|
Astronema
Played By:
-
Melody Perkins (1998-1999, 2004-Clip Show)
-
Young Karone - Uncredited
Astronema, known to some as the princess of
darkness,
was first seen at a gathering of the universe's greatest evils. They
had
been brought together by Dark Specter, who proclaimed himself their
leader.
After much debate, Astronema was chosen to carry on the fight against
the
Rangers, giving Dark Specter the time he needed to drain the captive
Zordon's
energy. Taking control of the Dark Fortress, the princess set her
sights
on Andros and the former Turbo Rangers.
Astronema, armed with robot soldiers called
Quantrons,
proved to be a formidable foe for the Rangers. In spite of this, Dark
Specter
still saw to it that she receive help. Unfortunately for her, this help
came in the form of Divatox's nephew, Elgar. His rather silly
personality
and lack of intelligence was clearly nothing more than an irritation to
the princess. Astronema was also aided by a robot named Ecliptor, who
had
raised her since approximately three years old. She trusted him above
all
others and thus, he was her second in command.
The princess is a skilled warrior, whose weapon
of choice is her staff. With it, she has the advantage of distance on
her
enemies. Her other weapon is a boomerang that is held to her leg by a
metal
brace. Monsters in her army are enlarged by green energy beams called
satalasers
that are fired from the Dark Fortress.
The fight between Astronema and the Space Rangers
raged
for some time and though her forces continued to lose, it was never a
total
loss. Her goal was partly to keep the Rangers away from Zordon, which
unlike
destroying them, she was actually successful at.
It wasn't until the Silver Ranger, Zhane, was
revived
from hyper-sleep that Astronema's life began to fall apart. After being
rescued, she soon found herself in love with the enemy. Though she
fought
back her feelings, they were too strong to deny. Once realizing that he
felt the same for her, the two had planned to meet. Zhane was held up
by
one of Ecliptor's monsters and was ultimately rejected by the hurt
princess.
That was enough to drive her back to the Dark Fortress, but even in
anger,
she couldn't force the Silver Ranger from her mind.
Still conflicted over her new found love, Astronema
began notice a thought that kept calling out to her. In the back of her
mind, something was telling her that Ecliptor had lied. She confronted
the father figure in her life, demanding to hear again how they had
met.
Ecliptor reminded her of the day he found her alone on his doorstep. He
had raised her as his own ever since, bringing her up in the ways of
evil.
Growing up, he had always made her believe that her parents and brother
had been killed by the Rangers. But now she wasn't so sure. Something
told
her that her brother was alive.
Later, in a fight with Andros, the Ranger tore the
locket from Astronema's neck, sending her into a state of panic. She
had
worn the locket her entire life and inside were two pictures; one of
herself
as a child and one of the brother she lost. To Astronema's surprise,
Andros
had a locket with the same two pictures inside. The writing was on the
wall. The princess, though evil now, had been born Karone, the sister
Andros
had lost. The two were playing together years earlier, when Karone was
kidnapped by a creature named Darkonda (who Astronema had since met).
He
had been the one to leave her at Ecliptor's door. Realizing her entire
life had been a lie; a million thoughts went through the woman's mind.
Not wanting to believe it, she disappeared, but couldn't hide from the
truth. Ecliptor had lied to her, but only because he feared losing
her.
In time, Astronema joined Andros, who welcomed his
sister
back into his life with open arms. The other Rangers, however, were not
so open to her sudden change of heart. In time though, they grew to
accept
her; going as far as to make her an honorary Space Ranger. Even with
their
acceptance, it was clear by the pain in Karone's eyes that she still
felt
lost.
Sadly, her reunion with her brother was short lived.
Dark Specter, in hopes of recapturing "Astronema", sent an asteroid
toward
Earth. If she did not return to his service, the world the Rangers
fought
to protect would be destroyed. Andros wasn't willing to let her go, but
Karone had come up with a plan to stop her former master. When she
attempted
to carry it out, however, she was taken prisoner by a reprogramed
Ecliptor.
The robot implanted a device in her head and with that, Karone was
lost.
She had been replaced by a robot; incapable of any emotion.
The Rangers tried to break Dark Specter's hold over
her, but his power was too strong. The chip in her head forced her into
a darker place than she'd ever been before. Astronema, having no
recollection
of who the Rangers really were, created the ultimate weapon to serve
her
own goal; the Psycho Rangers. Using them, she could take down the Space
Rangers and slowly drain Dark Specter to nothing at the same time. Her
Psychos proved to be the biggest challenge for the Rangers, but in the
end, they were imprisoned in data cards, leaving Astronema again to
fend
for herself.
Finally, the time they had all waited for was at
hand. Zordon was near death and Dark Specter's dream could become a
reality.
Astronema was given the order to attack Earth, sending all her forces
in
at one time. The Rangers fought, but were unable to fend off the
massive
army. Meanwhile, Dark Specter's life was taken by Darkonda, thus
placing
Astronema in control. She, in her now unfeeling form, saw no reason to
drag things out. She commanded her newly found legion of followers to
take
the entire universe. All seemed lost for the human race and others like
them.
Not giving up, Andros made his way onto the Dark
Fortress and a battle ensued between himself and Astronema. During that
battle, Astronema suffered a fatal blast, taking her down. Andros and
Ecliptor
were both horrified at the site of their loved one lying dead on the
ground.
However, once outside, Karone's life was restored by Andros' tears. She
was then free of Dark Specter's control and able to live her life with
the Rangers.
In November of 1999, the Pink Galaxy Ranger,
Kendrix,
lost her life in a battle with a resurrected Psycho Pink. Her Quasar
Saber
then wound up in the hands of Trakeena; the Rangers' enemy. Seeing
this,
Karone came to the rescue and did battle with Trakeena, receiving the
saber
for herself. Kendrix's spirit had come to her during the battle, giving
her blessing for the former dark princess to carry on. And using the
power
of the saber, Karone's childhood dream of becoming a Ranger became a
reality.
She was the Pink Galaxy Ranger.
Despite her seemingly happy life with her new
friends,
she was still haunted by the ghosts of her past. It wasn't until she
was
made to return to the site where she had once killed a noble warrior
that
she was able to find her peace. In order to gain access to a cave and
ultimately
revive the Red Ranger's powers, Karone had to literally face her past
in
a battle with the woman she used to be. When Astronema captured Leo at
knife point, Karone was left with a choice and offered herself in place
of her friend. This proved she had truly moved past all the evil and
was
ready to start over. Leo was given the keys to restore his powers and
Karone
was finally free of the curse Astronema had been on her life.
Once Trakeena had been defeated, Karone's mission
as a Ranger was at an end. She returned the pink saber to the stone,
from
which it had come and thus returned the planet Marinoi to its former
glory.
Kendrix was also given a second chance at life, through the power of
the
sabers. She thanked Karone for all she had done; grateful to the woman
for helping the Galaxy Rangers claim victory. Her long journey to find
peace and happiness was over and the princess was given the happy
ending
she always deserved.
Interesting Facts:
-
Astronema has no Sentai counterpart in Megaranger. The same is true for
Gingaman (obviously).
-
She frequently changes her hair color and style.
-
Astronema/Karone is perhaps the most complex character in PR history.
- Special Features -
Beauty
In Many
Forms: A look at Astronema's various styles during her run on Power
Rangers.
Image Gallery: Episode Pictures of the Dark Princess |
|