The Void

 We're going into space today! A ... curious departure, true, but it certainly has a lot of potential.

 In space, the ninja struggle to stay on the Arcturus Rocket after the booster they were using gets detached, forcing them to fight Nindroids in the void of space, wearing spacesuits Zane retrieved for them. 

At the same time, Borg Tower gets stormed by the Overlord's forces, forcing Wu, Garmadon, PIXAL and Nya to flee to Garmadon's monastary.

As the rocket lands on the asteroid containing the Golden Weapons, the ninja follow the Nindroids and, after an incredibly cool chase scene on moon rovers, steal the launch key from Cryptor, planning to abandon the Nindroids on the asteroid, only to find that metal-eating aliens have already destroyed the aliens, and that the Nindroids can use the jets integrated into their feet to return to earth with the Golden Weapons ... and without the ninja! 

Various Observations:

-So, uh, why are there windows and an air supply in the rocket part? Nobody's supposed to be in there, and it'll detach pretty soon, so why build it like this?

-In fact, why is there air anywhere on the Arcturus Rocket? The Nindroids shouldn't need it, right?

-I love that Jay, the sci-fi fan, is the first to adjust to a zero-gravity environment. Kai, as has become a trend in this season, struggles the most with the change.

-Ooh, so Lloyd first introduced Jay to Starfarer? That actually explains why he didn't seem interested back in "Child's Play". I guess that was just before Lloyd got him hooked on the series.

-"If my memory banks serve correct"? Zane, when did you start referring to your memory like that?  That aside, nice pun.

-I love Lloyd's constant struggles in the background. It's funny.

-So, how exactly did PIXAL or Nya establish communications with the ninja's part of the rocket? Are they hackers now?

-Also, why is there a screen and keyboard in this booster rocket? And here I thought the windows were the most unneccessary part ...

-There are spacesuits on board? For whom? The Nindroids have no need for them! Was Pythor supposed to come along at one point?

-Garmadon, stop ranting about how they're already doomed. What happened to you? I'm starting to think he really was replaced!

-There's an airlock in the booster too? Why? What's the point of implementing all these features when nobody's supposed to be in there, and it'll just be detached?

-Man, Zane almost drifting off into the vastness of space is terrifying! His desperate breaths and the dissonantly beautiful view of earth and the serene music are powerful stuff! And unlike Kiperina he doesn't even have the Storm to deal with! 

-I like that he uses his elemental power to propel himself forward. Nice move.

-Zane uses trial-and-error to crack the password? But that could have taken ages, even with how quick he was typing! Granted, it's not a very secure password ... Also, it's the same as the Overlord's phone number. That's random. Did the animators just use 1234 as a placeholder? Because it feels like they forgot they already used the gag before.

-Hold on, what's up with Cryptor's countdown? After you're at two, you say "one", not "disengage". There's still one second left! Throwing that in defeats the entire purpose of a countdown!

-Wha - Of course Nindroids have expressions! Cryptor might have a disgusting personality, but he does have one!

-Oh, maybe Nya and/or PIXAL aren't master hackers, after all. They just broadcasted their communication on the same channel the Nindroids use, meaning they can hear it too. Great job, guys.

-I've listened to "Eye of the Storm" so much, that I expected the song to start after Pythor finished speaking. It's a good song, though! I recommend it! Granted, I recommend nearly all Ninjago music, but that's a different matter altogether.

-The zero-g battle is really fun to look at! It's slow-paced, but the ninja all get to look cool!

-That said, Jay is still the MVP.

-Sheesh, Min-droid was incinerated by the rocket's boosters. That's surprisingly violent.

-And now Jay is willing to let Cole drift away and die? Jay, I've changed my mind. You're no longer my third favorite ninja, and I won't support your relationship with Nya anymore. It clearly brings out the worst in you.

-Finally he goes and saves Cole! And, of course, he uses the opportunity to demand that Cole stay away from Nya. I honestly think Christian-fricking-Grey was able to go for longer stretches of time without being a possessive bastard! He's still the worse person all around, though. Jay hopefully won't ever beat him in that aspect.

-On the one hand, I feel like getting into the aseroid's tail to hit the ninja with comets was a smart move by Cryptor, but on the hand ... Won't those comets damage and possibly destroy the ship?

-Now there are Nindroids marching through New Ninjago City? How? All the Nindroids we saw at the base boarded the rocket, and the Overlord can't hijack any factories, since he's confined to his half-formed body. Where'd they come from?

-Where'd Pythor, Borg and the Overlord come from? They weren't in the previous shot.

-The Overlord's body looks a lot more solid now, than it did in the last episode. He was just a swirling mass of energy back then, so what happened to make him more corporeal? I thought that was the entire reason why he needed the power of Creation.

-You know, Garmadon has a point. Yeah, sure, there are a lot of Nindroids, but Wu, Garmadon and Nya should be able to defeat them, Pythor and a powerless Overlord if they work together. Good job getting your proper personality back, Garmadon.

-Ah, Nya's fan is made from paper again, but still deflects laser blasts. Consistency? Whatever could that word mean?

-Hey, I just noticed that the spacesuits' chest units have dots in each ninja's color! I think this might be the first time orange is associated with Cole? I always thought that particular honor fell to his deepstone suit.

-I like that the ninja think to take the ship and bail. It doesn't work, since they don't have the launch key, but it's pretty smart.

-You know, I was going to ask why the Nindroids left a rover behind, but that one was probably intended for the Nindroids the ninja launched into a space earlier.

-Eh? What is Cryptor on about now? The Overlord can withstand the power of Creation? No he can't! He was disintegrated by them in the finale of last season! Only the First Spinjitzu Master, Lloyd, and presumably Wu and Garmadon can withstand them, since Creation is their own power!

-Oh, a cameo from Misako. I guess now that it doesn't put her in danger, she can help out. Why yes, I am bitter, how could you tell?

-I ... think whoever studied the fossilized aliens might have been a bit of an idiot. Parasites don't eat metal, they infest other life-forms and feed off them. That's what makes them parasites! These bugs aren't parasites, as far as I can tell.

-Since when does Zane talk about his "exoskeleton"? He's being way more robotic today!

-Couldn't the ninja just use Spinjitzu to get rid of the aliens? That seems like the first thing they should try, no?

-Why do the alien's obey Lloyd's order to attack the Nindroids? Well, I guess maybe they just sensed there was more metal to be found with them.

-Ooh, I love the chase sequence! Probably the best action scene in this entire season.

-Actually, I just realized something. The Nindroids are legitimately good at one thing: Being disposable mooks! There's no limit to their number, and they're decently tough, but not too strong. Plus, due to their, usually, non-sentient nature, they can be shown being destroyed and blown up! They make for great action scenes, even if they're not that intimidating!

-Man, the wrecked rocket is such a gut-punch!

-Are the Nindroids seriously going to float all the way back to Ninjago's earth with their feet jets? That'll take them years!

-Wow ... the ninja are stranded on an alien world with no way home ... and it feels like they really might not come back. Of course, we know better, but the episode presents their situation so well that it truly feels hopeless!