(ALMOST) EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE POWER RANGERS BUT WERE TOO AFRAID TO ASK (the ORIGINAL Mighty Morphin Power Rangers FAQ) (version 8.04) Created by Terri Ann C. Guingab (tguingab@capaccess.org) Last Modified March 31, 1996 _TABLE OF CONTENTS_ PART ONE I. Introduction -- What you are about to read, after the Table of Contents, of course :]. II. Once Upon a Time -- How Power Rangers, the show, was born. III. General Story -- A (relatively) short synopsis of what happened during the first three seasons of MMPR, along with a summary of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" PART TWO IV. Subplots -- Storylines that were developed over more than one episode of MMPR. V. Character Biographies -- Who are these folks, anyway? VI. Weaponry -- An explanation of names and uses for the various technologies. that the Rangers use. VII. Who's Responsible for all This? -- A brief credits list. PART THREE VIII. Addresses -- MMPR related addresses. IX. I Want More -- Other Internet Sources of MMPR information. X. The Rest -- Miscellaneous information I couldn't find a home for. The closest thing to a questions list you'll find in this document, which includes the following questions: 1. Where did the old Rangers go? Who else will be leaving? 2. Was it a pretty divorce between Saban and the Original Rangers? 3. How were the new Rangers chosen? 4. Where are the original Rangers now? What other work have the MMPR actors done? 5. What was Power Rangers like before it became the show we all know and adore today? (and no, this is not a question about Zyuranger) What were some of the changes made in the movie script before the final product was released? 6. How is each episode created? 7. How do I submit a MMPR script to Saban Entertainment? (Quickie answer: You don't.) 8. How can one tell the difference between the Japanese footage and the American footage? PART FOUR 9. Where can I find out more about MMPR: The Movie? Any chance for a sequel? 10. How many Power Rangers rip-offs are there? 11. What is Sentai? 12. What is Dynaman? 13. What is Voltron? 14. Is there a soundtrack available? 15. What do the Russian words at the beginning of Snap's "The Power" mean? 16. What were the words to the song Kim sang in "Song of Guitardo"? 17. Why is Tommy the new leader of the Power Rangers? 18. Where is Angel Grove? 19. Are replicas of the communicators available? 20. When Trini morphs, why does she gain an extra appendage? 21. Is MMPR banned in Canada? Where else is it banned? 22. Are any of the Rangers or Ranger actors dead? 23. But I heard that [insert name here] died in a fatal [insert heavy machinery, vicious squirrel, transportation vehicle, and/or Chia Head here] accident! 24. Is Billy going to be killed off/crippled? 25. Any other bits of trivia you care to share about Power Rangers? 26. Terri Ann, why on Earth did you write the MMPR FAQ? The most up-to-date versions of this file may be obtained by e-mailing me at the above address, or by visiting my home page, located at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3875 I. _INTRODUCTION_ Okay, folks -- time to fess up. You watch "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers", don't you. That's okay, nothing to be ashamed about. Actually, there are quite a few of us on the Net who enjoy MMPR, and not just because the kiddies demand it. Some of us like the Japanese footage (although most people don't like what Saban has done to it, but that's another topic). Some like it because it's just a goofy, yet enjoyable show. Then, there are those of us who harbor a secret crush on a perfect stranger who spends the majority of his professional life wearing blue spandex and riding around in a plastic Triceratops (cool line, Jana -- thanks!); but have since been fascinated by a certain Ranger who prefers to wear Black and whip things with his electric tongue, whilst I...err, I mean, some of us...wonder if said electric tongue holds true in real life as well; and have, since that time, developed a strange fascination for a certain sidekick of Bulk's who loves to wear dog collars, berets, and leather in an oh-so-unique fashion that just makes me...that is, some of us tingle. But I digress. :) No matter which category(ies) you may fit into, this guide is designed to let you in on just about every aspect of the Power Rangers universe worth knowing, and then some. SPECIAL NOTE: You know, every time I say to myself, "That's it. There is no more information that one could _possibly_ find out about the Power Rangers without some sort of bribery. There's no need for me to work on this monster of a document anymore," I end up finding out something new. Oh well. This document keeps growing and growing and growing and growing (thump, thump, thump, thmup, thump, thump), so by the time you receive