A/N: After a long, LONG three year absence, welcome to the return of the illustrious Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Ranger Series! A spinoff of the sports show often seen on the ESPN Family of Networks, these series of stories deal with controversial Ranger issues dating to when the show started in 1993. Today, we look at one of the most controversial issues of all - Andros shattering Zordon's tube in Countdown to Destruction, and we look at the reasons you can't blame Andros.
A/N 2: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN.
The Best of the Rest
"Andros, you must shatter my energy tube," Zordon intones from Countdown to Destruction.
"Coming Up on the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame: Ranger Series..." Brian Kenny says.
"Clearly, it was the end of an era for those of us who served with Zordon of Eltar," Justin Stewart says. "I was the last to serve with him and I could clearly feel the pain of losing him."
"He was...he was my father, almost literally..." Kimberly Hart weeps as Tommy is cradling her on camera. "I never had a family, and when he was gone...it hurt me most of all."
"I never liked Zordon...he was my most bitter enemy," Rita Repulsa said. "But those kids who served under him...those young lads clearly deserved a better fate than what they were dealt with."
(Montage of Ranger moments starts playing, as does the show's theme, and the logo appears, followed by Brian Kenny himself)
"Hello again everyone, I'm Brian Kenny, and welcome again to another edition of the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame: Ranger Series, a series that takes a fresh look at Power Ranger topics and controversies which have been largely popular since the show started in 1993. Our mission is not to vilify the subjects of these controversies, simply to take a look at the positive side of what they did. You will hear evidence and testimony from any and all characters. All you need is an open mind. In this show, we take a look at the end of an era, and in particular we look inside the case of a Kerovian, Andros of KO-35, and we take a look at why you can't blame him for shattering Zordon's energy tube in 1998, the action which ended an era. But before we take a look at the reasons you can't blame him, let's look at the case against Andros."
The tape rolls, and a photo of Zordon of Eltar - in his energy tube of course - appears
"The funny thing about Zordon is, most of the people on Earth didn't even know who he was," Tommy Oliver said. "But for the 12 who served under him, myself included...he meant the world to us."
"From the very moment he recruited those five 'teenagers with attitude' as he liked to call them, in 1993, the family started. It started at five, and for the next four to five years it gradually increased, with the 12th member coming in 1997 when 12-year-old Justin Stewart replaced Rock DeSantos after his predecessor had suffered a back injury training for a tournament. And for the next several years, the 12 were one big, happy family."
"What you have to realize is that it was more than just a team...he didn't pick simply five people off the street. He saw young people with good standing in Angel Grove, who worked well together and he saw the opportunity to mold them into his own. Thus, it was one big happy FAMILY," Rita said. "It really was genius who he picked to fight our forces...he couldn't have made better choices if he tried."
"Take Kimberly Hart, for example. Here was a woman with wonderful gymnastic talents, who had Summer Olympics caliber talents. Yet she was victimized early and often by domestic problems," Brian Kenny said.
"I SAW THE OPPORTUNITY TO NURTURE A WOMAN WHO I BELIEVED HAD TERRIFIC TALENTS, BUT WAS VICTIMIZED BY THE DIVORCE OF HER FAMILY AT AN EARLY AGE," Zordon said. "I TRULY BELIEVE THAT FROM THE TIME SHE BECAME THE PINK RANGER UNTIL THE TIME SHE PASSED HER COIN TO KATHERINE, SHE HAD THE BEST YEARS OF HER LIFE."
"And it wasn't just Kimberly that benefited from Zordon's tutelage. A certain holder of four Ranger colors was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Zordon's teaching."
"I'd had a rough life before I got to California," Tommy said. "I'd had a history of problems both in school and out of it and the only thing keeping me alive was martial arts. I also had no real family. And then Zordon came."
"From the time Tommy and I first met when he was under my supervision," Rita said, "I truly empathized with him once I got to know him. I also knew that if he ever fell under Zordon's supervision then his life would come together. I kind of hate to say I told you so, but..."
