Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Top: Logo for original Power Rangers series Bottom: New logo created for the 2010 re-version
Format	Action/Adventure Science fantasy
Created by	Haim Saban[1] Shuki Levy
Starring	Austin St. John Thuy Trang Walter Emanuel Jones Amy Jo Johnson David Yost Jason David Frank Johnny Yong Bosch Karan Ashley Steve Cardenas Catherine Sutherland
Theme music composer	Saban Records[2]
Opening theme	"Go Go Power Rangers"
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	145 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Haim Saban Shuki Levy James Simone (Re-version)
Producer(s)	Ronnie Hadar Jonathan Tzachor Dan Evans III (Re-version)
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Saban Entertainment Renaissance Atlantic Entertainment Toei Co., Ltd.
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox (Fox Kids) ABC (ABC Kids) (Re-version)
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original run	August 28, 1993 (1993-08-28) – November 27, 1995 (1995-11-27)
Chronology
Followed by	Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (abbreviated as MMPR) is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger.^[3] Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months.^[4][5][6][7] Under the original name Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the series ran from 1993 to 1995 and spawned a feature film.^[8]

The second and third seasons of the show drew on footage and elements from the Super Sentai series Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger respectively, though the Zyuranger costumes were still used for the five main Rangers and several regular villains. Only the mecha and the Kiba Ranger costume (worn by the White Ranger) were retained from Dairanger for the second season, while only the mecha from Kakuranger were featured in the third season. However the Kakuranger costumes were later used for the title characters of the mini-series, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The series was produced by MMPR Productions, distributed by Saban Entertainment, and aired on Fox Kids. The show's merchandise was produced and distributed by Bandai Entertainment.

In 1996, the series was rebranded as the Power Rangers franchise; renaming the series every year after and using costumes, props, and footage from subsequent Super Sentai series, as well as changing the cast and storyline. While an overarching storyline would continue until Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, subsequent series after MMPR are not sequels or spin-offs in the traditional sense.

In 2010, a re-version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with a new logo, comic book-referenced graphics, and extra alternative special effects, was broadcast on ABC Kids, and Bandai produced brand new toys to coincide with the series.^[9][10][11]

Series overview

Season 1 (1993–94)

The six original Power Rangers.

The series takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California.^[12] On an exploratory mission, two astronauts discover an extraterrestrial container (referred to as a dumpster as a result of its smell) and breach the unit, inadvertently releasing the evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa from 10,000 years of confinement. Upon her release, she and her army of evil space aliens set their sights on conquering the nearest planet: Earth. When the wise sage Zordon becomes aware of the release of the evil he was responsible for capturing so long ago, he orders his robotic assistant Alpha 5 to select five "teenagers with attitude" to defend the Earth from Rita's attacks. The five teens chosen are Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Billy Cranston. Zordon gives them the ability to transform into a fighting force known as the Power Rangers, providing them with an arsenal of weapons at their disposal, as well as colossal assault machines called Zords, which can combine into the Megazord.^[13][14][15]

The series begins with five teenagers combating Rita and her seemingly endless array of monsters. However, consecutive failures lead Rita to adopt a new method for conquering Earth and destroying the Power Rangers: by attacking them with one of their own. Using her magic, Rita kidnaps and brainwashes a local teen whose fighting skills prove to equal that of Jason's in a martial arts contest held in Angel Grove. The new teen, Tommy Oliver, passes Rita's tests, becoming the Green Ranger. Entrusted with Rita's Sword of Darkness, source for the continuance of the evil spell he has fallen victim to, Tommy comes dangerously close to defeating the Power Rangers, especially when Rita causes a Solar eclipse that temporarily drains the Megazord's power. However, the Green Ranger is ultimately defeated, and the Sword of Darkness is destroyed by Jason. Now free from Rita's spell, Tommy chooses to use his Green Ranger powers to assist the other Rangers in defeating the evil that gave them to him in the first place. His Zord, the Dragonzord, is reconfigured to enable it to help form more powerful Zord combinations alongside the other Dinozords.^[16]

