Fixing Power Rangers: Megaforce Part 1

20 years is a long time for a series to remain on the air and that sort of milestone should be celebrated properly. For Power Rangers, there came a perfect storm of opportunities that would have allowed the production staff to create the best incarnation of the show ever.



Power Rangers Megaforce is something of an anomaly among Power Rangers seasons. Not just any old season, it was meant to lead into the series' 20th anniversary. A similar milestone was celebrated by Super Sentai for its 35th anniversary with Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - a season that basically flipped the script and decided to incorporate every Sentai series that had gone before it into a massive love letter to the franchise, bringing in cameo after cameo and following up on old storylines. Naturally, the herculean effort given by Gokaiger for celebrating their milestone created certain expectations for Power Rangers... expectations that were ultimately not met, not by a long shot. It was always going to be difficult for Power Rangers to live up to the example set by Gokaiger but the extent to which it failed was far more disappointing.

This is why I began this project, to ultimately craft a version of Megaforce that not only improves upon the original (seeing as that wouldn't be difficult in the slightest) but properly celebrates the legacy of the franchise it was built upon by following the formula set by some of its best seasons, especially Power Rangers In Space and Power Rangers RPM.

But, first, we have to address a few things.

The Goseiger Issue
In real life, it took two years for Power Rangers Samurai to finish. In this alternate universe, the break year of 2010 still happened with the MMPR Re-Version so Power Rangers remains two years behind their Sentai counterparts instead of the usual one year. Because of this, we can wisely plan ahead with how to use the Sentai footage. This begs the question: why make Tensou Sentai Goseiger the source material for the anniversary season... when it seems as if the anniversary isn't actually happening until 2013? Wouldn't it be better to wait for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger in 2013? Wouldn't that make more sense? Yes. But because we're two years removed from Sentai, we can use our knowledge of the future to plan out a better way of arranging the anniversary.

For one, consider Goseiger: its five core members are colored red, blue, yellow, black, and pink - the original colors of the first five Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Not only that, but their morphers aren't the usual cell-phone or wrist-mounted morphers, but a strange object one wouldn't ordinarily think would be a morpher that they then have to hold out in front of them in order to trigger their transformation. This has more than a passing resemblance to the Dino Bucklers of Zyuranger and, by extension, the original Power Morphers from Mighty Morphin'. Also recall that their conflict witFinally, remember that Goseiger is themed around angels and angelic powers. What exactly was the name of the city in which the first six seasons of Power Rangers was set in? Angel Grove. There are already plenty of great theme naming schemes you can come up with using this.

A Multi-Season Epic
Also consider: it's an anniversary season. What made the original Zordon Era so enthralling? Part of it was the consistency that each season offered. There were three seasons of MMPR, which were then followed up with Zeo, Turbo, and In Space with ongoing storylines that brought each season through to the next. This will be an aspect carried over into the anniversary season - now seasons because Megaforce Season 1 will act as a prelude for Megaforce Season 2, which will use footage primarily from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. This means that we can have 80 total episodes, plus two movie specials, in order to tell the grand tale that is the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers. Not too shabby, right?

The Ranger-Verse Returns
Another aspect that became more and more downplayed as the seasons of Power Rangers went on was its relatively tight continuity. Starting with Lightspeed Rescue, every season of the show would stand on its own, save for the occasional throwaway reference or team-up special. For the show's 20th anniversary, it would not only be appropriate to maintain continuity with the past, but it would actually be inappropriate to not embrace its legacy, especially considering just how much mileage Gokaiger got out of using Super Sentai's long history. In that sense, old settings will be used, characters long-forgotten will be seen again, and - most importantly - legendary Power Rangers will return with a vengeance.

Next, we lay out the Pilot Episode, or first episode of the show. This will set the tone and establish the characters for this season, as well as give expectations from what to expect from it going forward.

EPISODE ONE - "A MEGA BEGINNING"
We open to a decrepit CASTLE somewhere deep in space. A group of EXPLORERS pokes around it, expositing about an ancient and evil ruler that had owned this castle. They discover a vault which, upon opening it, unleashes something sinister - and unseen. The explorers are vaporized.

We cut to Earth some years later. It is 2012, nineteen years since the first Power Rangers made themselves known to the world. Nowhere else on Earth knows the Power Rangers better than ANGEL GROVE, California where a group of high school students are touring the POWER RANGERS MUSEUM. Within its halls are statues, information, artwork, and recordings (stock footage used liberally) of every Power Ranger team known to man - except for SPD and RPM. Leading the tour are our bumbling pair of heroes, BULK and SPIKE. "Personally, the Samurai Rangers are my favorite!" Spike remarks.

On the tour are some of our new heroes: JAKE HOLLING and NOAH CARVER, who banter back and forth about various Ranger teams. However, Noah is busy taking down notes for homework, stopping briefly at the WILD FORCE exhibit where he analyzes the BLUE SHARK ZORD. Jake, meanwhile, is more busy trying to hit on GIA MORAN, who's unimpressed when he tries to strike up a conversation about who her favorite Ranger is. EMMA GOODALL is close to the back of the group, taking photographs of the various exhibits. She bumps into TROY BURROWS who had been trailing behind the group. She recognizes that he's new in town and tries to make friends with him, but he halfway brushes her off, making her feel a little miffed. He's nice enough, but seems kind of asocial.

