Line #29 Headscratchers/PowerRangersTurbo


1	* So whatever happened to the Zeo powers?
2	** Seriously we never really find out what happened after Turbo or why they stop being used
3	** Welp, we know that [[spoiler: Tommy, at least, still has his -- "[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel Dimensions in Danger]]" shows him using his Zeo V powers as part of his Master Morpher. It's possible the other Zeo Rangers still have theirs, as well.]]
4	*** Not sure he always had them. In ''Forever Red'' and ''Legendary Battle'', explicitly destroyed powers resurfaced. So it's still possible Zeo powers - except Gold - were sacrificed to create Turbo powers.
5	*** The Fridge section for Zeo cites the in-universe explanation of the Zeo Crystal's nature as a reason for the downgrade. Supposedly the Zeo powers would continue building overtime, to the point where simply morphing could release a destructive amount of energy on the surrounding area, and potentially even warp the minds of the Rangers and turn them into dark, pragmatic beings who aren't heroic in their actions. The Zeo powers were basically used out of desperation against the Machine Empire, while Divatox and her crew were a step down in threat, and didn't need such extreme measures to defeat.
6	** The movie establishes that the Turbo powers are based on Lerigot's Golden Key, and are needed to cross dimensions to where Maligore was sealed. They didn't lose the Zeo powers, they just weren't suited for this specific mission.
7	* Did they HAVE to adapt Carranger? It would be one thing if they had wanted to do a comedic season but the comedy was unfunny, but since they started off trying to do something dark, it seems like it would've made a lot more sense to use footage from ''Jetman'' or ''Dairanger'' (the latter they actually DID have the rights to use the footage), given that those series were relatively dark.
8	** It's possible that they already had committed to it before realizing it was a parody. Something similar happened with Lost Galaxy and Gingaman.
9	** Given his schtick later on, it's safe to say Jonathan Tzachor, who gained producer status this time, has responsibility. Tzachor, with his severely and superficially boner for the physical appeal of Sentai (severely and superficially, because it's clear he does not understand Sentai's own capacity for narrative depth, only in the flashiness), probably pushed for Carranger's use then forcing elements and footage from the show that were incongruent with the general mood of PR before that, just coz "the Sentai did it, so we should do it too".
10	** Yes, they did HAVE to adapt ''Carranger''. Saban's contract with Toei at the time expressly forbade them from skipping a Sentai season[[note]]and before anyone brings up ''Dairanger'' -- yes, that season was technically adapted, into ''Mighty Morphin'' season two; the core five costumes just weren't used[[/note]] or adapting an older (read: pre-''Zyuranger'') Sentai. Even if they ''could've'' used ''Jetman'' (or older Sentai), or even if they ''wanted'' to use core-five ''Dairanger'' footage instead, they still would've had to adapt ''Carranger'' if they wanted to keep using future Sentai seasons.
11	** Look at the complications. Dairangers: sixth Ranger, many monsters already used, but most important, mechas already used, so forget. Jetman: the Sentai itself was aired in France, and the immediate previous ones also were, at least some episodes. And it was 5 years old. One year of special effect quality progress is not a big deal, but in the 90s, 5 years is a big gap. If you have to reach even older Sentai which had fewer episodes aired in France, it will be even worse, and those Sentai are seen poorly compared to Jetman.
12	** Also, adapting the previous year's Sentai makes toy production easier, which may be one of the reasons it is written in the contract.
13	** There’s also the concern of costume wear and tear - Many of the older monster suits were already breaking down by this point, notably, Rito’s being pretty much unusable sometime between the time Zeo ended and In Space started. The older pre-Zyuranger costumes had probably been either lost, damaged, or cannibalized for parts, so there couldn’t be any pick-up shots in American footage without spending the money to completely recreate the older suits.
14	* In-universe, is there any explanation why Justin was chosen to be a ranger, but not Tommy's brother? Tommy's brother has known about the true identities of the rangers longer than Justin has, so if anything, it seems like he should've gotten priority.
15	** Justin was hiding under Rocky's bed. He learned the secret, so he ended up getting recruited.
