Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
"Cyborg Rangers"
Original Air Date: 03/25/00		Featuring footage from: GoGo Five #08 - Kyukyu Sentai Katsudou Teishoku (Rescue Squadron Activity Suspended)
*7th Regular Season (7th of the 8th Season by Series) *Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1007 *7th episode of PRLR *345th total Power Rangers episode
Writer: Judd Lynn		Director: Isaac Florentine
Starring Cast: Michael Chaturantabut _AS_ Chad Lee (Blue Ranger) Sean Cw Johnson _AS_ Carter Grayson (Red Ranger) Alison MacInnis _AS_ Dana Mitchell (Pink Ranger) Keith Robinson _AS_ Joel Rawlings (Green Ranger) Sasha Williams _AS_ Kelsey Winslow (Yellow Ranger) Monica Louwerens _AS_ Ms. Fairweather Ron Rogge _AS_ Captain William Mitchell Jennifer L. Yen _AS_ Vypra		Additional Cast: David Weisberg _AS_ Dr. Harlen Bert Kramer _AS_ General McKnight Neil Kaplan _AS_ Diabolico (voice) David Lodge _AS_ Loki (voice, oddly uncredited!) Kim Strauss _AS_ Jinxer (voice) Wen Yann Shih _AS_ Impus (voice, uncredited) Eddie Frierson _AS_ Strikning (voice)

SUMMARY:

[Recap of "Operation Lightspeed" & "Wheels Of Destruction".]

The skies above the city of Mariner Bay darken with thunderclouds, clouds very similar to those surrounding the Skull Cavern. This gray and rumbling phenomenon heralds the coming of Strikning and his horde of Batlings! The lightning-symbol & spike covered metal monster laughs maniacally and shouts for his lightning spikes to fire away. Three spikes from his chest shoot off and stab into the wall of a nearby skyscraper, and once the spikes activate, the thunderclouds spew down deadly lightning bolts at the trio of rods, frying the building into an explosive heap! The people on the streets nearby scream and dodge crumbling debris, not to mention the sexual harassing exploits of several Batlings (who seem to swarm on a couple of women). The Mariner Bayans flee for their lives from the attack, just as the Lightspeed Power Rangers heroically make the scene. The five Morphed rescue workers lead on and guide the panicking populous into a safe direction, and honestly, don't do much good in rescuing them from anything! The people were running off that way as it was! With the citizens pretty much cleared out, Strikning orders the Batlings to attack the Rangers, who rush in, ready to strike back.

[opening credits.]

With limited use of their Rescue Batons, the Power Rangers bonk the Batlings off left and right. Green Ranger takes the fight into fancy-flip mode, and just as he does that, the scene cuts away to the Lightspeed Aquabase Command Headquarters. There we find Ms. Fairweather, Joel's gal pal and all around self-proclaimed genius, watching nervously as the Rangers fight onscreen, with Captain Mitchell checking out the successful scuffle take place as well. Back at the battle, Red Ranger does his usual duties of taking on the monster, and finds Strikning's Power Pole to be a bit problematic after being poked over. Carter falls into a pile of debris, with several scared actingless civilians in the background, but luckily, as always, the others just happen to finish up with the Batlings and appear in time for Dana to help the group leader to his feet. The Power Rangers stand united, and this seems to be a sign of them wanting more pain, so Strikning obliges by firing off the trio of stakes at the ground between Red Ranger's legs. The thunderclouds roar, the lightning bolts, and the Rangers take the full brunt (protecting the people in the back as best they can) of a Ben Franklin Special! The Rangers lie on the ground, dazed by the attack, along with several of the people they were trying to save. Strikning calls our heroes pathetic and no match for him, as he slowly jaunts over to Red Ranger's apparently unconscious body. Flipping Carter over like so much hamburger meat, Strikning prepares to finish what he was sent there to do, holding his Power Pole poised for a Red Ranger barbecue.