it, chances are, a lot of info will be out of date. Hopefully, after this next enema, things will change. Sheah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. HISTORY: The very first version of the FAQ, seventy-something versions ago, was revealed to the Internet community in June of 1994. Back then, there wasn't much to be said about the Power Rangers...the FAQ/Episode Guide actually came as one document. But then things blossomed...quickly. Soon, the Episode Guide became its own little monster, and was then followed by an Episode Guide for the Second Season. The cultural references section, a relatively new section of the FAQ, also became its own little document. Needless to say, things have grown quite a bit since the days of sitting in a cold basement for 5 nights straight watching all 60 episodes of MMPR's first season. Even though this puppy's been around for over a year and a half, it continues to grow and grow and grow and grow and...well, you get the picture. So here it is, the ORIGINAL Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Frequently Asked Questions File. You saw it here first. This work is Copyright 1994-1996 by Terri Ann Guingab. But, since I'm a nice enough gal, feel free to make copies of, post, use as a reference for that killer term paper in English 312, use as a bird cage liner, worship, rip on in rec.arts.tv.mst3k (or alt.tv.mst3k, for you lucky few), offer up to the gods in exchange for a lu...I mean...love-filled night with David Yost and/or Johnny Yong Bosch...this guide. Just let me know about it first. If/when you do reprint this guide, don't forget to mention my name as the person who spent 5 insomnia-infested nights sitting on an old couch in an old basement watching what felt like hundreds of hours of Power Rangers when I should have been studying for my Religious Studies finals. Also, it is very important (to me, and to future readers of the FAQ) that any transmission of this FAQ, in any form, remain free of charge (except for service fees that may be charged by commercial Internet providers). And one final, nitpicky detail -- This FAQ, if distributed, must remain with all headers intact and the text unaltered. Special thanks go out to Larry Virden (lvirden@cas.org) for setting me straight on a lot of facts and typos my tired old eyes didn't catch. :) Thanks also go out to Pamela Green (pkgreen@u.washington.edu) for finally straightening out that whole MegaUltraSuperCaliFragilisticExpiAlaDociousZord mess. :) And even more thanks go out to Robert A. Rosenberg (hal9001@panix.com) for supplying the majority of background info on the Japanese half of the show. Another Thank You goes to Paul Matthews (paulmatt@ozemail.com.au). Thanks for giving me so much new info that I have to spend the time I should be devoting to my Nursing studies to re-working all the flub-ups here. :) Seriously, thanks for all your help. Most Special Thank You's go to everyone who work on/for/at/whatever Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Thanks for the sweetness! And most importantly, I don't think I could've continued with this monster and retained whatever semblance of sanity I once had were it not for the strength and kindness of several people on the Internet. I'd consider it an honor to be allowed to call you my net.friends. Thanks for giving me warm fuzzies when my fragile self esteem needed a bit of a boost. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys. So, from me, to all of you (you know who you are ;]) -- HUGS! This guide was created without the official knowledge or approval of Saban Entertainment. While I've tried to back up the information given with credible sources (well, as credible as "Teen Beat" can be), I cannot claim that it is 100% error-free. Also, in several instances, I'm going on the words of one person. Interpret that as you like. I tried to keep things accurate, though. :) Corrections, additions, warm fuzzies, or virtual chocolate should be sent to me at tguingab@capaccess.org. Please be patient with me whenever you submit new information. Due to life/lack of time/backlogs of e-mail/extreme laziness, it may take me while to actually include your info into the FAQ. But don't worry, it'll get there... eventually. Now, where did my stuff from October `95 go...? All references to MMPR and character names are Copyright and Trademarked 1993-1996 by Saban Entertainment and used without their permission. Please don't sue me -- pretty please? II. _ONCE UPON A TIME_ A long time ago (1986), in a land far, far away (Japan), a lone man (Haim Saban) was struck by a flash of amazing inspiration. Okay, so the birth of the Power Rangers wasn't _that_ exciting, but the story is interesting nonetheless. According to TV Guide (July 9, 1994), Haim Saban, executive producer of MMPR, was introduced to the sentai