Conner McKnight


 * "Last time I checked, I don't remember asking to be a superhero." —Conner McKnight, from "Day of the Dino, Part 2"

Conner McKnight is a main protagonist of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder. He is the Red Dino Ranger. The entire Dino Thunder season was a parody of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Conner, specifically, is a mirror image of Jason Lee Scott; both are Red Rangers, both are athletes, both have Tyrannosaurus powers, and both contemplated leaving the Ranger Team to pursue other interests (whether attending a peace conference, or playing professional soccer).

Conner, as the Red Dino Ranger, is known for arguably being the most powerful Ranger ever and he has had the most power upgrades in the history of the Power Rangers franchise.

Conner's main interest is playing soccer and he aspires to be a famous soccer star. In a episode of Power Rangers SPD, the 3 rangers travel to 2025 and at the end of the episode, Sky said that Conner became one of the most famous soccer players ever in the world. He is constantly labeled a 'dumb jock' by his fellow Ranger, Ethan James, with whom he shared a mild rivalry earlier on in the season. At first, he seems to fit the stereotype as he comes off as arrogant and self-centered. However, he is actually a very well-meaning and honest person who always does the right thing in the end, despite his faults. Around the time his relationship with Ethan became more friendly, Trent Fernandez gained the White Ranger powers. Conner quickly developed a very intense rivalry with Trent. At first, the two were on opposing sides and engaged in raging fights with each other. Even after Trent joined the team, Conner was still very distrusting and uncomfortable around him, until Trent saved his life in battle with a monster.

In the Power Rangers continuity, Conner has an identical twin brother called Eric McKnight (also played by Napier) who was once a student at the Wind Ninja Academy (as seen in the finale of Power Rangers: Ninja Storm), but later flunked out.

Day of the Dino
Conner was a soccer player at Reefside High School. He also played on a local club team. He found the Red Dino Gem when he was in detention, along with Kira Ford, and Ethan James. Dr. O told them that if they found anything prehistoric that he would cancel detention for the rest of the week. Conner picked up the Red Dino Gem, while Kira and Ethan picked up the yellow and blue ones respectively. The Red Dino Gem bonded with Conner's DNA, giving him the ability of super-speed. After this, Kira was kidnapped by Mesogog, which forced Conner and Ethan to tell Tommy that they had taken the Dino Gems. Kira escaped from Mesogog's lab and met up with Conner, Ethan, and Tommy. Later, the Dinozords were wreaking havoc on the city. Tommy then gave the Red Dino Morpher to Conner, while he gave the yellow and blue morphers to Kira and Ethan. Conner became the Red Dino Ranger and tamed the Tyrannozord. As the Red Ranger, he controlled the Tyrannozord, as well as wielding the Tyrannostaff and Thundermax Saber in combat.

Doubts
Conner once thought of quitting because his duties as a Ranger conflicted with his tryouts for a professional soccer team. Conner decided to do one last mission as a Ranger. In this mission, Conner saved a little girl from a Tyrannodrone. After the battle, she gave him a hug and told him "thank you." This inspired Conner to continue his duties as a Ranger.

Back in Black
After Tommy had been kidnapped by Mesogog, Conner, Kira, and Ethan learned of the previous Rangers history, as well as Hayley helping Tommy in the creation of the Dino Morphers. Hayley then revealed the Raptor Cycles to the Rangers, as they would have to reach 526 miles per hour to reach the invisiportal without being destroyed. The Rangers rescued Tommy, who, in the process, made off with a mysterious power source. The rock was revealed to encase the Black Dino Gem, which Tommy used to become the Black Dino Ranger. This awakened the Brachiozord, as well as the Cephalazord.

Next Level of Power

 * "It is so not over."

—Conner McKnight, from "White Thunder, Part 3"

Conner was the first Dino Ranger to activate the Super Dino Mode enhancements on his suit during a fierce battle with the then-evil White Dino Ranger. It was Conner's sheer determination to win against the White Ranger that made him able to unlock the Super Dino Mode. When he first unlocked it, he could only use it for a short amount of time, but as he grew stronger as a Ranger, his abilities with that enhancement increased and limitations decreased.

In Leader of the Whack, a strange meteor crashed on Earth. The meteor had the power to unleash a side of yourself you usually didn't show. For Conner, it was a side of intelligence, giving the viewers a clue that Conner isn't as boneheaded as he appears.

In Lost & Found in Translation, Conner and Kira find Ethan watching TV late at night in the Cyberspace Cafe, and come across a Japanese show about their exploits. While Kira and Ethan are excited by Japan's portrayal of the Power Rangers, Conner is disgusted. Later though, he warms up to it, learning not to be so stereotypical. He also used the theme for his class paper, as he said he compared the way they see us to the way we see ourselves.

Triassic Ranger


Due to a brutal defeat from the Terrorsaurus and the White Dino Ranger Clone, Tommy and Trent began to unleash the Shield of Triumph, which was hidden in a waterfall. Conner kept feeling a calling from the shield. Conner showed up just in time to claim the Shield of Triumph. For the Shield to assume full power, each Dino Ranger had to contribute a part of themselves. After Trent made his contribution to the shield, Tommy then made his, followed by Kira and Ethan (who would sometimes have to keep contributing their power to Conner). Conner then used it to become the Triassic Ranger. After morphing, this shield acts as the Triassic Ranger's weapon and gives him the ability to travel into another dimension known as the "The Triassic Dimension". After Conner gained his Triassic powers, Hayley discovered the Mezodon Dinozord and then created the Triassic Megarover. The Mezodon pulls the Triassic Megarover as its chariot. Together, they are called Mezodon Rover. The two can also combine to create the Mezodon Megazord.