As time goes on, Rita focuses her plans on eliminating Tommy in order to regain the powers that she believes belong to her. Using a special wax touched by Tommy when he was evil, Rita uses a magic Green Candle to sever Tommy's link to the Morphing Grid and slowly remove his powers, returning them to her. In the end, Tommy loses his powers, but he is able to prevent Rita from reclaiming it by transferring the remains to another Ranger who can operate them based on their own link to the Morphing Grid. Tommy chooses Jason who, feeling guilt for failing to protect Tommy's powers, accepts them. However, Tommy later returns to the team when the other Rangers' Power Coins are handed over to Rita in exchange for their kidnapped parents. With Zordon's help, Tommy regains his Green Ranger powers and successfully retrieves the other Rangers' Power Coins. However, Tommy's regained powers are only temporary and must be frequently re-charged by Zordon, who makes no attempt to hide the fact that the Green Ranger's powers will ultimately fail. Despite this, Tommy remains determined to continue assisting the other Rangers as long as possible.^[17][18]

Season 2 (1994–95)

Lord Zedd, emperor of all that he sees, arrives at Rita's Moon Palace, where he takes her place and throws her into a space dumpster again. He then begins his own campaign to conquer Earth. In order for the Power Rangers to compete with Zedd's monsters, which are superior to Rita's, Zordon and Alpha upgrade the Dinozords into the more powerful Thunderzords. However, Tommy is forced to retain use of the Dragonzord, due to his powers being too weak to support a new Zord.^[19]

After several defeats, Zedd focuses his attention on eliminating the Green Ranger. He eventually does so with a special Green Crystal, using it to take away the Green Ranger's powers permanently. The crystal also powers up Zedd's Dark Rangers, but when Tommy smashes it, the Dark Rangers powers are transferred back to the regular Rangers. Following the permanent loss of the Green Ranger's powers, Zordon and Alpha create in secret a new White Ranger to aid the other Rangers in battle. The White Ranger is revealed to be Tommy, who in addition receives a new Zord, the Tigerzord, and also becomes the new leader of the Power Rangers.^[20][21]

During the Team Ninja Trials in Angel Grove, the Rangers become friends with three teenagers from Stone Canyon: Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, and Aisha Campbell. During an ensuing battle with Zedd and a magical serpent, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha discover the Rangers' identities and, having been entrusted with their secret by Zordon himself, the three newcomers become allies of the Rangers.^[22]

Later on, Jason, Zack, and Trini are selected to represent Angel Grove at the World Peace Conference in Switzerland, and the Rangers are faced with the task of finding replacements, but in order to transfer the powers of the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers, they must find the Sword of Light, which is located on the Deserted Planet. However, Zedd pursues them across the galaxy in Serpentera, his massive personal Zord, which destroys most of the Deserted Planet. Fortunately, Serpentera runs out of power before being able to finish the Rangers, and they return to Earth safely with the Sword of Light. Zordon then chooses Rocky, Adam, and Aisha to replace Jason, Zack, and Trini as the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers, respectively.^[23]

Some time before the power transfer, Rita had returned to Earth when Tommy made his debut as the White Ranger, and fell into the hands of Bulk and Skull, but the Rangers sent her back into space. She later returns to the Moon while the Rangers are in Australia, and with the help of Finster, she gets a special "makeover" to gain a younger and "prettier" face. She then uses a love potion on Zedd, who is in a deep sleep during his centennial re-evilizer, and he falls in love with her when he wakes up. They get married and thus join forces to make an even more terrible threat for the Rangers, but not even this can prepare them for what is to come.^[24]

Season 3 (1995)

Rito Revolto, Rita's skeletal brother, later comes to Earth and, with the help of a group of monsters, manages to destroy the Rangers' Thunderzords and the Tigerzord, which as a result damages the Power Coins beyond repair. Undaunted, they seek the aid of Ninjor, alleged creator of the Power Coins, who gives them new Ninja Coins, providing them with the even more powerful Ninjazords and the Falconzord.^[25]

