The gap between Zeo and TAPRM - your headcanon?

[Dark storm]

If you have the time for it, Hellion01 posted a fanfic a while back that I really enjoyed, and seemed to fit that hole pretty well.
http://www.RangerBoard.com/showthread.php?t=143778

[Shadowforce_71]

My head canon is this:

The Zeo Rangers fought the Machine Empire's remnants over the remainder of their senior year of high school (which explains why it was summer during the end of Zeo but they graduated at the beginning of turbo).

I like the idea the Zeo powers constantly got stronger as was directly mentioned on the show albeit off handed like. I imagine the powers got to a point like the Gold Ranger powers that a regular human can't use them for long intervals without physical damage.

About the Cold War thing, I always felt based on in series comments that Earth was considered the "backwater" of the Zordon/UAE war. The Southeast Asia/Vietnam/Middle East equivalent. So once they got the Millenium message, you have to wonder why they shipped off Veterans for a rookie ranger team? Why leave that rookie team with the new mentors?

My head canon is with the Zeo powers intact, Zordon was essentially playing the "long game". The Turbo Rangers were to be the "face" team that protects Earth while the Space Rangers protect KO-35, the Alien's Aquitar, and Trey Triforia.

Whether we accept Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, Kim, Tommy, Aisha, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya had active powers or not, you can't tell me they weren't fighting somewhere off screen during C2D.

So my head canon is Zordon had the Zeo rangers as a reserve or insurgency team. Why else would you replace your vets at the beginning of a war?

[Dinorider37]

Originally Posted by arcticphoenix87

My head canon:

Zeo season premiere sets us up with the premise we are in a Cold War-esque fight between two Super Powers: Zeo Rangers, the MOST powerful rangers in the universe, versus the Machine Empire, the MOST powerful evil faction in the universe, who have just broke away from their alliance with Dark Specter. Explains why 5 (later 6) individuals have the power to fight back against thousands of Cogs and artillery.

Season progresses... mostly a stalemate, but the Machine Empire has a slight edge with their Neoplutonium armor. Day and night attacks makes the rangers fatigued. Dark Specter (still a secret behind the scenes), realizing that if the Rangers fail, knows that the Machine Empire will come for him next. Thus, he sends Rita and Zedd to negotiate a temporary alliance with the Rangers.

Zedd shows up on the viewing globe with a proposition. He has a weapon that is powerful enough to wipe out the Machine Empire (Surprise: Serpentera!) but it doesn't have a reliable energy source. That's where the rangers come in: all Zedd needs in one Zeo subcrystal to power Serpentera (again, these are the MOST powerful sources of energy in the universe) and Serpentera is good to go. Rangers don't trust Zedd, but they have no choice. Tommy agrees to Give his subcrystal to power Serpentera, since the Machine Empire recently destroyed/captured his Red Punchazord. We have a few interesting scenes of Billy and Finster working together to configure the Zeo Crystal with Serpentera.

With Serpentera powered, they successfully wipe out 95% of the Machine Empire's forces, including damaging the Royal House of Gadgetry who are taken hostage by Rita and Zedd. Of course Zedd is evil and double crosses the rangers, who sets Serpentera on a course for Angel Grove to wipe out Earth with the Zeo Crystal's power. The rangers can't disable it, but they realize they can overload Serpentera's engines if they sacrifice the other 4 Zeo Subcrystals in the its engine. Serpentera can't handle the additional power, and explodes and crashes on the moon (setting us up for Wild Force).

Rita/Zedd retreat with captured Machine King and Queen to be reprogrammed. Rangers won the war, but desperately need powers in case something happens. Zordon admits he doesn't have any backup powers to pull out of his ass, so Tommy suggests they build them from scratch with something modern: cars. Fortunately, there's just enough residual morphin' grid energy from the Zeo Crystal to power the Turbo keys, but the rangers will never again be as powerful as they once were. Fortunately their next villain (Divatox) isn't a "superpower", so the Turbo powers are sufficient to handle her threats.

That is a great head cannon. I really dig it.

Plus Tommy went on to race cars so it makes sense that he would pick the new team theme as he was the veteran ranger and Zordon favored him by that point.

[Shadowforce_71]

Originally Posted by arcticphoenix87

My head canon:

Zeo season premiere sets us up with the premise we are in a Cold War-esque fight between two Super Powers: Zeo Rangers, the MOST powerful rangers in the universe, versus the Machine Empire, the MOST powerful evil faction in the universe, who have just broke away from their alliance with Dark Specter. Explains why 5 (later 6) individuals have the power to fight back against thousands of Cogs and artillery.

Season progresses... mostly a stalemate, but the Machine Empire has a slight edge with their Neoplutonium armor. Day and night attacks makes the rangers fatigued. Dark Specter (still a secret behind the scenes), realizing that if the Rangers fail, knows that the Machine Empire will come for him next. Thus, he sends Rita and Zedd to negotiate a temporary alliance with the Rangers.