genre of shows while traveling in Japan. Sentai involves a team of superheros who battle the forces of evil with their various martial arts skills along with machines and weapons that are color coordinated to what they wear. Haim realized that he could take the way cool (and probably quite expensive to shoot in America) fight scenes, splice in some new footage shot in the States, and voila'...brand new show! The source of these action scenes would eventually come from a show called Zyuranger (sometimes spelled "Juranger"), produced by Toei Co. I say "eventually" because Saban had the idea of blending a sentai show with American footage long before Zyuranger was even conceived. It was a bank manager's dream! Almost a third to half of the show would be finished without ever lifting a finger (except to write the check out to Toei Co.). _And_ he could cut costs even further by intentionally keeping the production values low (well, I'd like to think it's intentional). What a great idea! Unfortunately, it wasn't until 1993 that Margaret Loesch, President of the Fox Children's Network, snatched up the idea. It had everything a good kid's show has -- action, drama, machines, martial arts, characters that were easy to identify with, superheroes, and more. It even had a few things for the adult fans as well -- inside jokes, corny plots and dialog, and most importantly, something to kick up that sense of nostalgia for the old days of Superfriends, the Bugaloos, and H.R. Pufnstuff (have I dated myself yet?). The show finally made its way onto tv, but no one was expected its popularity to explode like it did. With the dawn of the second season, many things changed. First of all, the action scenes were culled from a different sentai series -- Kosei Sentai Dairanger. This series is also produced by Toei (in Japan, a sentai series runs for one year before being replaced by another one with a new set of heroes, machines, villains, etc.). The amount of footage that is used is unclear. Some have said that only the robot footage is used. This is probably because the Rangers kept their Zyuranger costumes. Others have said that some of the monsters may be "borrowed"...I'm not sure which ones, though. In the third season, the world of Power Rangers was turned upside down once again. The obligatory transition from Dairangers to the newer sentai series Ohrangers brought with it new characters, namely Rito Revolto and Master Vile. Also, Kimberly fans the world over were dealt a major blow when Amy Jo Johnson decided to leave the show. Ranger fans learned the sorrows of separation near the end of the third season, when Karan Ashley decided to pack her bags as well. Despite these major changes, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers continues to thrive. Power Rangers, the low budget show concept that no one would pick up for eight years, is now on its way to making over $1 billion in merchandise (if it hasn't surpassed it already). Power Ranger video business is booming (14 million units in the US alone), and the show's popularity has continued to grow well past three Christmas seasons. On top of that, the show is the number one children's show in the United States. Half of the childrens audience in France are Power Ranger fans. The show was voted "Best Loved TV Series" in Israel. And the fan club has nearly 250,000 members. As we Southerners would put it, the show's done good. And now, believe it or not, we're already at the dawn of the fourth season (sheesh, time flies when you're studying Pharmocology). But I'm getting way ahead of myself. I mean, it'd be nice to know what Power Rangers is actually about, wouldn't it? Therefore....... III. _GENERAL STORY_ THE BEGINNINGS A series of books published by Parachute Press shed some light on how the whole mess started. Zordon was Commander of the forces of good, while the intergalactic sorceress Rita controlled the forces of evil. The two battled for bragging rights to the universe, a war that ended in a tie. Both sides decided that whoever won the best of five coin tosses would win the war. Zordon didn't trust Rita, so he used his five magic power coins to win. Somehow, Rita managed to warp Zordon into another dimension, and now he's trapped in a column of green smoke in his command center. Rita and crew were forced into a prison and shot into space, where she stayed for 10,000 years. (Waricha, Jean. _The Terror Toad_. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc, 1994.) This series of books is based on the show, and Cheryl Saban is the creative consultant. However, the writers tend to get a bit creative with the story lines, so take this with a grain of salt. The "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Official Fan Club Video" (available only to those who join the Fan Club) gives us a thorough summary of what happened between Zordon and Rita 10,000 years ago. Zordon and Rita's forces were locked in battle for over 2,000 years ("give or take a week"). Rita tried to set up a truce with Zordon, but it was really a trap that ensnared him in an interdimensional time warp. Before being locked away forever, Zordon managed to catch Rita in a trap of his own -- an intergalatic space dumpster. Add about 10,000 years of singing "99 bottles of slime on the wall", and that brings us to the current situation. SEASON ONE 10,000 or so years later, two astronauts on the moon discovered the space dumpster and broke what Alpha 5 called one of the cardinal rules of space travel -- "Never open an unmarked container". (_Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Official Fan Club Video_. Dir. Mark S. Pinsker. Saban Entertainment, 1994.) With Rita free, the earth was in grave danger. To help her conquer Earth, Rita is accompanied by Goldar, her best warrior; Scorpina, second only to Goldar in fighting skills (and a later addition to the show); Finster, creator of Rita's menagerie of monsters; and Baboo and Squatt -- your basic butt kissers brought along for comic relief. Only one thing occupies her mind -- total universal domination (which, for some strange reason, is linked to the takeover/destruction of Angel Grove). Zordon, from his secret command center (that conveniently happens to be situated on Earth, *and* has a direct visual link with Zordon's interdimensional time warp trap), realizes the serious consequences Rita's resurrection brings. He "recruit[s] a team of teenagers with attitudes" to fight Rita and her seemingly endless supply of putties and monsters. The recruits are as follows: Jason (Red Ranger - T Rex) Zack (Black Ranger - Mastodon) Kimberly (Pink Ranger - Pterodactyl) Trini (Yellow Ranger - Saber Tooth Tiger) Billy (Blue Ranger - Triceratops) Each teen is given command of their own "Dinozord" -- machines inspired by Earth's prehistoric creatures. (Note -- although the t.v. show and books about the Power Rangers have referred to the Zords as Dinosaurs, not all the Zords are really considered dinosaurs.) Zordon also gives each member a Power Morpher. With this, the teens can "morph", or transform, into their alternate identities, the Power Rangers. Morphing is more than just a fancy costume change -- when morphed, the Rangers seem to pick up skills they didn't have in human form. These are little things, like, oh, martial arts skills (kidding, of course :]). The Morpher consists of a Power Coin and a belt buckle. With the Power Coin, each Ranger can create a Power Crystal which controls their Zord. The Power Crystal also contains the essence of each Ranger's powers (see the episode "A Pressing Engagement"). Later, they are given "Power Weapons" and much later, "Special Weapons" (these were featured in only one episode and never seen again. This is probably good, since the things were glorified Zip guns with no real name). Along with the new toys and cool powers comes a simple set of rules. It will soon become apparent to the gentle reader that Zordon's rules have been broken several times. Ah well -- teenagers. The rules are as follows: 1) Never use your powers for personal gain 2) Never escalate a battle. 3) Never reveal your secret identity to anyone. And so, armed with zords, morphers, powers, and the all important rules, our Rangers head into battle. Much to Rita's chagrin, the Power Rangers are successful in thwarting her attacks. She tries to beat them at their own game by creating a sixth (Green) Ranger -- one under her own spell. Tommy, the new kid in town, is the unfortunate victim of Rita's spell, and it takes an entire mini-series for him to realize the error of his ways. Along the way he picks up the Sword of Darkness, a powerful sword that keeps him under Rita's spell; and the Dragon Dagger, which controls the Dragonzord. After the Sword and spell are broken, Tommy joins the Power Rangers until... Rita hatches a plot to regain Tommy's power and control of the Dragonzord. She uses a candle made of magic wax to slowly suck Tommy's powers away. As the candle burns, Tommy grows weaker and weaker as the Green Ranger. Eventually, the candle burns out, but Tommy transfers his powers to Jason just before Rita has a chance to take them away. Jason takes control of both his Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Dragonzord, and Tommy leaves the team...for a while. Tommy is called back into action when the Rangers are tricked into giving up their Power Coins in return for their kidnapped parents. Goldar, being the baddie that he is, doesn't free the parents once the Coins are in his possession. With only his Green Ranger Coin remaining, Tommy must do battle with Goldar for the other five Coins and freedom for Angel Grove's parents. One