Just as Strikning raises his Pole, his Spikey chest is struck with laserblasts from afar. He's knocked over, the Power Rangers quickly recover (though the downed citizens seem to have actually been well enough to get up and rush back into the corner) and watch in shock as five pairs of black boots come marching their way. Strikning is surprised as well, as the mechanical whirring of the arm and leg movements of the five Cyborg Rangers rings out! Each Cyborg resembles each of the Power Rangers in Morphed form, each have an antenna on their helmets, black gloves & boots, and a battery pack (or else a Stingwinger bomb) positioned in the center of their chest. The Cyborgs walk onto the debris-laden scene, stunning Ms. Fairweather & Captain Mitchell back in the Aquabase also. The Rangers continue nursing their injuries as they scope out the mysterious five new heroes. Kelsey asks Dana if she knew anything about other Rangers, but the daughter of the head of Lightspeed had no clue, nor did Carter. Strikning decides to destroy them all, by getting up and running over towards the Cyborg Rangers with his ever pointy Power Pole extended outwards. Strikning's strike doesn't strike its target, as the Red Cyborg casually grabs the Pole with one hand and then punches Strikning in the stomach. The Pink & Yellow Cyborgs next leap over Red, dual jumpkicking the monster, followed by Blue & Green doubling up on him, and ending it out with another attack by the, uhh, female Cyborgs. Red Cyborg picks Strikning up, spins him around and kicks him across the lot. Strikning spots the whole team of Cyborgs regrouping, screams that this isn't over and teleports away before he can get flashfried. The Cyborgs, meanwhile, pose almost like they're about to demorph, but spare us the inner-workings of a toaster.

The Power Rangers cheer triumphantly at their fellow Rangers' victory, and gleefully rush over to greet their comrades in spandex. Standing visor-to-visor with their color counterparts, Chad breaks the ice by remarking to Blue Cyborg about their impressive moves. The Cyborgs simply walk past the Rangers and march towards a black Humvee parked nearby. From inside it, out steps a short balding man with glasses in a gray Lightspeed labcoat (with red-colored symbol, apparently the sign of those working for Lightspeed Command), holding a large metal box strapped around his scrawny neck. We find out later his name is Dr. Harlen. Red Ranger greets the Doctor, asking who the new Rangers are, and Harlen informs the five teens that they are the Cyborg Rangers. Dr. Harlen flips a switch and orders the Cyborgs to return to base, utilizing the joystick to maneuver the Cyborgs into the black Humvee. Carter tries to query more into these odd robots, but Dr. Harlen excuses himself departs with the Cyborgs with a smug look on his face. The Humvee, also Lightspeed issue, drives off, leaving Carter behind (or is it Chad, one can hope) to call the Cyborgs amazing.

Inside the Aquabase, Captain Mitchell asks Ms. Fairweather what she knows about these strange bots. She states that "we" (as in the Lightspeed Rescue crew) aren't developing any such Cyborg Rangers, to which Mitchell ponders if they didn't, then who did. The answer comes from the old man just entering the room, who announces he did, as appears in his Patton-esque uniform along with two military associates behind him. The old man, General McKnight as Captain Mitchell calls him, is apparently head of the Lightspeed Command, which never gets an official name yet but we'll call the unseen higher up portion of the operation that for now. Mitchell steps in front of Fairweather and salutes his superior, before asking him what in the world was going on since he wasn't told. General McKnight says that no one was told as the Cyborg Rangers are a top secret project. Captain Mitchell asks what they're for, since they've already got five Power Rangers. McKnight, or Brian as his wife likes to call him, remarks about the other Rangers being just kids and the Cyborgs being ten times stronger and are programmed for one thing, fighting, and they never make mistakes. Mitchell asks what that last comment was supposed to mean, just as the humming of the rising of the Transport Bay his heard, and the five Ranger teens gain the attention of all in room.

