Back when The Clone Wars was first cancelled, the animatics from an arc entitled The Bad Batch released on StarWars.com. Here we had four super commandos on a mission with Anakin and Rex to stop a Separatist plot that is allowing them to gain a major advantage in the war. It was an enjoyable arc, but there was nothing really special about Clone Force 99 – otherwise known as The Bad Batch.
 
When it was announced that The Clone Wars would be returning for a final season, The Bad Batch was one of the first confirmed for it. A number of changes were made for the arc that made it feel more impactful, but still the Bad Batch had little character focus. I still loved them, but that lack of focus made them feel like any other squad – particularly when you’ve got Rex and Echo in the spotlight.
 
They were never meant to be the focus, though. They served as an introduction. An introduction to a series that put the focus on them. When that first announcement was made, there was a lot of uncertainty about how good it would be. The Dark Times and the immediate aftermath of Order 66 is something that hadn’t before been explored in this new canon, which we would now see. But how good would the series be with a squad of clones that many disregarded?

Honestly, I can say this first episode of The Bad Batch manages to get you invested in these characters. By finally giving them the focus, they start to stand high in the ranks of all the clones we’ve seen throughout The Clone Wars. Wrecker still manages to be the weakest of them, but he provides the loud brashness in an otherwise dark time.
 
And this first episode does manage to portray such. It nails the fast-changing times that such a period brings, starting with the pivotal moment itself – Order 66. I’m not revealing anything here, but it ties into already established characters we’ve seen before, as does another scene later in the episode.
 
The Batch are put on the back foot of not understanding the changing world they find themselves in pretty much all through the episode, and it works. There’s something… It’s difficult to say without revealing too much, but there’s one thing that builds throughout the episode that has a great payoff for the ending.
 
Omega – the female child we’ve seen in the trailers – sees a great introduction here. She adores the Batch, wanting to escape from Kamino to be with them. Just like the Batch, she doesn’t fit in with everyone else. She is also a part of the events that build throughout, and without revealing too much, she is the reason events unfold as they do.

For a staring hour-plus long episode, it does a lot in setting the scene for the events to come, and if you’ve been watching the animated Star Wars series since the beginning of The Clone Wars, you probably know where the episode coming this Friday is taking us. Already the series has fit in plenty of references and call-backs that feel naturally given, and the same can probably be said of future episodes too.
 
Overall, then, this episode has endeared me to the characters, and invested me in their story. Great action, great interaction, some great emotional moments, a score that does the job well, I can easily recommend you give this episode a watch. Even if you haven’t yet seen The Clone Wars or Rebels, this is a good starting point into the world of the animated series. It feels so good to have another animated series to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

The year was 2003. Attack of the Clones had been out in theatres for a year, with the Clone Wars multimedia project already in full swing with the likes of The Clone Wars video game and Republic comic series, but 2003 was where it started to really take off. The first of the Clone Wars novels were releasing, and so too was this TV micro series at the end of the year.
 
Produced by Genndy Tartakovsky – of Samurai Jack fame, it had a runtime of 3-5 minutes per episode, with ten per season (which would be merged into volume 1 in later years. Showing off various battles of the Clone Wars, the focus would be on the Battle of Muunilinst that was headed by Obi-Wan and Anakin.
 
That first volume proved to be a success, with the third season bringing in a longer runtime per episode, but with a shorter episode count. While the first volume showed off battles happening near the beginning of the Clone Wars, the second continued the events of the first's finale, before enacting several jumps in time that leads into the events of Revenge of the Sith.

It works, is really all I can say. The small bite-size set pieces of the first volume get straight to the point, offering up plenty of action that show the Jedi at their best and utilising the full extent of their Force powers. Sure, it does go over the top with them at times for spectacle, but that is what the series is about. The second volume alters things a bit to tell a story not interrupted with interludes to other battles, giving a bit more of a grand feel – almost movie-like.
 
There’s a great visual style running throughout the series, with its sharp, clearly defined characters. The locations all look great, calling on the franchises ability to make every location visually distinct – even if it’s just a desert and flatlands. For traditional animation, it’s also interesting to see action scenes taking place in the dark – or even underwater, as it allows the animation to really shine. Times such as these have a lot of impact. And speaking of impact, the action has it.

 
Tartakovsky brings his all when it comes to the action, with powerful poses and framing bringing pauses to what otherwise is fast and energetic movement throughout such scenes. It is all wonderfully animated and will keep you engaged in viewing it. The music also plays a part in such, with grand arrangements that fit the action happening. The sounds also buzz with the frenetic energy such action brings, but when things slow down…
 
Most of the work was definitely put into the action scenes. Those with the most power. And that’s fine. It works like that. After all, you aren’t going to be noticing the absence of sound when nothing much happens on screen. What you will probably notice however, is the voicework. It’s almost robotic in the first volume with how flat nearly all of it is. Maybe it’s just me who feels that way.
 
With this release on Disney+, there’s no excuse not to watch it. With everything condensed into the two volumes – lasting just over an hour each, it’s easy to fit inside a normal movie-length viewing session. Sure, none of it is canon any more, but why should that stop you from watching one of the best parts of the original Clone Wars multimedia project?

This is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Disney has added a few of the old Star Wars classics to Disney+ under the label of Star Wars Vintage. Most of these are based on the original trilogy era with a particular focus on ewoks. To start with, though, I decided to take a look at something that could very well have remained lost to time – purely because of what it was attached to.
 
A year after the original Star Wars released, and during the making of The Empire Strikes Back, The Holiday Special arrived a week before Thanksgiving, and then was never broadcast again. The critics and viewers ripped into it as an experience, naming it as one of the worst things to have ever aired. But the one small light within this otherwise dark spot on the franchise was the animated short that featured within it.
 
While The Holiday Special might never see the light of day in an official capacity, the animated short has finally seen an official release on Disney+. The Story of the Faithful Wookiee is a small story featuring several elements that would make their way into The Empire Strikes Back. The main one being Boba Fett.

It’s a fun story that - despite it being named after Chewie, doesn’t have much for the faithful Wookiee to do. He does what’s needed to attract the attention of the rebels, but then it feels as though his importance drops off a cliff. Despite wanting to go with Boba to get that serum, Chewie stays hidden when ordered to. Sure, it’s heavy Imperial territory they find themselves in, but then why would the story be named after Chewie if he’s not going to make the important discoveries?
 
If you also want to get pedantic about it, this talisman – and by extension the entire story – feels a bit contrived. It puts humans into a deep sleep, which affected Luke almost as soon as he saw it. While we don’t know when Han dropped off, it’s possible he did too. However, for the serum for said talisman to easily be available at an Imperial owned store, why were the rebels not prepared for that? Why did they not get some of the serum beforehand? Are you telling me that there’s only one planet that sells it?
 
Clearly, then, there are a few problems in terms of story. But then what story doesn’t have them? It’s certainly an enjoyable watch, with some smooth animation and a nice visual style that still holds up. Except for Han’s face. I’ve no idea what they were thinking with that. There are also some great shots at times, such as the ones featured above.
 
It’s not one of the best pieces of media relating to Star Wars, but during a time where the only other material relating to the franchise was the original film, it’s clearly a product of its time. As a fan of Star Wars, however, it is worth watching. Even if just once for the historical value of it. For as short as it is, I think you owe yourself that.

I’ve talked before about the current present of Power Rangers, how in recent times there’s been a lot of success with Beast Morphers, the comics, and even some mobile games. That article covered some game ideas I’d want to see in the future, whereas this one will be focused on a general idea of that future.
 
In the monthly update of this month, I mentioned an article from The Hollywood Reporter that also looked at the future of the franchise. That article was uploaded October, but I hadn’t seen it until recently. That article was focused upon the changes that have taken place in regard to who controls the franchise.
 
In summary, Hasbro’s eOne arm is taking the reigns of the series, with Jonathan Entwistle overseeing and directing the adaptations of both movies and television series. Within the interviews, it is stated how Entwistle has an incredibly creative vision for the franchise that will deliver new content to both new and existing fans across a connected world.

It does seem that Power Rangers is set to enter into a new era of content, one that possibly is separate from its Super Sentai roots while still keeping the same core. After all, for as creative as previous directors and producers of the TV series got in their storytelling, they were limited in approach by adapting from a Sentai series. With such a split, it is possible that the ambition of the series will improve.
 
