Power Rangers S.P.D.


 * This article refers to the show, for the organization, see Space Patrol Delta.

Power Rangers S.P.D. (Space Patrol Delta) was the thirteenth incarnation of the Power Rangers television series, based on the Super Sentai series Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (Special Investigation Squadron Detective Ranger).

A Japanese dub of S.P.D. was aired on Toei's digital television channel in Japan starting in August 2011, with two DVD volumes released on August 5. It features the original Japanese Dekaranger cast members dubbing over the voices of their American counterparts. 

Production History
Power Rangers S.P.D was a milestone season behind-the-scenes and for the fanbase, but also one of the most controversial among fans.

After two years on the series, Doug Sloan and Ann Austen departed as the primary writers and producers of PR, paving the way forward for Greg Aronowitz and Bruce Kalish to take over, with Jackie Marchand staying on as a writer. Joining Kalish were several of his colleagues from Hollywood, including David Garber. Kalish's resume includes shows such as Mork and Mindy, The Incredible Hulk and The Fall Guy.

Kalish and Aronowitz's combined effort on the early portions of SPD gained instantaneous praise from the fanbase, as SPD proved to be one of the more ambitious PR seasons ever attempted, with a rare cast of strong actors portraying each character with gravitas and investment, as a result, the cast became hailed as perhaps one of the best in the show's history. It was also at this time that the production crew opened communications with the fandom, which Sloan had previously done, enabling fans to conduct interviews and have conversations with the cast and the producers.

Even the first set of episodes were superb due to the quality backstage talent. After the two-part opener, each Ranger got an entire episode devoted entirely to their character development (episode 3 was Jack's, episode 4 was for Sky, 5 for Syd, 6 for Bridge, and 7 and 8, which were a single, two-part episode, for Z). Sam, although still a child, entered the show with a very well-received two-part episode (which he shared the spotlight with Z), and the Shadow Ranger was introduced, once again, through a very well-received two-part episode.

As the season continued, it became obvious S.P.D was struggling with it's own status quo and storylines, as more filler episodes translated storylines from Dekaranger to push the season towards a conclusion (including the episode Samurai which is set in Japan). A brief reprieve for this complacent writing came when Jackie Marchand's two-part storyline "Reflection" resolved Sky's struggle with his personal demons, but it wouldn't last. By the time the Dino Thunder/S.P.D crossovers "History" and "Wormhole" aired, the latter was crucified for not being able to properly accommodate Jason David Frank, as he was back in the States.

The interaction with the cast and crew gradually minimized as Kalish later admitted his own children had browsed Rangerboard and were horrified by the crass, derogatory criticism and humorous anecdotes made about him. In a second interview, Kalish defended his dependence on Sentai material, insisting his crew were simply "paid to translate, not tell original stories."

Synopsis
The story takes place in the year 2025, after Earth has welcomed alien beings to live peacefully with the human race. But peace is short lived, as the planet-conquering Troobian Empire turns its destructive attention to Earth. When the Earth's first line of defense, the S.P.D. A-Squad, vanishes without trace, the protection of the planet falls to their replacements: the B-Squad Rangers, and their commander, Anubis Cruger.

When two reformed thieves join the team as the Red and Yellow S.P.D. Rangers, tensions threaten to tear them apart. With the alien threat growing stronger every moment, the Rangers must put aside their differences and go into action as one!

Using teamwork, intergalactic weaponry and light-speed Zord vehicles to battle evil, they unite to become one of the ultimate forces for good: Power Rangers S. P. D.! It's eventually revealed that the A-Squad is in fact evil and the B-Squad proves its might by defeating the former elite squad of SPD. With help from the S.P.D. commander and his wife Isinia, B-Squad destroys the true threat, Omni and Grumm is arrested for his crimes in front of S.P.D. headquaters on Earth by Cruger.

Characters

 * Main article:SPD Rangers

B-Squad Rangers

 * Main article:B-Squad Rangers



A-Squad Rangers

 * Main article:A-Squad Rangers

S.P.D. Staff/Allies

 * Supreme Commander Fowler "Birdie"
 * Sergeant Silverback
 * Piggy
 * Dino Thunder Power Rangers
 * Ally Samuels
 * Boom
 * Officer Tate (Deceased)
 * Isinia Cruger

Villains
List of S.P.D. Monsters
 * Emperor Gruumm
 * Mora/Morgana
 * Broodwing
 * Omni

