This article is about a three-part episode in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. |
Changing of the Zords is a three-part episode and the nineteenth to twenty-first episodes of the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It continues Kimberly and Katherine's story arc. This features the debut of the Shogunzords and Shogun Megazord.
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh Zeo Serial Shorts aired before a later airing of each three parts.
Synopsis[]
Finster has discovered the location of the lost Ancient Zords! In order to bring them to life for their own evil purposes, Rita & Zedd will need some unwilling assistance from the Power Rangers. First, while the Tengas distract the teens from a relaxing day at the beach, Rita's enthralled pawn Katherine steals the Pink Ranger's Power Coin! With it, she'll be able to sneak aboard the Falconzord and ambush the White Ranger when Ninjor needs his help most, facing a giant Goldar! Will our heroes fall for this plot, and can Kimberly survive for long with her Coin in the hands of evil?
Plot[]
Part 1[]
Kat seems to be bonding with Kimberly and Aisha as they just finished a shopping spree at the mall, but it is a façade as she is still under Rita’s spell, and when she sees Tommy meet up with Kimberly, she shows jealousy at the two’s relationship. On the Moon Palace, Finster reveals that he finally deciphered the Scrolls of Zordnia, and it has revealed the location of some dormant Ancient Zords. Finster explains that if he could combine the technology with one of the Ranger’s Ninja Zords, he could bring the Zords to life. Zedd and Rita like this as with their own Zords, they can destroy the Power Rangers.
Kimberly invites Kat to the beach with the others, but she declines until Tommy offers her the same suggestion. Meanwhile, Finster takes Squatt and Baboo to the location of the dormant Zords, and the latter finds the foot of one covered in vines. Rita approaches Kat and tells her that she needs her to steal one of the Rangers’ Power Coins without getting caught, to which Kat obeys. While Kimberly and Aisha run off to the lake, Kat reluctantly goes with them as there are too many people around to steal a Power Coin, but Rito suggests they create a diversion. Zedd summons the Tenga Warriors to do so and the citizens run away from them, except for Kat who walks away in the commotion. The Rangers go into their Ninja Ranger mode to fight the Tengas, but during the fight, Kat goes into Kimberly’s backpack and takes her Pink Crane Power Coin, with her jealousy over the latter’s relationship with Tommy fueling her decision, especially after finding a photo of Kimberly and Tommy together which she steals too, and decides to take Aisha's Power Coin as well. However, Bulk and Skull escort her away before she can do so, only for her to teleport away without them noticing.
Kimberly starts to feel weak as her connection to the Power Coin is broken, but Tommy comes to her rescue as the Tengas retreat. Reverting to human form, the Rangers check on Kimberly, who is more concerned about where Kat went. Kat presents Rita the Pink Power Coin, and the latter and Lord Zedd decide to capture the Falconzord to render the Rangers defenseless and use its power to charge up the Ancient Zords. Back on the beach, Alpha 5 informs the Rangers that Goldar and the Tenga Warriors are in the park, but Kimberly still feels weak despite claiming to feel alright. However, when they go to get their things, Kimberly finds that her Power Coin is gone, and Billy realizes that her growing weakness is a result of an energy drain. When Tommy tells Zordon what has happened, he realizes that someone evil took Kimberly’s Power Coin and Zordon tells the others to use their own Power Coins to recharge Kimberly so she will be strong enough to teleport back to the Command Center. While the others stay and do so, Tommy morphs to fight Goldar and is joined by Ninjor for assistance. Unknown to them, Rita gives Kat the stolen Power Coin and orders her to steal the Falconzord.
While Tommy and Ninjor best the Tengas, Goldar grows giant-sized, forcing the two to summon the Falconzord and grow giant-sized respectively. Before Tommy can attack, Kat teleports into the Zord with the Power Coin behind Tommy, knocks him out, and teleports him out as Lord Zedd claims the Zord and puts it in a birdcage. Goldar bests Ninjor, shrinking him down to human size, while Lord Zedd decides to use the latter as the power source of the dormant Zords. As Ninjor is captured by Lord Zedd, Goldar retreats, leaving Tommy no choice but to return to the Command Center in defeat, but still sure that the Power Rangers will still win.
