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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
File:Mmprlogo.jpg
Created byHaim Saban
Shuki Levy
StarringAustin St. John
Jason David Frank
Walter Emmanuel Jones
David Yost
Amy Jo Johnson
Thuy Trang
Steve Cardenas
Johnny Yong Bosch
Karan Ashley
Catherine Sutherland
Paul Schrier
Jason Narvy
Robert L. Manahan
Machiko Soga
Carla Perez
Barbara Goodson
Wendee Lee
Ami Kawai
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes155 (including Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers)
Production
Running time22 minutes (without commercials)
Original release
NetworkFOX
Release1993-08-28 –
1996-02-16

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ("MMPR") was an American live-action television series, created for the American market based on the sixteenth installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger. The show and its related merchandise both saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months. Under the original name Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the series ran from 1993 to 1996 and spawned a feature (non-canon) film, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.

The second and third seasons drew on footage and elements from the Japanese series Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger respectively, though the Zyuranger costumes were still used extensively; the main 5 Dairanger suits were never used at all, only the KibaRanger (White Power Ranger) suit was used. The series was produced by MMPR Productions and distributed by Saban Entertainment, and aired on Fox Kids.

In 1996, the Mighty Morphin label was retired as the series would follow in the footsteps of its Sentai source material, changing its name every year; thus the Power Rangers franchise was born. Power Rangers still runs in this format to this day, though currently the majority of post-MMPR series are not spin-offs in the traditional sense.

Series Overview

File:MMPRgroup.jpg
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (from Season 1)

The series takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California. On expedition, unwitting astronauts opened a dumpster and inadvertently released a witch, Rita Repulsa, from 10,000 years of confinement. Upon her release, she set her sights on conquering the Earth. When word of Rita's release came to sage Zordon, he ordered his robotic assistant, Alpha 5, to find five "teenagers with attitude," who would defend the Earth from Rita's attacks. For this, he chose Jason Lee Scott, Trini Kwan, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, and Zack Taylor.

Although the series started off with five Power Rangers (colored red, blue, black, yellow, and pink), a sixth, the Green Power Ranger (Tommy Oliver), joined later on in the episode arc "Green with Evil." Originally evil in his debut, he eventually converted to good, appearing on and off throughout the series through various story lines.

Following several defeats, Rita's fortress was invaded by Lord Zedd. Disgusted with her failure, he took over and sealed her away again, launching his own campaign against the Power Rangers. Despite his defeat of the Green Ranger, he was unable to beat the Rangers' new powers of the mythical beasts (their new Thunder powers). Things were complicated by the creation of the White Power Ranger, the Power Transfer (from Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor and Trini Kwan to Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park and Aisha Campbell), and the return of Rita, who gave Zedd a love potion. It was later discovered, after Zedd took an antidote, that he loved her anyway.

Rito Revolto later came to Earth and managed to destroy the Rangers' previous powers. Undaunted, they sought the aid of Ninjor, creator of the Power Coins, who gave them the new Ninja powers.

Katherine Hillard moved to Angel Grove. Rita captured her and put her on a powerful spell. She stole the pink Crane Ninja Coin, weakening the Pink Ranger. She overcame the spell, and eventually gave the coin back to Kimberly. Kimberly then left to train for the Pan Globals, entrusting the Crane Coin to Kat, which made her the new Pink Ninja Ranger, and new girlfriend of Tommy.

After several more battles, Zedd and Rita were joined by Rita's father, Master Vile. Following his failed attempts to defeat the Rangers, he reversed time, destroying the Ninja powers and eliminating the threat of Ninjor. These events culminated in Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, leading up to Power Rangers: Zeo.