"And so it went for those Rangers, for four big years, one big happy family, with the big floating head as their father in everything but blood. And then, came the summer of 1998."
"By 1998, our sixth senses were telling us that something bad was going to happen," Kimberly said. "Justin called me up in tears about 24 hours after Divatox destroyed the Power Chamber, and for the first time I can remember sensing true defeat, that we'd truly lost. We all knew something much worse was coming but we just didn't know what."
"And she could never have been more right. In July of 1998, the United Alliance of Evil launched its final strike on the entire universe. They captured planet after planet and laid siege to every single major city on Earth. It looked like evil was finally going to win the war and seize control of the entire universe, but in some ways an even crueler fate struck Zordon's original 12," Kenny said. "It turned out that a Red Ranger from KO-35, a Kerovian named Andros, shattered Zordon's energy tube, killing him on the spot. The subsequent purifying energy wave also destroyed every evil being in the universe, but it came at a price for the Earth warriors who had served Zordon faithfully for five years."
"Was it a relief that we finally won the war that we'd started five years ago? Of course it was," Aisha Campbell said. "But at THAT cost? The cost of not having your father in everything but blood?"
"How could someone even THINK of doing such a thing?" Trini said, as she too, was crying on camera. "For those of us who were fortunate enough to serve with him, he was far more than just a powerful sorcerer. He was the man who knew us better than we knew ourselves, always knew how to make something better!"
"I know that Tommy and Jason trust Andros," Rocky DeSantos said. "They were both on the Forever Red mission later. I don't know how you can trust the man that shattered 'that guy's' energy tube and kill him on the spot. Everyone else might trust Andros. I for one, do not."
Zordon, in his energy tube, is seen once again as the tape ends
"So there you see the case against Andros, mainly coming from those who served with Zordon, for whom the action most hits home. Before we take a look at the top 5 reasons you can't blame Andros for shattering Zordon's energy tube, we present some reasons that didn't quite make the cut. We call them the Best of the Rest," Kenny said.
"Reason Number One: Zordon's Rangers would have done the same thing."
"We all loved Zordon, there's no doubt about it," Tommy said. "But I told Andros this right after he shattered Zordon's energy tube, and I told him again at Forever Red, that I would have done the same thing."
"The fact of the matter is, we were losing the fight at that point," Tanya Sloan-Park said. "We were completely outnumbered and while we all valued Zordon's life, it was far more important to do what was best at that point and that's what Andros did."
"I had to make a really fast decision when Zordon requested I shatter his tube," Andros said. "I asked myself: what would Tommy do? And then I came to the conclusion that he'd value winning the war even over Zordon's life, and that's when I made the decision to do what I did."
"Another Best of the Rest: The People," Kenny said.
"Above all else, Zordon's mission as a holder of the Power was to protect the people," Justin said. "He carried that mission throughout his whole life."
"When the final attack on Angel Grove occurred, Astronema was holding the people hostage on Earth, and even when the Space Rangers came forward and fought valiantly the numbers were too great, which left the people of Earth and the people of the universe in unmistakeable danger," Kenny said.
"Above all else, for those who hold the Power, the number one reason for living is helping the people in one way or another," Scorpina said. "I know because before I became my current incarnation, I was a well respected keeper of the Power much like Zordon. If Andros hadn't shattered Zordon's energy tube, the people on Earth would have been killed and the Rangers would have violated the number one mission for those who hold the Power."
"That was...our mission, to help the people in any way we could," Rocky said. "Even when we went on television as Power Rangers, we felt like we were doing the whole world a great service by going in front of the cameras and talking about why education was so important."
"As long as the people benefited from our actions, we knew we were doing something right," Adam Park said.
(Music plays as tape ends)
"Coming up, we'll begin our countdown as we discuss what the Rangers knew about Zordon's inevitable fate," Kenny said.
"We knew his time was coming, unfortunately," Tommy said. "He very nearly died at the hands of Ivan while we were still in service. It was all a matter of time."
(Music plays as segment ends)
TBC...