Power Rangers Zeo: Episode 1: A Zeo Beginning, Part I

The conclusion of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers brought about the conclusion of the entire Mighty Morphin era of Power Rangers. The Command Centre was no more. The Power Rangers didn’t have powers and they didn’t have the Zeo Crystal. They lost contact with Zordon and Alpha. The Moon Monsters had essentially won the three-season battle and Earth was in the greatest danger ever.

Power Rangers Zeo would change all that. It wouldn’t be immediate. The Power Rangers would need to figure out what to do about the situation they were in. They needed a new home base. They were about to get a new villain. Most importantly, they needed new powers so that they could defend Earth from the new threat. That would begin in…

A Zeo Beginning, Part I

Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were on The Moon, dancing and celebrating their victory over the Power Rangers. Finster showed up to rain on their parade, though. The Machine Empire, the only force in the universe eviller than The Moon Monsters, was headed to Earth. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa knew they had to get out of there or else they would suffer at the hands of The Machine Empire. They grabbed all their junk from the palace and hit the road to go stay at Master Vile’s place.

The only monsters that weren’t with them were Goldar and Rito Revolto. They hadn’t escaped the implosion of the Command Centre as had been expected. They lost the Zeo Crystal in the implosion. They also lost their memories. The two monsters were wandering around Angel Grove as best friends, trying to figure out what had happened to them.

The teens quickly found the Zeo Crystal in the rubble of the Command Centre. It reacted to their touch, quickly shooting power beams around. The ground below the teens cracked open, and they were thrown down a chasm into the bowels of the Command Centre. They wandered around the tunnels before hearing Alpha’s voice command that they enter the vortex. On the other side of the vortex was the Power Chamber. Alpha welcomed them, then they braced to hear news about Zordon.

Bulk and Skull didn’t have too much going on. They were still part of the Junior Police Patrol, but they were about to get an upgrade. Skull purchased an old, run down motorcycle with a sidecar. He wanted to fix it up because it would make things easier when they were out tracking down bad guys. Bulk liked the sound of that.

Then there was The Machine Empire, led by King Mondo and Queen Machina. They showed up on the moon and sent their forces out to bombard The Moon Monsters. They spoke about how they were going to take over Earth and briefly touched on their plans. It was an introduction for them. They weren’t completely solidified as the big bad yet.

Power Rangers Zeo entered with a bang, setting the stage for many of the major changes that would be seen over the course of the season. The Power Chamber was their new headquarters. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were replaced by The Machine Empire. Bulk and Skull had a new old motorcycle. Changes were aplenty in the premiere episode, and they would only continue in the second part.

A possible major change was the addition of voiceover at the beginning of the episode. Tommy’s voice retold the events that happened at the end of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers as the Power Rangers approached the destroyed Command Centre. It was a good way to refresh the minds of the kids that were watching the show as it aired. It did break the normal structure of the Power Rangers episodes, though. No other episode had voiceover baked into the story. This was the first time that happened. Maybe it was just the premiere episode. Maybe it would keep happening throughout Power Rangers Zeo.

One of the other major changes in Power Rangers Zeo was the opening of the show. For three seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the opening credits consisted of the Power Rangers, Bulk, and Skull. It got expanded as soon as Power Rangers Zeo began. Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Billy, Tanya, and Kat all got their credits, as per usual. Bulk and Skull also got credits, again, as per usual. But the new faces to the opening credits were Ernie and Lt. Stone, who had each been promoted following the conclusion of the Mighty Morphin era. It was a nice little way to point out their importance in the show, even if they weren’t in the opening episode.

The strange thing about the opening credits was that the producers of Power Rangers Zeo let the credits spoil what was going to happen when the characters got their powers. Instead of hiding that for the first two episodes of Power Rangers Zeo, they put it right out in the open. They showed that Tommy would become the Red Ranger, that Adam would become the Green Ranger, and that Rocky would become the Blue Ranger. The credits also showed that Billy wouldn’t be a Power Ranger at all. None of this was revealed before Power Rangers Zeo. It wasn’t even revealed in the story of the premiere episode. The credits put that information out there well before the story did. That was an odd choice.

The final major change with the Power Rangers Zeo opening credits was the theme song. The show was no longer Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, so it could no longer use the same Go Go Power Rangers theme song. Something else was necessary to play over the opening credits. That new theme song included a remixed version of the Go Go Power Rangers refrain for the chorus, with new lyrics and music that would fit with the new, rebranded fourth season of the show in the intro and verses. It gave a different feel to the opening credits of a show that felt different than what came before.

Power Rangers Zeo got off to an okay start with A Zeo Beginning, Part I. It wasn’t the strongest beginning, but it set everything in place for what could potentially be a great season. It introduced a new villain, with a threat level high enough that it scared the old villains into leaving. It introduced a new headquarters that looked much different than The Command Centre. It brought some hope to the Power Rangers after their horrible defeat. That would continue in A Zeo Beginning, Part II, which will get a post soon.