Upon reading about this change, I was once again thinking about one original concept for Ninja Storm. Labelled as Hexagon, it was intended to wrap up the open storylines of all series that preceded it, such as where Scorpina had disappeared to. The concept is fun to read, but at times does seem like it had become a bit too ambitious to be constrained by an adaptation of a Sentai.
 
If Hasbro put the money into this new creative endeavour, I could see something like that come to fruition somewhere in the future. Perhaps we could even get something like The Legendary Battle, but one that has more to it than just baseless nostalgia-bait. I can just picture Rangers from various teams coming together to help fight a common threat on the big screen.
 
For as much as I’ll love watching Dino Fury (gotta keep an eye on Pop in case they run through the entire season in a month again), I am wondering just how this new era will begin. Just what sort of theming we could see. How the zords operate and what kind of a morphing sequence we get. This will be the grandest change the franchise has ever seen, depending on how it is executed.

Unless the team at eOne really want to risk it, we won’t be getting a dinosaur theme for this start of the new era. If I was in creative control, I’d save that for the first movie. Yes, the 2017 movie also featured a dinosaur theme, but that was a modern-age reboot of Mighty Morphin’, whereas this new movie will create something original with such a theme.
 
And while a single connected world is going on within the TV series and movies, such a world can also be expanded on with the comics, and - for as much as Power Rangers is a visual entertainment – novels. And to bring this back around to the medium I like most, a connected world can also be expanded through video games. A team could be introduced through a game to have them then appear in one of the TV series or movies. There’s a lot that can be pulled off with such a new direction, and I hope it sees just as much success as everything in the last few years has.
 
Power Rangers has been very close for the last few years to becoming a core franchise of mine, but it still can’t become so yet. Seeing this news, though, has me hopeful that it will become one in the next few years. A franchise needs to really mean something to me across a variety of mediums for it to become a core, and as I’ve said before, the games are the only thing letting Power Rangers down at present. But if this new era brings a new wave of great games along with great everything else, it will easily become a fourth core.

The sequel trilogy, despite being a fun watch, has grown ever the more flawed with each new film released in it. The Rise of Skywalker showing that the most. The lack of direction has hurt it, along with the fact there are massively obvious mirrors to the original trilogy. Some of those work, others not so much, and if you’ve read my review of The Rise of Skywalker, you’ll know of one mirror that I absolutely hate.
 
Everyone has their own ideas for what should have happened, and I’m no different. This article is going to detail all those ideas to create my own vision of a sequel trilogy within the Skywalker Saga, looking at the plot element within all three of the trilogy, then going a bit deeper with the main throughline of it. First, though, there needs to be the lead up to that point.

The Battle of Endor has been won, the Empire scattered throughout the galaxy. The Rebel leadership reinstate the Republic, working hard to build it up to what it once was. They do so quickly, hoping to restore the galaxy to a peaceful time, but still have to deal with the scattered Imperial forces.
 
Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker is on a quest to reinstate the Jedi Order, along with Leia, Han, and Chewbacca. On a quest of discovering the history of the Jedi and their effect on the galaxy, they only have minimal contact with the Republic leadership.

A year after the Battle of Endor, the Republic finds out that the Imperial forces have banded together when they strike at the heart of it. Those Imperial forces – now calling themselves the Iron Resistance – retreat from that battle but force four years of war upon the galaxy, bringing the criminal underworld into the fight.
 
During this time of war, Han and Chewbacca have gone undercover within the criminal underworld to feed information to the Republic. Leia is torn between fighting and protecting their child as she continues her travels with Luke in finding a base for the Jedi Order.
 
The end of the war comes when the Republic is destroyed, but before the Iron Resistance could claim control of the galaxy, the criminals they had forced to fight for them wiped them out and put themselves in power, locking the entire galaxy into an era of chaos that lasts for twenty years.

That’s not when it stops, but when this trilogy of mine starts. The Jedi Order has now been set up on Ajan Kloss, with Han being a scout bringing in prospective students and guards. Luke and Leia teach a new generation of Jedi, among them Ben – who is conflicted with his Skywalker heritage, feeling that his life choices were being forced on him.

This isn’t helped by a group of guards who are secretly part of the Galactic Criminal Enterprise. They have been feeding Ben lies about the Jedi Order as it was during the Clone Wars and before, saying that the Jedi are not somewhere he wants to be. Once they feel he has been converted, the plan to destroy the Order from within begins.
 
The destruction of the Jedi Order ends with Ben facing off against Luke and Leia, who he refuses to kill. He renounces the Skywalker name, telling them all of what he had been feeling. At a critical moment when he had an advantage over Leia, he still refuses to kill her. Running off with the gang, he leaves Luke and Leia broken and betrayed.
 
That opening section of the first film lays the foundations for the rest of the trilogy, with Ben’s conflict always being with him. The Jedi Order destroyed, Luke, Leia, and Han have no choice but to leave and do their best against this order of chaos while trying to find Ben and get him to understand that they loved him and that he should have talked to them instead of hiding his troubles away.

The Skywalker connection to this trilogy is set, but the other new characters need to be introduced. As Ben is being pressured into going after the remains of the Jedi Order – that being his family, the remains of that Order are heading for Canto Bight in the Falcon. Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, and two of the faithful guards are all that remain.

As they travel to Canto Bight, since Han had the idea to get in contact with a few allies there, the action moves to Kijimi. On this planet, the GCE hold rule. Poe Dameron is undercover with one of those syndicates, having been a part of it for a year. In that time, he’s been working with Zorii Bliss to subjugate the people and force them to work as prisoners. That is why he is here.
 
He calls in his allies as the large group are heading to their working post, liberating the people. Poe and Zorii get into a showdown, where she manages to escape. One of the prisoners is Finn, who wants to join the freedom fighters of the planet. Poe is concerned that Zorii escaped, since that will bring a stronger force to them.
 
On Canto Bight, the GCE presence on the planet were prepared for them, surrounding them and blocking them from the Falcon. While Luke and Leia use the Force to dispatch the criminals, Han, Chewbacca, and the two guards try to get back to the Falcon, but a smoke bomb is set off within it. They have to leave the Falcon behind as they escape as reinforcements arrive with armoured vehicles.
 
On the streets, they split up, with Luke and Leia encountering Rey. Alone on the streets, but occasionally getting used for jobs by the GCE, she hates life here and wishes to escape. Despite being a great fighter, she keeps getting captured when trying to do so. Luke and Leia say that they can help her once she takes them to a safe place.

Coordinating an attack, Luke, Leia, and Rey will go for one transport, while the guards go for a second, and Han and Chewbacca go for a third. The attack goes smoothly, and they escape. Rey questions the tactics of Luke and Leia, who tell her about the Jedi and that they are Jedi. Over the communicator, Han tells the others they need to head to Kijimi, as that is where the GCE members who had attacked the Ajan Kloss base came from.
 
On Kijimi, the two groups meet, with Poe filling them in on the situation on the planet. Luke and Leia agree that they need to help liberate the planet. Even if Ben isn’t here at the minute, if he hears they are, he will come. The plan is a bold one, with Poe saying they should strike directly at the main operations centre of the GCE presence on the planet.
 
During the attack, Ben does arrive, and quickly hunts Luke and Leia down. He has more resolve to strike them down, which scares Luke as he feels a great influence has been corrupting Ben further than those he’d been talking to previously. As the attack continues, Luke and Leia do battle against Ben. Ben kills Leia, which breaks Luke further. Ben goes to strike Luke, but is blocked by Rey.
 
She had called on the Force to pull Leia’s ‘saber to her, wanting to get into the fight and strike Ben down. She had only entered the room as Ben killed Leia, and acted on instinct and the need to get a weapon in her hands. Han calls Luke as Rey fights off Ben, saying the explosives have been put in place. Luke rejoins the fight to quickly disable Ben and drag Rey off him, then the two escape from the building.

Ben has also escaped, and looks upon the ruins of the building. Zorii appears, and asks if he needs a ride. The two share a common friend, though who that friend is doesn’t get revealed – only the planet where they are.
 