Zedd shows up on the viewing globe with a proposition. He has a weapon that is powerful enough to wipe out the Machine Empire (Surprise: Serpentera!) but it doesn't have a reliable energy source. That's where the rangers come in: all Zedd needs in one Zeo subcrystal to power Serpentera (again, these are the MOST powerful sources of energy in the universe) and Serpentera is good to go. Rangers don't trust Zedd, but they have no choice. Tommy agrees to Give his subcrystal to power Serpentera, since the Machine Empire recently destroyed/captured his Red Punchazord. We have a few interesting scenes of Billy and Finster working together to configure the Zeo Crystal with Serpentera.

With Serpentera powered, they successfully wipe out 95% of the Machine Empire's forces, including damaging the Royal House of Gadgetry who are taken hostage by Rita and Zedd. Of course Zedd is evil and double crosses the rangers, who sets Serpentera on a course for Angel Grove to wipe out Earth with the Zeo Crystal's power. The rangers can't disable it, but they realize they can overload Serpentera's engines if they sacrifice the other 4 Zeo Subcrystals in the its engine. Serpentera can't handle the additional power, and explodes and crashes on the moon (setting us up for Wild Force).

Rita/Zedd retreat with captured Machine King and Queen to be reprogrammed. Rangers won the war, but desperately need powers in case something happens. Zordon admits he doesn't have any backup powers to pull out of his ass, so Tommy suggests they build them from scratch with something modern: cars. Fortunately, there's just enough residual morphin' grid energy from the Zeo Crystal to power the Turbo keys, but the rangers will never again be as powerful as they once were. Fortunately their next villain (Divatox) isn't a "superpower", so the Turbo powers are sufficient to handle her threats.

only problem with that they were seen using Zeo Powers in TAPRM. Only reason for the upgrade is the Zeo powers couldn't get the rangers through the Nemesis Triangle.

[Digificwriter]

The only things that need explaining vis a vid Zeo/Turbo are why Jason and Kimberly were together, when Bulk and Skull came back and why, and why Zedd and Rita weren't fighting the Rangers.

Everything else is covered in the movie and season.

[cleanuphtr15]

Rita and Zedd called off their conquest because she was preggers. Duh. (sticks out tongue icon)

[Titanium321]

I don't know if it necessarily needs head canon. A lot of these things can just be chalked up to the passage of time and how Zeo ends.

Originally Posted by blacklion400

.What happened to the Zeo powers and where did the Turbo powers come from?

Turbo powers are made in the movie as the dialogue states. Zordon tells them they are making new powers right there to cross over to Maligore's island and they just stick with them over Zeo. Which we saw they still had in the movie. Turbo Powers were just more effective at the time.

.What happened to Bulk and Skull's trip to France and why did they, and Lt. Stone suddenly get re-hired into the police force?

They went to France, they came back. They got one last chance on the force, according to Stone. But Stone ultimately went with running the juice bar and Bulk and Skull disappeared as far as everyone else was concerned.

.Why did Rita and Zedd suddenly quit trying to fight the power rangers, when they seemed quite determined at the end of Zeo?

Who said they quit? Rita just told Divatox to run. Laughing at her. She was mocking Divatox, thinking she was beneath her and an attempt at taking down the Rangers when she couldn't was ridiculous.

Rita and Zedd just weren't on Earth or the Moon at the time of Turbo. When we see them again, they're working for Dark Spectre to fight the forces of good. Turbo was a breather for them.

.Where did Jason suddenly disappear to, as the movie suggests he's been away for a while?

Same place Tommy disappeared to when he lost his powers. He just wasn't there and stayed out of the Rangers way until he got a SCUBA invite from Kimberly.

[Dark storm]

lol and I think many of us still wonder about and question that too, even tho is has really nothing to do with the storyline. Why does Kimberly break up with Tommy and then come back and invite Jason to go scuba diving?

Originally Posted by cleanuphtr15

Rita and Zedd called off their conquest because she was preggers. Duh. (sticks out tongue icon)

of course. That must have been when they had Thrax. Can't imagine what child-birth must be like for an evil sorceress, especially one whose Japanese counter-part hated children

[Reaper33X]

Originally Posted by Dark storm

Why does Kimberly break up with Tommy and then come back and invite Jason to go scuba diving?

To make Tommy jealous, the bitch! haha

[ASpice92]

What happened to the Zeo powers and where did the Turbo powers come from?

Zordon's marketing team informed him that Zeo wasn't doing well so out with the old, in with the new.

The Turbo powers come from Eltar. Justin said this in the finale. I figured Zordon has an Eltarian team or something. Same people who designed the Thunderzords for him.

.What happened to Bulk and Skull's trip to France and why did they, and Lt. Stone suddenly get re-hired into the police force?

They overslept and missed their flight.

They got re-hired after Stone begged for his job back,

.Why did Rita and Zedd suddenly quit trying to fight the power rangers, when they seemed quite determined at the end of Zeo?

After a long discussion after blowing up the Machine Empire they realized they could never win and gave up. That's why Rita mocks Divatox for trying to fight the Rangers TWICE. They were retired from Ranger fighting/earth conquering.

.Where did Jason suddenly disappear to, as the movie suggests he's been away for a while?

Florida, I assume.