Let’s be honest. When we first sat down to watch Power Rangers SPD back in 2005, we all thought the A-Squad were the ultimate heroes. They were the varsity team. The gold standard. While Jack, Sky, and the rest of the B-Squad were literally cleaning up trash and bickering over who got to be Red Ranger, the Power Rangers SPD A-Squad were out in the trenches of the galaxy, fighting the "real" wars. They had the better suits. They had the cool, bulky helmets that looked like tactical SWAT gear. They had the respect of Commander Cruger.
Then they vanished.
And then they came back, and everything we thought about how Power Rangers "worked" was thrown out the window. It wasn't just a betrayal; it was a fundamental shift in the show's DNA. For the first time, the "perfect" Rangers weren't just flawed—they were straight-up evil. They didn't fall under a spell. They weren't brainwashed by a space witch. They just decided that winning was more important than being good.
The A-Squad Weren't Just Better—They Were Elite
The power dynamic in Space Patrol Delta was always built on a hierarchy. You had the cadets, the D-Squad, the C-Squad, and finally, the B-Squad. But at the top of that mountain sat the A-Squad. Led by Charlie, the first female Red Ranger we ever saw in a leading tactical role (long before Lauren Shiba in Super Samurai), this team represented the pinnacle of S.P.D. training.
They weren't using the standard Delta Morphers. Their gear was specialized. Interestingly, if you look closely at their suits, you’ll notice they look remarkably like the Power Rangers In Space outfits, just beefed up with extra padding and tactical vests. This was a clever bit of kit-bashing by the production crew, but in-universe, it gave them this veteran, "seen-it-all" aesthetic. While the B-Squad looked like colorful superheroes, the Power Rangers SPD A-Squad looked like soldiers.
That distinction matters.
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Because they were soldiers, their loyalty was to the mission and the winning side, not necessarily the morality of the law. When they were captured by Emperor Gruumm, or "lost in action" as we were told, they didn't hold out like heroes. They looked at the odds. They looked at Gruumm’s massive fleet. And they did the math.
The Philosophy of Betrayal
Most Power Rangers villains are evil because they want to conquer the world or they have a personal vendetta. The A-Squad was different. Their motivation was purely pragmatic, which makes them way scarier. Charlie basically told Cruger that they joined Gruumm because he was going to win. It was a career move.
Think about that for a second.
These are people who went through years of rigorous academy training. They were the best of the best. And yet, the moment the "good guys" looked like they might lose, the A-Squad flipped. It’s a cynical take on the Ranger mythos that the show hadn't really explored before. Usually, the "Evil Ranger" trope involves a Power Coin being corrupted or a character like Tommy Oliver being under a dark spell. With the A-Squad, the darkness was internal. They were just elitists who thought they were too good to die for a losing cause.
A Breakdown of the Traitorous Lineup
- Charlie (Red): The leader. Disciplined, cold, and incredibly lethal. She proved that a female Red Ranger could be just as intimidating—if not more so—than her male counterparts.
- Beevor (Blue): The muscle. A non-human alien (unlike the mostly human B-Squad), which added to the "diverse elite" feel of the team.
- Cliff (Pink): Also an alien. Seeing a Pink Ranger who was a bruiser instead of a "healer" or "agile" type was a fresh change.
- Ivan (Yellow) and Reena (Green): They filled out the tactical ranks, providing the suppressive fire that nearly decimated the B-Squad in their final confrontation.
Why the B-Squad vs. A-Squad Fight Still Holds Up
The final showdown in "Endings, Part 1" is arguably one of the best choreographed fights in the Disney era of the show. It wasn't just about flashy sparks and explosions. It was a clash of ideologies.
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The A-Squad mocked the B-Squad. They called them "second best" and "the rejects." And on paper? They were right. Jack was a street thief. Z was a vagrant. Sky was an arrogant legacy kid with a chip on his shoulder. Bridge was... well, Bridge. But the B-Squad had something the A-Squad lacked: a sense of duty that transcended their own egos.
When the Power Rangers SPD A-Squad summoned their Megazord—which was essentially a giant, specialized version of a standard S.P.D. craft—it felt like a boss fight in a video game. They had the better tech. They had the experience. But they were fighting for nothing but their own survival. The B-Squad was fighting for Earth. That’s the classic Ranger trope, sure, but it feels earned here because we spent 30+ episodes watching the B-Squad fail, grow, and finally earn their stripes.
The Production Reality: Kits, Helmets, and Reused Props
If you’re a gear-head or a sentai fan, the A-Squad is a goldmine of trivia. Since Power Rangers SPD was adapted from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, and the A-Squad didn't exist in the Japanese version, the American production had to get creative.
They didn't have the budget to create five brand-new, high-end suits from scratch for a few episodes. So, they took the Power Rangers In Space (Megaranger) helmets, painted them, and added silver grilles. They used motorcycle body armor for the chests. It sounds like a recipe for a cheap-looking mess, but it actually worked perfectly. It gave them a "Special Forces" look that distinguished them from the sleek, spandex-heavy look of the B-Squad. It’s one of those rare moments where budget constraints actually led to a better creative outcome.
Why We Don't See Them More
You’d think a team of traitorous Rangers would be a recurring theme in the franchise, but the Power Rangers SPD A-Squad remains a bit of a localized phenomenon. They’ve popped up in the comics (Boom! Studios loves a good deep dive), and they are playable in some of the mobile games like Legacy Wars.
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But in the show? They were a one-and-done.
Part of that is because their story is so tied to the specific themes of SPD. It’s about the police force. It’s about the chain of command. If you remove them from that context, they’re just another group of "bad guys in spandex." Their impact comes from the fact that they were the heroes the B-Squad was supposed to look up to.
Common Misconceptions
- "They were brainwashed." No. They weren't. There is zero evidence in the show that Gruumm used mind control on them. They chose this.
- "They are the strongest Rangers ever." Probably not. They were the best at that time in S.P.D., but they got beat by a group of "rejects." Skill only gets you so far when you’re a coward at heart.
- "Charlie is related to Sky." A weird fan theory that persists because of the "Red Ranger father" plotline Sky has. There is no canon connection. Charlie is just Charlie.
The Lasting Legacy of the A-Squad
The A-Squad changed the stakes. They proved that the Power itself isn't what makes someone a hero. The Morpher is just a tool. You can give the best gear to the best athletes, but if they don't have the "heart" (to use a cheesy Ranger term), they'll fold the moment things get tough.
For fans today, the A-Squad represents a peak era of storytelling where the show wasn't afraid to be a little bit grim. They weren't monsters of the week. They were people. People who gave up.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of the Power Rangers SPD A-Squad or want to add them to your collection, here is what you need to do:
- Check out the Boom! Studios "S.P.D." stories. While they don't have a dedicated solo run, the expanded universe comics often flesh out the background of S.P.D. and the various squads, providing more context on the "galactic war" the A-Squad was supposedly fighting.
- Look for the Lightning Collection figures. Hasbro released a dedicated A-Squad Red Ranger (Charlie) figure, and later the rest of the team as various exclusives (often through Best Buy or GameStop). They are some of the most unique-looking figures in the line because of their "Space" helmet mashups.
- Re-watch "Endings, Part 1 and 2." Pay close attention to the dialogue during the B-Squad vs. A-Squad fight. It’s a masterclass in how to use a "mirror match" to highlight the growth of your main characters.
- Explore the "Super Legends" video game lore. Though older, some of the peripheral games provide "What If" scenarios or additional flavor text regarding the fall of the A-Squad that didn't make it into the 22-minute TV episodes.