The Rangers hop out of the Rescue Rover and head off, just as Ms. Fairweather & Captain Mitchell walk over. Carter exclaims to the Captain about the Cyborgs being incredible, Joel notes that with the new Cyborgs on the team that Diabolico doesn't stand a chance. General McKnight drops by to correct Joel, the Cyborgs aren't here to join them, but replace them! All of our heroes are stunned speechless, except Carter who, like he has a habit of doing, repeats the last thing said to him. Captain Mitchell cautions the General about this being a mistake, but McKnight doesn't think so, as Mitchell saw himself when the Cyborgs saved those "kids". The Rangers remain quiet, but are silently offended by the strange man's unkind words. The General asks what Bill, as he calls the Captain, was thinking when he drafted them, since they could never defeat Diabolico and his evils. Joel finally speaks out, asking (after taking a glance as his name-tag) General "Mc-Know-It-All" what that meant, Kelsey dittos and offers to show him how tough they are. Mitchell quiets his team, and immediately the Cyborg Rangers are lead into the Weapons Lab by Dr. Harlen nearby. General McKnight informs the five Power Rangers that they are relieved of their duties, motioning his two men to approach the teens. One of the uniformed men picks up the silver case (the same as seen in the very first Lightspeed Rescue episode) and opens it, as the other grabs Chad's wrist and tries forcing his Rescue Morpher off him! Chad struggles, not one to be pushed around, and grabs the man's hand in kind. Captain Mitchell spots this and shakes his head to the Blue Ranger, prompting Chad to reluctantly let go and unstrap his Morpher before handing it over to the man. The others do the same, and within moments, each of the Rescue Morphers are back where they came from. Joel is the last to place his in, taking one final sad look at it, and Ms. Fairweather, as well. The man closes the Morpher container and walks off, while General McKnight mentions to Captain Mitchell that the Cyborg Rangers are the future of Lightspeed Rescue, and Diabolico won't know what hit him. The General smiles like a loon, but Mitchell finds this situation only one for sulking purposes.

[commercials]

Elsewhere, inside the gleaming Skull Cavern palace, Impus' constant crying gets on the nerves of Loki, who has enough and yells as the baby dragon. In answer of "Don't you ever stop crying?", Impus simply speaks the only word he knows, "Mama", and continues sobbing. Jinxer, who appears to be something of a demonic baby-sitter, carries an evil rattle in his hand, and notes that he's tried everything to calm him but Impus misses his mother, Queen Bansheera. Vypra decides to earn her keep this week by saying that the day the Queen returns to them Impus will remember how Diabolico treated him. Vypra, who wants to get in good with the Queen, smiles at the demonic infant Prince, causing him to once again cry out for Mama. Jinxer mentions that he needs the comfort of his mother and hopes she comes back quickly, though it appears now Impus' crying has finally calmed down. Diabolico doesn't seem to care any for Vypra's upfront badmouthing of him, and just remarks about the Queen's return the sooner the better, with her great powers they'll crush the Power Rangers likes flies!

Back in the Aquabase, Ms. Fairweather does some electronic scans on the Cyborg Rangers as they're hooked up to a machine they use t recharge their batteries. General McKnight remarks to Fairweather about them being impressive, to which she agrees they are very. McKnight seems to really get off on these robots, as he points out their many attributes: platinum alloy skin, night vision, heat-sensitive targeting, every millimeter programmed to perfection. Fairweather calls them truly impressive, but fears they're missing something, the one thing they can't program, namely a heart. She suddenly storms off, leaving McKnight behind as bitter as he was after the whole Tailgate scandal. Meanwhile in the city, the five unemployed Power Rangers take a quiet walk on a bridge. Chad breaks the silence for a second time this episode, by asking Carter if he thinks the Cyborgs are indeed better than them. Carter looks around at his distraught teammates, and says he doesn't know, he just doesn't know. Not far away, Strikning is back, terrorizing the citizens of Mariner Bay with his grating laugh and penchant to jump around. Strikning fires his tri-spikes into the wall of another building, and the lightning cause & effect takes the whole place down in a blast. People scramble, Strikning laughs more, saying there's nothing like pure chaos! Just then, just behind him, the Red Cyborg Ranger appears in a grid-like teleportation effect! He teleports in, midair with his feet aimed right at Strikning's back! The monster is taken down as the other Cyborgs Cyber-port onto the scene as well. They could have taken the black Humvee, as it rolls up just behind them, Strikning notes he has been looking forward to the moment of their arrival.

