Power Rangers’ darkest season showed that the series could be slightly more mature without ever abandoning its original tone and changed the franchise forever. While Power Rangers has fans of all ages and from all around the world, many of whom grew up watching the show, the series was always primarily aimed at younger audiences. As a result, there was only so much Power Rangers could show or say, even if a scene was meant to be more serious. However, as the series evolved, some seasons started to take more liberties and explored more mature themes.

Having humor and silly moments is part of the essence of Super Sentai, and the same can be said about Power Rangers. However, just like what happens in the mature Power Rangers seasons was Lost Galaxy, which premiered in 1999 in the aftermath of Zordon’s death.

Lost Galaxy Remains Power Rangers’ Darkest Season

Lost Galaxy Did Things Power Rangers Had Never Done

Between the brother of the main character apparently dying in battle, a warrior seeking revenge for the death of his child, the death of a Power Ranger, and the villain’s ultimate plan involving self-destroying minions, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy is the show’s darkest season. The first entry in the post-Zordon Era, Lost Galaxy had little connections to the previous seasons. The only exception was the return of the Astro Megaship as well as the crossover episodes with Power Rangers in Space. With a clean slate to start a new story, Lost Galaxy had a lot more freedom than previous seasons did.

Kendrix was written out of the story after actress Valerie Vernon had to leave the show for medical reasons. She would return for the finale and the Lightspeed Rescue crossover.

After years following the Angel Grove characters, Power Rangers now needed to make us care about an all-new set of heroes. The Lost Galaxy pilot is told from the perspective of Leo, who loses his brother at the end of the episode and ends up becoming the Galaxy Red Ranger. While Leo’s brother was revealed to be alive later on the show, Lost Galaxy continued to be a rather season. The death of the Magna Defender’s son is shown on screen, and Pink Ranger Kendrix dies in battle.

Lost Galaxy Was Very Different From Previous Power Rangers

It Was The First Season Without Zordon Or Angel Grove

Mighty Morphin White Ranger Tommy Oliver wielding Saba and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy's Red Ranger Leo

While Power Rangers in Space had already been a fantastic season that revitalized the show, Power Rangers had been a very formulaic show for too long. Many of the characters and locations from Mighty Morphin remained on the show until Turbo, during which it became clear that the series needed something new. In Space ended with Zordon making the ultimate sacrifice, allowing Power Rangers to fully move on from the Mighty Morphin era. Lost Galaxy was a bolder, more inventive season compared to its predecessor and followed adult characters rather than teenagers.

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy's Team
Character	Color
Leo	Red Ranger
Maya	Yellow Ranger
Kai	Blue Ranger
Daemon	Green Ranger
Kendrix	Pink Ranger
Karone	Pink Ranger
Mike	Magna Defender

Lost Galaxy was a sci-fi-oriented Power Rangers season, a combination that continued to work for the show. Heavily inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation, the show had the Rangers as space explores as they navigated through a literal lost galaxy. Lost Galaxy was very different from the Super Sentai on which it was based, yet the space setting worked perfectly. Power Rangers never stopped being a kids' show, and Lost Galaxy had plenty of silly and funny moments just like the other seasons. Still, it did things the series had never done, including killing off a Ranger.

Lost Galaxy’s Success Paved The Way For Other Seasons To Be More Serious

It Was Followed By Lightspeed Rescue And Time Force

A custom image featuring the SPD Red Ranger, the Lost Galaxy Rangers without their helmets, and the Lost Galaxy Red Ranger in Power Rangers

The successes of In Space and Lost Galaxy proved beyond doubt that Power Rangers could be more than “five teenagers with attitude” fighting a monster every week in their hometown. Granted, this continued to be the main formula of Power Rangers. However, seasons like Lost Galaxy proved that it was fine for the show to break its formula now and then. Lost Galaxy also confirmed that Power Rangers could now be an anthology, with each season having an entirely different motif and set of main characters.

A blended image features Tommy Oliver in Dino Thunder, Jason in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and the Power Rangers SPD team

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.

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Had Lost Galaxy failed, I wonder if Power Rangers would have continued with standalone seasons, or if it would have tried to bring back some of the Mighty Morphin characters more often. The fact is that Lost Galaxy paved the way for slightly darker and more mature seasons, particularly Lightspeed Rescue and Time Force. The early 2000s were a great time for Power Rangers and allowed the show to grow beyond its original formula, even if just a little. Other darker seasons include S.P.D. and R.P.M., both of which are among the show’s best.