Cast

The Power Rangers

Actor Character Title Orginal Animal Thunder Animal Ninja Animal Rank
Austin St. John Jason Lee Scott Red Power Ranger I (1993-1994) Tyrannosaurs Red Dragon 1st team leader
2nd second-in-command (under Tommy)
Thuy Trang Trini Kwan Yellow Power Ranger I (1993–1994)

Saber-Toothed Tiger

Griffin
David Yost Billy Cranston Blue Power/Ninja Ranger (1993–1996) Triceratops Unicorn Wolf 3rd second-in-command (under Tommy)
Amy Jo Johnson Kimberly Hart Pink Power/Ninja Ranger I (1993–1995) Pterodactyl Firebird Crane
Walter Emmanuel Jones Zack Taylor Black Power Ranger I (1993–1994) Mastodon Lion 1st second-in-command (under Jason)
Jason David Frank Tommy Oliver Green Power Ranger (1993–1994) Dragonzord
Jason David Frank Tommy Oliver White Power/Ninja Ranger (1994–1996) White Tiger Tigerzord Falcon 2nd team leader
Steve Cardenas Rocky DeSantos Red Power Ranger II/Red Ninja Ranger (1994–1996) Tyrannosarus Red Dragon Ape
Karan Ashley Aisha Campbell Yellow Power Ranger II/Yellow Ninja Ranger (1994–1996) Saber-Toothed Tiger Girffin Bear
Johnny Yong Bosch Adam Park Black Power Ranger II/Black Ninja Ranger (1994–1996) Mastodon Lion Frog
Catherine Sutherland Kat Hillard Pink Power/Ninja Ranger II (1995-1996) Crane

Allies

Actor Character
David Fielding Zordon (1993–1994)
Robert L. Manahan (Credited as Bob Manahan) Zordon (1994–1996)
Richard Steven Horvitz (Credited as Richard Wood) Alpha 5 (Voice)
Kim Strauss (Credited as Kurt Strauss) Ninjor (1995–1996) (Voice)
Paul Schrier Farkus "Bulk" Bulkmeier
Jason Narvy Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
Gregg Bullock Lt. Stone (1995–1996)
Henry Cannon (Uncredited) Mr. Kaplan (1993-1997)
Royce Herron (Uncredited) Ms. Appleby (1993-1997)
Ted Jan Roberts (Credited as T.J. Roberts) Prince Dex of Edenoi/Masked Rider (1995)

Villains

Main article: Villains in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Rita Repulsa played by Machiko Soga
Actor Character
Machiko Soga Rita Repulsa (1993–1994)
Barbara Goodson Rita Repulsa (voice)
Carla Perez Rita Repulsa (1994–1996)
Ed Neil Lord Zedd
Robert Axelrod Lord Zedd, Finster, and Lokar (Voices)
Kerrigan Mahan (Credited as Ryan O'Flannigan in early seasons) Goldar (Voice)
Tom Wyner Master Vile (Voice, uncredited)
Ami Kawai Scorpina
Wendee Lee (First credited as Wendee Swan, then as Wendee Day after first 2 seasons) Scorpina (Voice)
Bob Papenbrook Rito Revolto (Voice)
Michael Sorich (Credited as Michael J. Sorich) Squatt (Voice)
Dave Mallow (Credited as Colin Phillips) Baboo (Voice)
Brad Orchard Hydro Hog (Voice, uncredited)