Dr. Harlen and his Lightspeed Command coworkers step out of the Humvee, and begin to direct the fleeing public into a safe direction (directing traffic is the most highly needed skill in Lightspeed, you know). This distracts him for a moment, almost leaving the Cyborg Rangers open for attack by Strikning, who lunges at them. Harlen grabs the control stick in time and the Cyborgs roll out of the way, followed by a fun game of kick the monster where everybody gets a turn! Meanwhile in the Aquabase Command HQ, General McKnight watches the viewing screen with delight, giving Captain Mitchell a snobby "I told you so" when it comes to the Cyborgs being their future (I get the really strong feeling McKnight never had children). Mitchell can only sigh and glance at Ms. Fairweather, since they have no lines at the moment. Back at the battle, Dr. Harlen's years of playing Pac-man pay off big time as he maneuvers the Cyborg Rangers into attack positions with the easy flip of some switches. Is this all a big sales plug for the upcoming PRLR Video Games, or just a coincidence? No matter, the Cyborgs team up and their combined punches slam Strikning to the wall. Back at the Aquabase, the General puts his hand on the Captain's shoulder and says to look at them go (this is better than the recent Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots grudge match!).

Hey look, more fancy moves by the Cyborg Rangers! You know, if they were so "extra tough", why hasn't Strikning died already? They've beaten him around the city more times than a tin can! Dr. Harlen is ecstatic like a little schoolgirl as he plays with the Cyborg controls, his fun time about over as he has the five Cyborgs lift their Cyborg Rescue Blasters and aim at the weary Strikning. He isn't out of juice just yet, as Strikning recovers swiftly and fires off three lightning spikes into the ground near the Cyborg Rangers. The lightning strikes from above, and thanks to their heavy metal parts, the Cyborgs burst into a series of explosions which shake up Harlen and surprises General McKnight with the impossible occurring! Strikning, laughs once more, before teleporting away to lick his wounds. Nearby, the Powerless Rangers spot the explosive ruckus from their little bridge. Chad can only say that even though they're not Rangers still, don't they think they should do something. Carter agrees to go check it out, Dana is eager to go along, but Joel grabs Carter's arm and reminds him it's not their job anymore. Kelsey's still bitter over getting fired, shrugging it off as letting the Cyborgs handle it for a change. That would be the case, but as Dr. Harlen notices when he rushes over to the slightly trashed Cyborg Rangers, things are not what they appear. Red Cyborg stands up by himself, followed by the others, who all have appeared to sustained only a few small broken pieces on the outside. Harlen extends his hand to touch the sparkly wound of Red Cyborg, causing it to quickly turn around and, along with its teammates, throw the fried Rescue Blasters to the ground, and swarm on the deathly afraid Doctor!

[commercials]

Dr. Harlen races back to his two Lightspeed Command technician pals at the black Humvee, frantically attempting to try to regain control of the Cyborg Rangers one last time. The Cyborgs refuse his orders and slowly creep towards him, while in the Aquabase, General McKnight asks Ms. Fairweather what they're doing, to which she notes their circuitry is fried and he's got to stop them at once! It's a big negative on that, Dr. Harlen is out of luck and a sitting duck. McKnight is flabbergasted, citing the number of times they tested the Cyborgs and how this can't be happening. Captain Mitchell tells Harlen to activate the self-destruct, but of course, even that conveniently placed emergency button fails to work. Pressing it over and over does nothing, so Harlen and his two unspeaking pals dart off as the Cyborgs close in on them. General McKnight whips himself with that tassel or whatever you call it he's been slapping around the place all episode, while trying to rack his brain for a way to stop his robotic replacements. Captain Mitchell & Ms. Fairweather have an idea, though they keep it quiet for the moment and just eye the top secret Rescue Morpher box that sits out in the open nearby (nobody bothered to lock it up?!). Harlen proves he's a modern day Bulk & Skull by trying to run from the Cyborgs while carrying the worthless Cyborg controls, which slow him down considerably. His two pals run off ahead, leaving Dr. Harlen to stop to catch his breath, thinking himself safe behind a corner. Nope, Red Cyborg Ranger busts through the wall and leads the way for his team to continue their rampage as the Doctor escapes the scene with his nameless companions leading the way.

