ext_185896 ([identity profile] im-afrog.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh_ooc2007-06-10 02:24 pm

Spotlight on Fandoms: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Howdy folks! Nicole here, to bring you a wonderful overview on the lovely fandom that is Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I've got some links for you to check out if you so choose, that'll be towards the end of this entry. This one's going to be pretty long, so I've put in some lj-cuts and what not so as not to break anyone's browsers, etc.

We know how moody the internet can be. *pats it*

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the first American Power Rangers series to be brought to us, adapted from the Super Sentai series Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger. This lovely action-adventure series was created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. This was the only Power Rangers series to have three seasons of wonderful and some not so wonderful crack stuff crack. The Power Rangers installments following the end of Mighty Morphin has been made up of only one season.

The series takes place in the oh so fictional town of Angel Grove, California. Rita is released from her prison and Zordon needs to recruit a fighting force powerful enough to stop her attacks. Enter the five teenagers with attitude, and yes, that is how Zordon describes them. Jason, Zack, Billy, Kimberly and Trini are recruited as Earth's only line of defense against the evil sorceress. They are given powers of the dinosaurs: tyrannosaurus rex, pterodactyl, triceratops, sabertooth tiger and mastodon. The battle between good and evil begins, the Rangers proving to be a formidable fighting force.

Though there are ups and downs along the way, the Rangers do come out on top. But the battle between good and evil never stops. Numerous villains continue to surface as do allies from other worlds. When the Rangers are knocked down, they get up again, never truly defeated.


The Power Rangers:

Jason Lee Scott: He is played by Austin St. John. Jason is the leader of the group. He is strong and fearless, as well as an accomplished martial artist. He's also the Red Ranger. He commands the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord and at one point during the series, he also commands the Dragonzord. When the Rangers are given new zords, Jason commands the Red Dragon Thunderzord. Jason is definitely the so-called jock of the group. He's athletic, built and smart. He's also kind and good-natured, hardly ever quick to anger when dealing with a problem that's student related (a.k.a. confrontations made by Bulk and/or Skull). Towards the end of the second season of MMPR, Jason was chosen to represent Angel Grove at a Peace Conference in Switzerland and left the show.

Trini Kwan: She is played by Thuy Trang. Trini was the original Yellow Ranger, quiet, spiritual and honorable. She was the only one out of the group who understood what Billy said when he talked, since he spoke technobabble or 'geek speak'. Trini was also an accomplished martial artist, practicing the Mantis style of Kung Fu. During her time as the Yellow Ranger, Trini commanded the Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord and the Griffin Thunderzord. Towards the end of the second season of MMPR, Trini was also chosen to represent Angel Grove at a Peace Conference in Switzerland and left the show.

Zack Taylor: He's played by Walter Jones. Zack is the jokester of the group and a ladies man. He loved to dance and was exceptional at it. He loved to have fun and incorporated dance moves into his fighting style. As the Black Ranger, Zack commanded the Mastodon Dinozord and the Mastodon Lion Thunderzord. Towards the end of the second season of MMPR, Zack along with Trini and Jason, was chosen to represent Angel Grove at a Peace Conference in Switzerland and left the show.

Kimberly Ann Hart: Amy Jo Johnson portrays Kimberly in the series. Kimberly could be called the 'valley girl' of the group. But there's definitely more to her than meets the eye. She was originally somewhat ditzy and materialistic, but during her time as the Pink Ranger, she grew up and became a responsible, smart, competent individual. She commanded the Pterodactyl Dinozord, the Firebird Thunderzord, the Crane Ninja Zord and the White Shogun Zord. Eventually, Kimberly stepped down as the Pink Ranger, wanting to concentrate on her gymnastics and the Pan Global Games.