Arsenal

  • Power Morphers: Hand-held devices powered by magical Power Coins, with each coin depicting a prehistoric creature. Upon calling out "It's Morphin Time!" the Rangers morphed by holding their Morphers out and pronouncing the name of their respective creature.
    • "Dragonzord!"
    • "Tigerzord!"
    • "Mastodon!"
    • "Pterodactyl!"
    • "Triceratops!"
    • "Saber-Toothed Tiger!"
    • "Tyrannosaurus!"
  • After the Rangers' powers were destroyed when Rito Revolto demolished the Thunderzords, the team journeyed to the Temple of Power in the Desert of Despair and met Ninjor, the creator of the Power Coins who gave them each the power and skills of the Ninja. Upon receiving their new Ninja Coins, the Rangers shouted the following phrases to morph:
    • "White Ranger Power!"
    • "Black Ranger Power!"
    • "Pink Ranger Power!"
    • "Blue Ranger Power!"
    • "Yellow Ranger Power!"
    • "Red Ranger Power!"
  • Blade Blasters: Each Ranger carried a sidearm blaster that could also convert into a short sword. These weapons were used constantly throughout the first season, but were eventually reduced to a visual role.
  • Special Weapons: To defeat Rita's Super Putties, the Rangers needed these powerful blasters that were guarded by Titanus the Carrier Zord.
  • Power Blaster: Resulted from combining the five core Rangers' Power Weapons, this crossbow-like weapon fired multiple streams of energy to destroy opponents.
    • Power Sword: Red Ranger's weapon, a one-handed sword capable of being energized and flung at an enemy.
    • Power Axe: Black Ranger's weapon. Can be used as a traditional axe, and shoot energy from a hole in the handle. In the episode A Different Drum, the Power Axe was called the "Cosmic Cannon".
    • Power Lance: Blue Ranger's weapon. Could be broken down into two mini-lances. In the episode A Different Drum, the Power Lance was called the "Mighty Mace".
    • Power Daggers: Yellow Ranger's weapons. In the episode A Different Drum, the Power Daggers were called the "Dino Daggers".
    • Power Bow: Pink Ranger's weapon. Was once used as a harp, in concert with the Dragon Dagger as a flute, to defeat the music-based monster Guitardo. In the episode A Different Drum, the Power Bow was called the "Battle Bow".
  • Dragon Dagger: Green Ranger's weapon. It could be played like a flute by the Green Ranger to either summon the Dragonzord or give his armor more defense to enemy fire by playing a certain tune. It replaced the Blade Blaster in the Green Ranger's arsenal and was stored within a black holster.
  • RADBUG: Billy modified a white Volkswagen Beetle that could fly through the air and go from 0 to 3,000 in 2.8 seconds. The RADBUG was used when teleportation in the Command Center was down for whatever reason.
  • Saba: An enchanted, talking sword brandished by the White Ranger, used to summon and control the Tigerzord. Saba could also fly and emit lasers from his eyes. Like most of the Power Ranger weapons, it eventually was reduced to a visual-only item. Saba was voiced by Tony Oliver.
  • Power Cannon: A giant bazooka that fires loadable spheres of energy, more powerful than the Power Blaster.
  • Dragon Shield: The golden shield worn by the Green Ranger was often almost impervious to attack, especially when the Green Ranger was playing his Dragon Dagger. Along with the chest shield, the Green Ranger also wore golden arm bands and his gloves and boots featured gold trim. The set of armor, or the individual shield, could also be transferred to other Rangers. As in the case in which Zach Taylor, The Black Ranger, was given the Dragon Shield to protect him in the season one episode "Oyster Stew". When Tommy's Green Ranger powers were slowly being drained by the magic of the Green Candle, he transferred his powers over to Jason, and he would be in possession of the Green Ranger powers, including the Dragon Shield, the accompanying armor, the Dragon Dagger, and the Dragonzord Power Coin. After regaining his Green Ranger powers, Tommy would once again possess the shield.
  • Metallic Armor: Special armor created for battling the new-and-improved Tenga Warriors. Enhances the Rangers' speed, strength & resistance to injury or magic spells.
  • Shark Cycles: Shark-themed motorcycles created by the fossilized fin of an ancient shark. They were only used twice during the third season. Katherine Hillard never used the pink Shark Cycle within the storyline.
  • Ninja Ranger Power: After they gained their ninja powers from Ninjor, the Rangers had a new power-up where they became Ninja Rangers. They wore masks and ninja outfits, and also wore an emblem of their Ninja Animal (similar to the Ninja Coins) on their uniforms (similar to how promotional materials for MMPR showed the Power Coin as a chest emblem). They also gained ninja powers such as super-speed, the use of illusions, and the ability to move underground to evade enemy attack.

Zords

Main article: Zords in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dinozords

The Dinozords were the first Zords that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had access to. They were based on prehistoric creatures.