The ending sees the battle won. While the GCE presence hasn’t been wiped from the planet, the freedom fighters are doing their best in the wake of the leadership being destroyed. Luke fills Rey in on the fact she has the Force, who Ben is in relation to him and Leia, and agreeing to train her as a Jedi.
 
A year passes, where Kijimi has fully been freed, with Poe and Finn joining Luke and Han as they try to contact more people resisting the criminal presence on their worlds. The intent is to build a galactic resistance movement to reign in the criminal hold on the galaxy. During this time, Luke is also training Rey as a Jedi.
 
The second in the trilogy sees everyone in battle on Crait, as Luke had led an assault on a pirate stronghold on the planet that had been using the abandoned Rebellion technology to supply other areas of the GCE. They break through into the base and completely wipe out the pirate presence. Luke then orders for everything to be rounded up and loaded into the transports, with any starfighters being piloted to the cruisers in orbit.
 
As the last of the transports arrive at the cruisers, a fleet controlled by the GCE arrives, trying to quickly overwhelm the cruisers of the Jedi Order Insurgence (the new name of the galactic resistance movement). In the battle, Zorii quietly arrives at one of those cruisers, hiding out until it escapes. As the Insurgence flee the battle, they split. Han’s command and Poe’s command head to different sectors, while Luke’s command head to Tatooine.

Zorii has assumed the identity of one of the Insurgence guards on-board Poe’s cruiser, with the aim to find out where they are and bring the Criminal Enterprise down on them. Meanwhile, on Tatooine, Luke continues to train Rey on the surface while those Insurgence members who were with them scout the main population centres of the planet for GCE presence.
 
Poe’s command come out of hyperspace at Takodana, where they try to contact Luke’s command. While Poe doesn’t reach Luke, one of the guards reveals they are on Tatooine. Swapping to Han’s command, Poe fills Han in on where Luke is just as an attack happens. Zorii reveals herself and sabotages the cruiser as she escapes, hoping that Poe will go down.
 
Luke learns what is happening through the guard, who had been contacted by Han. However, Ben arrives before Luke and Rey could rejoin the main group. Poe’s command defend themselves as best as they can, receiving help from Maz Kanata’s band of smugglers as a favour to Han while he arrives as fast as he can. Meanwhile, Ben, Luke, and Rey are locked in a fight.
 
Luke is forced back, as is Rey. Ben then drops a holocom and steps forward. Revealed behind him is Emperor Palpatine, which surprises Luke. He is also hurt that Ben would trust him after everything Luke and Leia had told him about what the Empire had done. Palpatine says that the reinstated Republic had done no better, and now his own forces will do the job Luke could not. He then says that Luke can live no longer. Ben strikes at Luke, killing him.

Rey launches at Ben again. Ben quickly disables her, with Palpatine telling him to bring her to him, and he will convert her to the dark side. In the Takodana system, the Sith Enforcers have arrived, striking at the Insurgence. Han and Poe command their forces to flee, as they have no chance against the size of the new fleet. With no idea what had happened on Tatooine, the Insurgence heads there, hopeful to regroup with Luke and become a stronger force.
 
Now, before I jump into the third of this trilogy, which takes place immediately after the second, you’ll have noticed I’ve barely talked about Finn. The Skywalker family has their arc, with the ongoing fight between Poe and Zorii being another arc. Rey figuring out the difference between light and dark is the third (which I’ll talk more of below). Finn, however, has been within the action without an arc. His major arc comes with this third film.
 
Ben delivers Rey to the Emperor on Ilum. At first, she resists, trying to appeal to Ben, but she gets nowhere with him. Ben has been silent, as he grows ever more conflicted in his thoughts. He feels that he has been used, and is starting to regret his actions. He remains silent to focus his mind and hide this fact from Palpatine.
 
The majority of the Insurgence arrive on Tatooine and join up with the rest of them, where they inform Han that they have yet to hear from Luke. As Han heads out to look for Luke, Poe asks of news from around the galaxy. There has been nothing major to report. As time goes on and nothing major has happened, Finn makes a choice. Without alerting anyone of what he is doing, he takes a transport and heads away from Tatooine.

Han finds the place where Luke had been training Rey, finding the holocom still on the ground. With nothing else left to go on, he takes it back to the base. Finn has arrived at his destination, working a tale to Zorii that he had never been meaning to side with Poe, and had managed to escape. Untrusting of him, she takes his information on where the Insurgence are, then puts him in binders to keep him by her side as they bring the entire fleet to Tatooine.
 
Palpatine has been informed of this, and tells Ben to put an end to the Insurgence and the last remnants of his family. As Ben heads off, Palpatine continues to corrupt Rey with his careful influence, revealing to her that his plan had been to put the galaxy into chaos so he would be seen a saviour when his own forces wiped out those who had put it into that state. He had used the ancient Sith powers to survive, transferring his Force spirit into a new being. A clone that had secretly been developed long ago.
 
When Han arrives, the technicians use their skills to reveal Palpatine and the things he had said. Poe and Han realise that the help that had been sent for the GCE had been intent on wiping everyone out. A call then comes in that a huge fleet had arrived. Han tells Poe to direct the battle while he went out to fight. The battle quickly gets out of hand, with Zorii contacting the base on the surface with the intent to distract the ground crew.
 
She reveals that Finn had betrayed them. Finn however, had a plan. While the comm is still active, he kicks out at Zorii, having activated the secret blade within his boot. Zorii slashes out with a blade, but Finn is ready for it and blocks with the binders – which break. The two fight on the bridge, still with the holocom active for all to see. Poe’s shock and anger turn to surprise and hope as the fight happens.

The Falcon comes out of hyperspace into the battle. Han is hopeful that whoever is piloting it is on their side. He contacts the Falcon, hoping to gain some answers while he continues to fight. He gets no response, but the Falcon then aims at him. Realising the danger, Han makes for the surface, but gets shot down. Crashing onto the surface, he and Chewie have both survived, but see that the Falcon had followed them and had landed.
 
From out of it comes Ben. As Han and Chewie climb out from the ruined fighter, Ben just watches. When questioned, Ben says he has to make a choice, but is unsure which he will regret more. Han tells Ben to look inside himself, look into his Force, and come to terms with where he belongs. Ben makes contact in the Force with Luke and Leia. He can be redeemed, they say, as long as he does the right thing.
 
Ben is still unsure, still resistant to the Skywalker legacy, but trusts in what Han says. Han has said that no matter whether he is a Skywalker or not, he has the ability to make things right. Ben says nothing, but departs in the Falcon, leaving Han and Chewie at the desert. He is set on returning to Ilum, to Palpatine’s side, where he will face his conflict head on.
 
Finn and Zorii’s fight ends with the latter’s defeat, with Finn then controlling the cruiser to destroy every other cruiser of the GCE he can before he or it gets shot down. Poe directs the forces of the Insurgence away to those cruisers Finn cannot reach, telling them to protect the cruiser and get some soldiers within it to pull Finn out. The battle is quickly won after that. However…

On Ilum, Rey is connected to a device that is weakening her. Trying to force her to darkness. She is resisting as hard as possible, aware of what the dark side will do to her. All this time, Palpatine watches over her, blasting her with lightning to make her angry while telling her she will eventually break.
 
Ben arrives, telling Palpatine that the battle has been won. Palpatine knows Ben is lying to him and strikes out. Ben just about blocks it, and manages to free Rey, giving her a lightsaber. Despite not using one himself, Palpatine is able to defend himself against both. Now she is free, however, Rey is pulling closer and closer to the darkness, revelling in being able to do something about her captor.
 
Ben finally manages to strike Palpatine down, but something awakens within Rey. The machine she had been hooked to had been making her a vessel for Palpatine’s Force spirit. Enough of the conversion had taken place that his spirit had now manifested within her. Ben is torn over what to do, unwilling to strike Rey down. Looking within himself while defending against Rey, however, he finds the strength and ability to siphon Palpatine’s Force spirit into himself while keeping his own mind.
 
Once he is sure that Palpatine no longer holds control of Rey, he fights his own mind against Palpatine’s spirit, killing himself to destroy the spirit of the Emperor once and for all. Rey has released all darkness, realising what it had almost cost her. After mourning the death of Ben, she takes the body to the Falcon, piloting it to Tatooine.
 