On the Moon Palace, the villains celebrate their victory and the supposed defeat of the Power Rangers, but while Ninjor refuses to help Lord Zedd, the latter said he has no choice as Finster siphons off his energy. At the Command Center, Zordon explains to the Rangers that when Ninjor gave them the Ninja Power Coins, he linked them to their natural human energy, and when Kimberly’s Power Coin was taken, it started to affect her body. While the Rangers start to wonder what Lord Zedd is up to, Zordon fears that the latter found the lost Ancient Zords of Zordnia, and all of this is to create an unstoppable army of Evil Zords. And as Rocky points out, they’re powerless to stop them now that the Ninja Zords are out of commission due to the Falconzord's abduction. Kimberly faints due to the energy drain, and Zordon reveals that the only way to save her is to reclaim her Power Coin because if not, she will not survive. Meanwhile, Kat has the Pink Power Coin in her hands, declaring that Kimberly will soon be out of the picture and she will have Tommy to herself as she rips up the stolen photo of the two in half.
Part 2[]
Back at the Command Center, Billy scans the unconscious Kimberly and reveals that she’s in a deep sleep due to her body growing weak at the loss of her Power Coin. Zordon tells Tommy to look for an alternate power source to match the Power Coins. The Rangers express concern about their inactive Ninja Zords now that the Falconzord is in Lord Zedd’s control, and the fact Ninjor will be a power source for the Ancient Zords. On the Moon Palace, Lord Zedd states he needs six pilots for his new Zords. Rito suggests the Power Rangers themselves, and Zedd approves of the idea. He plans to use Kimberly as leverage so it would force the Rangers into piloting the Ancient Zords no matter what.
At the Juice Bar, Tommy vents his frustrations on a punching bag, recalling how Lord Zedd took away his Green Ranger powers. Kat arrives and asks where Kimberly is, but they lie and say the she is busy, and Tommy declines her invitation for lunch. When Rita asks Zedd how he will use Kimberly’s condition to their advantage, he creates Inciserator in response. Meanwhile, Alpha struggles to find a substitute power source for Kimberly, when the alarm goes off upon Inciserator's appearance. The Rangers are informed, and they morph to stop him. However, Inciserator proves to be more of a challenge than expected, while Lord Zedd tells Rita to use Kat as bait to lure Kimberly out.
Kimberly starts to wake up and sees her friends fighting Inciserator, but another alarm goes off and she sees Tenga Warriors surrounding Kat. Zordon tells Kimberly to let the others get to Kat after taking out Inciserator as any exertion could be fatal to her, but she decides to go despite the risks. Kimberly has Alpha teleport her to Kat’s location in her Ninja Ranger mode and faces off against the Tengas alone. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Stone is disappointed by Bulk and Skull’s lake incident and finds it strange to find a new monster every week. While Skull claims that it’s true, Stone doesn’t buy it and gives the two 24 hours to produce a monster he can see, or else they are off the Junior Police.
Kimberly gets overwhelmed by the Tengas and collapses, to which Kat expresses concern until the spell takes effect again. With Kimberly demorphed and unconscious, Goldar takes her to the Moon Palace, while Inciserator takes his leave. The Rangers teleport back to the Command Center as Bulk and Skull take Stone around the park, hoping to see a monster. However, Stone remains unconvinced.