Billy Cranston: Billy is played by David Yost. Billy was definitely the geek of the group. He spoke in an advance way, so much so that only Trini was able to understand him and translated his words for the others. He was once very awkward and shy, but definitely got past that with help from his fellow Rangers. He is incredibly smart and that is what has saved the Rangers on numerous occasions. As the Blue Ranger, Billy commanded the Triceratops Dinozord, the Unicorn Thunderzord, the Wolf Ninja Zord, and the Blue Shogun Zord.

Tommy Oliver: Jason David Frank is Tommy Oliver. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. He was the new kid in town with a fetish for green. Like Jason, Tommy was an accomplished martial artist and was instantly attracted to Kimberly. Kidnapped and placed under a spell by Rita Repulsa, Tommy assumed the Green Ranger powers, using them to battle the other Rangers and fight in the name of Rita. The Rangers eventually broke the spell over Tommy and he used what remained of the Green Ranger powers to fight against Rita. Losing his powere was devastating to the teenager. Thankfully, Zordon came up with a plan, reinstating Tommy as the White Ranger. Tommy assumed the role of leader of the Power Rangers, using his training to fight against Rita and Zedd. While in his role as the Green Ranger and White Ranger, Tommy commanded the Dragonzord, the Tigerzord and the White Shogun Zord.

Adam Park: Johnny Yong Bosch plays Adam Park (my fave!), which is who I play here in FH. When Zack left, the role of Black Ranger was given to Adam. A shy, sensitive, spiritual guy, Adam came to Angel Grove to compete in the Team Ninja competion. Captured by Lord Zedd when he and his friends had won, Adam was rescued by the Rangers and stumbled upon their identities by accident. After that, he did all that he could to help out the Rangers until he became one. He is a disciplined and efficient fighter, training in the art of Shaolin Kung Fu. As the Black Ranger, Adam commanded the Lion Thunderzord, the Frog Ninja Zord, and the Black Shogun Zord.

Aisha Campbell: Aisha is played by Karan Ashley. Aisha took Trini's place as the Yellow Ranger when Trini left for the Peace Conference. Also competing in the Team Ninja competition with Adam, Aisha was kidnapped and too discovered who the Rangers were. She tried her best to aid the Rangers in any way, shape or form, proving that she could be an efficient Ranger. She's constantly full of energy and becomes fast friends with Kimberly, both of them loving to shop. As the Yellow Ranger, Aisha took control of the Griffin Thunderzord, the Bear Ninja Zord, and the Yellow Shogun Zord. Aisha ended up staying in Africa at the end of MMPR season 3, knowing she could do something to help the people and animals of the continent.

Rocky DeSantos: Played by Steven Cardenas. Rocky is definitely the jokester of the group, taking on the role of the Red Ranger after Jason. Rocky was the third member of the ninja team, competing and winning the Team Ninja competition with Adam and Aisha. He, too, used his martial arts skills to help the Rangers whenever possible. He proved himself to be an excellent fighter and asset to the team, fulfilling the duties of the Red Ranger well. During his time as the Red Ranger, Rocky commanded the Red Dragon Thunderzord, the Ape Ninja Zord, and the Red Shogun Zord. Rocky is all about having fun and is basically a class clown. And that's why I love him so!

Katherine Hillard: Catherine Sutherland portrays Katherine (why yes, it is funny that they share the same name, with a one letter difference). Katherine Hillard was first introduced in the third season of MMPR, captured by Rita Repulsa. Due to the spell, she went back and forth between human form and cat form. She was used as a pawn to make the Rangers' lives hell. She stole Kimberly's power coin but eventually broke the spell and got it back. Regretting everything she had done while under Rita's control, Kat tried to help the Rangers whenever she could. Kimberly, seeing that Kat was truly sorry for what she had done, decided to pass along the Pink Ranger powers to the Australian. Taking over as the Pink Ranger for Kimberly, Kat commanded the Crane Ninja Zord and the White Shogun Zord.

Then in MMPR season 3, the rangers were turned into children. The Earth was defenseless, but not for long. This is where the Alien Rangers of Aquitar stepped in. They were able to protect the Earth from Rita and Zedd's forces, though at times it was a bit tough, since they needed to keep hydrated and near water, what with them being from a water planet.


