Zeo Serial

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ended on a down beat as the Power Rangers were reversed in age until they were children. They could no longer use their powers. Earth was defenseless against The Moon Monsters. Zordon advised them to call upon the Alien Rangers of Aquitar to protect Earth while the Power Rangers worked on a plan to turn things back to normal. It was the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries that bridged the gap between Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the next phase of the franchise, Power Rangers Zeo.

The other thing that helped bridge that gap was a series of thirty second shorts that preceded episodes of both Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. These shorts introduced audiences to a new foe that the Power Rangers would fight against. If they could regain their powers, that was. Things were looking even worse at the end of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers when the Command Centre was blown up by Rito Revolto and Goldar. And they were about to get worse with what was presented in…

Zeo Serial

A scientist approached a giant telescope. When he entered, another scientist was waiting for him. She said that there was something he needed to see. He looked through the telescope and saw an alien being approaching Earth. A janitor working at the telescope also saw the alien and contacted the news. It became a huge story with the reporter saying that the Earth was in danger and their only protectors, the Power Rangers, hadn’t been heard from in days.

Rita Repula and Lord Zedd got a few moments to celebrate their victory over the Power Rangers. When Rita looked into her telescope, the celebration was over. She saw the alien. She knew what it was. The Machine Empire was coming to Earth. It was one evil force that Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa knew they couldn’t stop.

Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull had heard about the possible aliens. They decided that they should capture an alien and take it back to the Junior Police Patrol Headquarters to impress Lt. Stone. He overheard them and punished them by making them stand in a field to wait for alien life. It was either that or cleaning the latrines with a cotton swab. Almost immediately, the aliens showed up, freaking out all three of them. Bulk and Skull tried to tell Ernie, who didn’t believe them until the reporter confirmed the alien presence.

Two of the Machine Empire leaders were also given time to talk about Earth and how they were going to take it over and/or destroy it.

Zeo Serial was a way to introduce audiences to Power Rangers Zeo before Power Rangers Zeo began. It was the first time in the history of Power Rangers that things were changing to that massive extent. Sure, the Power Rangers had gotten new Powers. New villains had been introduced, as were new Zords and new allies. But Power Rangers Zeo was going to be as close to a reboot as the show had ever seen. It was a half overhaul.

One important thing to note about Zeo Serial was that they weren’t actually in continuity with the show. Much like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, there were characters in common, but the story was completely its own thing. The introduction of the Machine Empire would be revisited when Power Rangers Zeo began. As a way to get audiences prepared for this new era of Power Rangers, though, it did its job.

As always, there were some strange things with Zeo Serial. They began airing with reruns of the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers leading into Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. That meant that audiences who were watching the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers episodes as they aired would already know that Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were victorious at the end of the miniseries. They would already know that the Power Rangers were missing, that things were turned back to their normal times, and that a new villain would be swooping in to take over. Zeo Serial kind of spoiled what was going to happen in the miniseries.

Zeo Serial also served as a way to introduce audiences to the logo for Power Rangers Zeo. Each episode of the serial would feature a small piece of the logo being revealed until the final few thirty second episodes revealed the entire image. It was a nice last little thing to get kids excited to see new episodes after the two month break following the conclusion of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. It was a final note to end things off on as the show went on hiatus.

There wasn’t too much to Zeo Serial. It wasn’t in continuity, so it essentially didn’t matter. It introduced the new villains and revealed the logo for Power Rangers Zeo. It also featured a better Bulk and Skull story than The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid. That’s something. It was a nice bit of preparation for the next season. But the events would be redone at the beginning of Power Rangers Zeo, which was up next. See you when I get to the first episode, A Zeo Beginning, Part I.