Later, an Australian girl named Katherine Hillard moves to Angel Grove. She befriends Kimberly, and displays an intense affection for Tommy. Later it is found that Rita had captured Katherine and put her under a powerful spell. As a result, she steals Kimberly's Ninja Coin, vastly weakening the Pink Ranger, whose life force, like that of the other Ninja Rangers, is connected to her Ninja Coin. It is during this time that the Rangers acquire their most powerful Zords ever: the Shogunzords. Eventually, Katherine overcomes Rita's evil spell and returns Kimberly's Ninja Coin to her. A short time thereafter, Kimberly gets a chance to pursue her personal athletic dreams. With Zordon's blessing, she leaves to train for the Pan Global Games, choosing Katherine to replace her as the Pink Ranger. Though her initial fear and hesitation keeps her from contributing fully to the fight against evil, Katherine eventually becomes both comfortable and capable of fulfilling her duty as a Ranger.^[26][27][28]

After several more battles, Zedd and Rita are joined by Rita's father, Master Vile. Following his failed attempts to defeat the Rangers, he reverses time, turning the Rangers into powerless children. These events culminate in the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, which leads to the next incarnation of the Power Rangers franchise, entitled Power Rangers Zeo.^[29]

Characters

The Power Rangers

Jason Lee Scott

The original Red Ranger, as well as the original leader of the Power Rangers; portrayed by Austin St. John.

Zack Taylor

The original Black Ranger; portrayed by Walter Emanuel Jones.

Billy Cranston

The Blue Ranger and Blue Ninja Ranger; portrayed by David Yost.

Trini Kwan

The original Yellow Ranger; portrayed by Thuy Trang.

Kimberly Ann Hart

The original Pink Ranger and original Pink Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Amy Jo Johnson.

Thomas "Tommy" Oliver

Originally the Green Ranger and later the White Ranger then White Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Jason David Frank.

Rocky DeSantos

The second Red Ranger and Red Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Steve Cardenas.

Adam Park

The second Black Ranger and Black Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Aisha Campbell

The second Yellow Ranger and Yellow Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Karan Ashley.

Katherine "Kat" Hillard

The second Pink Ranger and second Pink Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Catherine Sutherland.

Allies

Zordon

An inter-dimensional being trapped in a time warp, he is the wise mentor of the Rangers, who also bestowed their powers. 10,000 years ago, Zordon led the fight against the forces of evil, specifically Rita. Finally, he was able to imprison the evil witch and her minions into a dumpster on the moon. He once had a corporal human form, but now appears as a floating head in an energy tube. Voiced and portrayed by David Fielding, and later voiced by Robert L. Manahan (credited as Bob Manahan).

Alpha 5

A multi-functional semi-sentient automaton, Alpha was Zordon's trusted robotic assistant, responsible for the daily operations and upkeep of the Command Center. Voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz (credited as Richard Wood).

Farkus "Bulk" Bulkmeier and Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch

Two bullies at Angel Grove High School. Bulk, the leader of the duo, was prone to dragging Skull into wacky schemes, said schemes usually failing miserably. Would usually humiliate and or physically hurt themselves by accident on a regular basis. Later on, the two decide to discover the identities of the Power Rangers after they were saved by them in the second season, and later enroll in the Junior Police Force in the third season in order to impress girls, thanks to the efforts of their superior officer Lt. Stone, the duo become good-natured goofs. Portrayed by Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy.

Ernie

The owner and proprietor of the Youth Center, he could often be seen behind the counter of the Juice Bar, and would sometimes dispense advice to the teens. Portrayed by Richard Genelle.

Mr. Kaplan

The stern principal of Angel Grove High School, who often encouraged his students in their extracurricular activities. He wore a toupée to cover his bald head. Portrayed by Henry Cannon (uncredited).

Ms. Appleby

Portrayed by Royce Herron (uncredited).

Angela

The girl of Zach's affections, he was constantly attempting to impress and go out on a date with her, much to her annoyance, she would often demean Zach for his attempts. Portrayed by Renee Griggs.

Lt. Jerome B. Stone

Portrayed by Gregg Bullock.

