discussion of elements that tied together the various seasons (and some elements that conflicted)
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Table of Contents
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Continuity
Most Power Rangers seasons have tended to contain few overlapping elements and plot points. Exceptions are listed below:
MMPR season 2
Season 2 was a continuation from season 1. Most of its past references concerned the history of the Green Ranger.1
MMPR season 3
Season 3 was a continuation from season 2. Most of its past references regarded Rita and Zedd' activities in season 2.2
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
MMAR was a continuation from the cliffhanger at the end of season 3.
Zeo
Power Rangers Zeo was a continuation from the cliffhanger at the end of MMAR. It also contained several scattered references and flashbacks to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Turbo
The Turbo movie was a continuation from Zeo, and the movie also contained appearances by Kimberly and Jason. In the Turbo series, Bulk and Skull cited assorted past experiences3, and the Millennium Message included past villains Rita, Zedd, and the Machine Empire4.
In Space
Power Rangers in Space was a continuation from the cliffhanger at the end of Turbo. It also included limited appearances by many past villains5 and the following past Rangers/heroes:
- Phantom Ranger6
- Justin (with Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster)7
- Adam (as Black MMPR)8
- Alien Rangers, Gold Ranger, Blue Senturion9
Lost Galaxy
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy was a continuation (in some sense) from In Space. Alpha 6, the Astro Megaship, and Karone played major roles in the season, while Bulk and Professor Phenomenus made limited appearances10. The teamup episodes "To the Tenth Power" and "The Power of Pink" featured the Psycho Rangers and the five Space Rangers.
Lightspeed Rescue
The teamup episode(s) "Trakeena's Revenge" featured Mirinoi, Trakeena, the five Galaxy Rangers, and the Galactabeasts.
Time Force
The teamup episode "Time for Lightspeed" featured Vypra and the six Lightspeed Rangers.
Wild Force
The teamup episode(s) "Reinforcements from the Future" featured the Silver Guardians, the six Time Force Rangers, Ransik, and Nadira. The Red Ranger teamup "Forever Red" featured the Machine Empire, Serpentera, Bulk and Skull, the Astro Megaship Mark II, NASADA, and all prior Red Rangers (minus Rocky).
Ninja Storm
Power Rangers Ninja Storm included a mention of the planet Triforia.11
Dino Thunder
Tommy played a major role in Power Rangers Dino Thunder and spoke several times of his Ranger experiences12; he also narrated a video diary summarizing all prior seasons13. Further, the teamup episode(s) "Thunder Storm" featured all major characters from Ninja Storm, and Conner once mentioned a twin brother at the Wind Ninja Academy14. A special also showed Ethan and Kira receiving visions of the future SPD Rangers.
SPD
The teamup episode "History" featured the three Dino Rangers, while a second teamup, "Wormhole," also featured the Black and White Rangers and Zeltrax. Further, SPD contained mentions of KO-3515 and Onyx16.
Mystic Force
Power Rangers Mystic Force included a brief appearance by Piggy17, and the character Mystic Mother was said to have been "Rita in the dark days"18.
Operation Overdrive
The teamup episode(s) "Once a Ranger" featured Thrax (said to be the son of Rita and Zedd), Alpha 6, and past Rangers Adam, Tori, Kira, Xander, and Bridge. Another episode briefly mentioned Briarwood19.
RPM
Power Rangers RPM included a brief appearance by a Jungle Karma Pizza restaurant.20
Samurai / Super Samurai
Bulk (along with Skull's son Spike) played a supporting role in Power Rangers Samurai and Super Samurai; he once mentioned having "a bit of history with the Power Rangers"21.
Megaforce
Gosei once mentioned Zordon to have been his mentor22, and figurines of past Rangers lined his Command Center. Troy also had recurring dreams (and flashbacks thereof) predicting the Legendary Battle23.
