Dark Specter and the United Alliance of Evil initiate their plan to destroy any remaining forces of good within the galaxy, including the Power Rangers.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Agitated Item Stomping: Andros kicks over a piece of metal in frustration after the Rangers regroup in the second half of the episode.
- Back for the Finale: Plenty of faces from the past:
- Rita, Zedd, Goldar, Mondo, Machina, Sprocket, Klank & Orbus, and Divatox are all on the bad guy's side.
- Meanwhile, the Blue Senturion, Gold Ranger, Phantom Ranger and the Aquitarian Rangers are fighting Dark Specter's armies.
- Big "NO!": Divatox yells "No" when Astronema is declared the Supreme Ruler of the United Alliance of Evil.
- Clothing Damage: When the rangers get demorphed on Earth, their clothes get seriously damaged.
- Continuity Cavalcade: Being the functional Series Fauxnale of the franchise, this episode (and the subsequent installment) takes pains to bring back every major enemy faction from throughout the show's run, including all of its lead villains and several supporting heroes, who are seen attempting to fight off encroaching forces on multiple planets.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- Andros and Ashley are knocked down by Darkonda and Ecliptor, Zhane's Mega Winger is critically damaged, and T.J., Carlos and Cassie are defeated by Astronema's forces.
- The Rangers' various allies fare even worse. Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion are overwhelmed by Mondo and Machina's attack, Trey is severely outnumbered by Rita and Zedd's army, the Alien Rangers get captured by Divatox's forces, and the KO-35 rebels can't hold out without help.
- Dare to Be Badass: Upon deploying to Earth amidst the largest attack by an enemy force up to this point in the series (and the franchise!):Andros: Alright, guys... this is the big one, but we can do it! Right?
Team: RIGHT! - Darkest Hour: The Rangers are defeated and demorphed, the Angel Grove citizens are rounded up by Quantrons and Piranahtrons, the Mega Winger is destroyed along with Dark Specter and Darkonda, and Astronema is now the Supreme Ruler.
- Downer Ending: Astronema succeeds Dark Specter as the Supreme Ruler and the Rangers are defeated.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:Carlos: Look at this! Over a thousand Velocifighters.
Andros: Heading where?
Carlos: Heading... heading for Earth. - Failed a Spot Check: The encroaching Quantrons in Angel Grove, who are seen pushing citizens away from the debris field caused after Dark Specter's death, are seemingly unaware that the Rangers have shown up behind them and are busy having a conversation (with Alpha, no less) talking about what's just happened.
- Finale Production Upgrade: In addition to the Continuity Cavalcade, the grand majority of the episode is American footage, with only a few clips of stock footage used to represent the call to arms of the villains. The rest is wholly-original footage, including the segments with suit-majority characters (i.e. Lord Zedd, Putties, Rygog, The Machine Empire, the other rangers, etc.), and the segment of the Mega Winger battling the Velocifighters. We also get scenes of city destruction and panic as graphic as it can be for a children's television show.
- Forced to Watch: Zordon is taken to the Dark Fortress to see the end of his era.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- Despite being permanently hidden away on data cards, the Blue, Yellow and Red Psycho Rangers are seen amongst the crowd of enemies being led by Zedd and Rita. This may be chalked up to prop recycling, as it's likely the production team needed every available monster suit to convey the scope of the attacking armies.
- It's not clear if it was an Easter Egg or a member of the prop department throwing everything and the kitchen sink into the evil army scenes, but one of the Z-Putties is carrying the Red Dragon Thunderzord's Warrior mode staff. A Fearog can also be seen holding one of the White Shogunzord's weapons (now human-sized).
- Also among the crowds in Zedd and Rita's armies, several monsters from Big Bad Beetleborgs can be seen, including the Aqualungs, Porkasaurus and others.
- From Bad to Worse: The United Alliance of Evil launches an attack on the galaxy. Then, the Quantrons and Piranahtrons turn up and invade Earth. Then, the Rangers are curb-stomped and demorphed, the Angel Grove citizens are rounded up and Astronema becomes the new Supreme Ruler.
- He's Back!: Villainous example with Zedd when his and Rita's forces take down the Gold Zeo Ranger. After having been sidelined since the end of Zeo, the Emperor of All [He] Sees excitedly remarks it's great to be back in the game.
- Heroic BSoD: The rangers fall into a collective one when they get defeated by Astronema's forces and are forced to go into hiding among the city's wreckage.
- Hope Spot: Zordon tries taking Astronema down throughout the episode. For a moment, she hesitates, her implants short-circuiting as he tells her she is not evil... and then she just goes right back to business.