Prince Dex/Masked Rider

Portrayed by Ted Jan Roberts (credited as T.J. Roberts)

Ninjor

Voiced by Kim Strauss (credited as Kurt Strauss).

Villains

Rita Repulsa

Portrayed by Soga Machiko in Season 1, and Carla Perez onwards; voiced by Barbara Goodson.

Lord Zedd

Portrayed by Ed Neil (uncredited) and voiced by Robert Axelrod.

Goldar

Voiced by Kerrigan Mahan (credited as Ryan O'Flannigan in the first two seasons).

Rito Revolto

Voiced by Bob Papenbrook (credited as Bob Pappenbrook).

Scorpina

Portrayed by Ami Kawai in Season 1, and Sabrina Lu in Season 2 (1 episode only); voiced by Wendee Lee (credited as Wendee Swan)

Finster

Voiced by Robert Axelrod.

Squatt

Voiced by Michael J. Sorich.

Baboo

Voiced by Colin Phillips.

Master Vile

Voiced by Tom Wyner (uncredited).

Lokar

Voiced by Robert Axelrod.

Hydro Hog

Voiced by Brad Orchard (uncredited).

Putty Patrollers

Warriors made of clay who act as Rita Repulsa's foot soldiers, the Putties are often sent to wear the Rangers down before a monster battle, as well as for sabotage and other special missions. In Season 2, Lord Zedd upgrades the Putty design, completely replacing Rita's original design. Zedd's Putties are superior to the original Putties and are more expendable. However, Zedd's Putties also have a big weakness—striking the Z-logo on their chests causes these Putties to explode into pieces.

Tenga Warriors

Crow-like soldiers that are able to speak, they are introduced in Season 3 when Rito Revolto brings them with him to the Moon as a wedding gift, and replace Zedd's Putties in attacking the Power Rangers. The Rangers normally use their Ninja Ranger powers to fight them. Unlike the Putties, the Tenga Warriors are not expendable and they return to the Moon when defeated. The Tengas originated in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (going by the name "Tengu Warriors") under the command of Ivan Ooze. The name change between the movie and television show was because of copyright complications with the movie's producer 20th Century Fox.

Zords

Dinozords

The five Dinozords and the Dragonzord.

The Dinozords are the first Zords that the Power Rangers have access to. They consist of the Tyrannosaurus, Mastodon, Triceratops, Saber-Toothed Tiger, and Pterodactyl, which together form the original Megazord. Later on, the Dragonzord and Titanus the Carrierzord are added to the set.^[13]

Thunderzords

When the Dinozords are destroyed by Lord Zedd, Alpha 5 uses a refraction of energy waves, combined with the remains of the Dinozords, to create the Thunderzords. They consist of the Red Dragon, Lion, Unicorn, Griffin, and Firebird, which together form the Thunder Megazord. Later on, the Tigerzord and Tor the Shuttlezord are added to the set.

Ninjazords

When the Thunderzords are destroyed by Rito Revolto, the Rangers seek out Ninjor, who gives them access to the Ninjazords. They include the Ape, Frog, Wolf, Bear, and Crane, which together form the Ninja Megazord, and the Falconzord.

Shogunzords

When Zedd kidnaps Ninjor and steals the Falconzord (with help from a then-evil Katherine), he uses Ninjor as a power source for the Shogunzords and copies the Ninjazords' battle technology using the Falconzord. With Kimberly and her Ninja Coin in captivity, he forces the Rangers into using the Shogunzords for evil, but this fails to pan out when Billy finds a way to use the Ninja Coins to obtain control of them. They include the Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and White Shogunzords, which together form the Shogun Megazord.