While the Insurgence celebrates the victory of the battle, Rey arrives with the news of what had happened to Han, who had been waiting for any to arrive. Han and Chewbacca have their own time to mourn, but are thankful that Ben had come back to the light. Rey says she wants to continue the Skywalker legacy, building a new Order of Jedi just as Luke would have done. That exchange is the final scene of the trilogy.

Now, the major part of the trilogy centred around Rey and Ben, with their connection through the Force. Such a focus is still here in my trilogy, with both facing the choices of light and dark, but with less of a focus on being united through the Force. Rey struggles with the pull to the dark, but is able to hold it in check so it doesn’t completely consume her. While she uses it willingly, she is able to avoid the corruption that comes from it. Or so she thinks.
 
In the second of this trilogy, we know she had had Jedi training, but the wild side to her – that street fighter side – is confident that because she is tapping into the darkness for good, it holds no influence over her. But it is precisely that way of thinking that makes her an easy target for darkness to take hold. Even with Luke telling her, and her own attempts to temper such, she will act on instinct when danger calls which brings that street fighter side out again.
 
Now, Palpatine in his call to Luke in the second of the trilogy makes no mention of Rey. Ben acts of his own accord there, which again plays into the conflicts he is suffering with. He has just struck down a second member of his family, and needs someone to relate to. He can feel the darkness within Rey, and at first he does try to convince her to willingly come with him. When that option is no longer available to him, then he forces her hand.
 
Palpatine has plans of his own, and had hoped Ben would willingly join him and allow him to transfer his Force spirit into him. After all, what better way to completely undo the Skywalker legacy than to have a Skywalker issuing the return of the Empire? Ben delivering Rey to him, alerts Palpatine to the fact that Ben would never willingly do so.
 
It was his hope that Ben would siphon Palpatine’s spirit into himself if it were within someone he cared for. The only thing he hadn’t expected was just how powerfully Ben was resisting the darkness at that point.

Tatooine gets more focus here, since the one thing that tied the other two trilogies together was rather lacking in the sequel trilogy. Sure, the one thing it did do was explore other desert planets of the galaxy, but there’s time to do that away from the Skywalker Saga.
 
Tatooine is a symbol of the Skywalker Saga. It’s where Anakin was born, where Luke was raised, and where both shared traumatic memories. It pretty much opened the Skywalker Saga, so it makes symbolic sense for it to also be the end of the Saga with Ben’s body being returned.
 
And finally – Ilum over Exegol. Starkiller Base being built within Ilum was pretty much for the same reasons Palpatine makes it his secret shrine. With such massive reserves of kyber crystals, any Force-user can manipulate the energy within them to do whatever they wanted. Indeed, these crystals are part of what powers the spirit transfer technology – both into the cloned body and into Rey.
 
This has been a long one, and there’s bound to have been things I’ve missed, but this does give an idea of a different interpretation of the trilogy. You’ll note that nowhere within this trilogy have I put a superweapon, as I want it focused upon the state of the galaxy being in the chaos it is, but more importantly on ending the Skywalker Saga by putting greater focus upon the Skywalker line.
 
You’ll note that all focus of the third of the trilogy turns to the final confrontation without any other distractions in place at the end. Skywalker vs Palpatine – the leading line that runs through all three trilogies. The battles of the Insurgence and renewed Empire are for another time. That film is closing the Saga, so should do so on its own.
 
That’s all from me regarding this sequel trilogy of mine. If you do want to get into it a bit more, however, I will answer any questions should you ask them.

If December 2007 was when I first got into Star Wars, and the first half of 2008 when I started to expand my knowledge of it, the latter half – especially November – was when I really started to enjoy it.
 
I was finding out about everything Star Wars around that time, revelling in the new discoveries, but it was something that had caught my eye while in Toys R Us that interested me most. A trailer of an animated Star Wars. That being The Clone Wars theatrical release.
 
I didn’t watch it in the cinema, nor did I really pay much attention to anything about it. Not because I wasn’t interested, but because I’d had little exposure to anything outside of the books and games. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Toys R Us visit was where I first got the DVDs of the original trilogy.
 
However, while on holiday in America in November, I watched a few episodes of the series, and my love of the The Clone Wars started. I didn’t follow everything about it, but from that point on I made a point of asking for the Complete Season DVD sets every Christmas, and each and every season I loved.

The first season holds a few memories from my time in America, with the three episodes of the Malevolence arc, along with Bombad Jedi, having been seen there. These episodes were fun to watch, and even though I didn’t know who they were at the time, the character interactions were strong enough that it didn’t matter. The bonds between them were clear to see.
 
By the time Christmas 2009 had rolled around, I’d seen both the Original and Prequel trilogies, so knew the time period being explored here and who these characters were. With The Clone Wars film, I enjoyed it for what it offered. It was our introduction to Ahsoka, and the building of the bond between her and Anakin.
 
Such is one of the best parts about the film, with Clone Captain Rex being another. And it the brotherhood shared between the Clones that I found to be the best. I’d already read two of the Republic Commando novels (and The Rise of Darth Vader) to have seen Clone brotherhood in action, but seeing it on screen provided something that bit more special.
 
Rookies from the first season illustrates that perfectly, being the start of a series-wide focus point of two other Clones. Echo and Fives. As the storylines matured across the seasons, so did the depth of these Clones and their shared brotherhood. They started questioning motives and even the war itself, which had been built up from the first season.

The Hidden Enemy and even Cloak of Darkness told stories relating to individual Clones wanting out of the war, selling out their own brothers to get rich and make a life for themselves. The Deserter put Rex into the path of a clone who had been forced into such a life, and in season five such a concept was reversed by having a Clone who had lost his way (and memory) wanting to get back to the fight.
 
But even though Clone is in the name, there are plenty of other stories within this series with the same amount of character and depth within them. Rex is our main viewpoint for the Clones, with Ahsoka being the same for the Jedi.
 
We see her grow from the plucky, overconfident Padawan learner to a focused and able leader. Someone who again is forced to carve their own way in the galaxy after having nearly everyone she trusted turn on her. The same story also plays out for Asajj Ventress much earlier, and this is also an interesting story the series told.
 
For the first two seasons, Ventress was nothing more than a skilled assassin with the Force. An apprentice of Dooku, and it seemed nothing more. She was quite skilled with her ‘sabers, able to best plenty of Jedi but never quite beating them. Knowing when the battle was lost to end it on her terms.
 
Then season three introduced a different side to her, along with introducing the idea that Maul had survived. For Ventress, this arc meant a return to her homeworld, and the exploration of the witches of Dathomir and why she had a vendetta against the Jedi – and now Dooku. Later stories give some more depth to her character and even brings Ventress and Ahsoka together as allies.

The biggest area for me to get around was Mandalore. There were certain similarities between the version here and the one within the Republic Commando series, with both featuring the Death Watch. While Republic Commando had seen all Mandalorians still armoured up and still revelling in past glory, The Clone Wars took a different approach. One that would take time for me to fully respect.
 
Mandalore and Death Watch get introduced in the second season, under the leadership of Duchess Satine, who had brought Mandalore to a pacifistic rule. A rule that the Death Watch were trying to undo. The Death Watch and the armour was cool to see in action, but I felt such a setup wouldn’t allow for much in the way of true Mandalorian action. Oh, how wrong I was.
 
Season three explored Mandalore and the corruption within the system, which were good stories, but seemed to be proving me right. Season four put a bit of focus on Mandalore, but was pretty much all Death Watch tying into a story relating to Ahsoka. Then we get to season five and the action I had been waiting for. And that action ties in with Maul’s return.
 
Ventress’ plan of revenge on Dooku involved offering an apprentice who would be sided with her to Dooku. As he trained this Nightbrother up, it was supposed to be the countdown on his life. Instead, Savage betrays her, and upon returning to Dathomir with the news is given a quest by Mother Talzin. Find Maul and bring him home.

Resurrected by Talzin, Maul sets out to hunt down the one who left him for dead. Kenobi. I’d already enjoyed what Savage brought to the series, and I admit to being a little sceptical about how bringing Maul back would affect things – even if he is one of my favourite characters.
 
There was little to worry about, though, as Maul’s return was handled in a way that made sense for the character he would become. Out of all of Sidious’ apprentices, Maul is perhaps the closest to him in terms of taking on his teachings. He knows the virtue of patience, of manipulation, and free of his master he is able to put into action his own plans. And those plans involved Mandalore.
 