Template:Ent The Dragonzord could combine with the Saber-Toothed Tiger, Triceratops, and Mastodon Dinozords to form Dragonzord in Battle Mode.

Thunderzords

When the Dinozords were frozen and taken over by Pirantishead, Zordon showed the Rangers how to transform their old Zords into the Thunderzords. These Zords were based on mythological creatures.

Template:Ent The White Tigerzord could combine with the Thunderzord Assault Team to form the Mega Tigerzord. The Red Dragon Thunderzord in Warrior Mode could ride the White Tigerzord as if it were a horse in an unnamed assault mode.

Ninjazords & Shogunzords

When the Thunderzords were destroyed by Rito Revolto (and subsequent irreparable damage to the power coins which rendered them useless), the Power Rangers sought out Ninjor, who gave them new Ninjazords, and upgraded their powers. Later, when Lord Zedd kidnapped Ninjor and stole the Falconzord (with help from a then-evil Katherine), he used Ninjor as a power source for the Shogunzords and copied the Ninja Zords' battle technology using the Falconzord. With Kimberly in captivity, he forced the Rangers into using the Shogunzords for evil, but this failed to pan out when Billy found a way to use the Ninja Coins to obtain control of them.

  • Ninja Ultrazord
    • Titanus (Same Titanus from the first season)
    • Ninja Megafalconzord
      • Falconzord, controlled by Tommy as the White Ranger
      • Ninja Megazord
        • Ape Ninjazord, controlled by Rocky as the Red Ranger
        • Bear Ninjazord, controlled by Aisha as the Yellow Ranger
        • Wolf Ninjazord, controlled by Billy as the Blue Ranger
        • Crane Ninjazord, controlled by Kimberly and then Kat as the Pink Ranger
        • Frog Ninjazord, controlled by Adam as the Black Ranger