Allies:

Zordon: An interdimensional being from the planet Eltar. He was trapped in a time warp during a final battle with Rita. Making his way to Earth, Zordon set up the Command Center on the outskirts of Angel Grove, to keep an eye on the goings-on in the galaxy. Alerted of Rita's freedom, Zordon established the team of Power Rangers to protect the Earth from ultimate destruction. And yes, he is a floating head in a tube... which is attached to a body, displayed in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers the Movie. Apparently, Zordon's life is only sustainable if he's kept in that tube. Or so say the writers.

Alpha 5: Alpha is a robot and Zordon's trusty assistant. He helped to create the Command Center as an operations base for the Power Rangers. This is where the Rangers received their powers and are alerted to new threats and allies, through the viewing globe. Alpha is constantly worrying about the Rangers, his signature phrase being 'Ayi-yi-yi'. Though there were a few Alpha's during the Power Rangers fandom, Alpha 5 is the 'original' in terms of MMPR.

Ernie: Ernie, oh how I love Ernie. He is the owner of the Angel Grove Youth Center, which serves as the main hangout for the Rangers and pretty much every teen in Angel Grove. Ernie is just about always happy, making sure to attend to each and every customer as best he can. Ernie's Juice Bar is housed inside the Youth Center. That's where people go to get Ernie's famous smoothies. ... Now I want someone to app Ernie, so we can have a juice bar in Fandom. *looks around hopefully* Please?

Bulk and Skull: Okay, so at the beginning of the series Bulk and Skull weren't exactly a nice pair. They're known as the resident bullies and trouble makers of Angel Grove High. Their one goal throughout the series is to find out the identities of the Power Rangers. Do their schemes ever work? Not really, no. They always seem to backfire. As much as these guys are nuisances, they turn out to be really great people towards the end of the series, when they become Junior Police Officers. I really do love Bulk and Skull. The series definitely would not have been the same without them.


Villains:

Rita Repulsa: Rita is an evil space sorceress mistakenly freed from her prison by two unsuspecting, curious astronauts. She is the main villain who attempts, time and time again, to destroy the Rangers. But, her schemes never seem to work. What a surprise!

Lord Zedd: Disgusted at Rita's performance at attempting to conquer Earth, Zedd came to the Moon himself to get rid of Rita and do the job right himself, but would also be unsuccessful. Rita found her way back to the Moon, and placed Zedd under a love spell. The two got married, and continued to fail at world domination. And I have to say, I thought Zedd was a pretty cool villain!

Goldar: Goldar is Rita's top warrior. He frequently accompanies monsters to Angel Grove, and holds his own against the Rangers. He most often challenges Tommy to battles. Guess who usually wins?

Finster: Finster was part magician, part scientist. He created Putties and monsters for Rita, along with the occasional technological device. Finster was very easy going and gentle by nature... which was somewhat odd for being evil.

Putties: Rita used warriors called putties, which are the expendable warriors made of clay. They were sent down to Earth to wear down the Rangers before a monster fight, as well as for sabotage and special missions. Rita's putties would take many different forms, including pumpkin head putties, ball handed putties, and football player putties. Using a powerful clay she found, she created super putties, which were significantly harder to defeat. Then there were Lord Zedd's putties, called Z putties. They were more powerful than any previous putties, and had to be hit in the Z spot to be destroyed.

Tenga warriors: Tengas, oh Tengas. I think they were just so darn funny. They were first created by Ivan Ooze in MMPR: the movie, but since that's not canon *makes angry face* we can't think that. The Tengas are crow-like humanoid creatures sent down to Earth by Zedd and Rita to battle the Power Rangers. Tengas can fly long distances, and they are very strong and stubborn. When Master Vile came to the Moon, he brought a special food with him which was fed to the Tengas to enhance their strength and durability. Only with the metallic armor could these improved Tengas be defeated.