The Clone Wars isn’t all action from the frontlines, as episodes would also dive into areas that wouldn’t be seen as needed by some. While focus on the Clones and their arcs are the best for me, followed by the ongoing story of Ahsoka’s growth, there were also the episodes focused on the other side of the war – the political battles questioning the need for war.
 
Led by Padmé Amidala, her efforts to bring a quick resolution to the war through her political manoeuvring showcased a different side to the series. Just as the Prequel trilogy wasn’t afraid to show the political side to the war, neither was The Clone Wars. While still littered with action, these episodes focused in to give depth to such politics.

They brought to life something within the Revenge of the Sith novelisation that barely featured within the film, with the side of Padmé and her collective of Senators who want to see an end to the war versus Palpatine and his endless web of influencing events to bring about an outcome that he wanted.
 
And even away from the Senate, Padmé and Palpatine were clear influencers throughout the series. Whenever Padmé was stuck in action, she would be trying to bring a peaceful resolution to events. Meanwhile, Palpatine would be using his own kind of influence – mainly through Dooku – to shape events. His manipulation of Anakin, though rarely seen, is also a highlight of the series.
 
There is plenty within The Clone Wars to enjoy. Even those episodes that might seem unappealing on paper. Everyone has episodes that they might not be so keen on when reading about them, but this series always delivers on such.
 
With the ending of this final season approaching, the build up of everything that The Clone Wars was working toward will finally be seen with The Siege of Mandalore. It’s unfortunate that Son of Dathomir and Dark Disciple won’t ever be seen on screen, but they have been released, and both prove to have been vital arcs for the characters they put focus on.

While this final season might not be what everyone was hoping for, I’ve been enjoying it. The Bad Batch arc gave us some Commando action, as well as going that bit deeper into Rex’s thoughts of the war. The Ahsoka Underground arc has given us a look into how Ahsoka has handled leaving the Order, along with setting her up for the start of Siege of Mandalore.
 
Though The Clone Wars is soon to be ending, it has given us plenty within the galaxy far far away that can and already has been built on. More history of Mandalore has been explored, along with a few of the characters introduced within the series. As well as that, it helped to fill in the story and give deeper meaning to the Prequel trilogy in a way I feel nothing else had.
 
Battlefront 2 might be the game that first introduced me to Star Wars, but I have to be thankful for The Clone Wars in giving me plenty to be enjoying within the franchise. Without it, I might not be as great a fan of the franchise as I am today.

As is the standard for bringing a character into the movie world through CGI, the plot of this one focuses on an origin story. That being the enmity between the titular hedgehog and Doctor Robotnik.
 
The personalities of the two seem similar yet different enough, so while this is its own universe, it does feel as though the two have been built from their main universe counterparts.
 
Sonic within this universe has the reason for his abilities changed slightly, with his speed coming from the unlimited energy his quills possess that are charged through his emotions. This is the main hook of the story, being the reason he comes to Earth in the first place as well as the reason Robotnik is drawn to wanting to capture him.
 
Despite not being anything groundbreaking in terms of plot, the emotion within the scenes is still done right. The first emotional scene seems a tad rushed, but it is the crux of Sonic’s emotional state through most of the rest of the movie.
 
Only in the climax does his stance of run and hide change, bringing out the hero he’ll soon become (though still with the boundless energy fully in place).
 
Robotnik is cool and calculated, being quite eccentric but not yet manic. Having never being wrong or lost a battle, it is the actions of Sonic and the unpredictableness he brings that forces Robotnik’s manic side as he gains a thirst for winning against this unbeatable foe.
 
Jim Carrey worked his magic in making this version of Robotnik work, just as Ben Schwartz does for Sonic.
 
The other main character of Tom Wachowski fits the bill just fine. He’s a cop who dreams of going big within his job, feeling that his time within the small town of Green Hills is done. The main reason for his existence is as a friend and partner to Sonic, and that role is something James Marsden plays well.
 
The coming together of Tom and Sonic is believable through the actions that happen, as is the start of the battle that runs through most of the movie. From that point on, there’s plenty of action and character interaction that present a lot of fun.
 
The emotional stakes are interspersed within all this whimsical action, and mostly works. Several points do fall flat, but nothing that seriously affects the overall quality of the movie.
 
Sonic moves fluidly and is full of life, so I have to give the animators credit for that. The music adds to the experience, with some references in both music and other areas that Sonic fans are sure to enjoy if they spot them.
 
Overall, this is worth a watch. As already said, even if it isn’t groundbreaking, it is still a competently made movie with action and character. Sure, it rushes through some things, but everything it sets out to achieve is still able to be recognised and understood.
 
Sonic the Hedgehog's first foray into the movie world has gone successfully, and I hope a sequel can continue to offer more within it.

The one theme – the most central theme, I would say – has been done better within the Original Trilogy. That being the actions of your family don’t define your character, only what you choose to be. But Rise of Skywalker still manages to make it work despite the lack of that coherent plan.
 
From the off it is clear the film tries to do too much. It throws itself at giving a reason for it to exist with a new big bad – that being the Emperor. Dodgy execution aside, it works for the film. This is The Skywalker Saga, and every story needs an antagonist.
 
Which big bad has been present in both other trilogies pulling the strings of every major event of the galaxy? Palpatine. Which big bad has been actively working to destroy the Skywalker line? Palpatine. So despite what might have previously been set up, he is here again to close the saga out with a storyline that works.
 
However, while that works, and I have no real issue or problem with the rest of the film, there’s a big problem that needs to be said. The storyline with Palpatine works, but attached to it is something for the rest of the Resistance to do.

Dealing with Palpatine is a Force-user thing, but as seen from the trailers it forces in a huge secret fleet to be dealt with as well, and it is here things… fall.
 
Bluntly put, it has no real reason to be here. The only thing it serves is as an action piece, and it fails at doing that. There’s no true narrative line with the sequence, being there to offer a mirror of Return of the Jedi. And then it just ends. Because it needs to, not because it makes sense for it to do so.
 
If one half of the ending act is bad, then, is the film worth a watch? There’s some great character interactions throughout, with other action set pieces being better.

The film does also mirror other scenes from the Original Trilogy (and one from Force Awakens), with most of them working to either naturally fit with the story or offer a nice bit of nostalgia from familiar sequences of the past.
 
There’s also familiar musical cues returning and merging well with the new. And speaking of the music, it works well at doing what it sets out to do, offering plenty of impact when required. Some scenes don’t use music, and these also manage to land an impact.
 
And even though it rushes through things as it tries to fit an extra hour of content into its already long runtime, it’s easy to understand where things are going even if smaller details are lost or the impact is lessened.
 
As a standalone entry, then, it’s great to go into. Tied as it is to the Sequel Trilogy, it offers a good enough ending for both it and the entire saga – even if it most of it was possibly only planned after The Last Jedi ended production. But as said, even through that botched execution, it manages to make it work. That’s all that can really be said for it.
 
It’s a difficult one to really give a recommendation for. The Sequel Trilogy has gone for a mostly tame expansion of the galaxy, except where Force powers are concerned. This trilogy has really gone to the extreme with that.
 
However, as I said, it works as a standalone film that anyone looking for a simple, fun space adventure can enjoy. Looking deeper into it reveals the cracks and issues of the entire trilogy, and though Star Wars fans can enjoy the various factors it brings, if you aren’t invested in what came before it is unlikely you will find much to love with this one.
 
As I said at the start, it seems wrong for me to say that the best thing this trilogy has brought me is a LEGO game that sounds to be the greatest one yet.

Though I love what this trilogy has brought us, I also can’t overlook the flawed execution and sloppy management it has been given. They are good films that, while not adding a whole lot to the galaxy, have allowed for new things to come through other mediums.
 
Though Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isacc and the rest of the cast won’t ever return to the big screen, they have set up a piece of the timeline ripe for exploration through novels, comics, videogames, and even TV series, and that is always a great thing for those who want it.

Another show of character is the flashback/dream sequence to before evil’s escape, with all the characters enjoying themselves on a sunny day, as Mr. Blue Sky by ELO plays.