At the Command Center, the Rangers and Zordon realize that they were tricked by Lord Zedd, but Aisha is confused about why he wants Kimberly as he already has her Power Coin. Then, Alpha notices that Lord Zedd has begun the power infusion to the Ancient Zords, while the Zedd tells Rita and Finster that he’s draining the rest of Kimberly’s powers so she will be useless. Lord Zedd contacts the Rangers himself, telling them where Kimberly is and demands that they teleport him to the Command Center. With little choice, they do so, and Lord Zedd and his throne enter the Command Center. Lord Zedd tells the Rangers that if they want Kimberly back, they will become the pilots of his new Ancient Zords and obey his commands. While the Rangers struggle on an answer, Lord Zedd demands one as he laughs at their predicament.
Part 3[]
Tommy reluctantly agrees to Lord Zedd’s demands, and the Zedd says they will get the Ancient Zords around dusk before teleporting back to the Moon Palace. Meanwhile, Kat taunts the unconscious Kimberly while her powers are drained, but the spell momentarily stops as she regrets putting her in this state. Billy tries to locate Kimberly so they can teleport her out without needing to do Zedd’s bidding, while Alpha tries to sever Kimberly’s link to the stolen Power Coin. Billy locates Kimberly in Zedd’s dark dimension, but he cannot teleport her out until he and Tommy remember the Portal Com they used when the Green Candle was burning out the Green Ranger powers, which Billy still has at his house.
At the park, Billy gets the Portal Com set so the dimensional door will open to Kimberly’s location, but warns Tommy that it will remain open for a limited time before the he enters. On the Moon Palace, the villains celebrate until Lord Zedd notices what they are doing, and sends the Tengas down to attack. The four remaining Rangers go into Ninja Ranger mode to defend themselves as Tommy enters the dark dimension. Before Tommy can stop the device that’s draining Kimberly’s powers, Lord Zedd arrives to stop him. Tommy morphs and engages Lord Zedd, who is too powerful for Tommy to handle alone. Meanwhile, two Tengas knock the Portal Com down and kick at it, breaking it before the rest retreat. While Billy begins working on fixing it, an impatient Rita tells Finster to send a monster down to stop them. Adam asks if there is any way they can control the Ancient Zords themselves without Lord Zedd’s influence, and Billy said he could if he can connect them to their Power Coins, just as the See Monster arrives. The four Rangers morph into their Ranger forms but See Monster uses his eyes to emit beams to disorient the Rangers. However, Rocky manages to break through the waves, and the others follow suit.
Growing more impatient by the minute, Rita orders Finster to send down the Ancient Zords despite his reluctance. The Ancient Zords arrive at the Ranger and See Monster’s location, who teleports away at the sight, and the Rangers realize that they are out of time. Rita orders the Rangers to pilot the Ancient Zords and attack Angel Grove, but they give Billy the Power Coins so he could reroute the control to them before climbing into the cockpits. Meanwhile, Tommy tosses Saba towards Lord Zedd and breaks his staff, turning it back into a snake and forces him to retreat. Freeing Kimberly from the device, Tommy takes her back to Earth, has Alpha teleport her back to the Command Center, and jumps into the White Ancient Zord’s cockpit. Eventually, Billy succeeds in giving them control of the Ancient Zords, but an undaunted Lord Zedd uses Rita’s staff to grow the See Monster. With their new Zords, the Rangers attack See Monster with Tommy using the White Ancient Zord to inflict damage. Then, they combine their new Zords into their new Megazord, blocking See Monster’s attack and destroying him. Seeing that their plan has failed, Lord Zedd laments how fun being evil used to be, but Rita reminds him that they still have Ninjor as their captive, and the Pink Power Coin in their possession.
Meanwhile, some children fly kites when one with a dragon comes into view of a sleeping Stone, causing him to mistake one for a real monster. As Stone runs off, Bulk decides to play with the mistake so he and Skull can keep their jobs, before returning the kite to the kids and "running" off. At the Command Center, a recovered Kimberly is grateful for her friends' efforts to get her home, but the fact remains that her Power Coin is still in Lord Zedd's and Rita’s possession. While Zordon reveals that Alpha has removed her connection to the coin and she can draw power from the others to morph, Tommy knows that they must get it back soon along with Ninjor. The Ninja Zords will remain deactivated until the Falconzord is reclaimed, but Zordon is sure that the Ancient Zords, now renamed the Shogun Zords, will serve them well. Later that day, Tommy and Kimberly walk along the beach as she realizes that her days as a Power Ranger might be over. However, Tommy reassures her how she comforted him when he lost his Green Ranger powers, and that he will be with her always.
