A/N 1: So, happy 2016 everyone wherever you may be reading this story. It's time to start the new year off right, by finishing off this part of the series. This series isn't over, by the way.
A/N 2: You know the drill...Power Rangers belongs to Saban and formerly Disney as well, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN and Disney.
Reason 1: The Final Battle
(Show returns from commercial break)
"We're counting down the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Andros of KO-35 for shattering Zordon's energy tube in 1998," Brian Kenny said. "Before we get to our No. 1 reason you can't blame the Kerovian for ending Zordon on that fateful day, let's recap."
"Reason No. 5: Inexperience. The departure of the old Rangers compounded the uphill fight of having to fight an entire Alliance."
"Reason No. 4: Inevitability. Though the Rangers continued to win fight after fight, at some point the house of cards was going to come crashing down around them."
"Reason No. 3: No Mentor. For the first time since Earth's Power Ranger operations began in 1993, a team of Power Rangers did not have at least one true mentor to fall back on in tough times."
"Reason No. 2: A United Alliance…finally. Four years of utter frustration at the hands of these young fighters drove an alliance together with one purpose and one goal."
"Welcome back to our countdown," Brian Kenny said. "We've gone through Reasons 5-2, and now, here is Reason #1 why Andros of KO-35 absolutely did the right thing on the Dark Fortress in 1998."
(Tape rolls of the various Ranger teams on the left vs the Alliance on the right)
"The Final Battle," Brian Kenny said. "In teams of six versus in one singular battle, the various teams of Rangers were golden. But when the entire United Alliance of Evil attacked on that one fateful day in 1998, the Rangers and their allies were overwhelmed by the Alliance's sheer numbers that blew any other attack out of the water."
"One thing people need to realize is this; as vast as the army was that attacked on that fateful day when Andros shattered Zordon's tube, some of us didn't participate in that final battle," Archerina said. "Gasket and I were not involved in that final battle. Scorpina was not involved in that final battle. Mama D wasn't involved in the final battle. There was going to come a day eventually when the Alliance would overwhelm them."
"Even without those individuals, the forces of goodness were vastly outnumbered not just on Earth, but throughout the whole galaxy itself as the vast alliance, which as evidenced in Reason 2 was all together as one team, outnumbered them significantly and executed their plan to perfection," Brian Kenny said. "Throughout various portions of the universe, the Alien Rangers, Triforia's Gold Ranger and the Phantom Ranger fell to Divatox, Rita and Zedd's forces, and the Machine Empire and General Havoc. While the six Space Rangers held their own for a while in Angel Grove, the numbers game overwhelmed them too."
"We did OK for a while during that attack," Ashley said, "but after a while the Alliance just kept coming in waves, and waves, and waves, and it was like there was no end in sight."
"I was not involved in the attack, as I was in Africa at the time," Aisha DeSantos said, "but it made news all around the world and even in Africa. I saw the pictures of the final battle. There was no way that any team of six Rangers could beat all of that, when they were all together…no way. It was, quite simply, an attack coordinated perfectly. We'd all be dead if Andros hadn't done what he did."
"The situation was such that the legendary interdimensional being who was sacrificed on that day realized there was only one thing that could be done which could save his life's work, and he told Andros this when Andros infiltrated the Dark Fortress on that day," Brian Kenny said.
"ABSOLUTELY, THE ONLY WAY THAT MY WORK WOULD NOT GO IN VAIN WAS TO END MY LIFE AT THAT POINT," Zordon said. "I HAD NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE AT THAT POINT, AND IF I WAS NOT SACRIFICED AT THAT POINT, EVEN MORE NDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE JOINED IN THE FIGHT WHO'D HAVE MADE THINGS MISERABLE AND ALL WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST THAT DAY. IF I THOUGHT IT WAS AT ALL POSSIBLE THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT."
"The fact of the matter is was that it was Zordon's call, at the end of the day," Katherine Hillard said. "Andros told me many times that he didn't want to do what he did at all, but that Zordon believed there was no other way to win the war."
"We all felt it when he died, but he very well knew what he was doing. He cared more about us than he did about being alive. That sacrifice was his call and it was for all of us, especially the teams he put together here," Jason said. "And there is no doubt in my mind that the numbers game probably eventually crushes us if he doesn't make that sacrifice."
(The pictures of the Rangers, and the Alliance, rolls as the tape ends)
"Well, there you have the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Andros for shattering Zordon's energy tube and ending his life in 1998," Brian Kenny said. "While some of the older Rangers are still upset at what took place on that day, it's important to look at the other side of the issue and see that for various reasons, the Kerovian does not deserve near as much blame as he gets. I'm Brian Kenny…thanks for watching."
(Music plays as show comes to a close)
Review box is at the bottom. Please leave one if you wouldn't mind. Thanks.
Another version of this series will debut shortly, with a new host as Brian Kenny left ESPN a few years ago for MLB Network. WWE fans who read my stories will recognize this new host immediately…hint, hint.