It was this song and this scene together that my love for ELO started, as I’d always be associating that song with this movie and specifically that scene. The scene captures the contrast between the two times perfectly, and is one I always remember fondly.
 
I Love To Boogie by T.Rex being a part of the end battle shows that this is about as light-hearted a story as you can get – even with the end of the world villain plan. Oh, there are parts where it takes itself serious to allow the characters to express themselves in the situation, but this isn’t supposed to be a dark tale.
 
Dougal is the star. The catalyst of the plot. And a loveable dog who learns a lesson – sort of. Then there’s Ermintrude, the singing cow who sees herself as a sensational star – even if all but one disagree.
 
Brian might be a snail, but he’s a brave fellow even if he fumbles with expressing his feelings of love. Dylan is my second favourite of the cast, the carefree rabbit who keeps his cool no matter the situation.
 
Also a part of the cast are Zebedee, Florence, the other two children – named Basil and Coral here, along with Mr Rusty – the faithful roundabout operator. Only Zebedee – the jack-in-the-box creature – has any importance, with the others being trapped on the roundabout for most of the movie when it becomes encased in ice.
 
The humans serve the story of being those characters our heroes are rescuing, adding flavour to the dream sequence with Florence also being a part of Dougal’s nightmare when all looks lost.
 
These characters are another of the reasons this became a favourite of mine. There’s plenty of end of the world scenarios in a variety of movies so the characters really have to sell it.
 
Since there’s something to like about all of them, it works. The third reason would be the references it makes (which were boosted to a massive degree in the American version which from what I understand took over the entire movie) and the well-executed jokes.
 
Yes, it’s very Saturday-morning-cartoonish, and in a way feels more like set-pieces of such cartoons than an actual self-contained movie, though I certainly love how Zeebad is the epitome of such cartoons.
 
His plan, his emotions, and even personality match the villains found in such cartoons. However, it has the perfect blend of music and character, and the action scenes are still well crafted.
 
It might not be one of the greatest movies around, but for the experience it has given me and the introduction to several things – ‘cus, hey, I sure did look back on the history of The Magic Roundabout series and take an interest in it after this movie – it holds a place as one of those greats for me.

Mike is the one struggling the most with adapting to the samurai life. Kevin feels the pull of his dream to become an Olympic swimmer. Jayden has put too much focus in battling the Nighlok that he hasn’t been relaxing and having fun. Mia… She’s nice to everyone and helps with their problems.
 
Emily’s focus is perhaps the best of the five, which goes with the fact she’s the best character in my eyes, in that she faces her lack of self-worth and how she feels she can’t live up to her sister – who was meant to be Yellow before falling ill. The owner of the Shiba house and the mentor to the Rangers is Ji, who looks out for them all and trains them to be the best, helping them to see things the Rangers themselves couldn’t.
 
However, nearly all of these interactions feel one-note. Sometimes in terms of acting, but mostly in terms of personality. They have nothing except for the descriptions given above. That’s not to say they don’t have some redeeming qualities in certain episodes, but if the Rangers are one-note, the same can be said of the villains.
 
Xandred is the main boss, but is apparently too sick to get into any action. Octaroo likes rhyming to you, and is the one to mostly send the goons out into the world. Then there’s Dayu, a brooding female who at least gets to some action once in a while.
 
The plan of this group of villains is to create misery in the humans of the world to flood the Sanzu river and escape the imprisonment they were cast into by Jayden’s father. Jayden is the one who has inherited the sealing power to trap evil, and with the increasing Nighlok attacks, it looks like that power will need to be used again.
 
Bulk returns to the cast, with his best friend- looking after his best friend’s son. Bulk and Spike are set in their mission of training to become samurai, but mostly the scenes they feature just feel really unneeded. I get they’re the comedic duo of the season, but like most things here, it mostly falls flat.
 
The season picks up within its middle section, starting with a two-parter in which the secret of the sealing power is revealed to the other Rangers. Wanting to protect Jayden, they put themselves in the line of fire to defend him – something which he never wanted to happen.
 
To protect the others, he leaves the Shiba house, but comes to realise he can’t win this fight alone – something which Ji tells the other Rangers he had been insistent on doing before they were brought in.
 
When a fisherman comes to play, the others are sceptical at first, but when he reveals he has Ranger power, they are in awe of him – while still being a bit cautious, naturally. It builds the reveal well, and upon helping the Rangers Jayden realises his friend from the past has returned. The others find him a bit strange, but welcome him to the team.
 
Except Ji, who refuses and keeps Antonio’s morpher. Jayden – as leader of the team – follows that decision even as it hurts to do so. Antonio’s reaction feels powerful, and the settlement between the two when the other Rangers say they need him feels a bit subdued but still works.
 
The improved character interactions continue as Antonio and Kevin work together to foil another plot, while a surprise birthday party for Emily looks like it’ll never happen due to a Nighlok taking her soul. The reactions in this one are powerful, especially from Mike – who seems to be growing to like her as more than a friend.
 
The finale stretches out over the final four episodes, and it is here the season falls from the better quality of the middle. Setting up the second season – the ‘Super’ season – with the Black Box, Jayden is poisoned by Octaroo. Deker takes him to heal him, so they can finally have their ultimate duel.
 
Deker was previously set up as someone cursed to be half Nighlok forevermore until he could find an opponent worthy to battle. It is this battle that the final episode is leading to. Nearly everything else feels inconsequential compared to it, or even just not needed.
 
And the ultimate duel that takes up the finale’s name feels just the same. There’s still some good interactions happening within the four episodes, but the ending episode of season one doesn’t actually feel an ending.
 
Origins as a two-part episode feels unnecessary. Most of what the episode gives us has been given throughout, and having it at the end of the season really adds nothing extra to these characters, so the only thing going for them is the action they give.
 
The second season of Samurai raises the quality just a bit. But also somehow manages to lower it. While the ending of season one didn’t feel like a finale, the beginning of season two doesn’t exactly feel like an opener.
 
Sure, Sanzu river water is seeping through to Earth and there’s a monster on the loose, giving a bit more interaction between the world and its characters, but then there’s the Black Box – a device that boosts a Ranger’s powers with the combined force of all the Rangers.
 
The Black Box isn’t at fault though – it’s no different from SWAT mode in SPD, or to give a better idea of where this is going Super Samurai mode from Ninja Storm – it’s the fact you have a whole season that advertises the fact it is nothing more than the second half that introduces the power-up of the series, and manages to add Super everywhere it can just because it wants to feel special.
 
It can be overlooked in this season, but with Megaforce and especially Dino Charge it gets annoying. Oh, and the plot point of Sanzu water seeping through gets resolved that episode, losing some of the impact that could have been held had it been a growing problem throughout the season.
 
This is just one more added to the pile of Xandred, Octaroo, and all the monsters that have been sent out feeling like side villains rather than the main. That status goes to Dayu and Deker, as their relationship actually feels fleshed out and there feels progression with their story.
 
There are some fun episodes, such as Mike and Emily fighting together when all the other Rangers are out of action, followed by Antonio gaining a fear of fish after having his spirit switched with one and almost being eaten by a cat. Dayu, having been cast away for helping Deker last season, is still around; hoping to get back at Master Xandred.
 
Serrator enters the picture and creates havoc for the Rangers. He also gets Dayu to do a little something for him, showing her that Deker is still alive. Now that this has come back, the signs are there for a repeat of the previous season. Thankfully, it doesn’t go that route, instead developing on what was shown last season between these two.
 
And speaking of developing, the same episode Deker comes back is also where Kevin also gets closure for leaving his previous team behind.
 
Spike gets a bit of time to shine, and Emily continues to be the standout character with an episode focus that has her become a tough training instructor when Bulk and Spike come to the Shiba House to return Mia’s purse. And Jayden seems to be hiding a secret, one which Deker can see, and it seems to be making him lose focus.
 
Serrator is focusing on a larger plan, and is using Dayu and Deker to carry it out. This plan is also operating outside of Master Xandred’s knowledge. When he finds out, he makes an appearance in the human world with a towering temper tantrum. And the power to match.
 
Dayu goes back with Xandred, but because Xandred was in the human world, he suffered the same as all other Nighlok. Out of the way for now, Serrator takes over and accelerates his plan. The arc is probably the strongest of all episodes, and I’m not saying that just because it has a strong sense of story. More that it pushes these characters in what they are willing to do to win.
 
