7 Things You Might Have Missed in ‘Power Rangers’

After 10,000 years…and a couple of decades later, a new incarnation of the ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ has arrived! While there’s been a great deal of controversy surrounding the project with its numerous changes to the source material, the movie is resonating very well with fans and newcomers alike. Having already grossed over $40 million as of its Friday opening, it’s on track to becoming one of the most successful films of the year.

With all the excitement and epic monster battles, it’s pretty easy for anyone coming into the franchise for the first time to miss some of the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) references, nods, and easter eggs related to Power Rangers lore. Here are seven things you might have missed in ‘Power Rangers’:

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Zeo Crystal

Pretty early into the movie, the first reference is made to something called the “Zeo Crystal”. They made this a regular point throughout the plot, but what newbies may not know is that this is a direct reference to the *next team, the Zeo Rangers. ‘Power Rangers: Zeo’ aired during the 1996 season and was the first time the returning original team members received an entirely new set of Ranger gear and Zords.

The Rules

Once Zordon accepts these teenagers as the new Power Rangers, he informs them of the basic rules to follow in order to use their new powers: never use your powers for personal gain, never escalate a battle, and keep your identities secret. This list of “Ranger Commandments” was taken almost verbatim from the original series after the team accepts their role and decide to fight on behalf of Zordon.

Zords

The best image from the movie by far has to be when our Rangers finally get their Zords. As they charge into battle with Goldar, they recreate the classic shot used in every original episode with all the Zords running alongside one another; the classic theme song in the background reminding us all of their Mighty Morphin’ roots.

The Slap

The final battle with Rita resulted in Jason using the Megazord to literally slap her into space! As we see her drifting into orbit, we see a smile come over her face as she appears to be heading towards the moon. In the original series, Rita, Goldar, and her other minions have their evil tower established on the moon where they send monsters to the earth below. It’s possible this was a hint that we haven’t seen the last of Rita and we might find her setting up shop on the moon before we see her again.

Sentai Yellow Ranger

After the Rangers’ big win, we see Trini fixing up the damage in her room from her encounter with Rita. Joined by her little brothers, they start telling each other their favorite Rangers, to which Trini asks, “What about the Yellow Ranger?” They reply, “Oh, yeah! He’s pretty cool!”, which leads her to ask, “How do you know it’s a ‘he’?” While this may have just been a sly quip, it’s also just as likely this was a reference to the original Japanese Sentai Zyurangers, from which the original ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ series was adapted; their Yellow Ranger actually being male. Saban Brands decided to make the Yellow Ranger female (played by the late Thuy Trang) for the American version to balance out the team composition.

Cameos

One of the big questions asked about the movie pending its release was whether or not there would be any cameos from the original cast of the series. Luckily, avoiding the tempting gratuity, they managed to keep it tasteful with a quick appearance from Jason David Frank (Tommy the Green Ranger) and Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly the Pink Ranger) as curious bystanders after the epic Megazord battle with Goldar.

Mid-Credit Scene

The moment fans of the series were waiting for the most was delivered during the mid-credit scene…kinda. When the Rangers return to detention, a new name is called for attendance: Tommy Oliver. The name rings more than a few bells considering Tommy is none other than the ffan-favoriteGreen Ranger. With the reveal of Rita as the original Green Ranger in the opening scene, it goes without saying that the big screen adaptation of the infamous ‘Green Ranger Saga’ can’t be too far off.

*The Alien Rangers were temporarily active between ‘MMPR’ and ‘Zeo’.