Power Rangers Dino Thundercame out almost a decade afterMighty Morphin, yet it was the perfect sequel to the originalPower Rangersshow.Mighty Morphin Power Rangersran from 1993 to 1995 and ended its run with 145 episodes. To this day,MMPRis thePower Rangersshow with the most episodes by far.To put things in perspective, the only otherPower Rangersteamto headline the show for three years wasDino Fury/Cosmic Fury, which, in total, accounted for only 54 episodes. This is whyMighty Morphincan be considered a franchise of its own.
From toys to costumes and everything in between,Mighty Morphin Power Rangerswas a pop culture phenomenon in the 1990s. The American show was a localized version of theSuper SentaiseriesZyurangerand would be the first of several similar adaptations.Power Rangers’ history goes beyondMMPR, but much of the franchise’s identity traces back to what the original series did. This is why almosteveryPower Rangersseasonborrows fromMMPRon some level. However,Mighty Morphin’s true spiritual successor only came out in 2004, and it got nostalgia right.
Dino Thunder Was A Spiritual Successor To Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Dinosaurs, Teenagers With Attitude, And Tommy Oliver
Dino Thunderwas a return to form forPower Rangers. From having the Rangers in high school to the return ofPower Rangerslegend Tommy Oliver,Dino Thunderwas as exciting for a new generation of kids who were just discovering the show as it was for long-time fans who had watchedMMPRwhen it came out. It must be noted thatPower Rangershad ditched the “teenagers in high school fighting monsters” formula since 1998’sPower Rangers in Space, butDino Thunderbrought it back without lowering the stakes of the show.
Trent Fernandez
White Ranger
In fact,Dino Thunderarguably did a better version of this formula thanMMPRdid. While the Power Rangers were now kids again as opposed to adult officers like inTime Forceor trained ninjas like inNinja Storm,Dino Thunderdidn’t present itself as a silly show and made its characters three-dimensional. Of course,it’s impossible to compareDino ThundertoMMPRwithout acknowledging that they had the same motif – dinosaurs.This is one of the reasons why bringing back Jason David Frank’s Tommy Oliver made so much sense.
Tommy’s Return In Dino Thunder Made It A Legacy Power Rangers Season
The Original Green Ranger Was Now A Teacher
Disney’s approach toPower Rangerswas significantly different from what the franchise had been doing up until that point. WhilePower Rangershad been doing standalone seasons sinceLost Galaxy, the Disney seasons were even more self-contained. Apart from the usual crossover episodes, shows likeNinja StormandS.P.D.could have easily happened outside of the mainPower Rangerschronology–Ninja Stormdidn’t even have a team-up episode. The fact thatPower Rangerswas now filmed in New Zealand also gave the Disney season a distinct look. Therefore,Tommy’s return toDino Thunderwas quite surprising.
Wild Forcewas technically the first DisneyPower Rangersseason, butNinja Stormis when the show moved production to New Zealand.
Instead of makingDino Thundera standalone possible likeNinja Storm,Power Rangersbrought back one of the most iconic characters in the franchise to serve as a mentor to new heroes.Tommy was now Dr. Oliver, a high school teacher with PhD in paleontology working on Reefside. The last time we saw Tommy was in “Forever Red” in 2002, during which we didn’t learn much about what the original Green Ranger had been doing since hisTurbodays ended. By bringing Tommy back,Dino Thundermade itself into a legacy season.
Dino Thunder’s White Ranger Gave The Show Its Own “Evil Green Ranger”
The dinosaur motif, the high school setting, and Tommy’s return were not the only ways in whichDino Thunderwas a spiritual successor toMighty Morphin Power Rangers. The 2004 series also had its own evil Ranger, the White Ranger. Granted, evil Rangers had been a thing in bothSuper SentaiandPower Rangersfor decades now, yetTrent’s story inDino Thunderwas clearly meant to mirror Tommy’s.Trent was friends with thePower Rangersin school until he was brainwashed by the villains and became an evil Power Ranger.
Dino Thunderhad one of the best evil Rangers on the show, and the fact his story echoed Tommy’s arc made it even better.
The White Ranger gaveDino Thunderits own “Green With Evil” arc, with Trent going from a terrifying villain to a member of the team. When the Rangers were talking about whether Trent could be saved, Tommy told them not to give up on him. The new Black Ranger was talking from experience, as he went through the same thing duringMighty Morphinafter Rita Repulsa brainwashed him and made him the evil Green Ranger.Dino Thunderhad one of the best evil Rangers on the show, and the fact his story echoed Tommy’s arc made it even better.
Few Power Rangers Seasons Got Nostalgia As Right As Dino Thunder
Dino Thunder Was More Than Just Nostalgia And Callbacks
One of the biggest problems withPower Rangersis how the franchise can rely too much onMighty Morphinnostalgia. For example,Power RangersSamuraibrought back the “Go, Go, Power Rangers” theme song and tried to do its own version ofMMPRby bringing the Rangers back to school. That is not to mention smaller things like modern Rangers saying“It’s morphin’ time.”When it comes to other media – such as comics and video games –Power Rangersis even more reliant onMighty Morphin’s legacy.
The Best Version Of The Original Green Ranger Was Introduced 11 Years After Tommy Oliver’s First Appearance
Original Green Ranger Tommy Oliver took on many different colors throughout the franchise, and his coolest version only happened in the 2000s.
Dino Thundermanaged to embrace nostalgia while also being a great, fresh new storyon its own. TheMMPRconnections only enhanced the story and were never the main focus of the show. Even Tommy Oliver, who would usually steal the spotlight anything he showed up, works great as a supporting character inDino Thunder. Conner, the Red Ranger, was the leader inDino Thunder, not Tommy. Episodes like “White Thunder” or “Fighting Spirit” are great examples of what madeDino Thundersuch a good spiritual successor toMighty Morphin.
From Power Rangers Zeo To Once & Always And The Comics
Dino Thunderwas one of many “sequels”Mighty Morphin Power Rangersreceivedover the years. The first and most “official” sequel to the original show wasPower RangersZeo, which served as a direct continuation ofMighty Morphin.Zeowould then lead intoTurbo, during which the remaining cast members from the earlier seasons left and were replaced by new characters. The Zordon Era was concluded in 1998 withPower Rangers in Space, but that was not the end ofMighty Morphin’s influence in the franchise.
1993
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
Cosmic Fury
2023
In addition to all the cameos over the years – from Adam inIn Spaceto Tommy, Kat, and Rocky inNinja Steel–Power Rangersalso celebrated its first show with 2023’sOnce & Always. That same year, Billy, who had already appeared inOnce & Always, was a recurrent character inCosmic Fury, a season that also saw the return of Lord Zedd.Mighty Morphinhas also received sequels in the comics, most of which are set in alternate continuities. Even with so muchMMPRpresence in the franchise,Power RangersDino Thunderwas a beautiful love letter to the original show.
Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Cast
Power Rangers Dino Thunder is a television series that premiered in 2004, serving as the 12th season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows three high school students who become superheroes known as the Dino Thunder Power Rangers, tasked with saving the world from the evil Dr. Tommy Oliver and his minions.
