Power Rangers
Series Synopsis
Power Rangers is an umbrella term for a series of children's shows that first aired in 1993 under the title Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers ran for three years and was followed by a miniseries (Mighty Morphin' Alien Rangers) which connected the original team to the first follow up team (Power Rangers Zeo) in 1996. Every year thereafter has seen a new team use the name Power Rangers, typically with all-new characters and a unique storyline. This trend was followed until 2011 with Samurai, which was cut in half and became the 2012 season, Super Samurai, and was repeated the next year with Megaforce and Super Megaforce.
It is an adaptation of the similar Japanese franchise "Super Sentai".
Fandom
Power Rangers fandom spans a wide range of ages and interests: many fans only watched certain seasons, and may therefore have extensive knowledge of certain teams while possessing only a limited awareness of others (team members, their mission, etc.). Because the years following the end of Mighty Morphin' have become increasingly disassociated, the series lends itself to this sort of selective viewing. There is frequent fandom discussion about which team is the best and, thanks to several canon crossovers between seasons, some chatter about the "ideal team" (usually a grouping made up of a fan's favorite individual Rangers, taken from multiple seasons).
The fandom is also prone to shipper wars that date back to the series' first canon couple, Kimberly Hart and Tommy Oliver. When Kimberly left the team she was replaced by Katherine Hillard, who also took her place as Tommy's girlfriend after Kimberly broke up with Tommy via letter (known among fans as "The Letter"). Tommy/Kim versus Tommy/Kat marked one of the first major schisms among Power Rangers fans. Another early kerfluffle involved the Yosties vs. the Oliverettes in a good-natured and largely fic-based war concerning the relative merits of the series' two longest-running Rangers, Billy Cranston and Tommy Oliver.
Activities:
Fanfiction
Power Rangers fanfiction is diverse and, considering the multitude of unrelated characters and premises on which the series is built, often difficult to follow. Most authors tend to write about one team at a time, basing their stories within that team's world and stated objectives. The members of some teams overlap and may be logically combined (Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers in Space) while others crossed over and were seen to be particularly friendly on the show (Power Rangers Time Force and Power Rangers Wild Force). The return of Tommy Oliver in Power Rangers Dino Thunder has led to some overlap in fic between Mighty Morphin' and Dino Thunder as well.
The series' constant changes have prompted fans who wish to combine other teams to do one of the following: attempt to explain the inconsistent and contradictory timeline provided by the show, ignore the inconsistent and contradictory timeline provided by the show, or make liberal use of alternate universes. Other fans simply work within a single season, or invent an entirely new team composed of original characters (often children of canon Rangers).
Fanfiction during the first ten years of the show (from 1993-2003) was largely het and gen, but recently slash has become very popular among Power Rangers fans. Power Rangers Ninja Storm aired in 2003, and was the first Earth-based Ranger team to have only one female member: Tori Hanson. She began dating a male teammate, Blake Bradley, almost immediately, thus limiting canon het couples to one. Fans frequently paired off the four remaining male Rangers with each other, a trend that continued in later seasons.
Notable Works
- Earthsiege by Rain Fletcher - The Machine Empire and their new ally launch an all-out attack on the Earth, and this time it's armageddon.
Archives and Zines
Fanfic archives include:
- FanFiction.Net
- Power Rangers Fanfiction
- Paladar's World of FanFic (last updated 2015)
- Jenga's Library (no longer updated)
- The Fanfic Shoppe (no longer updated, was maintained by Kittie J. Verdena)
- The Angel Grove Youth Center (maintained by Cynthia Harrell)
- Archive of Our Own
- Athers' Power Rangers Library
Fanzines:
Fanart
The Power Rangers series is characterized by repeating visual themes, including team-specific logos, equipment, vehicles, and of course uniforms. These themes help make fan drawings, dolls, digital art, and graphics work very recognizable. Often times, fans will design their own ideas for new characters or zords, and even draw ideas based off of rumored material.
