Power Rangers Lost Galaxy: A Journey of Sacrifice

[Music] [Applause] [Music] hello Internet I am the Disney brain and my favorite season of Power Rangers is lost galaxy for me it doesn't just represent a highlight of my childhood or a quality season of a franchise I have unmatched love for it's much more personally affecting than that so it only seems right that after picking apart the missteps and Samurai that I discussed what made this journey across the cosmos just so captivating it bears noting that not only will there be spoilers here but that pretty much every important plot point will be spoiled here so if you want to start or finish los galaxy before then you know what to do with that said let's not waste any more time and jump right in Power Rangers lost galaxy marked the beginning of the post Ordon era after Jordan selflessly sacrificed himself to stop astronomer's invasion of Earth as well as destroying all of the evil in the galaxy that we knew about at the time a perfect ending to a great season that was almost the last for Power Rangers but because in space did so well the franchise kept going strong and lost galaxies began and as most of you know lost galaxies represents the first major shift in the casting and characterization culture for ranger seasons during all six Ranger seasons prior to this one the Rangers were in high school even during early in space episodes that was still a defining feature before slowly phasing it out to focus more on the final frontier it also represents the first real disconnect from a past seeing as how no Rangers in this season until Cronin joins later our from any previous ones this was the correct move because it was high time for Power Rangers to diversify their storytelling and experiment with different directions and themes and to separate themselves from the previous space themed adventure they made our heroes for the season young professionals traversing space thus along the entire team to be characterized by traits outside of being students the first rank being the fact that most of the team works on Terra venture in addition to living there now let's discuss why quasar Quest is the perfect season opener firstly we already know that Leo is eventually going to be the Red Ranger from the opening credits it's not a mystery so the challenge was then to present him in such a way where we understand why he'd be they convey so much about Leo and just one carefully cultivated first right we know he's just an ordinary guy that gets thrusted into a spectacular situation not even having been chosen for the Terra venture colony but despite that he still helps out a helpless elderly woman who was chosen not by overpowering but by outsmarting the would-be thieves this is characterization done right and because he's sneaky he manages the hop aboard terror venture anyways which honestly needs better security measures and through a cacophony of stumbles and mishaps including running into the universe's most perfect woman the anti guys there too he finds himself on a Starship Troopers inspired GSA training mission on the moon it's there where we learned that Mike an important part of the Terra venture crew and Leo are actually brothers and then the four meet Maya agree to try and help her except for Kai and then run the part to the idea of introducing Rangers in a more scattered way even though they all end up in the same place when Furio attacks is a smart move because there's no Zoda I'm here to assemble them all at once and it gives us time to understand the characters better before they even morph it's something seasons like SPD and even Dino charge also did right later on and I think lost galaxy does it best so in part two Kai and us the audience meet Damon for the first time and the pair of pilot the quote-unquote museum that is the Astro mega ship it is kind of weird that anyone thinks the ship is just for show especially since we know that countdown to destruction wasn't too far removed from these events but thankfully that's only ever a very minor one offline so eventually all of our heroes except Leo for now find themselves with quasar sabers in hand looking to stop the stingers and Furio unfortunately Furio gets really mad and decides to turn more annoyed into stone let's just say the mechanics of that power are inconsistent at best and move on but with the planet breaking and the Rangers needing to escape Mike finds himself unable to pull himself up from a fissure so he hands the quasar saber to Leo well he follows to his alleged death the two-part opener ends with alpha excited about the return of the Power Rangers but nobody else is the rush paste of leading Mirren oil and the cold tone in the closing minutes was perfect because everyone knows that while they might have colourful new outfits their new job would not be as shiny and physical as their Charlie Brown themed attire Maya just had to leave the only home she's ever known behind while Leo Pedley was older brother behind not only that but he knows that he wasn't chosen just like with Terra venture which on top of avenging Mike becomes his motivation for pushing himself towards Ranger respectability these opening two episodes were perfect because everyone was able to be characterized in a unique subtle and interesting way we know exactly what leo is all about before he even makes it out this space is wide-eyed wonderment about the great beyond is basically all of us as kids here even still today we learn how strict and demanding KY can be but also that sometimes even he needs to look beyond what seems reasonable to solve problems we learn how Bilgin and intelligent Kendricks is while also seeing her as a compassionate excitable person who is just as psyched about space as anyone we learned how invaluable Damon will end up being as a mechanic the type of grease in your fingers profession that is easy to overlook but is necessary here for the more technical challenges and we learned about Maya and how her ties to Mira Noi and the more naturalistic side of space will also be invaluable as well as what now motivates her as the Yellow Ranger but maybe more importantly this team has now bonded through their first