Production history

  • Due to the unforeseen popularity of the series, Saban, the company that produced Power Rangers, was faced with the possibility of exhausting all of its Zyuranger footage with no more to fall back upon in order to continue producing the show. Though details are sketchy at best, Saban began to adapt footage referred to in the Power Rangers fan community as "Zyu2." This footage contained 25 as yet unused monsters, featured in both human- and Zord-sized battle footage, as well as seemingly incorporating elements from MMPR into the footage (a relationship between the Green and Pink Ranger and the Blue Ranger as the brains of the group being the most obvious examples). Around the same time, Saban was also negotiating a deal with Toei to acquire footage from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, the Super Sentai series which followed Zyuranger. Saban used more than half of these "Zyu2" monster costumes in the remainder of Season One of Power Rangers. When they decided to replace the Dinozords with the mecha from Dairanger in Season 2 (termed Thunderzords in Power Rangers), the Zord footage of the remaining "Zyu2" monsters became obsolete. To compensate for this, Saban attempted to splice the "Zyu2" and Dairanger footage to ensure that the "Zyu2" monsters were not seen fighting with the old Megazord that was not supposed to be there. In other words, it would show only the monster attacking followed by a shot of just the Thunderzords taking the damage. This did not always work, for occasionally the monster could actually be seen making physical contact with the old Megazord.
  • An alternate ending to the episode Doomsday, Part 2 was filmed. It was going to be the series finale and ended with the Rangers sealing Rita and her monsters up in another dumpster and sending her off into space. The ending more closely resembled that of the original Zyuranger ending (which, furthermore, was the footage-source for the battle Doomsday Part 2 as the fight shown was the actual final battle in Zyuranger) but was never seen due to overwhelming feedback from fans.
  • The Power Morphers, which were modeled after the Dino Bucklers from Zyuranger, were flipped upside-down for their Power Rangers design, as well as the gold plates on the back being removed.
  • "Bones" was the name of the first monster to ever battle the Power Rangers in the inception of the series. Although, in the lost episode (the original pilot), they battled "King Sphinx" (he was called Fly Guy in the pilot), and Sphinx appeared again in the episode titled, "A Pressing Engagement."
  • In the original Sentai series of Zyuranger, the Rangers didn't call out the name of their dinosaur/beasts when morphing, but rather simply shouted out "Dino Buckler!" which referred to their "Morpher." The original "Dino Bucklers" were always worn by the Zyurangers, as the original devices had a reverse side which was bright, metallic gold with a large "Z" (for ZyuRanger) on it. The Buckler was attached to a connecting piece which was part of an actual belt. The Zyurangers would then flip the "handle" of the Buckler down to pull it out, and hit a button on the side to activate the device (just as the American toy functions). In Power Rangers, the belt buckle feature was never used, and thus the back of the US version of the Morpher was completely black and lacked a belt-clip. The button on the side was never pressed, and the device was seemingly "voice-activated". This explains, however, why the Ranger's original suits featured their "Morpher" on their waist.
  • The Ninja and Shogun Ultrazords are the only Zord formations in Power Rangers history that are made from American footage. No suits or props were used in making them; the Bandai toys of each Zord were used to bring them to life on the show. The American versions of the toys were used for this, which presented some problems as the American versions are often noticeably different from the Japanese versions (and thus, the actual Zords on the show). For example, the left arm of the Japanese Shogun Megazord toy, the "Invincible General" from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (and the real Shogun Megazord/Invincible General) is white. For some reason, the left arm of the Shogun Megazord toy was repainted pink for the American version to match the main five colors of the Rangers being used in the United States at the time (the U.S. was still using the Zyuranger colors of Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and Pink). Thus, the arm would suddenly switch colors whenever the Shogun Ultrazord was formed. Additionally, because the "Return of Titanus" version of the Titanus toy was used, the Ninja and Shogun Ultrazord formations mistakenly had the Dragonzord chest shield on the front of Titanus. Each formation, however, was used only once - Ninja Ultrazord destroyed the Face Stealer, and Shogun Ultrazord destroyed Dischordia, both events occurring in season 3.
  • The first ever cast actors to leave the show mid season were Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emmanuel Jones. During the middle of the second season, all three actors were suddenly written out of the show and replaced by Steven Cardenas, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Karan Ashley. It is believed that all three were holding out for more money and instead of giving them the money they wanted, they were written off the show in a story line involving the three Power Rangers being selected to represent the country in a peace conference. Old footage from previous episodes and camera tricks were used in the last episode the characters of Jason, Trini, and Zack were in so viewers would not realize the actors portraying them were not actually in the episode titled "The Power Transfer (Parts 1 & 2).
  • As is commonly known now, despite the Yellow Ranger being a female within Power Rangers, in Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger the Yellow/TigerRanger, ironically named "Boi", was male. Due to this, there is an obvious change in the physique of the Yellow team member when the show cuts to Sentai footage (this is most notable within Season 1). This is also why the Yellow Ranger does not wear a skirt, nor stand in girlish poses like the Pink Ranger does.
  • The order in which the Ninjazords and Shogunzords were acquired was reversed in Power Rangers. In the original source of those two Zord sets, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, the 'Shogunzords' were gained before the 'Ninjazords'. Also, there were only five Rangers in Kakuranger, and the Falconzord's Japanese counterpart was a separate sentient creature, not belonging to anyone of them.
  • Before each episode of MMPR started, there would be a preview teaser of what to expect on that day's episode. It would show the Power Rangers logo and the announcer would say "Today on Power Rangers..." while giving a sneak peak of what to expect, usually only showing some minor details that the announcer would talk of as they showed various clips, while leaving some major plot points a surprise. After the preview ended, the opening credits would promptly begin.
  • Unlike the other Power Rangers, the White Ranger's belt buckle was not his Power Morpher. This is due to the fact that the core Rangers' suits from Zyuranger did not change whereas the White Ranger's suit is from the following season and is based on Gosei Sentai Dairanger's KibaRanger. The Dairangers' henshin devices (Morphers) were wrist mounted and not belt buckles. The similar symbol found on the White Ranger's belt buckle can also be found on the Red Dragon Thunderzord's warrior mode head. This is due to the fact that the Gosei Sentai Dairanger's Zords and the Thunderzords are one in the same.
  • The "Battle Bikes" appeared briefly in one episode ("Calamity Kimberly"), though they were never named as such onscreen. Apparently, they were motorcycles the Rangers used with the Red Ranger having his own bike, and the Black and Blue Rangers had sidecars for the Yellow and Pink Rangers, respectively (based on the "Road Saurers" from Zyuranger).