Production

When all available stock footage from Zyuranger was used up for the first 40 episodes of season one, Saban commissioned Toei to produce 25 new monster costumes and new battle footage using the existing Zyuranger suits. Out of this, Saban was able to produce 20 additional episodes using 15 of the monster suits. This new footage has been affectionately referred to as "Zyu2" by Power Rangers fans. Saban then used the remaining suits and footage for the first 12 episodes of season two.^[30]

Mid-way through the production of season two, Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emanuel Jones left the show over contract disputes.^[31] To disguise this incident, body doubles of the three actors and sound-alike voice actors portrayed Jason, Trini, and Zack, with their backs facing the viewers (except when they were in their Ranger costumes). The subplot of the three Rangers leaving Angel Grove for the World Peace Conference was made to bridge the transition to their replacements Rocky, Aisha, and Adam (played by Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch, respectively).

The appearance of Lord Zedd sparked outrage among parents, who deemed him too dark and grim for a children's show. In response, Saban counter-balanced Zedd's character by bringing back Rita Repulsa. For this, Carla Perez was brought in to play Rita (with Barbara Goodson still providing her voice), with the makeover subplot explaining her change in appearance.

Reception and controversy

Despite the show's popularity, it was also subject to much controversy from parents who felt the show was too violent for young children. The show aired before television stations issued content warnings, the V-chip, and television ratings. In the USA, numerous complaints were sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 1993, YTV obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which played to a receptive audience on weekday afternoons, trailing the American broadcast by several months. However, due to complaints sent to the recently formed Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, YTV removed the series from their line-up due to its violent content.^[6][32] Despite not actually being a member of the CBSC board, YTV complied and pulled the series before the end of its first season. While a phone-in poll was conducted to see if viewers wanted MMPR back on YTV, no further installments of the Power Rangers franchise ever aired on the network (until 2011's Power Rangers Samurai), although commercials for toys and videos were advertised on the network.^[33] Newer versions of the series are run on Family.^[34]

In 1994, the murder of a young Norwegian girl by three of her young friends prompted Swedish-owned TV3 to pull MMPR from its broadcast schedule in all of its market countries. However, MMPR was not related to the event; the young children responsible were fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.^[35]

In 1994, the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) upheld several complaints from members of the public about the level of violence in the show. The main concern of those complainants was that the show portrayed violence as the primary means of resolving conflict, and that this was influencing children to behave more violently more frequently. Immediately following the BSA decision, the second season of the show was all but canceled by Television New Zealand.^[32] New Zealand is the only country in the world where this show has been prematurely withdrawn from public broadcast to date.^[36] DVD and video releases of the more recent Power Rangers series that were filmed in New Zealand can be found at The Warehouse, although general sales through video stores and other retailers are scarce. Later series in the Power Rangers franchise, such as Power Rangers: Mystic Force and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury, were filmed in New Zealand, but the programs were still not shown in the country, until 2011 when Samurai premiered.

When brought up on VH1's I Love the '90s, the original cast members interviewed (Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones) as well as other celebrity commentators, made fun of how the original line-up had Jones' role as the Black Ranger and Thuy Trang's role as the Yellow Ranger as the actors and characters were of African and Asian descent, respectively.

In a 2010 interview with fan blog "No Pink Spandex", David Yost revealed that he had left the show in the subsequent Power Rangers: Zeo production due to homophobic reactions to his sexuality, citing that he walked off set one day because "[he] was called 'faggot' one too many times." He also stated that the producers would often ask other cast members what they thought about his homosexuality, and this made him uncomfortable as well.^[37][38] Shortly after this interview, producer Scott Page-Pagter stated that Yost left over a pay dispute and that the allegations of homophobia are false; he added that Yost did not get along with any of the crew.^[39] In the episode where Yost's character appeared for the last time, "Rangers of Two Worlds", footage from previous episodes was used as well as vocal work from a separate, uncredited actor, to conceal the fact that Yost was not present during the taping. A tribute to the Blue Ranger and Billy was seen in the closing credits of this last Billy episode.

Video games

• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition

Home Media

UK VHS releases

DVD releases

• Note Power Rangers - The Ultimate Rangers includes only 1 episode from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series White Light the disc include the best episodes from other Power Rangers Series such as Power Rangers in Space etc.

References

External links

	Television portal
	United States portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

• Official Power Rangers Website
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at the Internet Movie Database
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at TV.com