catch -- he has no powers. Zordon infuses Tommy with as much of his own energy as he can, but both are nearly lost in the process. Tommy barely retrieves the Coins, and after the obligatory stock footage/butt kicking segment, he rejoins the team. However, his powers are limited -- after all, Zordon can't just infuse an existence-threatening amount of energy every time he wants Tommy to fight. So, Tommy fights in human form and morphs only when it is absolutely necessary. End of Season One. SEASON TWO The Second Season begins with a power struggle on the dark side of the moon. Lord Zedd, Rita's boss, is tired of Rita taking 10,000 years and a day to take over Earth. So, he cans her -- literally. Most of Rita's minions, cowards that they are, immediately ditch Rita and join up with Zedd. That's why Goldar, Baboo, and Squatt are still in the show (Scorpina and Finster reappear a dozen or so episodes later). Zedd, now in charge, launches a heavy attack on the Rangers, freezing their Zords, and turning the Dragon and T-Rex Zords against the Rangers. Zordon has no choice but to destroy the old Zords and create new, more powerful ThunderZords. Zordon was unable to create a new Zord for Tommy due to his weakened state. The ThunderZord distribution is as follows: Black Ranger -- Mastodon Lion ThunderZord Pink Ranger -- Pterodactyl Firebird ThunderZord Blue Ranger -- Triceratops Unicorn ThunderZord Yellow Ranger -- Sabretooth Tiger Griffin ThunderZord Red Ranger -- Tyrannosaurus Red Dragon ThunderZord Anyway, for the next few episodes, Our Heroes fight whatever Zedd throws their way, but the battles are taking a heavy toll on Tommy. Finally, his powers fade away completely, and he has to leave the team again. He disappears, and no one can find him (a mystery!). What is even stranger is that Zordon and Alpha disappear without telling the Rangers where they are going. The fruit of their labor is finally revealed -- the White Ranger (oooh, ahhhhhh). Lo and behold, the White Ranger turns out to be Tommy, with new, Zordon-given powers that no one can take away (unless Tommy touches another magic candle...but let's hope we don't have to go through that again). Tommy takes over the leadership of the Power Rangers. He is given the White TigerZord as his new Zord and Saba, the Talking Saber, to fight by his side. Things are back to normal (?) for the next few episodes. The Rangers lives become more complicated with the introduction of three new teens -- Rocky, Adam, and Aisha -- transfer students from Stone Canyon High. It just so happens that all three of the new kids are (supposed to be) martial arts experts. Zedd comes up with a brilliant plan to make these teens into his Dark Rangers. Okay, he's tried this before, and it didn't quite work out (yes, I'm leaving more out...get the episode guide if you're _really_ interested), but this time, he's positive that he's worked out all the kinks. Zedd kidnaps the trio and introduces them to the Snake of Darkness, a snake whose bite can turn anyone into a purely evil creature (and has the uncanny ability of turning into a rubber snake whenever a human has to handle it :]). The Rangers save the day (again), but at the expense of revealing their secret identities to the new guys and gal. What happened was that during the rescue, Billy was nearly crushed to death by the snake. He needed oxygen, so, in a truly inspired moment (not!), Tommy and Kimberly removed his helmet in front of Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. I guess they didn't feel like waiting the 1.5 milliseconds it takes for them to get to the Command Center to do it. :I So now, Adam, Rocky, and Aisha know the secret identities of the Power Rangers. Because of their knowledge of martial arts (ahem), they end up fighting by the side of the non-morphed Rangers whenever they're in trouble. So, I guess it was a good thing that the snake incident happened -- now the Rangers have three new allies to help them out when they're out numbered. Back to normal (?) again... Yet another wrench is thrown into the works when Jason, Trini, and Zack are invited to represent Angle Grove and the United States at the World Peace Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Zordon is suddenly left with the task of finding three new Rangers to replace Our Departing Heroes. Hmmm...The Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers are leaving...and Rocky likes to wear red clothes, Aisha likes to wear yellow clothes, and Adam likes to wear black clothes. Plus, they're all martial arts experts (ahem). Does anyone *not* see where this is heading? Well, for those who don't, Zordon transfers the powers of the Black, Yellow, and Red Rangers to Adam, Aisha, and Rocky, respectively. So, if your kiddies were wondering why the team looks just a pinch different, that's why. Things