Comparisons with later series

  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the first show to feature two different Red, Black, Yellow, and Pink Rangers. This would not happen again until Power Rangers: Turbo.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers holds the record with the most episodes produced before a season change at 155.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers: Turbo hold the record for the most cast changes in any series with 4 members leaving and another 4 replacing the departing cast.
  • The original series has the distinction of being the longest-running incarnation lasting for three years (1993-1996). This fact is somewhat parallel to the Super Sentai series, since Himitsu Sentai Goranger, the very first Super Sentai, ran over three years with a total of 84 episodes, making it the longest Super Sentai series.

Cast miscellany

  • Actress Thuy Trang died in an automobile accident on 2001-09-03, when the automobile she was in crashed. She was not wearing a seatbelt. Her fellow passenger in the car was Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, the wife of fellow Vietnamese-American actor Dustin Nguyen. Rockwood-Nguyen survived the automobile accident despite not wearing a seatbelt, but became quadriplegic. Two members of the original Power Rangers cast, David Yost and Amy Jo Johnson attended the funeral. The Power Rangers: Time Force episode "Circuit Unsure" was dedicated in memory of Thuy Trang.
  • Adam Park, portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch, was the first male Power Ranger of Asian descent (Bosch and his character are Korean-Americans).
  • Although Machiko Soga (Rita Repulsa in Season one) stars in and is credited in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, she never actually recorded any footage for it. Footage was simply taken from Zyuranger and an English voice was dubbed over.
  • There were no plans for Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver) to return to the show after 'The Green Candle' saga. He was to star in Saban's show 'VR Troopers' as the leader, Ryan Steele.

Trivia

  • Similarly, "It's Morphin Time!" was first spoken by Zordon.
  • Tommy is the only Ranger to call on the power of a Zord when morphing: "Dragonzord" as the Green Ranger and "Tigerzord" as the White Ranger.
  • Billy, the original Blue Ranger has the distinction of being the only Ranger to hold the same position for the longest time (3 years, 1993-1996) without ever switching colors, a record yet to be surpassed. Similarly, he is the only original Power Ranger to appear in every episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and remain there from the start to the end of the MMPR generation.
  • Ron Wasserman, under the alias of "Aaron Waters", composed and wrote The Original Power Rangers theme song, a full-length 4-minute long track used for promotion. Its title is "Go Go Power Rangers!"
  • In Malaysia, the word "Morphin" is censored (by substituting or muting footage where the word is spoken or displayed onscreen) for fear that it could encourage children to use Morphine.
  • Recently, some episodes of this series were released by Disney for paid downloaded on the iTunes Music Store's video section.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the only series in the franchise to feature an Asian-American Yellow Ranger and the first to feature an African-American Black Ranger (this appears to have been repeated in the newest installment, Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive with Will, the Black Operation Overdrive Power Ranger), which was a controversy at the time. Mighty Morphin was also the first series to feature an African-American Yellow Ranger and the only series to feature a Black and Green Ranger on the same team.
  • In an episode of Friends, learning that Monica is dating a 17-year old, Joey says: "Listen, the next time you talk to him, can you ask him which one the strongest Power Ranger is?". And later, Joey, Ross and Chandler do a "It's morphin' time!" spoof.
  • Out of the 3 Baka Gorma from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, Company President Tombstone was the only one to appear in Power Rangers portraying the Tombstone Monster in Season 2's Halloween Special.
Preceded by
None
 Power Rangers
1993 – 1996 		Succeeded by
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