We see Dr. Harlen and the dynamic duo being tossed through a stack of the ever-abundant empty cardboard boxes that litter the empty warehouses in the city, after getting blasted by something. Source of the attack is the Pink & Yellow Cyborgs, who set Harlen up for a fall right under the feet of the Blue, Green & Red Cyborgs. Harlen stands up and is about to be a beaten into a bloody smear, when here comes SuperCarter! Leaping through the air impossibly, Carter grabs Dr. Harlen and manages to slip him out of the robotic clutches of the Rangertrons. He tells the Doctor (of what? Butt Surgery?) they'll take it from here, as his four teammates stand by his side, ready to take on their metal matches. Carter is able to kick Red Cyborg down, but when it gets back up, its visor plate is down, and we see that underneath, all that can be seen is the oxygen mask and a bunch of wires & lights! If that's not freaky enough, Red Cyborg Ranger speaks, in a robotic voice, stating that human Rangers are no match for Cyborg Rangers, and they'll all be terminated! Dr. Harlen mentions that he's right, as no one can stop them, but Carter just hopes he's wrong about that. Before the battle of flesh & bone versus spandex & metal can take place, the approaching engine of the Rescue Rover screeches in, with Captain Mitchell driving! He knows the rules of driving the Humvee, as he, you guessed it, swerves to a halt near the Ranger teens. Mitchell yells out Carter's name and throws his Rescue Morpher in the air, prompting Carter to jump up and snatch it safely. Remember how there was the big plotholed discussion of the importance of taking the proper Rescue Morpher? Well, here we go again, as Captain Mitchell literally throws the bunch of Rescue Morphers out at the other four Ranger teens. They just take whatever one they happen to catch, and their corresponding Powers work correctly for them. Something to think about, and while you're at it, notice Kelsey didn't seem to catch her Morpher when it was chucked her way!

With Rescue Morphers strapped on their wrists, the five draftees join together and face the Cyborg Rangers. Carter says it's time for some human power, and with a group shout, they call on Lightspeed Rescue! A five-screen shot with a fiery background filler appears on the screen, showing the Morph in but an instant. The Lightspeed Power Rangers have been rehired, and are back on the job of doing someone else's dirty work, as they rush into battle with the Cyborg Rangers. Captain Mitchell watches this with a smile and a tip of his hat from the Rescue Rover in the background, as Dr. Harlen wipes his brow in relief to see the real Rangers back in business. Pink Ranger twirls around a bit while facing Pink Cyborg, and doesn't seem to be doing all that hot. Pink Cyborg charges up a blast-ball from its battery pack, to which Dana dodges and races along the side of the wall like she's Spider-Girl, all the while firing her Rescue Blaster at the crazed computer crony. The batter pack struck, Pink Cyborg Ranger collapses down for the count! Blue Ranger is seen next taking on his Cyborg counterpart, but as Chad notes while rubbing his leg after some painful shin-ful attacks, it's like kicking a steel door! Green Ranger finds his Cyborg double quite a sly devil, as it actually steals his Rescue Blaster from his holster while fighting! Joel manages to knock it out of its hand, drop down towards it, flip up into the air about thirty times, and begin firing the Blaster with sharp precision at the Cyborg, who is taken out after a battery pack meltdown. Green Ranger lands perfectly on his feet, though I get the notion all of that spinning in the air has that helmet as green inside as it is outside now!

Yellow Ranger hops around with Yellow Cyborg, and eventually Kelsey does one of those ever-famous incredibly high backwards jumps onto a ledge. Once up there, she pulls out her Blaster and leaps back down, laser-tagging her Cyborg dance partner into oblivion before landing. Blue Ranger is still at it, braving the steel-metal leg pain long enough to beat the Pentiums out of his Cyborg twin, taking it down without the use of a Blaster! Finally, Red Ranger & Red Cyborg try that wall-smashing thing from earlier, and find it quite fun. Carter handles his Rescue Baton as best he can against the maniacal machine, smacking it around a few times, just long enough to wear the Cyborg down. Once he has it in place, Red Ranger twirls the Baton around into Blaster mode, tells the Cyborg "see ya" and fries his battery pack with two quick shots. This causes Red Cyborg's helmet to explode, revealing the robotic wiring that made up whatever could be considered its head. It falls off as its entire Cyborg body falls to pieces right before everyone's eyes. Carter reholsters his Blaster and figures that's the end of it, when Strikning returns, acting like they forgot about him today. The Lightspeed Ranger pose ready to rescue themselves from the monster, and when he calls them Power Pests, Carter proves he's king of snappy banter by doing nothing less than a "I know you are, but what am I?" routine.