16	* That being said, while it's said that Tommy's skipping the graduation to get some practice in racing during the first episode of Turbo, there's no mention of his family at all minus his uncle. If Tommy's family-including his brother David-is anything like mine, they would have wanted to be at his graduation. Out of all the season 1 Rangers, Tommy's parents are the only ones we never meet; even in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' 'Return of an Old Friend', Tommy's parents never enter, nor are they indicated to have been captured with the remainder of the parents. This is another instance, several years later, where we have a situation where his parents should have been there (along with David Trueheart and also possibly Sam) and weren't. Erik Frank wouldn't pass away until several years later, so his actor was available to reprise his role.
17	* Why the heck is Dimitria in Zordon's tube again exactly? Zordon was in the tube because he was TRAPPED in a time warp and contacted them through it. They don't explain it, she's just...in the tube...because reasons.
18	** Someone said it was to make the change of mentor easier for the Rangers to handle? shrug
19	** Dimitria's actress (Carol Hoyt) was also Divatox for part of the season. So.... maybe she was wearing her Divatox costume under her white shroud and recording from the waist up.
20	* Another point about Zeo: as the Ranger gave up the Zeozords as well as the Zeo powers, we can assume that the Zeozord fleet still remains in storage in the hangar bay. Besides the obvious FanficFuel, there is a bigger question. What's there to stop someone from finding the Zeozords and especially using them for evil purposes? Imagine if a mad scientist, a weapons developer, a Third World dictator, etc found the Zeozords and made use of them or even reverse-engineered the technology!
21	** If that whole mess with the Ninjazords is any indication, the Zords have precautions that prevent anyone besides the Rangers from using them. Dismantling them, on the other hand...
22	* TJ mentions that he always wanted to be a Power Ranger as a kid. Huh? Aside from the Wild West Rangers, Power Rangers have only existed in their universe for 4 years at ''most'', and it's a bit weird for a teenager to say "as a kid" when referring to when they were 12. So has TJ researched Zordon's previous teams in his spare time, or is this just another side effect of Master Vile [[WebVideo/HistoryOfPowerRangers beating up the space-time continuum for its lunch money]]?
23	** That is actually a plausible theory. The Rangers and their peers are likely between 8 and 12 during the MMAR miniseries, meaning that TJ was several years younger and just old enough to answer 'A Power Ranger' when the inevitable 'What do you want to be when you grow up' question comes in the early years of schooling; a lot of kids will answer with this or that superhero if not some form of animal (and in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', there's a lot of young kids in Power Rangers costumes during a Halloween episode, so not too out of the realm of possibility). The Power Rangers TJ could be remembering are the Alien Rangers of Aquitar. Depending on where TJ was living at the time, they could have very well been on the news and in the papers in the surrounding areas, if not in the papers of California. Given the RetCon regarding Peter Parker in [[Film/IronMan2 Iron Man 2]], it's very likely that TJ was one of those kids who saw the Alien Rangers and was like 'I want to be one of them'.
24	* Why does Justin's dad keep leaving him at the orphanage and not get CPS called on him? Like...where are his grandparents or other family members and why can't they also move to town or nearby to help? Even with a strapped CPS office, that would easily be considered abandonment.
25	** Maybe he doesn't ''have'' any other living relatives who could take him in?
26	*** Or if he does, they could be living too far away to help, which begs the question as to why Mr. Stewart and Justin didn't move there. There's plenty of folks who'd blame Mr. Stewart for their daughter's death, even if he had nothing to do with it. We're never quite told how Mrs. Stewart died either; it could have been anything from dying in childbirth (unlikely, as Justin seems to be able to remember his mom) to cancer or other illnesses.
27	* Why didn't the Rangers use their zords to fight Porto when the latter turned into a giant?
28	* Justin being able to morph directly contradicts one of the few rules of the Morphing Grid previously established by Zordon, in that he is a kid and not a teenager. During the third season of ''MMPR'', Master Vile turns the Rangers into children, because in that form, they're unable to morph. That's what necessitated the use of the Zeo Crystal to turn the world back to normal, so they could become teenagers again and thus regain the ability to morph. As ALL of the morphers are connected to the same Morphing Grid, it doesn't make sense that the Turbo Morpher should be any different than the Power Morphers by allowing a kid to become a Power Ranger.
29	** It could be that those past issues prompted Zordon and Alpha to create morphers that ''would'' allow children to morph if the right candidate came along.

Context Headscratchers / PowerRangersTurbo