Back in 1999, Power Rangers original five-year-long storyline came to an end with the culmination of one of the franchise’s best seasons. Adapting characters and footage from the Japanese tokusatsu franchise Super Sentai for Western audiences, the Power Rangers franchise launched in 1993, introducing audiences to five teenagers from Angel Grove who become armored superheroes to battle a plethora of magical monsters and save the world from Rita Repulsa. In the 32 years since, we’ve met many new versions of the Power Rangers team, but the first few years are still the best.
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While each season of Power Rangers from 2000’s Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue onwards followed differently, disconnected versions of the titular team, the first five years of Power Rangers were all connected. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers in Space, and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy all included the same or connected characters getting new abilities, new Zords, and fighting new enemies between 1993 and 1999. On December 18, 1999, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy ended this classic era of the show with a brilliant three-part finale.
Why Power Rangers’ First Five Years Were the Franchise’s Best
Before Lightspeed Rescue completely reinvented the Power Rangers on-screen, the first seven seasons told a five-year-long throughline that was brilliant to watch develop. Originally, Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Billy Cranston became the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993, and this iteration of the team fought Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, and Rito Revolto over three seasons. This same version of the team evolved and changed throughout Zeo, Turbo, and Power Rangers in Space as members departed but chose their own replacements, following the same storyline for several years.
This established a fantastic feeling of continuity and longevity with the Power Rangers series. We had plenty of time to get to know each team and each new iteration, and each replacement made sense for the story. Even when the Power Rangers traveled to space to save Zordon in 1998 and became Space Rangers, this all still followed the same story. In Space almost ended this storyline completely, as Zordon sacrificed himself to save his team, and the Power Rangers settled on Earth, but Lost Galaxy brought back Karone from in Space, who had been the villainous Astronema, but was reverted to human.
Karone became the Pink Galaxy Ranger after Kendrix sacrificed herself during a battle with in Space’s Psycho Space Rangers. This completed Karone’s redemption arc after Power Rangers in Space, and made Power Rangers Lost Galaxy the true final instalment in the original classic era of the series—and the last of the 20th century. Lost Galaxy ended on December 18, 1999, with the Galaxy Rangers saving the traveling human colonists from iconic Power Rangers villain Trakeena and arriving on the planet Mirinoi, where they return the Quasar Swords that gift them their powers to their altar, restoring Mirinoi’s residents and even resurrecting Kendrix, allowing this era of Power Rangers to come to an incredibly satisfying end.
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