test as Rangers an exceptionally difficult test that they didn't really pass they may have incredible new powers but mere annoyance and ruins and mike is gone that's our introduction before the main Bad's of the season even appear and before any Zords can be discovered the Rangers fails it hurts it's hard it's perfect this is our first sacrifice of the season and it'll push our new team to be that much better especially Leo because they have to be or the bugs will win I won't summarize every episode in this way that would honestly take hours but it's important to know how and why lost galaxies started like it did to understand the themes of sacrifice overcoming loss and overcoming yourself these themes affect different characters in different ways but some degree of sacrifice represents all of terror ventures inhabitants because remember they are all voluntarily giving up their lives on earth to find this new world a journey never before attempted so the adventure is about much more than just the rangers stopping the forces of evil it's about making that call new white sacrifice worth it now that we've set the table by analyzing quasar quest let's talk about the characters themselves and how each of them are allowed to embody those aforementioned beams and we'll start with Damon Henderson Damon is an easy enough character to understand he likes his job likes being a ranger and does what he can to help when he can he best embodies the theme of overcoming yourself not because he has any hang-ups of who he is and what he does but because other higher end people do I he the people most likely to look down upon the kind of profession Damon prides himself on especially since technically speaking he shouldn't be here either but KY Jagd him along for the ride in plays our quest part to enter high councilor near someone who is initially dismissive of Damon but ends up respecting him after his mechanical prowess aids in saving her life the interesting thing about Damon is that he flirts up the idea of being more but actually isn't all that interested his arc even though it's not as important relative to the other characters is all about others and to a lesser degree himself recognizing that he's fine with where he is as a character even if some people wish she could be more cayenne is a disciplined sharp strict no-nonsense rules and regulations are made for reason by the books type of guy characters like him often get a bad rap for being killjoys but given how many things can and do go wrong on Kara venture a one-of-a-kind space colony you need people like him maintaining order that's made very clear early on while Kai is trying to train Leo to poor results and Leo not listening the Kai causes avoidable issues please request Part two gave him his first chance to go above and beyond to save others but even then he was still inspired from the orders commander Stanton gave prior to the moon mission so those are the test was where he really got to overcome himself in that episode commander Stanton is being controlled by a monster but nobody knows that early on Kai is forced to disobey his commander for the first time which leads to him saving the colony and while it may seem like the obvious course of action we all know the historical atrocities people have justified when just following orders is the excuse when you're in the situation he was in it really makes you think rethink doubt yourself doubt others who evaluate what seems clear and then reevaluate your revaluations basically a ton of stress in many ways KY is far less characterized by his first impression compared to any of the other Rangers he is more often than the others presenting with complex or moral dilemmas and sometimes both which is the smartest possible way to develop a character built around following the letter of the law but through it all he proves time and time again to go above and beyond the call of duty figure out solutions that run deeper than his character at first glance and act selflessly which is probably why he was able to pull that sword from the stone to begin with Maya is interesting to talk about because her character embodies all three themes to varying degrees while also embodying much of the lore and missus ISM that comes with this season just in terms of the scale of it all Maya has the most overcome even though her demeanor usually doesn't show it adding on to her home having been attacked and being chosen to save the galaxy she now has to live among strangers in a space station full of technology she's never seen it helps that she looks like a human so blending in is a little easier but she still at times struggles of the customs of a species foreign to her but despite all of that she earns her stripes as a spiritual guide the Rangers need to better grasp the depths of space as an entire entity which is far more than futuristic tech that helps foster the idea that Maya's involvement could be a metaphor for the combination of both the natural and the technological elements present in this season something that's paralleled by the Galactus being both living creatures and at times machines making the trans beggars kind of like the first more first four Zords that's why it makes sense that my can hear and communicate with the Galactic beasts early on even though the mechanics of hearing creatures through space is a little wonky it's funny because even though she is mere annoyin there is this essence of humanity to her that really brings the season together to say nothing of her toughness the way Maya embodies sacrifice isn't the same as what the next few of characters will discuss it's more about pushing through the sacrifices made for her and involving her her planet is turned to stone in Episode two but she still finds the strength to soldier on she is forced to work lift and then defeat a monster that she ends up befriending but she still soldiers on she loses her best friend in the seasons third great sacrifice but she still soldiers on might had to overcome what must have felt like the entire universe conspiring against you but she never once broke so we've talked about everything Damon Kai and Maya overcame to grow his people and