This article is about a/an series entry (the 2nd) in the Power Rangers franchise.
Power Rangers Zeo (often abbreviated as PRZ, and often simply called Zeo) is the fourth season of the Power Rangers franchise. It originally aired in 1996, and is based on the Super Sentai series Chouriki Sentai Ohranger. Zeo introduced all-new Ranger costumes for the first time, a pattern that would repeat each subsequent season, in keeping with the Super Sentai source material. Zeo also introduced robotic villains and monsters to the franchise, a pattern that would later continue with Power Rangers RPM.
Following the release of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, Saban had to deal with a general decline in the brand's popularity. While ratings for Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers were still solid during the show's third season, consistently ranking #1 in its weekday time slot, they nevertheless fell from the show's first two seasons. Combined with declining merchandise sales, Saban was faced with the threat of Power Rangers losing its phenomenon status.
With the fear of a continued decline, it was eventually decided that a major shakeup in the status quo was necessary. According to then-president of Saban's children entertainment division, Peter Dang, a wide number of options were considered, including the possibility of killing off major characters. Producers eventually settled on cosmetic changes (and a few casting changes), to match the source footage of Chōriki Sentai Ohranger. This allowed a completely new range of merchandise to be released while cutting costs. Sentai footage could be heavily used again as it had early in the series' run. [1][2][3][4][5]
While early ratings for the show were high, maintaining the #1 ranking, they eventually faltered and the show struggled to beat out fellow Fox Kids shows Goosebumps and even sister-series Big Bad Beetleborgs. Saban then brought back Austin St. John in the role of Jason, hoping that the return of one of the original five rangers would bring back older viewers.
Synopsis
"I am very proud of all of you. As Power Rangers, you have served your planet well. But the Power Rangers as you have known them are gone forever. In their place has emerged a new, and more advanced, fighting force. You have now become the Power Rangers Zeo, the next level in the fight against Evil!"
Picking up where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had left off, one fateful day, Master Vile used his Orb of Doom to reverse the rotation of Earth and turn back time, reverting the Rangers into powerless children (although they retained their memories). While the Alien Rangers of Aquitar and a restored Billy Cranston defended the Earth, the children went to different points in time to retrieve a piece of the Zeo Crystal, which was shattered and scattered throughout time by the Rangers themselves. Upon their return (except for Aisha, who sent back her new friend Tanya in her place), the Zeo Crystal was reassembled, and its power was used to restore the planet back to normal. Their victory did not last long. Rito Revolto and Goldar infiltrated the Command Center and stole the Crystal, just before the explosive device they had planted earlier went off, leaving the Command Center in ruins and the Rangers without a headquarters.
While searching through the wreckage, the Rangers find the Zeo Crystal, apparently dropped by the two villains, and then fall into the underground Power Chamber, their new base of operations where Zordon and Alpha 5 retreated to during the explosion. Up on the moon, Lord Zedd's Moon Palace is attacked by the Machine Empire, who wants to take over the Earth and do not want any competition.
As Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, and their minions flee for their lives, the power of the Zeo Crystal is harnessed and given to Tommy, Kat, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya. They are now the Power Rangers Zeo, Earth's only hope against the Machine Empire. With new weapons and a new Zeo Megazord, the Rangers are able to fend of the mechanized menaces of King Mondo, Queen Machina, and their son Prince Sprocket.
During their battles, a strange new Power Ranger in a shining gold uniform is spotted, helping them and vanishing without warning. Though several red herrings as to his identity are dropped, the Gold Ranger is revealed to be a new ally, Trey of Triforia, who is on a mission to help fight evil throughout the galaxy. When Mondo's attempts to destroy him causes his Gold Powers to become unstable, Trey requests that a new host be found for them. Fortunately, an old friend is willing to take up the mantle: Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Power Ranger.
Fed up with his losses, King Mondo unearths the legendary Damocles Sword and fights the Zeo Rangers himself, but he falls to the power of the Super Zeo Megazord and is destroyed. In Mondo's absence, the Machine Empire suffers through a shift in power. Looking to overthrow the Empire from within, Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd send their servant Louie Kaboom into the Machine Moon Base, but he defies his masters and rules the Empire himself instead. Louie is later killed by Mondo's estranged son Prince Gasket, who with his wife Archerina attempts to retake his denied birthright as the ruler of the Machine Empire. However, Gasket's plans are quickly dashed when a fully-repaired King Mondo returns to the throne.
Meanwhile, Jason's life-force is weakening due to the Gold Powers being incompatible with humans, and the Rangers must find a way to restore them to Trey before they and Jason are lost forever. The situation is only made worse when Zedd's and Mondo's forces begin competing to steal away the Gold Powers first, but the Rangers are able to restore them to their rightful owner, and Trey repays the favor by using the Gold Powers to defeat a giant King Mondo... by turning himself and his friends into giant Power Rangers! Mondo later receives one final insult to injury when Zedd and Rita give him a gift-wrapped bomb as a "peace offering", which blows him and his servants into scrap.
Billy Cranston: Former Blue Ranger, now aids the team as their technical adviser. He left Earth to be cured of his rapid aging on Aquitar, deciding to live there.