Troy, still distant from the rest, approaches the exhibit of the original MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS where a video shows some of the team's accomplishments. When he sees the WHITE MIGHTY MORPHIN' RANGER in combat, he suddenly starts having migraines. He has a vision of a MYSTERIOUS POWER RANGER approaching him in a white void before being engulfed in darkness. Troy is shaken out of it by Emma, who asks if he's alright. He says yes, but also that he's been getting headaches ever since he arrived in Angel Grove.

Above Earth, a spaceship looms. On it are three aliens: GENERAL CREEPOX, ADMIRAL MALKOR, and PRINCE VRAK. Creepox expresses his disbelief that such a backwater world has repelled alien invasions time and again, clearly underestimating the humans. Vrak warns Creepox not to do so, saying that his family has fought Power Rangers before and that it was a long, brutal conflict. Creepox is unbelieving, thinking that Vrak and his kin are simply weak. Before the argument can escalate, Malkor moves in - stopping the two and mediating. He is relatively quiet, as he surveys the invasion spot - saying that they've been ordered to attack Angel Grove and that they should get to locating "THE RUINS."

They launch a large skirmish, sending down LOOGIES to attack Angel Grove. In the Power Rangers Museum, the lights flicker on and off and there is rumbling like a great earthquake. The teens find themselves knocked against each other as Loogies begin barging through the front door. Bulk and Spike run away, saying they need to use the bathroom, though really just finding a place for Spike to morph. Bulk sadly remarks, "This always happens to us, doesn't it?" As the teens are cornered, the GOLD SAMURAI RANGER appears from out of nowhere and saves them. Cue fight scene between Gold Ranger and Loogies.

We cut to the ruins, which we see is the old COMMAND CENTER. Creepox and a squadron of Loogies are poking around, apparently searching for something. In the process, they find a sort of underground passageway and reactivate some power lines. Deep in the confines of the Command Center, a RED SPIRIT seems to stir, suddenly floating around and harassing the Loogies. Creepox attempts to confront it, but it flies away before he can attack it. The spirit approaches a control console in the main room (a remake of the original MMPR Command Center), activating some of the Command Center's systems, locking out the villains. On a SCREEN, we see a live feed of the teens in the museum.

Seeing some civilians in trouble, Troy heads in to help, much to Emma's chagrin. However, she can't stand to see him face these things on his own so she charges in to help despite herself. Gia does a similar act, inspired by her friend. Noah and Jake cower together for a moment but steel their resolve, with Jake saying that acting like cowards in the Power Rangers Museum would insult their memory. They charge in, fighting the Loogies, much to the surprise of the Gold Samurai Ranger.

Back in the Command Center, the Spirit observes that there is a Ranger present nearby... as well as five brave souls. In particular, the Spirit focuses on one of them - Troy. Activating the Command Center's teleportation system, it transports the five teens to the Command Center. Suddenly whisked out of their element, the five teens look around in confusion and surprise. "Where the heck are we?" groans Jake. "I think I hit my head," remarks Emma. Troy is silent, but clearly, is appraising the situation.

The Spirit enters an empty energy tube, where its image as a red-hued humanoid figure appears. It speaks to them as a disembodied voice, saying that its name is GOSEI and that he has been trapped in the MORPHING GRID for thousands of years. Only when Creepox reactivated the systems did he escape, a gap in the Morphing Grid forming. He arrived just in time to foil an attack by the alien general. He mentions that, long ago, he fought the forces of evil and that he was the pupil of Zordon, whose lack of presence he finds disturbing. Gosei mentions that he has been building up strength in the Morphing Grid for millennia and created ALL NEW POWERS with the time he had. His first responsibility upon being freed is to find those worthy of being Power Rangers. Naturally, he chooses a bunch of teenagers because "they will inherit the future." He is about to launch into a long spiel about the importance of being a Ranger when the five stop him. "If you're telling us that we get to be Power Rangers," Noah says in awe. "Then we're in!" Gosei seems surprised by this but allows their enthusiastic behavior. Troy, however, is somewhat skeptical but they are forced to fight when Creepox breaks down the door.

Gosei quickly provides the team with their GOSEI MORPHERS before teleporting them near Angel Grove's outskirts. The team tries fending off the Loogies unmorphed before they decide to use their morphers. The team looks to Troy, who seemed unconvinced at first, but now appears much more willing. They all nod to each other, everyone looking to Troy for his final affirmative. "Well then, I guess... it's morphin' time," Troy finally says. They morph, fighting Creepox and his Loogies off. When the battle is finished, Creepox manages to escape. The Gold Ranger arrives and is astonished to find that there are new Power Rangers protecting Angel Grove, though they are teleported off before he can confront them.

Creepox returns, battered and beaten, to the WARSTAR SHIP. Vrak makes some snide comments regarding the Power Rangers' ability to beat him, but Malkor waves him off. He intones that "they were told to expect Power Rangers," but that it makes this mission that much more interesting.

With everything said and done, the teens are returned to the Command Center where Gosei congratulates them on their victory. He warns that there will be more to come because evil never stops. Troy, finally smiling, is welcomed by his new friends. They bring their fists together in a circle, shouting, "Go Go Power Rangers!"

That's going to be everything for now. Stay tuned for further parts where we'll discuss the major characters, their arcs for the season, and ideas for episodes.