were getting just a little too boring and the fights just a little too easy for Our Heroes, so the writers blessed us with the return of Rita. She steered her dumpster back towards the moon, broke into Zedd's palace, and ordered Finster to mix up a love potion. Why? Well, because she wants Zedd to fall in love with her. Why? Because she wants to marry him. Why? Because if she marries Zedd, they can work together to take over the universe. Once that's achieved, she can bump Zedd out of the picture. Why? Because she wants to. Why? I don't know. AhkayIluvyoubuh-...oops, slipped into Mindy-mode there. Anyway, Zedd and Rita get hitched in the acid trip of the century, and love is in the air, if only for 3 episodes. THE MOVIE The New Rangers are finally used to being the champions of the universe by the time life is turned upside down once again. An egg shaped prison, created over 6,000 years ago, is accidentally unearthed in the middle of a Sydney...oops, I mean, Angel Grove construction site. The contents of that egg are none other than the diabolical Ivan Ooze...a dictator who had once held half the universe in a reign of terror. He is freed by Zedd and company to wreak havoc once again. His first target -- Zordon of Eltar (the same Zordon we've all come to know and snuggle). Ooze oozes his way into the Command Center, trashes it, and destroys the time warp that not only keeps Zordon imprisoned, but also keeps him alive. With the Command Center destroyed, and their main source of power gone with it, the Rangers are reduced to their human selves. The battle between good and evil seems lost until Alpha tells Our Heroes of another power source -- The Great Power. The Rangers must travel to the planet of Phaedos to retrieve the Power...something no one has ever been successful doing. Well, there's a little bit of drama for you. On the planet Phaedos, the Rangers come across Dulcea, the master warrior of Phaedos. After a brief misunderstanding, she directs them to the Monolith, where the Great Power is held. Between the Rangers and the Monolith stands Phaedos Jungle, which the Rangers must cross themselves. Since Dulcea cannot accompany the Rangers to the Monolith (time warps that keep master warriors young are kinda' funny that way), she opts to sprinkle a little magic fairy dust on Our Heroes, unlocking the animal Ninjetti spirit which resides in them. In the process, Our Heroes gain peachy keen new Ninja style uniforms (and, we get to hear the only three MMPR-related words that can turn me into a puddle of goo -- "I'm a frog".) Finally, they set off on their journey to claim the Great Power. Back on Earth, Ooze's plan to take over the universe again is slowly taking shape. His Ectomorphicons -- Two machines of ultimate destruction with which Ooze was about to take over the entire universe -- are buried near Ooze's old prison. Ooze hypnotizes the parents of Angel Grove and forces them into slavery (why is it the parents of Angel Grove are so susceptible to evil spells?). They work hard to unearth Hornitor and Scorpitron (the Ectomorphicons), and once they do, Ooze commands them to jump off a cliff. Gee, parents of Angel Grove -- if your friend jumped off a cliff, would you? On Phaedos, the Rangers pass many (okay, two) trials to unlock the Great Power. Once they do, they are given brand new Zords (you heard that right, moms and dads -- new Zords...more money to be spent). The rundown is as follows: Adam -- Black Ninja Frog Zord Billy -- Blue Ninja Wolf Zord Aisha -- Yellow Ninja Bear Zord Rocky -- Red Ninja Ape Zord Kimberly -- Pink Ninja Crane Zord Tommy -- White Ninja Falcon Zord Once the Great Power is unlocked and the Rangers are Rangers again (complete with brand new Ninjetti powers), they head back to Earth for a final showdown with Ooze and his Ectomorphicons (currently having a fun time destroying Angel Grove). The Rangers are successful in destroying Scorpitron, which gets Ooze really, really upset. Ooze morphs with Hornitor to become...well, one ugly looking machine. The Rangers then combine together to form the Ninja Megazord (more details in the Weaponry section). With the help of a special secret weapon (and I'm not telling you what it is -- go see the movie :]), Ooze is defeated and the spell over the parents of Angel Grove is broken. The Rangers return to the Command Center only to find Zordon lying dead in his bed-straight-out-of-Superman chamber. With the help of the "Dark Phoenix saga" plot device we've all come to know and love as "Let's combine our powers to resurrect (insert name here)", Zordon is revived. The movie ends with the Rangers snacking on Sydney...oops, I mean Angel Grove seafood as fireworks and Van Halen fill the air. And yes, life is cheerful once again. SEASON THREE The first three episodes were your average 90 minute infomercial