Conner McKnight

"Tyranno Power, Red Ranger!"

- roll call as Red Dino Ranger

Conner McKnight is the 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's main interest is playing soccer and he aspires to be a famous soccer star. When the three main Dino Thunder rangers traveled to 2025, Schuyler Tate 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-Mercer 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.

Conner has an identical twin brother named Eric McKnight (also played by James Napier) who was once a student at the Wind Ninja Academy, 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. Their science teacher, Tommy Oliver, told them that if they found anything prehistoric, 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 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.

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. 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 about passion. 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 T-Rex Speed 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 accelerates to his opponent's.

Ranger Key
The Red Dino Ranger Key is Connor's personal ranger key. This key along with the majority of the Core Ranger Keys are seen lining the Command Center's interior walls. This key is mainly used by Troy Burrows (Super Megaforce Red) who uses it to fight as the Red Dino Ranger.

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 and Conner continued to lead the Dino Rangers even after Tommy and Trent joined.
 * Both have shield-based power ups, with Jason's Dragon Shield and Conner's Shield of Triumph.
 * Both are athletes. However, Jason is a martial artist, while Conner is a soccer player.
 * Both were on a team with Tommy.