[MiSTied] Power Rangers FAQ 2/7
Claye Hodge
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>Path:
news1.delphi.com!news.delphi.com!news2.near.net!news.umass.edu!caen!zip.eecs.umi
ch.edu!yeshua.marcam.com!insosf1.infonet.net!elissa >From:
eli...@worf.infonet.net (Elissa O'Bryan) >Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
>Subject: Power Rangers FAQ 2/7
>Date: 7 Oct 1994 22:03:12 GMT
>Organization: INS Info Services
>Lines: 144
>Message-ID: <374gj0$5...@insosf1.infonet.net>
>NNTP-Posting-Host: worf.infonet.net
TOM: When we last left our heroes, they were reading this dumb post.
CROW: We know that already.
>
>>>> Continued from previous message
TOM: She's got a sort of Quinn Martin thing here, doesn't she?
>let you decide if this is good or bad. :) All of the scenes
MIKE: It's bad.. definitely bad.
>with Lord Zedd, the new Evil Leader, will be shot in the States
>for two reasons:
CROW: NO! Three reasons: Fear, Surprise, Ruthless Efficiency...
MIKE: Surprise? Nah, I'd go for Dull Surprise.
> 1) There wasn't a Lord Zedd in the original
>series, 2) This way, the show can keep regular baddies from
>the old show such as Goldar, Squatt,
MIKE: SQUATT???
ALL: *Eewwwwwwwwww!*
> and Baboo. 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.......
>
TOM: Yes it would. NOT!
MIKE: You mean, it's about something?
>
>III. _GENERAL STORY_
> Rita Repulsa, an interdimensional sorceress, breaks free from the
>prison that has held her for over 10,000 years. She's accompanied by
>Goldar,
MIKE: I think we've segwayed into an episode of Space Giants
TOM: Where's Rodak when you really need him?
> 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
[Tom and Crow are making smooching noises.]
MIKE: Guys, come on!
>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).
CROW: Maybe Angel Grove *IS* the universe.
> Zordon, the being who battled against her 10,000 years ago and
>was warped into another dimension,
MIKE: I'M IN ANOTHER DIMENSION!!
CROW: I'M WARPED!
TOM: I'm not surpised.
> 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
TOM:[Minn. lady.] Oh, that's all we need, are more teenagers with attitudes.
CROW:[Aso Minn. lady.] Oh yes, that's whats wrong with the world you know..
TOM:[Minn. lady.] Oh, yes...
>monsters. The recruits are Jason (Red Ranger/T Rex),
TOM: ...of Star Command?
Zack (Black Ranger/
CROW: The Black Ranger????
>Mastodon), Kimberly (Pink Ranger/Pterodactyl), Trini (Yellow Ranger/Saber
CROW: WHAT??? *HEY*!
MIKE: Crow, would you *QUIT* with the racial angle?
CROW: I'm just trying to liven up the post. That's all.
MIKE: That's it.. I think I have figured out what a time out is.. You're
coming with me Crow. [Mike grabs Crow by the head and leaves the
theater.]
>Tooth Tiger), and Billy (Blue Ranger/Triceratops). Each teen is given
>command of their own "Dinozord" -- machines inspired by Earth's
CROW:[off-screen.] YEOOOOWWWWWOWOWOWOWWWWWWW!!
TOM:[looking off-screen.] Guys, you're missing the post!
>prehistoric creatures. (Note -- although the t.v. show and books about
TOM: Kind of funny since a Mastodon and a Sabertooth Tiger AREN'T dinosaurs.
>the Power Rangers have referred to the Zords as Dinosaurs, not all
>the Zords are really considered dinosaurs.)
TOM: Oh, duh!
> He also gives each member a
[Gypsy enters theater.]
GYPSY: Hey Tom, Frank sent up the White Ranger episode. Want to watch
it later? [Mike and Crow enter the theater again.]
TOM: Sure!
CROW: Ah HA! I thought so! Servo watches Power Rangers! [Crow chuckles.]
[Gypsy leaves the theater.]
>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 --
TOM: It's an attitude.
MIKE: Oh how true. Morphing also means switching with japanese stunt doubles.
> when morphed, the Rangers seem to pick up
>skills they didn't have in human form. These are little things, like,
>oh, martial arts (just kidding, David :>). The Morpher consists of a
CROW: Oh no.. It's the Blue Ranger kiss-up, again.
>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
MIKE: Or should they call this Mario Power Ranger Brothers???
>"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 a good thing, since the
>things were basically glorified Zip guns and didn't have a real name).
TOM: But you just said they were QUOTE, Special Weapons, UNQUOTE.
> Much to Rita's chagrin, the Power Rangers are successful in
>thwarting her attacks. She then 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,
CROW: (singing)...and he's feeling good!
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
CROW: WOW! An *ENTIRE* mini series?? This Tommy kid must not be too bright.
>the way, though, he picks up the Sword of Darkness, a powerful sword
>which 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...
ALL: Of course.
> 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
TOM: So Jason can die, instead of Tommy.
> just before Rita has a chance to take them away. Jason
>controls 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,
CROW: Uh oh.. Here we go with the Mario Power Ranger Brothers, again.
TOM: DA DAT DAT DA DAT DAT!
>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.
MIKE: (Michael Buffer voice) One fall, with a one-hour time limit! So, from
the Power Ranger FAQ, LLLLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUUMBLE!!!!!!!
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,
MIKE: Stock Footage! Stock Footage!
CROW:[impression of another familar character's voice.] Hehhehehehee...