Strikning fires his three lightning spikes at the Rangers, though this time they act as explosive projectiles rather than props. The Rangers leap out of the way as some explosions go boom behind them, allowing them to land safely together in an alley. Carter tells the monster they're onto his tricks and offers some of theirs, as the team simultaneously whips out their Rescue Batons and proceed to leap towards Strikning. Yellow & Pink bash him first, followed by Green & Blue, this sets up Red Ranger, and in a bold twist, the other four place their Batons together in a square, so that when Carter hops onto their connected Batons, they can give him an added boost! It works, the Baton poking is more powerful than those other Baton pokings. But hey, this guy just won't quit! He's still charged up and one live wire, so Red Ranger calls on the Rescue Bird, it takes off, swoops in, breaks up and becomes the Unilaser Mode. The Unilaser blast proves most useful, reducing Strikning large chunks of the ingredients you can find in any Hot Dog. So used to the previous episode's easy victories, Red Ranger salutes and calls this a mission accomplished, and the team walks away. Just as they do, Jinxer, positioned atop a nearby building, throws a Demonic Booster Card at Strikning's remains, followed by a spell: "Strikning, Strikning, all over the floor. Pull yourself together to fight some more!" And before you realize it, his remains become large bats that help to resurrect Strikning into a giant monster!

Faced with an enormous thunderclap, Red Ranger presses a button on his glove-covered Morpher and orders Rail Rescues to be On Track! The Supertrain rolls out from the Train Bay, already set up together, and takes a tour of the burning area of the city before parking and letting the Lightspeed Rescuezords out for a spin. The Lightspeed Megazord transforms not long after that, and confronts Strikning in the center of the city, which lies in ruins. Strikning growls a lot, and bounces around while punching at the Megazord. The camera pans out, like it has before, and reveals the city and several fires that rage in various sections of town (but that's a job for the REAL rescue workers, right?). The monster knocks the Megazord for a wallop, allowing him space to fire off his spikes into the Lightspeed Megazord! Blue Ranger says they've got to do something before the lightning hits them, and Red Ranger has the solution. He extends out the Ladder Arms, which reach over and grab Strikning's head, before lifting him up into the air. This way, when the lightning bolts strike the spikes, the electrical charge ends up doing damage to Strikning! He gets a jolt of his own shock treatment, and Carter calls on the Megazord Saber to ignite. The Megazord appears to heal itself of the spike wounds, but let's overlook that for now. The Saber slices, comes down like thunder, and Strikning is but a burning memory before you can say "Shazam!". With him gone, the skies above Mariner Bay clear up, and the Lightspeed Megazord can pose while basking in the reflective light of itself.

[commercials]

Once more to the Lightspeed Aquabase we go, where the five Ranger teens pat themselves on the back for not only saving the city, but getting their cushion jobs with a nice dental plan back. Captain Mitchell & Ms. Fairweather are also standing in the room, happy to have everything back to normal. Dr. Harlen has ditched the Cyborg controls finally, and I'm pretty sure now that his two pals we keep seeing him with are the same two extras who hung around the General earlier. So, the celebration ends with a loud "Atten-Hut!" from Mitchell when General McKnight enters the room. He gives an at ease, and slowly walks through the room. McKnight admits to underestimating their capabilities, and heart, looking at Ms. Fairweather while saying that last part. The General clears his throat a bit nervously and humbled while apologizing to the team, telling the Rangers that Captain Mitchell made not just one wise choice, but five. The Lightspeed Power Rangers salute the General, Carter thanks him, and McKnight salutes back. He then approaches Captain Mitchell, assuring him he won't interfere with the Lightspeed Rescue operation again, and orders him to carry on. Salutes exchanged, the General leaves, Fairweather & Mitchell give each other a quick smiley look, and Dr. Harlen is shoved off in shame along with General McKnight. Once they're gone, Captain Mitchell pumps his fist in the air and gives the biggest smile he's ever cracked on his face. Fairweather as well, prompting the Ranger teens, as the nameless Lightspeed employees, to applaud and cheer and hug and breakdance.

[scenes from "Up To The Challenge"; end credits]