Fanvids
Power Rangers fan videos range in scope and quality from still images set to music through AU stories told with dialogue, special effects, and multi-source video clips. From a single team two-person relationship vid to sweeping arcs that draw parallels between a dozen or more teams and their common struggles, fanvids are a great perspective on what fans see in the show compared to the casual viewer.
Examples
Cosplay
Not many people look like television stars in the distinctive spandex uniforms worn by almost every Power Ranger team. The fans that do take advantage of it, and everyone else uses that extra bit of creativity and know-how to engineer evocative but non-form-fitting costumes.
Roleplay
Roleplaying among Power Rangers fans was once largely limited to chat rooms that had mock-battles going on in the middle of other people's conversations. Now easy and anonymous social networking sites allow fans to register an account in their character's name and join multi-fandom games like Edensphere.
Conventions
Power Morphicon, the first Power Rangers convention, took place in Pasadena, California [1] in 2007. A second convention, Power Morphicon II, took place in the same location in 2010, followed by a third in 2012, a fourth in 2014, a fifth in 2016, a sixth in 2018 that moved to Anaheim, and a seventh panned for 2020 but has been postponed till 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and will move back to Pasadena[1].
Mailing Lists
- Adult PR Fanfics offline "Fanfics about all sub-series, not any particular one, MMPR, MMAR (Alien Rangers), PR:Zeo, etc., slash (m/m, f/f) fanfics optional, no bestiality, please."
- The Circle of 13 offline "A slash-friendly fanfic/discussion list for all the Red and 6th Rangers of the various teams."
- Dustin The Yellow Ranger archive link Description: "Fiction and discusion that centers around Dustin Brooks, the Yellow Wind Ranger from the newest Power Rangers Creation--Ninja Storm. Here is just some of what the list allows. ALL Fan Fiction MUST center around Dustin. (The other Rangers are allowed people, just make sure that Dustin's got most of the spotlight) Slash, General, Friendship and Smarm Fiction is allowed Only. Discussion of Dustin and all the rest of the rangers is encouraged. NO Mary Sues or Het fics allowed. Absolutely NONE! Absolutely NO smut is allowed. No Tori Bashing in Discussions." Another description: "Okay... Here is what the list is about. It's about Fiction and Discusion that centers around Dustin Brooks, the Yellow Wind Ranger from the newest Power Rangers Creation--Ninja Storm. Please make sure you read the rules carefully. I will not let you in until I'm sure you've read them. Here is just some of what the list allows (a more extensive rules list will be sent to you). 1.) ALL Fan Fiction MUST center on Dustin. (The other Rangers are allowed people, just make sure that Dustin's got most of the spotlight) 2.) Slash, General, Friendship and Smarm Fiction are allowed ONLY. (NOTE: Dustin can ONLY be slashed with one of the other guys on the show… NO OC’s!!! (Unless their bad guys or very minor characters.) 3.) Discussion of Dustin and all the rest of the rangers is encouraged. 4.) ABSOLUTELY NO Mary Sues or Het fics allowed. Absolutely NONE! 5.) Absolutely NO SMUT is allowed. This is your ONLY warning. I will suspend your membership if this rule is broken. (NOTE: What is considered smut? Graphic S. E. X., P orn, stories that do not involve love at all and stories that have no plot and nothing but S. E. X. No taking the boy out behind some barn, tree, Ninja Ops, ect… and f*cking him senseless… those stories will be deleted. More Rules that need to be followed in the list rules you will recieve uppon joining. Note: List mom reserves the right to change the rules or add to them when needed. As long as y'all, that join, follow the rules, you and I will get along just fine. ^_~ Join and Enjoy! List mother-- ~B~" (Founded: Jun 20, 2003)
Resources
- Power Rangers Central - guide to seasons, episodes, characters, toys
- Power Rangers Online - season summaries and episode guides
- Power Rangers Unlimited - downloads and transcripts from all seasons
- Writer's Guide to the PR Universe - encyclopedia of MMPR through SPD
- Power Rangers Universe - open wiki for the Power Rangers universe
- Rangerwiki - closed wiki for the Power Rangers universe