Conner's Passion
"Give me the strength!"

- Conner

After meeting his love interest Krista, Conner was able to unlock the final stage of his Dino Powers. Conner begins to doubt his dedication when Krista is willing to do whatever it takes to fight for her cause. Krista was kidnapped by Zeltrax and her life was in danger. Conner remembered a speech from Tommy Oliver, about passion, and then, after unleashing Super Dino Mode and morphing into the Triassic Ranger on his own, he unlocked the Battlizer and became the Battlized Triassic Ranger. The Battlized Mode gives Conner super-stretch arms and legs, a small Mezodon-faced shield, another shield-like armor piece for his opposite arm which looks like a tail, lightning fast agility, a dragon yo-yo attack, and shoulder cannons which can fire massive amounts of energy at his enemies, often destroying them. He defeated Zeltrax, sending the villain into hiding.

The Last Day of the Dino
In the episode Thunder Struck, Part 2, Conner, like his fellow Rangers, sacrificed his Dino Gem powers to save the Earth from the Mesomonster. After this, he lost all of his powers except his superspeed abilities, which were bonded with his DNA.

At the end of Dino Thunder, Conner finally hooks up with Krista and takes her to the High School prom. He later goes on to start his own soccer camp. In 20 years, he will have become famous for his soccer camps all over the country.

The Dino Thunder/SPD Crossover
Connor along with Ethan and Kira are pulled from their 1 year high school reunion and transported into the future by Troobian mercenary, Broodwing who wants them to join forces with him. They meet the Space Patrol Delta Rangers and watch as they go into battle with the Troobian Empire. Not wanting to stand around and do nothing, Kat Manx regenerates Connor's Dino Morpher from the archives and he becomes the Red Dino Ranger again, helping the S.P.D. Ranger fight Grumm's forces and then going back to his own time with his memories erased. Later (or earlier, to the Dino Rangers, right after Conner gained his Triassic powers and before Zeltrax disappeared again during the course of the Dino Thunder series), S.P.D. came back in time to 2004, following Grumm who decided to destroy Earth there. The Dino Rangers teamed up with S.P.D. to defeat Zeltrax and Mora's monsters while Conner again teamed up with Jack. The Dino Rangers and S.P.D. Rangers memories of their time together were later erased.

Powers

 * T-Rex Speed: Due to the Red Dino Gem, Conner has the power to move and react at superhuman speeds. This includes his physical speed, reaction time, and reflexes. His maximum speed is unknown, but somewhere along the regions of the speed of sound. When using his powers, everything in normal motion appears to slow down to his perspective, while he accelarates to his opponent's.

Similarities to Jason

 * Both are Red Rangers.
 * Both their helmets and Zords represent the Tyrannosaurus rex.
 * Both are leaders of their team, although Jason stepped down as leader after Tommy was made White Ranger.
 * Both have rivalry/friendships with their Other Rangers.
 * Both have shield-based power ups, with Jason's the Dragon Shield and Conner's the Shield of Triumph.
 * Both are athletes. However, Jason is a martial artist, while Conner is a soccer player.

Trivia

 * The line Conner said about Tommy, "He's a Teacher, not Batman" is a reference to actor James Napier's late great-grandfather Alan Napier, who portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in both the "Batman" series and movie in 1966 thru 1968.
 * Conner has drawn criticism from many Power Rangers fans due to his multitude of power upgrades, being seen somewhat as overpowered, receiving the majority of new powers: Super Dino Mode, becoming the Triassic Ranger, and a Battlizer. Much of the fault can be somewhat justified by the source material of Dino Thunder, Abaranger, which had a counterpart for everything but the Battilizer.
 * As of Power Rangers Super Samurai, he does not have the most power upgrades, as Jayden, the Red Samurai Ranger now holds the record with 6 power upgrades. However, it should be also be noted that the other Samurai Rangers have that same amount of power upgrades, while the other Dino Rangers only got Super Dino Mode.
 * He is the first Red Ranger who uses the Battlizer the most times throughout the whole season, with a total of 8 times.
 * He controls the most Zords in Ranger history at a total of 6 (his main T-rex Zord, the Mezadon Rover, and four auxilories that combine with the Mezadon Megazord)
 * Conner's finishing attack from his Triassic Battlizer form, via shoulder cannons, is similar to the finishing attack from Shane Clarke's Battlizer form; both are able to fire large flows of energy at their enemies, which may suggest that in terms of power, the Triassic Ranger's Battlizer and Red Wind Ranger's Battilizer are on par with one another.
 * He is the first Ranger with an identical twin brother. The second was Theo Martin.
 * Conner's arrogant, hotheaded personality contrasts sharply with his Sentai counterpart, Ryouga Hakua, who is a lively "nice guy."
 * According to the episode "Back In Black", Conner may be hydrophobic, which can stem from his inability to swim. This is due to the fact that he seems reluctant to swim in this episode. This makes him the first and only Ranger with such a condition.
 * Curiously, he swims in order to get out of water in "Triassic Triumph" without showing any fear of water while he's in it. This could be contributed to writer miscommunication.
 * It was hinted that he has romantic feelings for Krista; although the relationship was never developed, some fans have also favored the idea of a relationship between him and Kira Ford.