Dr. Jewel: A scientist who discovered the upcoming arrival of the Machine Empire, having seen a Gear Ship. (Non Canon)
Dr. Kender: Met with Dr. Jewel to discuss the Machine Empire's arrival. (Character is Canon, though her appearance in the Zeo Serial isn't)
Joseph Saunders: Observatory custodian who caught site of a Quadrafighter in the telescope. (Non-Canon)
Wolfgang Blizzard: News reporter. Interviewed Joseph Saunders about his discovery, as well as trying to get Drs. Jewel and Kender to provide more info on the Machine Empire (described as aliens). (Non-Canon)
The Governor of California: Appeared on television to confirm the arrival of the Machine Empire (once again. described as aliens), and to deliver a plea to the Power Rangers to save Earth from them. (Non Canon)
Bulk and Skull: Two former bullies, turned junior cops then detectives hired by Lt. Stone.
Lieutenant/Detective Jerome Stone: A Police Officer who was fired because of Bulk and Skull's behavior as overeager junior officers. He then started his own detective agency.
Shawn: Former boyfriend of Tanya, though the two agreed to be friends.
Veronica: Shawn's girlfriend (Though given her reaction to his loss, might have broken up with him).
Mr. Caplan: Principal of Angel Grove High School. Informed Billy that he had enough credits for graduation. Sometime in the school year, he left for a vacation.
Klank & Orbus: Mondo's two henchbots go down to Earth to supervise many of the Machine Empire's attacks. Klank will hurl Orbus at it, energizing it and making it grow. They also build and care for a few of the monsters.
Prince Gasket: King Mondo's first and oldest son. He brainwashes Tommy later in the series and makes him think he is king.
Lord Zedd & Rita Repulsa: The Power Rangers first villains, retreated from the moon since the invasion of the Machine Empire.
Louie Kaboom: Zedd and Rita's monster sent to destroy the Machine Empire but failed after Rito and Goldar lost the remote.
Goldar: Rita and Zedd's henchmen who lost his memory and worked for Bulk and Skull. Goldar eventually regained his memory and returned to Rita and Lord Zedd.
Rito Revolto: Rita's brother who lost his memory and worked for Bulk and Skull. Rito eventually regained his memory and returned to Rita and Lord Zedd.
Power Rangers: Zeo is the first series in Power Rangers that is part of the annual Ranger suit change to match the annual change of the Super Sentai series.
This was the first season not to feature Billy Cranston in every single episode. However, it's also the last season to feature him.
The first season which the Yellow Ranger (Tanya Sloan) matches the gender of her Sentai counterpart
The first season to have a team with the color scheme (excluding Sixth Rangers) of Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink. This would become the most common color scheme for Power Rangers teams, as it would later be used for eight subsequent teams and would be used in Turbo, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, S.P.D., Mystic Force, Samurai and Super Megaforce
The first season with a Green Ranger on the core team, as opposed to being a Sixth Ranger, in this case, Adam Park.
The first season to have a 2nd-in-command Blue Ranger, in this case, Rocky DeSantos.
This is the first series that ends with the Rangers' powers and arsenal almost intact. Neither the Zords, nor the weapons, nor the base powers themselves, were destroyed. Only the Zeo Jet Cycles were. As it stands, Zeo is the only season so far to hold this distinction, as every other season features at least part of the arsenal destroyed, be it weapons or zords, or the team retiring at the season's conclusion.
However, according to Johnny Yong Bosch, the script for Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie originally had a scene where Adam and Tanya would attempt to rescue Kimberly and Jason, only to have their Zeo powers destroyed underwater.[6] A scene was kept where Kat's morph failed due to her falling underwater - it was probably originally meant to be that her powers, along with Tommy's, would be lost in that scene.
It's the first season to have a Ranger (Gold) to keep his identity secret from the audience for more than a single episode (the White MMPR Ranger revealed his identity one episode after he first appeared).
It's the first season to feature a Ranger (Gold) whose identity is not known to Zordon.
It's the first season to have a person (Jason Lee Scott) who had formerly voluntary retired from the team come back full-time, as opposed to just a guest appearance. The second and only other time so far is in Dino Thunder, with Tommy Oliver.
This was the first series to feature an appearance by at least one Ranger from the previous incarnations. This trend would continue all the way up to Power Rangers Ninja Storm.
This was the first of two Power Rangers series to use footage from the Sentai teamup movies for their teamup. This footage was used for Rangers of Two Worlds Part 1 and 2.
The ZeoRangers title card.
International airings outside of America & Canada, along with the original intro for A Zeo Beginning, used an alternate logo in the intro that simply read "ZeoRangers" in the same style as "Power Rangers" and had the five shapes (single oblong, double oblong, triangle, rectangle, five-pointed star) below it.
It is the only season to have a title with a word that is entirely made up; that word is Zeo (other titles have had acronyms, such as SPD, or shortened words, such as Dino in Dino Thunder).
This is the first season where the songs from the MMPR series (when the Rangers would usually fight putties or monsters) were instrumental. This would continue on Turbo as well.
It's the first season to using cold opening sequences.
This season, Mighty Morphin 1 and Mighty Morphin 2 are the only three Power Ranger seasons where the episode counts exceeds the episode counts of their Sentai counterparts. This season's episode count exceeds Ohranger's episode count by 2 episodes, in part because three episodes came from the Ohranger movie and Ohranger vs. Kakuranger.
Despite the use of the movies, Zeo is technically the only season of the three to only use footage from one Super Sentai. MMPR seasons 1 and 2 had both used the specially produced Zyu2 to extend their supply of Zyuranger and Dairanger footage.
This is the first season in which none of the Rangers get their powers yet in the first episode.