succeed his heroes but now this Kendricks Leo and Mike we find ourselves firmly into the realm of sacrifice of the last two overcoming loss I've probably done enough gushing about Kendricks Morgan in my last Ranger top 10 video so I'll try to keep it together this time keyword being try if Maya is what holds the season together through everything she is and represents then Kendricks is the glue that holds the team together she makes meaningful connections with everyone on the team and even attempts to understand mega defenders before he changes for the better she even had the presence of mind to remember and bake a cake for Damon's birthday who she's the least close relative to the others and having that ability to make important connections with your team especially becoming Maya's best friend in the after half of her horrifying ordeal you just can't put a price on that she's not exactly what comes to mind when you think of a fighter but just like leo she makes sure to train for the fight ahead knowing that any given day could present a new monster and her strength could end up being the difference but more than anything she's exceptionally good at her job which also benefits her hero work after all she's the one leading the charge to uncover the lost galactic peace after the incredible to the tenth power episode that saw space and galaxy rangers team up psycho pink returns looking to get her hands on a savage sword a weapon that could ruin many people's afternoons Cassie and Kendricks fighter but Cassie's Morpher gets stabbed by the sword causing a destructive chain reaction Kendricks knew that there was only one way to save the day and she willingly did it what's really perfect about this moment is not just the selfless sacrifice but what it means that someone like Kendricks is the ultimate hero but I'll discuss that overarching idea a little more later there were two major sacrifices before Kendricks but this one created this incredible tone shift in the very next episode conveying a group of Rangers who are sick and tired of all the loss I needed to just get things done they did all of that with minimal dialog clays our quest push the team forward but power of pink nearly pushed the team to a breaking point before Curran arrived kendricks his sacrifice leads to korone getting the pink ranger powers the idea of overcoming yourself that defines damon and KY also makes crohn's return a strong fit into the seasons narrative because as we all know overcoming herself literally means letting go of the princess of evil she once was and as lost galaxies tends to do they made a brilliant focus episode out of that idea immediately after chrome inherited the pink quasar saber because before she could be a hero she first needed to confront and defeat her villainous past one last time chrome is one of the greatest characters in all of Power Rangers mainly because of the journey she goes on and how she's able to make that switch from arguably the best villains in the franchise to one of the greatest pink Rangers journey being the operative word here because that's what lost galaxy really is a literal and metaphorical journey for all the main characters and speaking of a journey enter Mike Corbitt and Magda defender since their arcs are so intertwined I'll be talking about them at the same time so Mike sacrifice in quasar quest didn't actually kill him instead Magna defenders saved him over took his body and escaped his 3,000 year containment dollars revenge on Scorpius who by the way killed a child his child it doesn't get any easier after quasar quest magnet defender is the very epitome of a badass from his own theme music to his entire aesthetic to the amazing voice performance by Carrigan Mahon to his convertible gun sword there is also an interesting dynamic going on in him that I think was intentional because Mike who was a pure of heart guy is part of him at this point many of his actions seem to be a combination of Mike and mega defender with a larger lean towards the defenders side which also adds context as to why saving Leo was his first on-screen action and while Leo could feel my ex presence emanating from magnet defender before that reveal this duality helped keep magnet offender from being completely consumed by vengeance which almost caused the destruction of Terra venture and in the end just like Mike he sacrifices himself for others and in doing so brings Mike back to the land of the living and honors the memory of his fallen son syke then Mike inherits the powers and for time becomes the raddest looking ranger ever there's a reason Mike was chosen the first wheel the right prayers are saber and everything comes full circle when my needs to sacrifice himself again almost killing himself again to save the colony just as if Magna defenders final moment just like another late hero he too held the door or portal in this case going along with our theme that's twice now that the defender powers had been given up for the greater good and this works as a clever indirect parallel to quasar quest mike is alive this time but once again it's up to Leo and the others to finish what Mike started and save the colony once it escapes the lost galaxy which leads nicely into the younger Corvette brother Leo Corvette is one of history's greatest Rangers and part of that is because he for sure did not start that way becoming the Red Ranger wasn't all that different from sneaking onto Terra adventure in both cases he wasn't anyone's first choice but his relatable passion to see what's out there led him to his destiny as the leader of any Rangers but the important thing is he knows he wasn't chosen he's reminded of what holding that saber costume every single day until Mike's revival that's what's driving him to push further to work harder but thankfully none of that turned him into some kind of stoic edge Lord just as Maya's trials didn't convert her away from her nurturing personality he was still able to be one of the most entertaining Rangers to ever do it he's a light-hearted fun-loving charismatic and clever guy but when it's time to get serious he can flip that switch in a hurry and get the job done and because he only lasts