for Masked Rider, Saban's new Sentai-style series. I believe someone has already taken dibs on creating a FAQ for Masked Rider, so I'll let him or her explain what that show is about. The real meat of the third season begins with the introduction of a new villain, Rito Revolto. Rito, the brother of Rita, brings along with him magic eggs that quickly hatch into the putties for the third season -- the Tenga Warriors. Rito and four of Zedd and Rita's "best" monsters gang up on the Thunderzords and completely destroy them. Well, that's a nice way to introduce yourself to the neighbors. Zordon reluctantly sends the Rangers on a quest to find the original creator of the Zords, a wizard named Ninjor. After a minor misunderstanding (read: a lot of snottiness on everyone's part), Ninjor gives Our Heroes new Ninja Suits, Powers, and Zords (which look amazingly like the Suits, Powers, and Zords from the Movie). See the movie summary for a listing. Ninjor also occasionally joins the Rangers in battle, just 'cause that's what Ninjors do best. After a few particularly excellent (well, for Power Rangers) episodes featuring stellar performances by a certain codependent but adorable former punk character who answers to the name of Skull, yet another "wrench in the works" was introduced. This time, the wrench in question is Katherine, a mysterious young girl from Australia. Things are not what they seem, however, especially considering her fondness for catnip and scratching posts. Kat, with her ability to transform into a white cat, reveals herself to be one of Rita's evil agents. It's through her work that the Power Ranger's lives will be greatly altered (ooh, drama! Gotta' love it...) Kat begins her plot to destroy the Ranger team by gaining the trust of both Kim and Aisha. Because of (yet again) circumstances-which-would-be-too-lengthy-to-go-into-detail- about-at-this-time-but-see-the-third-season-episode-guide-I- hope-to-be-writing-before-the-turn-of-the-century, Kat steals the Pink Power Ranger coin. With this, she (and ultimately, Zedd and Rita) steal the Falconzord and Ninjor. Without the Falconzord, the Rangers cannot call on their Ninja Zords (Why? Uhhhh, I don't know. Go ask your father). And because the Pink coin is in evil hands, Kim's power slowly drains away (yup, it's that plotline again). Zedd quickens the power drain by kidnapping Kim and teleporting her to his Dark Dimension. He then makes an offer the Rangers can't refuse. In probably the most poorly-thought-out game plan any evil dictator has ever revealed since Reaganomics, Zedd offers Kim's life in exchange for an agreement by the Rangers that they will pilot his newly-discovered Shogunzords. Tommy agrees, but not without a fight. In the little time the Rangers have before they must bend to Zedd's will, Billy sends Tommy into the Dark Dimension. Tommy fights Lord Zedd (and wins! What a wimp!) and frees Kimberly. The Rangers enter their new Shogunzords, which are supposedly under Zedd's ultimate control. But thanks to quick thinking (and putting in the batteries the right way this time around) on Billy's part, the new Zords are jerry-rigged so that the Rangers gain total control. The Shogunzord distribution is as follows: Red Shogunzord -- Red Ranger Blue Shogunzord -- Blue Ranger Black Shogunzord -- Black Ranger Yellow Shogunzord -- Yellow Ranger (do I see a pattern developing here?) White Shogunzord -- Take a guess. Ha! Fooled ya'! This zord is shared by Kim (Pink) and Tommy (White), because Kim supposedly is too weak to pilot her own zord. There is also the more pressing concern that there is no Pink Shogunzord in Kakurangers). With their new toys, Our Heroes perform the standard, but new and improved bottom-stomping, and all is well in Angel Grove yet again. Until... Kimberly pursues what is apparently the most important task in her life -- doing flips on balance beams and fulfilling the pre-pubescent dreams of boys everywhere who'd love nothing more than to be a pair of leotards (yes, the sarcasm is dripping at full force). Rita tries to block Kim's path towards Pan Global Games Gymanstic Gold by turning up the heat threefold. During all this, Kat realizes there's more to life than "Fresh Step" and "Hartz 2 in 1" collars. Her inherently good nature breaks the spell Rita had over her. She helps the Rangers save the day, restores Kimberly's confidence, and spreads all-around warm fuzzies to Our Heroes. And quicker than you can say "Quagmire", Kat is recruited as the New Pink Ranger whilst Kimberly merrily backflips along to Florida to train for the Pan Global Games. Just before you thought it couldn't get any better than this, yet another evil villain du jour moves into Zedd's Palace O' Love. This time, it's Master Vile, Rita's Father. His plans to regain the powerful Zeo Crystal are thwarted by, you