Super Megaforce
Beyond the Super Mega Rangers' ability to use the powers of past Rangers, Power Rangers Super Megaforce contained the following throwbacks:
- The Delta Runner and Mystic Dragon strongly resembled Zords which had belonged to the SPD Rangers and Mystic Rangers.
- The Rangers visited the Animarium (called "Animaria" here) and allied with the Red Lion24.
- Some of the Rangers met Jayden and Ji25, and Jake and Emma met Casey (sort of?)26.
Recycling
Many Power Rangers seasons (likely all, excluding the first) have included identifiable elements which appeared in prior seasons under a different name, function, or context (their unmentioned visual similarity is generally their only common aspect). The following elements tend to be recycled at times:
- Actors return playing different roles.
- Filming locations and landmarks reappear across different fictional locales (generally the Los Angeles area was reused for MMPR through Wild Force, Auckland for Ninja Storm onward, and Tokyo in sentai footage).
- Ranger suits (or just their helmets) are sometimes reused in different contexts (see A-Squad, Boom's Orange Ranger dream, Sky's father, Alphabet Soup helmet).
- Monster/alien costumes (or mixed pieces thereof) sometimes reappear across villain factions.
- Assorted props can reappear in different contexts.
- Whole sets are sometimes reused with small cosmetic differents (cockpits; also see the Surf Spot).
- Outer-space visuals can be reused, such that two planets may look identical (notably Aquitar and KO-35).
Discontinuity
Setting aside typical TV show production errors, Power Rangers has contained a few noteworthy types of discontinuity:
Actor Switch
The actor playing a particular role has sometimes changed mid-season or between seasons (as occurred with both Rita Repulsa and Divatox, though Rita's was explained somewhat). This has tended to be a rare phenomenon, as unavailable actors have usually resulted in characters being written out of the show instead.
Sentai Mismatch
The appearance of props, costumes, and settings can tend to differ slightly (or dramatically) as the show alternates between sentai footage and original (US or New Zealand) footage. (A well-known example is the appearance of the Green Ranger's Dragon Shield in seasons 1 and 2.)
Retcon / Unexplained Change
When elements and plot points carry over between seasons, the details sometimes differ in a few ways (though fans may disagree on whether these differences constitute a problem):
- Events from past seasons may be retold in an arguably misleading way or an entirely new way. (Notably, the fate of the Green Ranger powers seemed to take on a different spin each time it was recapped at various points in seasons 1, 2, and 3.)
- A character may show up in an unexpected location. (For example, Bulk inexplicably appeared back on Earth27 after his journey to Mirinoi28.)
- One or more Power Rangers may return will apparently replenished powers despite having last been seen with powers depleted. (Jason apparently had a working Tyrannosaurus coin in "Forever Red" after the coin had been surrendered to Rocky29 and subsequently ruined30.)
- Villains may return after their prior destruction. (Mondo and Machina inexplicably worked for Dark Specter31 after being blown up by Rita and Zedd32.)
Quality Bump
Sometimes when prior elements reappeared, their appearance was inexplicably changed to become better-looking (at least by some standards). A few examples:
- Alpha 5 and the Power Chamber became fancier-looking for the Turbo movie.
- The planet Onyx (from space) changed appearance between Power Rangers in Space and Lost Galaxy.
- The original Green Ranger's helmet gained a silver stripe (better-looking by someone's standard?) circa its appearance in Power Rangers Dino Thunder; this stripe was retained for Super Megaforce.
- Adam's Black Ranger morph was elaborately redone for his appearance in "Once a Ranger."
Awkwardly-Fitting Special
Holiday specials and other nonstandard episodes may have an ambiguous placement relative to the rest of their respective season (and in some cases, details within the special may impose paradoxical placement restrictions). For this reason, specials may or may not be considered to fit within the rest of the show's continuity. A few select examples:
- I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger: awkward presence of Katherine (original home video version only)
- Wormhole: awkward Mora status
- Party Monsters: awkward presence of Dayu
- Clash of the Red Rangers: grouped with Samurai, took place somewhere in Super Samurai
Q&A
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