Arsenal

 * R.I.C. 2.0 (Robotic Interactive Canine)
 * Delta Blasters - The Red Ranger's personal sidearms, they can function separately or be combined into the Delta Combo Blaster.
 * DeltaMax Strikers - The Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink Rangers' fire-arms. The barrel of the blaster doubles as a sword, while the grip serves as a tazer-like weapon.
 * Delta Patrol Cycles - A trio of motorcycles used by the Red, Blue, and Green Rangers.
 * Delta Morphers - The morphers of B-Squad, activated by a call of "SPD Emergency!". This device contains 5 functions, separated by 3 different tabs:
 * Morph: The "Change" option on the Delta Morphers transforms the cadets into their ranger costumes.
 * Power Up to S.W.A.T. Mode: When the Rangers activate the "Change" option while morphed and call for it, their S.W.A.T. armor appears.
 * Communicator: The "Phone" option serves as basic communication allowing the Rangers to contact each other or the Academy, as well as summon the Delta Runners.
 * Judgment Scanner: The "Judge" option assesses the guilt or innocence of anyone the Rangers bring into custody. It measures pulse and electrical impulses before rendering a verdict, and it never makes mistakes.
 * Containment Mode: If a criminal is charged Guilty, this subsection of "Judge" will blast him with Anti-Matter Fusion, sealing him in a Containment Card and making transportation of the detainee a non-issue.
 * Patrol Morpher - The Shadow Ranger's morpher looks exactly the same as the Delta Morphers and has the same functions, but is colored black.
 * Omega Morpher - The Omega Ranger's morpher features a throttle control that gives him access to a variety of powers including:
 * Electro Mode: The Omega Morpher's main attack, an electrifying attack that can injure opponents greatly.
 * Blast Mode: Allows the Omega Ranger to gather energy in the palm of his hand before discharging it as a powerful shockwave.
 * Power Mode: Similar to Muscle Mode, it increases the Omega Ranger's strength.
 * Muscle Mode: Enhances the Omega Ranger's physical strength.
 * Hyper Mode: Once this is activated, Omega Ranger can either slow down time or increase his speed at will.
 * Light beam Mode: The Omega Ranger attacks his opponent with a "bar" of energy as a finishing move.
 * Charged-up Mode: The Omega Ranger can strengthen his stats.
 * Judgment Scanner: The "Judge" option assesses the guilt or innocence of anyone the Rangers bring into custody. It measures pulse and electrical impulses before rendering a verdict, and it never makes mistakes.
 * Magna Morpher - The Magna Morpher is the upgrade for the Red Ranger and allows Jack to call the S.P.D. Battlizer. It is stored within a special compartment in R.I.C., and looks like the Omega Morpher.
 * S.P.D. Battlizer - Accessed by the Magna Morpher, the S.P.D. Battlizer was designed by Kat and Boom. The Battlizer has two modes, the second mode utilizing a reconfigured R.I.C.
 * Cyber Mode: Enhances Jack's agility and fighting ability to superhuman levels and features a sword as well as strategically placed armor.
 * Sonic Mode: R.I.C. completely transforms into an armor replete with a rocket booster pack, siren lasers, and flaming sword.
 * Delta Cruiser - a standard issue Jeep used by the Yellow and Pink Rangers.
 * Delta ATV - Four wheeled vehicle belonging to the Shadow Ranger. It is equipped with powerful blasters.
 * Uniforce Cycle - A motorized unicycle belonging to the Omega Ranger.
 * Shadow Saber - Personal weapon of the Shadow Ranger. Its blade can be enhanced at the push of a button.
 * S.W.A.T. Mode - Special Weapons And Tactics - This technology, created by Kat and stolen by Piggy, was rebuilt and given to the B-Squad Rangers once they learned to work together in S.W.A.T. Part 2. In this mode, they gain the Delta Enforcers and chest armor. Also, the lights on their helmets extend and become antenna/communication devices. S.W.A.T. has many other valuable functions, including heat seeking and nightvision. The Rangers summon this armor via their morphers ("SPD, S.W.A.T. mode!" is the call).
 * Delta Enforcers - These powerful guns associated with S.W.A.T. mode have different functions depending on the card swiped and inserted into them, such as Containment Mode.
 * Kat Morpher- Delta Morpher painted white and red.
 * Nova Morpher- a gold-colored version of the Omega Morpher.

Zords
The zords in Power Rangers: S.P.D. were law-enforcement vehicles, designed by researchers working for Space Patrol Delta, notably Dr. Kat Manx. They were as follows:
 * Delta Runners
 * Delta Runner 1 (Red/Jack)
 * Delta Runner 2 (Blue/Sky)
 * Delta Runner 3 (Green/Bridge)
 * Delta Runner 4 (Yellow/Z)
 * Delta Runner 5 (Pink/Syd)
 * Blast Buggy (Kat)
 * Delta Squad Megazord (combination of Delta Runners)
 * Delta Base/Delta Command Crawler/Delta Command Megazord (Shadow/Doggie)
 * Omegamax Cycle/Omegamax Megazord (Omega/Sam)
 * Delta Max Megazord (combination of Delta Squad Megazord & Omegamax Megazord)
 * S.W.A.T. Flyers
 * S.W.A.T. Flyer 1 (Red/Jack)
 * S.W.A.T. Flyer 2 (Blue/Sky)
 * S.W.A.T. Flyer 3 (Green/Bridge)
 * S.W.A.T. Flyer 4 (Yellow/Z)
 * S.W.A.T. Flyer 5 (Pink/Syd)
 * S.W.A.T. Megazord/S.W.A.T. Cannon (combination of S.W.A.T. Flyers)

The Comic Strip
A new monthly comic strip based on the series appeared every issue of "Jetix Magazine" in the UK. Jetix Magazine was the official magazine of JETIX, the channel that aired S.P.D. in the UK. The strip was the first Power Rangers strip to be written by legendary Transformers writer Simon Furman, collaborating for the first time on the PR strip with equally popular TF artist Andrew Wildman, who had previously done artwork for other Power Rangers strips under Jetix Magazines' previous banner of Fox Kids' Wickid

Trivia

 * See Power Rangers S.P.D./Trivia