a day as Kai's underling and never takes on another Terra venture job he doesn't have much else to focus on other than being the best ranger he can be that's his path towards overcoming the loss of his brother and because of that his priorities go through some reshuffling he focuses less on his initial plan to see what's out there and more unconnected to his team and preparing for the next fight and then when it matters most in comes his moment Kendrick sacrificed everything to save Cassie the colony and countless lives Mike nearly died again to make sure the colony could escape the lost galaxy and now at the journey's end both Leo's literal and metaphorical journey ends with his own sacrifice turkeyneck goes absolutely matter of power killing off all our sting when years and even striking down the always faithful villain max leo knows he needs to end it here so after the Rangers do a lot of initial damage he takes page from his older brothers playbook by blasting Takeda at close range a move that could have killed him to save the day once and for all and then his art closes on the perfect shot of the battle-scarred helmet Leo's journey began of Mike sacrifice and now after all the training after all the monsters after helping prevent the colony's destruction time and time again and after watching both Kendricks and his brother lead by example Leo's journey ends with him fully prepared to give it all up even though he pulls through the galaxy Rangers go through a lot during this season but notice how all of them find a way to persevere in spite of their relatively normal occupations or lack thereof they find a way to be heroes it's a powerful statement because it represents the next step of the ideas or ton originally had when he assembled five teenagers of attitudes he knew what this season knows that the desire to be a true hero is the most important part of heroism we see so many Rangers that shouldn't be there so many Rangers who don't quite fit the mold so many Rangers that shouldn't be effective you're too fun-loving you're too young you're too weak heck so does himself could have hired bigger stronger adults the world of powers if he wanted but they are given a chance or chosen anyways because of that desire to do more to give more to be more Damon could have hid behind that I'm just a mechanic label he doesn't I could have packed it in when he saw his friends disappear or when he was removed from his post he didn't my could have given up hope when she saw her friends and family turned her stone she didn't similar to Damon Hendrix could have hid behind that I'm just a scientist label to keep herself out of harm's way she never even considers it Mike and mega defender didn't have to risk everything to save everyone but them they did multiple times and Leo Corps bet he shouldn't even be here but here he is he wasn't even chosen to be a ranger but here he is every single ranger this season did more gave more and became more but none more so than big red himself and Leo needed all the more he could get because his ark is one that is parallel but your kids both end up losing a member of their family both are motivated to push themselves further as newly minted leaders because of it making for Tina's final moments during journey's end the perfect way to end this particular season and the reason Turakina losses is par for the course as well because sacrifice takes two forms in this season risking yourself for others or risking others for yourself true Tina of course chooses the latter she orders all of her stingers to commit suicide to destroy the Centaurus and strata force Megazords and she kills off villa max an excellent villain and her most loyal follower the Honorable Villa max trained her to become stronger to fend for herself oh well divvy up another great villain is setting up Scorpius to be killed making that training all the more necessary then Villa max assumes second-in-command on her ship because nobody in their right mind would trust deviant villa Max's demise wouldn't have mattered as much if he wasn't the caring devoted alien that he is one that created your king is arc and one that refused to take up arms against her despite her mad state his death at her hands is the singular moment there represents her kinas complete and total fall she has detached herself from everything and everyone in a quest for power and victory so much so that she even gives up her beauty which used to be important to her for even more power conversely it's because Leo and his team have several strong bonds pushing them forward that they eventually wear her down which then leads to Leo's moment Leo and Turkey now possess similar character arcs but one side survives because of how Leo overcame his loss compared to Chiquita although technically tricky Nia comes back in my speed but for another time even though countdown to destruction is still probably the thing you think about when it comes to best range of finales journey's end should be mentioned right alongside of it because for the reasons I explained few if any other season finales have as much narrative weight as this one the visuals the escalation and the confrontation itself are all awesome but the specific ways that the Rangers and Turkey had developed along their journeys makes their final fight mean so much more speaking on more technical details the lost galaxy team how do you leak rapport about them solo acting solid writing and good direction all melded seamlessly together to create a team that feels like a real family through the best of times the worst of times and everything in between there wasn't as much of an emphasis on human side characters this season especially with skull left earth but the focus placed on the multitude of villains creates its own story in the background although you can take her leave captain mutiny he doesn't really add too much of the story but with at least seven antagonists making noteworthy contributions to the story and the cycles on top of that you've got perhaps the most impressive and most dangerous the lineup of any season even Scorpius who can barely move adds weight to jerkiness arc because in spite of being a villain