Save Our Ship

Power Rangers in Space, Episode 3

Original Airdate: 2-20-1998

Last Time: The Rangers got new powers, and new leader. Neither seemed particularly promising.

The Astro Megaship heads back towards Earth as the Rangers check out the holodeck, I mean, Simudeck. T.J. and Ashley are inside fighting some monsters. Acutally, I'm pretty sure that the entire point of the Simudeck was to find a way to use the Japanese footage that they couldn't quite fit into the whole "in Space" theme of the season. The Rangers are impressed. Alpha 6 informs them that the ship has made it back to Earth. Andros is apprehensive about going to Earth, but Ashley is there to cheer him up...or get in his pants...or both. Down on Earth, Bulk and Skull have new jobs: trying to discover a comet in order to make money. Well, I suppose it could work if-no, scratch that, that plan makes absolutely no sense. They manage to discover an ominous space station that's half wire-frame instead. They faint at the sight. Credits!

The Rangers undock the shuttle, and head down to Earth. From the space station seen by Bulk and Skull earlier, better known as the Dark Fortress, Astronema plots their destruction. Elgar shows up. Astronema decides to throw him off her ship, but Elgar has apparently been sent by Dark Specter himself. I guess Dark Specter appreciates the necessity of keeping the atmosphere on his Dark Fortresses loose and relaxed, so his minions will be more productive. Down on Earth, the Rangers head to some place called the Surf Spot. Apparently the old juice bar and Lt. Stone are gone. Since they never explain what happened, I'll assume that Lt. Stone and the juice bar were burned to the ground by the Russian mob. Andros is confused by the notion of a "restaurant." Bulk and Skull are also there. Andros accidentally knocks down a surfboard that was hung on the wall and is introduced to the Surf Spot's owner, Adelle, who is played by the woman who played Laverne on Scrubs. I'm pretty sure that makes her the most successful actress who has ever been on Power Rangers. She serves the Rangers fries without them ordering any. She pushes her product hard. Anyway, Bulk and Skull are doing their typical Bulk and Skull antics, which Andros responds to by using his telekinesis to taint Bulk's milkshake with hot sauce. Ashley notices but says nothing, making her an accessory to Andros' crimes. Bulk and Skull find their new mentor, a guy named Professor Phenomenus, and Bulk drinks the hot sauced-milkshake. He staggers around in pain as Andros laughs. Andros is an asshole. Anyway, Bulk and Skull talk some about the space ship they saw, and then leave. The other Rangers realize that it must be the Dark Fortress....which none of them have ever seen or heard of. They decide to get their supplies and get back up to the ship. Ashley confronts Andros about the use of telekinesis for asshole pranks, and he's evasive.

Bulk and Skull have made it to Phenomenus' mailbox, which is in the middle of an empty field. They turn to leave, but hear a voice from the mailbox. Bulk and Skull explain about the aliens, and Phenomenus shows up in his van to meet with the pair in person. A new crack comic relief team is formed. The Rangers get their supplies, but Andros realizes that they're being followed. Some Quantrons attack, and well, you can probably guess how it goes. Andros posits that Astronema intend to destroy the shuttle. The Rangers morph and run back to the NASADA base where they are keeping the shuttle. The shuttle gets prepped for launch, as apparently the NASADA Commander, in addition to giving the Rangers a free shuttle, has apparently given the infinite launch supplies for that shuttle. You know, Commander, it's guys like you inspire those Tea Party activists.

Phenomenus has driven his van to the NASADA launch site as well. Bulk and Skull are excited because they believe that their mentor may be less bumbling than them. Their hopes are immediately dashed as Phenomenus reveals that they've stopped because of a flat tire. Phenomenus claims that there are aliens by the NASADA sign. Bulk and Skull realize they may be teamed up with someone who's completely out of his mind. Some Quantrons show up, though, and restore Bulk and Skull's faith in Phenomenus' fragile link to reality. Ecliptor also shows up and Andros' explains that the monster is Astronema's chief lieutenant. Also, the producers must have told the voice actor playing Ecliptor, "You know Clint Eastwood, kind of like that, but gravelier." He beats the Rangers up a bit. Astronema fires a laser at the launch facility, and a bunch of it gets destroyed, but not the shuttle. Ecliptor decides to leave. Astronema fires the laser again, but misses. The shuttle takes off. The rest of the launch facility blows up. Man, NASADA's going to have some explaining to do about that one: "Well, Senator, according to our sources, the destruction of our Angel Grove launch site was the result of poorly-targeted fire by a young woman in leather firing a laser from her space fortress." Anyway, Astronema claims to be more clever than the Power Rangers, and proves it by using her satellilaser to make Ecliptor grow to giant-size. Nothing says cleverness like doing what has been done several hundred time before. The Rangers form the Astro Megazord. The fight commences. After a bit, Ecliptor uses kaleidoscope vision to disorient the Rangers. Ashley is able to use some sort of vaguely defined camera power to find the real Ecliptor, and the Rangers finish him off.

Back in the Astro Megaship, the ship checks out and the supplies are loaded. Ashley challenges Andros to a game of pool, and they head to the Simudeck. Andros shows off by grabbing his pool cue with his telekinesis, confirming Ashley's suspicions. He offers to trade lessons in pool for lesson in telekinesis. You know, if you have telekinesis, you don't really need to learn the finer points of pool. Up in the Dark Fortress, Astronema has the most painful plan ever devised to beat the Rangers. She looks at a turtle, and my insides instinctively spasm. I know where this is heading. She ominously tells Elgar to lock onto the sewers of New York City. The lasers drag a live-action version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles out of the sewers. There are five of them. Something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. Show Over! Pain...Beginning!

Next Time: Haim Saban destroys a generation's childhood in twenty-two minutes!