Master Vile: Yeah, he's Rita Repulsa's father. Uh huh. Just look at him, can't you see the resemblance? So, he's pretty much one of the most evil beings in the universe. He visited his daughter and gave the Tengas a food that greatly enhanced their powers. Yep, he's ebil. And he was a total nuisance during PR:Zeo when he stole the crystal, but that's for another time.


Extra Stuff:

MMPR in PR Timeline - It gives a lot of info on the Rangers and what was going on during that time. I like reading it.

MMPR at PR Central Database - This has a bunch of info on episodes, characters, arsenal, etc. Just about anything you wanted to know about the Rangers is here. Go check it out!

MMPR at Wikipedia - Yay wikipedia! It has a pretty good version of what went down during MMPR, so if you want to check it out, go for it! :D

Sentai Equivalent at Wikipedia - I figured if you wanted to know where MMPR came from, this is it!

MMPR vid to Time of Your Life - I have to say, I really enjoyed watching this video. It was well done and I love the song.

Bulk and Skull vid - Because I love them so

MMPR Montage of seasons 1-3 - An MMPR vid to Dreams by Van Halen. Why yes, it is an awesome song! And it's a decent video.

PR Montage (MMPR, Zeo & Turbo) - The video is done to Devo’s Are You Ready. And I love that song! It's a pretty good video, I enjoyed it.

Okay, whew. I think I'm done now. And my hands hurt from typing so much. And constantly having to make sure my internet was still working...

Questions, comments, baked goods?

[identity profile] cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com 2007-06-10 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
OH MMPR. MY FIRST FANDOM LOVE. I LOVE YOU SO STILL. *SNUGGLES IT ALL CAPSLOCKYLIKE* Kimberly/Tommy was my first OTP and always will be. :D *makes growly noises at Kat, bah*

You can has a cookie! *cues up Zyuranger theme*

[identity profile] water-wonder.livejournal.com 2007-06-10 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
*gives Kat the evil eye* Such a damsel in distress. *shakes head in disappointment*

*waves Kimberly/Tommy flag*

I has a cookie, yayz!!! *munches happily on said cookie*

[identity profile] cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com 2007-06-10 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
It's such a shame, too, 'cause Kat had a lot of potential, and they ended up just . . . making her get herself into predicaments and endlessly screaming for Tommy and argh. Very easily my least favorite Pink Ranger ever, and that's even considering I'm completely blah about Dana.

Dammit, now you're making me all nostalgic for the "OMG NOES THIS IS SO NOT CANON" freakout over MMPR: The Movie!

[identity profile] cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com 2007-06-10 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Dammit, I think so too! Just 'cause Dulcea was freakin' awesome. And Ivan Ooze!

. . . and I'm just bitter that they redid the entire thing in TV format to cover up for "oh hey, we ran out of Dairanger footage and we need a reason to switch over to Kakuranger now" when the movie would have explained it just fine.

How come MMPR:TM can't be canon but the infinitely lousier T:APRM can? *mutter*

[identity profile] turtle-toughguy.livejournal.com 2007-06-11 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
I used to play Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers at school all the time. I had a communicator and costume and blaster and everything. Yes, I was a giant dork even in my youth. And this all sounds really weird coming from this account.
screwyoumarvel: (OOC corset wtf)

[personal profile] screwyoumarvel 2007-06-11 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
And this all sounds really weird coming from this account.

Not at all. How quickly you've forgotten the crossover.

[identity profile] turtle-toughguy.livejournal.com 2007-06-11 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Pfft. I haven't forgotten it. I just refuse to acknowledge that it actually exists since it sucked so bad!

[identity profile] water-wonder.livejournal.com 2007-06-11 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
*totally agrees, omg!*
swerval_zero: (Default)

[personal profile] swerval_zero 2007-06-11 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
*laughs at your twitching*

[identity profile] floetcist.livejournal.com 2007-11-02 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
MMPR! I love thee. lol