he still genuinely cares for his daughter just like he clipped her before him and erratic after him additionally I do think the chosen set designs here are as good as it gets for a ranger season the combination of advanced workstations futuristic and efficient rooms as well as multiple domes for specific environment really sells a space colony aesthetic the colony does look somewhat more crap from the outside than from the inside but that's fairly minor and not really distracting however not even lost galaxy is flawless all the way through even on the broader scope this is kind of a general superhero issue but the idea of bringing people back from the dead does slightly cheapen the sacrifice but the reason I don't have any real issue with that is because while we the audience might have expected them to return there was no reason for the characters to expect that so it doesn't lessen the plot points and development that comes from it in addition one thing lost out we didn't do as well compared to its predecessor was make the idea of traveling through space meaningful story-wise you'll notice that powerful upgrades like the trans daggers and the lights of Orion are all acquired right on terror adventure even magnin defender makes his first appearance on the colony because that's where the lights are we never even learned the name of his home planet let alone visit it and wouldn't seeing an entire race of people who look just like him just scream epic the counterpoint is the reintroduction of the planet onyx which was a nice way to connect both space seasons again since it serves as crohn's intro as a planet onyx is known for housing some bad hombres so it also makes sense that shekinah would train to become stronger there although it is ironic that she finds and recruits the two least evil antagonists of the season in a planet known for evil it's kind of weird even calling Keckler an antagonist see is quite pleasant actually but even when tera venture entered the actual los galaxy our heroes only ever had to deal with captain mutinies slave planet which also isn't named and evil if Kendricks is sacrifice on Raschi on the only planets that end up mattering our audits and mere annoying ones earth is in the rear of you the power of pink is an exceptional episode but the fact that the climax occurred on Raschi on doesn't really add anything it could have taken place on the colony and it wouldn't have really changed all that much conversely in space was able to utilize several more plants and locales to construct their story they even had two episodes where the Rangers found themselves protecting a never-before-seen alien life-form planets such as kale 35 to Quran centaur B onyx jatobá Kennex just to name a few all have roles to play and add to the idea that a lot of this isn't occurring on earth but maybe that goes back to what I was saying about Leo how he started off wanting to see what's out there but once he got his first look it became about being a better ranger and not so much about the great beyond but even still I do think there was way more they could have done with the idea of space especially the idea of a lost galaxy since the title of the season is lost galaxy yet the actual lost galaxy is only a minor part of lost galaxy aside from a handful of details and the occasional throwaway episode that every season of Rangers has at least a couple of but are much were here lost out sea proves to be a brilliantly conceived season and most of that brilliance has to do with how the characters are constructed the general plot episodes do a great job at allowing us to better understand the heroes and the villains as individuals and as a unit additionally most of the focus episodes give each member of the team a chance to take initiative in an important way and several of them stand as season highlights and other times that same focus just humanize them in a unique way and that's fine too the point being that everyone develops everyone grows everyone has multiple moments where they get to shine call their own shots and at times make their own sacrifices even tricky negates a chance to develop in a way that no villain before her ever has both to prove something to herself and to carry on the legacy of her fallen father in short lost galaxies is a season carried by character arcs enclosing lost galaxies is more than just a season of Power Rangers it's truly a journey in every sense of the word it's a tale that is more brutal and painful than any season before it but at the heart of lost galaxies is inherent understanding of heroism and choice when your moment arrives when you need to stand back up and keep moving forward when people look to you for strength in that darkest days while hope slips through their fingers what will you do who will you choose to be lost galaxy strongly informs us maybe more so than a season of Power Rangers that not everyone is a hero but anyone can be even if you weren't supposed to be hopefully that was a little more uplifting than my less than positive take on samurai talking about this season and the Rangers thereof really matters to me on a deeper level than just analysis so more than anything I hope I effectively conveyed that through this video because these are the people that come to mind when somebody asked me who my heroes are and Carter and summer and Casey and and TJ of course and and Tommy and well you get the idea and next time we talk Rangers we're going to be taking a closer look at revolutions per minute it won't be the same kind of large-scale somatic review not yet anyways but it's something I also want to discuss for a long time but until then thanks for watching [Music]

Channel: The Disney Brain

Views: 228,038

Rating: 4.9294949 out of 5

Keywords: power rangers, lost galaxy, samurai, rpm, movie, full episode, review, saban, danny slavin, russell lawrence, cerina vincent, valarie vernon, reggie rolle, archie kao, andi mack, disney channel

Id: zET6uWprlBk

Length: 28min 20sec (1700 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 28 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/yaboyjiggleclay]

I saw this. It's really great that someone loves LG like I do.