guessed it, Our Heroes (complete with new sparkly spandex, aka "Metallic Armor"). The Zeo Crystal, a source of great power, is split into five pieces and hidden in a rip in space in time (hmm, does anyone else smell a continuing storyline here?). All these fun and games bring us up to the current Ranger dilemma. It seems Master Vile refuses to learn from Lord Zedd's mistakes. He (Master Vile, that is) uses his magic to turn the Rangers (and the rest of Angel Grove) into kidlets. And then we're left hanging, without even a "To Be Continued" to indicate this storyline will be eventually resolved. Is this the end of the Rangers? Of course not. Do you really think Saban Entertainment would completely drop their meal ticket just like that? That's why we now have the... MIGHTY MORPHIN ALIEN RANGERS SAGA The Rangers reduced to li'l munchkins, Angel Grove's only hope lies in the Alien Rangers of Aquitar. Who are the Alien Rangers of Aquitar, you ask? Well, their a bunch of Alien Rangers from Aquitar. Any other questions? Seriously, they're a team of superheroes from the watery planet of Aquitar. Their powers resemble those of the Power Rangers, probably because they stem from Ninjor as well. The Aquitian Rangers are: Delphine -- White Ranger, and leader of the Aquitians Cestro -- Blue Ranger, and the most technologically proficient Aquitian Ranger Aurico -- Red Ranger Tideus -- Yellow Ranger Corcus -- Black Ranger Zordon ask the Aquitian Rangers for help, and, being the nice little Aquitians they are, they heartily agree to help Earth out. They can't stay for long, however, due to a little glitch in their genetic makeup that makes them much like...well, fish out of water. Because the Alien Rangers can't stay forever, it's up to the Rangers to figure out how to set time back to where it's supposed to be. At first, Baby Billy builds a Power Coin-operated Regenerator that successfully turns him back into Big Billy. But before the other Rangers can follow suit, Goldar and Rito steal the Regenerator and the Power Coins. Zedd then destroys the Power Coins. So much for the early return of the Big Rangers. The next few episodes are spent muddling about, looking for pure sources of water to keep the Aquitians well hydrated. Apparently, Brita doesn't exist in the Angel Grove Universe. When it becomes apparent that the Aquitian Rangers can't stay forever, and that time has to go back to normal, Zordon commands the Baby Rangers to begin the Zeo Quest. The Zeo Quest sends all five Baby Rangers to different places and times. Although the main quest involves finding all five shards of the Zeo Crystal, each mini-quest involves a personal journey to each Baby Ranger's heritage. Baby Rocky, Baby Adam, and Baby Kat all find their respective Zeo shards without major hitches. Baby Tommy returns safe and sound, but with yet another personal quest left to stew over in the back of his mind after all things Zeo related are cleared up (my goodness, could this be an attempt at continuity? To quote the words of Joey Lawrence, "Whoa!"). Baby Aisha is not so lucky. Well she is, but in a way, she isn't. Baby Aisha is sent to Africa, where the animals are suffering from an incurable disease. After a good 15 minute thinking session (10, if you cut out the commercials), Baby Aisha decides to stay behind and help the animals rather than return to her proper time and save the world. Okay, whatever. In her place, Baby Aisha sends Tanya, an orphan whose parents were lost in an expedition in Africa. So now, all the Zeo Crystal shards are together again, and soon, time is restored to where it's supposed to be. The Aquitian Rangers are sent back home and Delphine joins the ranks of the many millions of female Tommy fanatics. It's a happy ending, and we can go home now, right? Oops, forgot to mention one little detail. During the Zeo Quest story arc, Goldar and Rito were busy on their own little quest. They are told to find the Command Center's weak spot, and place a bomb at that spot. Pretty simple, if you ignore the MMPR Bible Commandment that says "Thou Shalt Not Enter The Command Center Without A Power Coin". They find the weak spot and start the bomb's countdown. Then they're ordered by Rito to hold off on setting the bomb until after they've stolen the reassembled Zeo Crystal. D'oh! "Luckily", the Crystal is reassembled moments before the bomb goes off, allowing Goldar and Rito enough time to steal the crystal and get their monster bottoms out of there. The Rangers return, only to find the walls of the Command Center crumbling down before them. The Rangers are teleported out just before the Command Center is blown to smithereens. I ask you again, could this be the end of the Rangers? (gee, haven't we heard this question somewhere before?) CONTINUED IN PART TWO... Copyright 1994-1996, Terri Ann Guingab