On November 23rd 1996, Power Rangers Zeo wrapped up it’s final major arc for the season in '‘Good As Gold'’, an episode that saw the MachineEmpire finally vanquished by Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, and their merry band of minions. As they left the Empire in ruins, Zedd proclaimed he ‘was back’. but aside from a small comically themed cameo in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Zedd and Rita were not the principle antagonists of the following season, '"Power Rangers Turbo"'. Indeed, their cameo in the Turbo movie implied Zedd had given up altogether on his attempts to conquer the Earth. Fans were left mystified, and for a time, they pondered what truly happened between the events of Zeo and the Turbo movie.
On March 14th 1998, a message posted to the #alt-mmpr IRC channel by one Derik Smith claimed that such a transition between the eras did exist, and that it had been shot and filmed rather cheaply as a means of promoting the Turbo movie, using toys and stand-in voice over talent. This took the form of an episodic short film, split into five parts, and aired ‘exclusively’ in Australia.
This mini-series was christened ‘'Scorpion Rain’' by those who had claimed to have seen it. The story centred on Lord Zedd threatening the earth with his Zord Serpenterra, now fiercer and more powerful. In the ensuing battle, the Zeo Zord fleet is destroyed save for Super Zeo Zord V, which Tommy and Katherine use to combat Serpenterra, before boarding the Zord and planting bombs that ultimately cripple Zedd’s war machine, dealing the galactic conqueror such a blow that he calls off further attacks on the Rangers’ home world.
In reality, this was an elaborate practical joke being played on the fandom by Smith, along with Jovette, and Amit Bhaumik. Other participants in the hoax included Joe Rovang, Jarod “Static-Pulse” Burton, and Chris “Cmdr Crayfish” Funaro.
While fans would engage in highly volatile debates over the place of Scorpion Rain in both Power Rangers fanon and canon, the question ofwhat actually happened between Zeo and Turbo officially still occupies fan’s minds today.
Then, in August 2023, just in time for Power Rangers 30th anniversary, Scorpion Rain entered the fray again, this time as a fully illustrated eight page webcomic adapted by Zarius and illustrated by Xavier Rojo.
With a price on their heads and cut off from their friends by a force field, can Tommy and Kat brave the forces of the Varox attack fleet and reach Serpenterra in time before the unstable core of destruction releases a force so devastating it rips apart both the Earth and all neighbouring galaxies?
It can be read in full here
Scorpion Rain provides examples of the following tropes:
- Ascended Fanboy: Amit Bhaumik would eventually work on the official Power Rangers television series for real, and was eventually given the position of script editor for the tenth season 'Power Rangers Wild Force'
- Battle Couple: Tommy and Katherine
- Let's Get Out of Here: Tommy urges Kat to trigger the explosives as Zedd's reinforcements arrive.
- Hired Guns: The Varox, intergalactic bounty hunters, do Zedd and Rita's bidding here
- Set a Mook to Kill a Mook: Rita casts a spell to make the Varox attack fleet mistake one another for Super Zeo Zord V
- The Cameo: Delphine, the White Aquitian Alien Ranger, makes a one panel appearance
