Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue(2000) assembled a very different team from the one featured inMighty Morphinand confirmed how absurd Zordon’s plan was in hindsight. Although manyPower Rangersplot holes and headscratchers do not have in-universe explanations, the 31-year-old franchise has given fans more than enough material to come up with theories to justify the show’s decisions. For example, in the comics, we learn that the five teenagers from Angel Grove were not Zordon’s firstteam of Power Rangers.
In the show’s canon, there is little to no context behind Zordon’s decision to assemble a team of high school kids to fight monsters. As soon as Rita Repulsa escaped her space dumpster, Zordon asked Alpha to find“five teenagers with attitude.”Enter Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly, all of whom proved to be worthy tomorph into Power Rangers. However, compared to a team of high-performer athletes and first responders assembled inLightspeed Rescue, it is interesting howthe fate of the Earth was once at the hands of five teenagers who still had to do homework.
Lightspeed Rescue’s Team Consisted Of Trained Adults (Not School Kids)
Carter Grayson Led A Team Of “Professional Superheroes”
By assembling a team of highly trained adults who were constantly working in dangerous conditions,Lightspeed Rescuehighlighted how odd it was for Zordon to enlist high school kids as soldiers.Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescueis one of the show’s most grounded seasons, which may seem like a strange definition for a story about demons trying to conquer the world. Still, compared to teenagers facing a space witch and her minions every week,Lightspeed Rescuehad a surprisingly realistic approach to thePower Rangersuniverse. The Rangers were now employees of a governmental agency.
Power Rangers In Order: How To Watch Every Series Chronologically & By Release Date
From Mighty Morphin to Cosmic Fury, here is how to watch every Power Rangers TV show in order, both chronologically and by release date.
Rather than an interdimensional being or a wizard, theLightspeed RescueRangers were assembled by a military man. As the leader of the Lightspeed operation,Captain Mitchell was ahead of their Power Rangers program and picked up five people from different fields of expertisewho would have what it takes to be a Ranger. InLightspeed Rescue, the Rangers are not primarily superheroes whose main mission is to fight monsters but rather an elite team of force responders that can deal with the most extreme situations. It’s a very different approach from whatMighty Morphindid.
Adult Power Rangers Teams Were Some Of The Franchise’s Best
Seasons Like Time Force, S.P.D, And R.P.M. Were Standouts
Lightspeed Rescuewas not the firstPower Rangersteam consisting of adults. InLost Galaxy, the first post-Zordon season, we only spend a few minutes in Angel Grove before Leo boards Terra Venture and travels to outer space. There, he becomes a Ranger alongside three technicians who were working at the space colony and a warrior from another planet.Lost Galaxydoes not focus too much on the background of its characters, though, whereasLightspeed Rescueoften references the Rangers’ jobsand fields of expertise.Time Force,Lightspeed Rescue’s successor, also followed a team of trained adults.
Titanium Ranger
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Similar to Lightspeed, the Time Force was a human-made organization that developed Ranger technology and created its own team of heroes. A similar approach was used inS.P.D. – although Space Patrol Delta was not founded on Earth – andR.P.M., the latter of which took place in a post-apocalyptic world. Coincidence or not,thePower Rangersseasons that followed adult, slightly more serious characters were among the show’s best.Although it’s difficult for there to be amaturePower Rangersseason, series likeLightspeed RescueandR.P.M.found clever ways to tell more grounded, high-stakes stories.
Power Rangers Would Still Have Many Other Teams Formed By Teenagers
Some Seasons Went Back To The Mighty Morphin Formula
Teenagers becoming superheroes and transforming into stronger versions of themselves with the help of a morpher and a cool battle cry was part of the reason whyMighty MorphinPower Rangerswas so catchy. Given how well the show worked, it made sense to keep this formula for future seasons. Apart from a few cast changes, such as the exits of three original Rangers and the arrival of new ones inMMPRseason 2,Power Rangerstried to keep the same set of characters in the same environment for a while.
InDino Thunder, Tommy Oliver, now a high school teacher, mentors a new team of Power Rangers.
It was only inPower Rangers in Space, now with the newTurboRangers joining newcomer Andros, that the franchise first tried something truly new. Even thoughPower Rangersbecame very different in the early 2000s, the show would still have dozens of other seasons that followedMighty Morphin’s formula.Dino Thunder,Samurai, andMegaforceare examples ofPower Rangersseasons featuring teenagers who are recruited by a powerful mentor to become superheroes. There is a certain charm toMMPR’s original formula, even though the riskier seasons likePower Rangers Lightspeed Rescuewere usually the best ones.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Cast
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is a television series that premiered in 2000, serving as the eighth season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a team of five rescue workers who become superheroes known as the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers, tasked with saving the world from demonic forces led by the evil Diabolico.