Even Bulk and Spike with their comedic antics get in on this. It does feel like it drags a bit, but that’s more to do with the excessive amount of transform sequences used for the zords. They aren’t the extended sequences, but add up to roughly the same thing.
 
The finale here is five episodes, running through an arc. And it stands as the strongest that Samurai has given. The first episode reveals the secret that Jayden has been hiding, in what is one of the strongest episodes of the series. Jayden has a big sister who has been in waiting – training for her moment to shine – and it is she who has the sealing power to stop Master Xandred for good.
 
With Lauren now back, Jayden leaves, but the others want him. It’s just not the same otherwise. Jayden and Deker do battle once again, and across two episodes the duel rages. With Deker lost, Dayu releases her misery, bringing Xandred back. With Xandred absorbing her into him, the sealing symbol no longer works.
 
Thus, the final assault. The character interactions are stronger here than ever, and the finale as a whole provides a strong narrative that delivers results. The build-up it takes to get to this point doesn’t really matter, that’s how strong I feel the finale is.

Megaforce does a decent job of introducing everything in its first episode, as well as being a faithful recreation of the very first episode of Rangers. Although this team seems to accept this new world they’ve been thrust into easier than the Mighty Morphin’ team did. Perhaps because evidence came from a source they trusted.
 
Emma showed off a photo of one of the monsters which had been wondering around. Gia is best friends with Emma, with Jake having a fancy for Gia and doesn’t hide it – always trying to impress her. Best friend of Jake is Noah, the science geek.
 
Troy has recently moved to town, and takes the mantle of leader. This group of Rangers are another team who are still within school, with their secondary hangout being Ernie’s Juice Bar – another reference to the original series.
 
The starting episodes do good in putting character into these characters, with the friendships being explored and also what it takes to be a Ranger. The fourth episode does this best by giving us a character who is pretending to be a Ranger to gain attention, but when it comes to actually getting to the action he is scared at facing the monster.
 
In Ranger form, the group get through to him that being a Ranger needs dedication and hard work, and being something you’re not only puts yourself and others in danger. And while the lessons and morals the episodes present can be too visible at times, it doesn’t detract from the plot of the day.
 
There has been no talk of the villains here, and that’s because they just serve the episode with conflict and nothing more. The closest it does get with supplying some character is with Creepox – who early on saw something in Troy and named Red as a rival. The two meet two other times before Creepox’s destruction. Vrak is analytical, testing the Rangers and seeing how best to conquer them.
 
Suddenly Megaforce becomes Wild Force, with new enemies rising from toxic pools much the same as the Orgs did. Instead of relying on that information and using it to tie into Wild Force – especially considering what’s coming next season – this season just calls them toxic mutants.
 
And it’s not as if they couldn’t have tied to the Orgs with a new generation of them, considering their creation is the exact same as the Orgs and almost half of the season has focus on them. Though when I say focus, I really mean one episode of set-up followed by the usual villain motions for monster of the day.
 
Robo Knight appears in the same episode the toxic mutants are introduced, and follows the story of being a guardian of the Earth left dormant for thousands of years, reawakened at its time of need. I’m not going to launch into a rant – as I’m sure plenty of others already have over that particular point (along with Gosei’s existence as well).
 
Instead, Robo Knight for me doesn’t feel like a full character yet, but it is the arc he goes through that finally warms me to him – even if I still don’t much like him.
 
The end of the toxic mutants comes with the introduction of the Ultimate Command Ship, and it’s a good end for the two leaders even if they didn’t do much. But with the end of the toxic mutants comes a new faction to face. And Megaforce becomes RPM, Zeo, SPD, or any season with robot villains.
 
It’s here that I find Robo Knight goes through his arc that warms me to him, as Metal Alice becomes his rival – one robot on the side of good and one on bad each with their own views that clash. While it does only last a few episodes before the finale, this entire arc of robot vs robot is another strong part of Megaforce.
 
The finale is a strong three-parter, with Admiral Malkor ready to unleash the power he has been absorbing. Malkor is defeated – along with their ship which Vrak had been piloting down to the surface – but Vrak survives, with Metal Alice turning him into a robot. They don’t succeed in defeating the Rangers, and the invasion force arrives in full force.
 
Robo Knight had sacrificed himself to bring about the defeat of the villains, and has disappeared. The Rangers are powerless to do much against the invasion, and that is where season one ends.
 
The second season of Megaforce carries straight on from the first, with the Rangers heading back to the command centre. There, they get some new powers to take on the invasion force. This, however, is the first thing I have a problem with.
 
An entire season of the Sentai has been adapted into Megaforce – as a power-up. All the zords, all the enemies, and all the lore that could have been used from that Sentai season – reduced to a power-up. And in the universe of Megaforce, it makes no sense.
 
There’s no history behind anything here – no lore as to why everything has gone all pirate. At least the Dairanger elements in Mighty Morphin’ were given a reason for their existence. Here – it explains they’ve been given new powers that will allow them to tap into the powers of their predecessors, and that’s it.
 
The second thing I have a problem with is an extension of the first. Just as there’s no lore behind the new powers, there’s little in the way of respect for previous teams’ lore on a deeper level. If the Sentai version was kept previously for the Rangers adaption, it works here. But when the two diverge from each other. That’s where the problems arise.
 
And third – again lore related – is the fact they incorporated Sentai-exclusive teams as ‘powers’ with the only explanation being ‘powers never before seen on Earth’. Take Dairanger again. It could have been said that they were an upgrade of the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers that Zordon never put into effect that were based on the White Ranger.
 
Instead, Megaforce just labels a whole season as Squadron mode. Though at least squadron is a translation of Sentai, so it could be said that at least for this team Megaforce is showing a bit of love for what it’s adapted from.
 
Everything else has no lore to it though – and just like the pirate powers – make no sense within the Megaforce universe.
 
Those observations don’t affect the characters, who remain just as they always have. The same observations from the previous season about the characters are still the same here, which are possibly the best part.
 
After exploring the powers over a few episodes, a new Ranger in the form of Orion comes. His planet has been destroyed by the Armada, and it’s taken him a while to reach Earth. Now he is learning about the Ranger legacy and about Earth.
 
His inclusion adds one more character that is welcomed here. And there’s some fun to be had with some of the stories between this and the next major arc.
 
And that major arc is the finale across six episodes. Why do I say six? Well, first off is Prince Vekar finally doing something major and paying for it with his destruction. That brings Vrak back into action in a two-part episode – where everything he has been planning gets put into action.
 
This one is a good episode as it is personal for this team of Rangers. Not only has Vrak returned – twice now – but he’s also captured the current sixth Ranger along with the previous one of Robo Knight.
 
It closes Robo Knight off in a good way, along with Vrak, provides a good bit of action and finally provides a payoff for Troy missing Robo Knight at the beginning of the season.
 
Those who were by Vekar’s side are dealt with by Emperor Mavro when he arrives to deal the final blow to Earth as a whole. Once they are gone, the full force of the fleet heads into the Earth’s atmosphere for a massive bombardment upon the ground. The Rangers deal with the first wave, but are beaten back by the second.
 
All the zords are now destroyed. The city is in ruins, and people are scared and trying to find hope. When a new day dawns and the fleet returns to finally crush the Earth, the people stand up. The Rangers appear and they fight back.
 
Troy and Orion take the latter’s ship and crash into the command ship to deal with Mavro and the entire fleet. It’s very similar to how In Space played out, and the creators knew that – having the two escape the destroyed command ship with Legendary In Space Ranger suits and boards.
 
That would have been the perfect end. The fleet destroyed, everything back to normal, and paying heed to the beginning of the season where the people were rebuilding the city and a message of how working together allows things to be achieved easier. Instead… Legendary Battle.
 
Seeing all the past Rangers fighting with the current team should really feel an epic end, but it feels more an afterthought. It also doesn’t help that anyone other than the current team hardly get any screentime.

Dino Charge starts off by slowly introducing characters. Keeper being chased by Sledge in space as he tries to get the Energems. Keeper using dinosaurs to keep the Energems safe while using a bomb to keep Sledge away from him. That causes the extinction of dinosaurs on Earth, as Sledge was also hauling asteroids - the explosion within the ship causes the hold on them to fade.
 