Cast[]
- Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver (Mighty Morphin White Ranger)
- Steve Cardenas as Rocky DeSantos (Mighty Morphin Red Ranger)
- Karan Ashley as Aisha Campbell (Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger)
- Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam Park (Mighty Morphin Black Ranger)
- David Yost as Billy Cranston (Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger)
- Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Ann Hart (Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger)
- Catherine Sutherland as Katherine "Kat" Hillard
- Paul Schrier as Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier
- Jason Narvy as Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
- Gregg Bullock as Lt. Jerome Stone
- David Fielding as Zordon (face)
- Robert L. Manahan as Zordon (voice)
- Sandi Sellner as Alpha 5
- Richard Steven Horvitz as Alpha 5 (voice)
- Kim Strauss as Ninjor (voice)
- Carla Perez as Rita Repulsa
- Barbara Goodson as Rita Repulsa (voice)
- Ed Neil as Lord Zedd
- Robert Axelrod as Lord Zedd (voice) and Finster (voice)
- Danny Wayne Stallcup as Goldar
- Kerrigan Mahan as Goldar (voice)
- Bob Papenbrook as Rito Revolto (voice)
- Michael J. Sorich as Squatt (voice)
- Dave Mallow as Baboo (voice) (as Colin Phillips)
- Oliver Page as Inciserator (voice)
- Brian Tahash as See Monster (voice)
Song[]
- Part 1 and 3: Tenga Bye Bye
Errors[]
- After the battle against the Tengas at the lake, Adam was wearing a shirt and bandanna despite not wearing them when he entered the water.
- When Goldar asks what a dormant Zord is, the empty throne of Zedd can be seen in the background, when in the scene before and after that one Zedd is sitting on the throne and Rita by his side.
- When Tommy morphs to fight Zedd, the machines noises can be heard during the sequence.
- Rocky says that earthquakes do not happen in Angel Grove, however numerous earthquakes have been seen to occur since "Day of the Dumpster".
Notes[]
- Part III of this episode aired the same day as VR Troopers (Season 2) episode 22, Grimlord's Dark Secret, Part One.
- Part II uses no Sentai footage. It's also the final episode where Kimberly uses her Ninja Ranger Powers.
- In the international versions of this episode, the Shogunzords were referred to as "Ancient Zords" in the original airings with Zordon naming the Shogunzords later. This was corrected for later releases. Also, Incisorator in Part 2 was known as Fangenstein in the international airings as well as the episodes on Youtube; previously on Netflix.
- The episodes title is a reference to the Changing of the Guard, a formal ceremony in which the group of soldiers currently protecting Buckingham Palace are replaced by a new group of soldiers.
See Also[]
- Ep. 1: We Are Ninja - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (Shogun Megazord debut and Finisher Footage)
- Ep. 2: A Dangerous Lady - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (Red Shogunzord debut)
- Ep. 3: American Ninja - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (The rest of the Shogunzord debuts)
- Ep. 4: The Youkai Policeman - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (Shogun Megazord combine footage)
- Ep. 6: The Eyeball Prince! - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (Zord battle)
- Ep. 12: They Came Forth!! New Beast Generals - Super Sentai counterpart in Kakuranger. See comparison page. (Shogunzords readying their weapons and Shogun Megazord nodding its head)
External Links[]
- Watch Changing of the Zords, Part I on the official YouTube page
- Watch Changing of the Zords, Part II on the official YouTube page
- Watch Changing of the Zords, Part III on the official YouTube page