He said BUTT. Hehehe hehehehe.. That's cool! Hehehehe..
> he rejoins the team. However, his powers
>are limited -- after all, Zordon can't just infuse an existence-threatening
MIKE: AND HOW!
>amount of energy every time he wants Tommy to fight. So, Tommy usually
>fights in human form, but morphs only when it is absolutely necessary.
>End of Season One.
>
CROW: The End??? YES! I'm outta here! [Crow gets up to leave theater.]
MIKE: Get back here.. There are like five, or six more parts to go.
CROW:[Get's back into his seat.] Oh.....
> The television show itself doesn't exactly mention what
>happened to Zordon and Rita 10,000 years ago, but a series of books
CROW: Uh oh, a missing plot point.
>published by Parachute Press sheds some light on this. Zordon and Rita
>battled for control of the universe 10,000 years ago, but the war
>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
TOM: Coin Tosses??? Hahaha! How LAME!
MIKE: It works in football.
>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.
CROW: Sound Familiar, Mike?
MIKE: Did you *ENJOY* that time out, *CROW*????
CROW: Nevermind.
> (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.
>
CROW: Like, what ELSE could it be based on???
> The "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Official Fan Club Video"
>(available only to those who join the Fan Club) gives us yet another
>version of what happened between Zordon and Rita 10,000 years
>ago. As Alpha 5 says:
>
MIKE: Who is Alpha Five??
TOM: The poor man's 7-Zark-7?
CROW: Merritt Stone?
> It began in a timeless past, a battle of good versus
>evil between Zordon, a kind sage, and an evil empress named Rita
>Repulsa. The battle lasted for 2,000 years, give or take a week. In
>a desperate attempt to win, Rita offered Zordon a truce, but then
>betrayed him and trapped him in an interdimensional time warp. But
>Zordon would not go down without a fight. Right before he disappeared
>into the time warp, he focused his powers into an intergalactic
>recycling bin and sucked Rita and her goons into the dumpster to be trapped
TOM: An intergalactic recycling bin????? Oh BROTHER!
>forever. 10,000 years passed as Rita spent her time plotting nasty ways
>to destroy the universe.
> The dumpster finally crashed in a small crater on the moon.
>There it remained until two lunar explorers from Earth violated one of
>the primary rules of space exploration -- Never open an unmarked container.
CROW: Or you TOO, will discover the Issac Asimov Doomsday Machine.
>Rita and her crew now free, Earth was in danger. Buildings were nothing
>more than play things to her as she moved them about at will. She
>blew up mountain ranges, burned rain forests, emptied lakes...Let's
>face it -- she was really steamed.
TOM: NO??????? *REALLY*??????????
> Zordon ordered me [Alpha 5] to
>teleport five teenagers to the Command Center. They would be the
>superheroes Earth now desperately needed. He also created Special
>Weapons for them and huge fighting machines called Zords, based on the
>ancient dinosaurs that once roamed the earth. From that moment on,
>Zordon, myself, and the six teen titans have dedicated ourselves to
>ridding the universe of Rita's evil. (_Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
>Official Fan Club Video_. Dir. Mark S. Pinsker. Saban Entertainment, 1994.)
CROW: Oh, I get it.. Alpha Five, is the alternate ego of this poster.
>
>IV. _SOME SUBPLOTS_
TOM: Oh NO! SUBPLOTS!!!!
CROW: No, SOME subplots.
TOM: Oh.
>--Zack/Angela. This relationship got off on a rocky start since Angela
>didn't even acknowledge Zack's existence. Zack's persistence paid off
>when Angela finally agreed to go out with him; a date which ended on a
>sour note because Zack had to go off into battle. He nearly won her
>heart over again by showing how great he was with kids. But, what was
>supposed to be another romantic night at the movies turned out to be a
>field trip to a cartoon film festival with about fifteen rugrats. Zack
CROW: I wish I could go to a cartoon film festival.
>tried to buy her love with a date at AG's fanciest restaurant and a pair
>of pearl earrings, but that was a flop as well. Finally, flowers and a
>song won her heart over, and we have yet to see where the relationship
>will go.
MIKE: Probably nowhere.
TOM: ...and you call US pessimistic.
>--Kim/Tommy. It was love at first sight when Kim saw Tommy at the Martial
>Arts Expo. She was crushed when he started to act coldly towards her.
>Little did she know it was because of Rita's spell. It wasn't until
>Tommy lost his powers and had to leave the team that the two of them
>finally revealed their feelings for each other. It's difficult to tell
>what the current status of their relationship is, although they did
>double date with Zack and Angela once.
ALL: Awwwwww.....
>--Bulk/Skull. Featured in every episode, Bulk and Skull provide the
>majority of the comic relief in MMPR. They're always getting into
MIKE: Wait, I thought you said that Squatt and.. uh..
CROW: Bobo?
TOM: Bozo?
CROW: Bobby?
TOM: Boba?
CROW: Boobie???
MIKE: No.. Baboo.. was.. Oh great.. Thanks! You made me forget what I was
going to say.
BOTS: You're welcome.
>trouble, trying to be as obnoxious as possible along the way. Not much
>can be said about the two without mentioning the word PADDING. :>
TOM: Same goes with this post.
CROW: I thought that only love pads the film, or FAQ, in this case.
>>>> Continued to next message
CROW: To be continued. SAME BAT-TIME. SAME BAT-CHANNEL.
MIKE: Oh, we gotta go. What's the deal with this Billy, Blue Ranger Deal??
[They leave the theater.]
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To be continued in Part III.
Claye Hodge
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