Cue the present day, where we meet Tyler and Shelby. Tyler is looking for his dad, while Shelby works at the museum where Tyler asks for information. Chase and Koda are two other workers of the museum, with all three being under the eye of Kendall Morgan. One of the Energems is found by Tyler, with Shelby rescuing another from a monster. On a farm, Riley finds the third.
 
The three head to the loading dock of the museum and accidentally end up at the base of operations for Keeper and Kendall – where Chase and Koda also reside with Energems of their own.
 
The first two episodes only show the T-Rex zord, with the third being where the first Megazord is formed and the team truly becomes formed. And speaking of the Megazord, this is probably the least energetic transformation sequence in the history of Rangers.
 
The team get on well with camaraderie present between them all during the focus episodes – even during slight antagonistic moments. The focus episodes of Koda and Chase also reveal how they came to find their Energems.
 
With the introductions out of the way, the first real arc can begin. Using a machine to hunt for more Energems, the Rangers get more than they bargained for when they release the Ptera-zord, with Fury in control of it and a certain other thing.
 
The arc works in how it introduces everything and sets up what is to come, with the end result being Sir Ivan of Zandar being freed from Fury when the Gold Energem is reunited with him. And Tyler thinking his dad was the person inside Fury is a bittersweet moment that has its payoff.
 
Ivan at first is reluctant to join the team, not helped by Sledge setting a monster on the Rangers that destroyed their sense of courage. He comes to realise that fighting for the team is the best thing he can do to protect the kingdom of Zandar.
 
The current Prince Phillip is also getting in on the action, having found an Energem of his own and trying to bond with it – even trying to help the Rangers out with a fighting robot. That gets into enemy hands. He comes to understand that he needs to help selflessly rather than for selfish intent for a bond to happen.
 
There’s a lot of character interaction happening all throughout, with even those parts played for comedic effect working to strengthen the characters themselves, aside from one or two minor things I felt. It all feels in character, though.
 
And with the Graphite Energem now found, the Purple one comes into play for the finale. And it feels like a proper finale this time – which I found to work with how the second season starts.
 
The first two episodes of the finale have the Rangers in New Zealand for the finding of the Energem, and both introduce characters who are helped and help in return. Those two also learn from their experiences of interacting with the Ranger world – with one of the two having been a Ranger.
 
But that has now left the Purple Energem unbonded, which is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Which it eventually does throughout the second-to-last episode – where the Rangers are trying to find a ‘hero’ for it to bond to. I’d say they were desperate for it to be bonded so much they forgot the reason they all bonded to their own Energems.
 
Then the final episode, which is actually quite well managed. It fits in the growing relationship of Tyler and Shelby, works in Kendall bonding to the Purple Emergem, and has a great paced plot that has a sense of danger throughout. Tyler manages to rescue his Energem that Sledge had taken from him, and a short battle sends the ship’s controls into a frenzy that has it crash down to Earth.
 
Thinking the danger has passed, everyone but Koda and Ivan are free to go. There’s just two Energems to find, but they will be called on if ever any help is needed.
 
Sledge’s ship is downed and damaged. “It’s my turn now,” a voice calls.
 
The opening episode of the second season introduces new leader Snide and his other side of Heckyl. Heckyl had already shown up during the finale of the previous season, acting as an ally to the Rangers – or so they think.
 
He was successful in hiding his true self, meaning as long as he doesn’t transform into Snide, the Rangers will be none the wiser. It also makes use of the Rangers being split at the end of the last season by having them be picked off separately, leaving it to Koda and Tyler to rescue them. An effective opening episode, then.
 
The next two also present effective episodes, with Heckyl being found out. I’ll skip over the inconsistency of the second episode to restore the status-quo, since it does get mentioned in the third. Then there’s Chase trying to impress another girl but having competition – against himself. The plots relating to the characters are still as strong as they’ve been in this series, which is a plus.
 
A virus is uploaded into Kendall’s laptop, corrupting the new charger to activate Dino Super Charge mode – the Red Ranger battlizer. This then sets into motion the reunion of Tyler and his dad – who is the Aqua Ranger.
 
It’s quite a powerful moment, and once again we get a Ranger experiencing the side effects of never aging that the Energems give when bonded. It’s always been fun to see those reactions. However, the time the two spend catching up is cut short as James and Keeper agree that the Silver Energem – the final Energem – has to be found, and a one-man crew will be better at doing so than a whole team.
 
The story of the Silver Ranger takes a slow burn approach, starting with Silver coming forward with a message from space. The Titanus zord needs to be found. Through a return signal, the Rangers learn that Silver needs help and that the Dark Energem has resurfaced. It’s setting up a lot for the finale, with character stories still being at the fore – giving Chase problems with his girlfriend and a bit more history behind Koda.
 
There’s a lot of story involving the creation of the Energems, the zords, and even Heckyl’s place within all of it when Zenowing and Lord Arcanon are introduced. And just like with the first season, each episode is giving bits of the main plot that leads up to the finale during these episodes.
 
Tyler finally works up to expressing his feelings to Shelby as the two face the danger of Doomwing – an alternate form of Zenowing created by the Dark Energem. It seems a bit… funny – how Kendall can create all these technological marvels and have them work without testing, but that’s already come up before in the first season, and I don’t think it would have served the story much more to have it fail.
 
The Silver Energem is still in evil hands, and it does get back into the hands of good as fast as the split. Though it’s the exploration of the effects of the Dark Energem that is key here, and that follows all the way to the finale.
 
Heckyl is split from Snide, Arcanon is destroyed, and Sledge returns after setting up a plan that involves the world. All the Rangers are called to action, and seeing all ten in action was worth the wait.
 
Zenowing had taught the basics of zord creation to Shelby, who manages to create one when the situation calls for it. Heckyl warns them the best place to be when Sledge’s plan starts is off the planet. And then…
 
I found the finale good, don’t get me wrong, filled with action and character – especially the final send-off. But it just goes over-the-top. Sledge’s plan involves the Greenzilla monster’s eggs, placed around the world, which will hatch into more monsters and wreak havoc on the world. The Megazords are brought out, but the whole sequence of events feels incredibly scripted and rushed.
 
Then there’s part two of the plan, where those eggs act as anchor points to allow Sledge to tow the entire Earth with him. The Dark Energem is finally destroyed, but a black hole is created that pulls the Earth into it. Keeper then sends the Rangers back millions of years to when he first arrived on Earth to stop Sledge before the events started.
 
That final scene… The characters have been the driving force of this series, making the split of Koda and Ivan from the group as they return to their own time bittersweet, you could say.
 
Samurai mostly drags, but provides some decent character moments. The overall finale works, even if most of the rest falls flat. Megaforce manages to improve on all areas, but the second season – depending on how you feel – destroys all that with its shallow attempt at celebrating Ranger history.
 
Dino Charge improves vastly upon both, though it does show a lot of strain at times in merging the Sentai footage with the original. And I’m only mentioning this here as while it is an annoyance it doesn’t detract from the quality of the series, but the ‘Super’ being forced into names to make the second season feel important is on full show here.
 
As for where I place these three on my list, I have a feeling this is going to be an unpopular opinion. You’ll see when you look at where they’re placed.
 
Dino Thunder
Time Force
SPD
In Space
Jungle Fury
RPM
Lightspeed Rescue
Ninja Storm
Wild Force
Mystic Force
Dino Charge
Lost Galaxy
Megaforce
Mighty Morphin'
Samurai
Turbo
Operation Overdrive
Zeo
 
Megaforce above Mighty Morphin'. If you remember back two years to that post on the original series, there was more I didn't like with it, and found it only started picking up half-way through season two. Then fell off again with season three. Not to mention a case of repeated plot points and forcing a merge between Sentai and original footage (keeping Tommy out of the way, for instance).
 
This series comes to a close, then. Or it would be, except I want to revisit it - even if I don't rewatch the Rangers series - just to flesh out a few points and shrink the posts down.
 
At points I did ramble on about the episodes themselves instead of getting to the point, and most posts hit the same amount of Word document pages as these six seasons have - so there's definitely room to shrink them down.
 
There'll be news of that soon, though, so keep an eye out.