces and destroyed forever. He knocks down the remaining two megazord and decides to destroy Earth. The Astro Megazord follows, but can't stop him, and manages to get its sword broken in half. Fortunately, the Rangers once more escape certain defeat when Ecliptor runs out of power and has to shrink down to normal size. The Rangers fight him and foot and eventually take him down, but that only leads to him reverting to his normal black-and-green color scheme.

Later, the Rangers are taking stock: The Delta Megazord has fallen, never to rise again, and the Mega Voyager's base is in ruins. Fortunately, they're able to salvage the Mega Voyager itself, unfortunately, I've seen next episode. On the Dark Fortress, Astronema and Ecliptor are mildly pleased at their strategic victory, and Astronema has another plan. Show Over!

Next Time: The Sierra Club presents: The SUV That Killed!