- Irony:
- The only reason the United Alliance of Evil is still invading the universe is because Dark Specter and Darkonda brainwashed Astronema and Ecliptor to remain evil...and Dark Specter and Darkonda were just destroyed.
- A mother assures her son that the Rangers will save the day, while the defeated teens appear in the background.
- Killed Off for Real: Darkonda kills Dark Specter by hitting him with two planet-destroying weapons. Dark Specter kills Darkonda by eating him after swallowing the second planet-destroying weapon.
- Magic Pants: When Ecliptor shoots Andros out of the sky, his Battlizer form disappears and his suit remains unscathed. Well, at least until he and Ashley get demorphed...
- Mass "Oh, Crap!":
- The Angel Grove citizens have a moment of terror when Astronema's forces are about to launch an attack on them.
- The Rangers get a moment of shock when they realize that Astronema is now the Supreme Ruler.
- Monumental Damage: Angel Grove is functionally trashed by Astronema's forces — and unlike the previous seasons, where the damage would be reversed/ignored by the end of the episode, this time around it's clear that the city as a whole is in dire straits, with numerous damaged and destroyed buildings, roads and bridges.
- Multi-Part Episode: The first part of the season finale.
- New Era Speech: Astronema when addressing her troops.Astronema: When we're finished, there will be no good left in the universe, no love, no happiness! Only chaos, anger, greed! Fight strong and destroy all the forces of goodness, especially the Power Rangers! Go now and spread the wrath of Dark Specter!
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Thanks to Darkonda's treachery, Dark Specter is destroyed. Unfortunately for him, he ends up getting taken down with him.
- It's also implied that the death of Dark Specter functionally stopped the lava from consuming Zordon's tube, as it is mysteriously absent when Zordon tries to reason with her at the end of the episode (after showing the tube half-full with lava at the beginning).
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Dark Specter. It takes two planet-destroying weapons to put him down, the second of which is fired directly down his throat. Which he survives just long enough to eat Darkonda.
- Oh, Crap!: Andros and Ashley when they realize that Darkonda and Ecliptor are about to use their powers on them.
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Prop Recycling: The prototype missiles built by Ecliptor and used by Darkonda to destroy Dark Specter are actually a mashup of two toys from the Big Bad Beetleborgs line — the Spiral Saber and the Stinger Drill. - Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Once all of the Rangers are defeated and demorphed, they bail out of the carnage and regroup as fast as they can.
- Silence, You Fool!: Ecliptor, when Zordon tries to appeal Astronema's inner goodness.
- Taking You with Me: At the end of the episode, Darkonda uses his last life to fire the planet-destroying weapon into Dark Specter. Before he gets destroyed, Dark Specter swallows Darkonda's ship.
- Tempting Fate: When Dark Specter is destroyed, T.J. asks, "If Dark Specter's gone, then who's in charge?" Cue Ecliptor revealing that Astronema is now the Supreme Ruler of Evil.
- This Cannot Be!: Andros when he sees his own sister is declared Supreme Ruler.
- Villainous Rescue: Dark Specter seemingly saves the Dark Fortress (with Astronema, Ecliptor and Zordon still inside) when he pops back up to intercept the second prototype missile fired by Darkonda, sacrificing himself in the process.
- Wham Episode: While there have been plenty of other episodes that have shown the Rangers (and even their base) in dire straits, this episode is a marked step up, presenting a situation where the entire universe's safety has been threatened — by a team of villains enacting a Curb-Stomp Battle. Supporting characters from throughout the show's history are shown being mercilessly overwhelmed by enemy forces, the Space Rangers themselves are driven into retreat after the sheer force of the attack, and it's left unclear if they'll be able to do anything to stop Astronema's reign of terror. More notably, the Big Bad of the season, Dark Specter, along with Darkonda, are destroyed in spectacular fashion, while Astronema establishes herself as the new "Queen of Evil"...
- Wham Shot: At the beginning of the episode, Astronema walks up to a familiar-looking giant container and pulls off an equally-familiar canvas cover. Inside... is Zordon, almost out of energy.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Justin, Storm Blaster, and Lightning Cruiser: Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser were freed from Divatox's forces and Justin was left with apparently fully-functional Turbo Ranger powers (not even borderline useless ones, like Adam's Black Mighty Morphin powers) the last time we saw them... yet none of them are ever seen defending the Earth from the United Alliance of Evil, even though a simple, voiceless cameo by the Blue Turbo Ranger and a couple of prop cars would've been easy to fit in.
- Zerg Rush: The villains forgo the usual "one monster at a time" approach and send them out in force, along with dozens of mooks. The Rangers and their allies are overwhelmed by sheer numbers — on multiple planets, to boot.T.J.: We've never been up against this many.
