Were they planning on skipping Dairanger footage entirely?

[Lonewolf92]

We know the reason the zyuranger suits were kept was for the iconic factor for the then upcoming movie. Logically Saban wanted new zords (read toys) Would it not have made more sense to immediately start splicing in Dairanger footage as they did from Missing Green onward, as soon as usable zyuranger footage had been exhausted? (Tommy could have just immediately become the White Ranger instead of briefly returning as the the Green Ranger before losing those powers for good) instead of going through that zyu2 business? Unless they were never planning on adapting Dairanger what so ever to begin with (aside from using the White Ranger costume) and just have zyu2 fill in until they could start adapting Kakuranger footage.

[Hears All]

They were never planning on using Dairanger. The Zyuranger suits were iconic and they wanted to keep them as long as possible. Zyu2 was necessary because it would allow them to make another season with the same suits. Dairanger was also very violent, even for Japan.

Saban had planned to bring in a White Ranger (Brad Hawkins), however fans loved Tommy and they decided to bring JDF back. Brad Hawkins went on to do another Saban show, VR Troopers. The zord splicing was because they needed new toys and it was something they continued to do with Kakuranger until they felt it was time to start fresh and use OhRanger footage

You might ask "Why didn't they just use the Dairanger suits instead of those weird a$$ Ninja Suits?", because at the time (season 3) they were using the mechas from Kakuranger, and that would result in the same thing, more footage splicing.

[Lonewolf92]

Saban had planned to bring in a White Ranger (Brad Hawkins), however fans loved Tommy and they decided to bring JDF back. Brad Hawkins went on to do another Saban show, VR Troopers. The zord splicing was because they needed new toys and it was something they continued to do with Kakuranger until they felt it was time to start fresh and use OhRanger footage

Maybe its true but this above tidbit always seems sketchy whenever I hear it. By the time Saban knew Power Rangers was going to last for more than one season (and in turn they would be using the White Ranger at all) they also knew Tommy was their most popular character. Seems they would have always had planned for Tommy to be the White Ranger the minute they knew the show was gonna last past Doomsday part 2. Unless the idea of Brad Hawkins being the White Ranger came well before they realized how popular Tommy was but after they had plans to continue the show post-doomsday



You might ask "Why didn't they just use the Dairanger suits instead of those weird a$$ Ninja Suits?", because at the time (season 3) they were using the mechas from Kakuranger, and that would result in the same thing, more footage splicing.

I'm well aware why they didn't bother using the Dairanger suits at all (as I said in my first post they had a movie coming up and they needed to keep the iconic suits until then) my question was if they were planning on not even using the zords/monsters from Dairanger period and just using zyu2 specifically to fill in for the second season. Meaning they had plans to go further with zyu2 than what actually happened.

[Hears All]

Maybe its true but this above tidbit always seems sketchy whenever I hear it. By the time Saban knew Power Rangers was going to last for more than one season (and in turn they would be using the White Ranger at all) they also knew Tommy was their most popular character. Seems they would have always had planned for Tommy to be the White Ranger the minute they knew the show was gonna last past Doomsday part 2. Unless the idea of Brad Hawkins being the White Ranger came well before they realized how popular Tommy was but after they had plans to continue the show post-doomsday

From JDF's convention's he said they never planned for him to be the White Ranger. JDF even filmed the pilot for VR Troopers, it wasn't until (paraphrasing his words) "little kids sent letters to Saban in crayons to bring back the Green Ranger". Saban never knew how popular JDF was and were planning to continue the show without him. I'm not entirely sure when they planned a White Ranger, someone with more insider knowledge can answer that


I'm well aware why they didn't bother using the Dairanger suits at all (as I said in my first post they had a movie coming up and they needed to keep the iconic suits until then) my question was if they were planning on not even using the zords/monsters from Dairanger period and just using zyu2 specifically to fill in for the second season. Meaning they had plans to go further with zyu2 than what actually happened.

I'm going to need you to please type a little more clearly, I can't understand what you asking

[Lonewolf92]

From JDF's convention's he said they never planned for him to be the White Ranger. JDF even filmed the pilot for VR Troopers, it wasn't until (paraphrasing his words) "little kids sent letters to Saban in crayons to bring back the Green Ranger". Saban never knew how popular JDF was and were planning to continue the show without him. I'm not entirely sure when they planned a White Ranger, someone with more insider knowledge can answer that

That actually makes sense.



I'm going to need you to please type a little more clearly, I can't understand what you asking

I was asking if Saban was originally not planning on using the Dairanger mecha and monsters what so ever to begin with. (we've seen conceptual art for zyu3 mecha including a version of the white rangers tigerzord) and would have had TOEI filmed even more footage specifically for Power Rangers instead of resorting to hacking Dairanger for monsters and zords.

[Razor]

Here's the intro they made. Listen to the music. Sound familiar?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px52AkqelEk

[Digifiend]

It should. It's Go Green Ranger Go with different lyrics. Shame we only hear 30 seconds of it.

[Razor]

It should. It's Go Green Ranger Go with different lyrics.

That's what I mean.


Shame we only hear 30 seconds of it.

I know that's right.

[Cmdr Crayfish]

Look, we know they had a multi-year commitment the moment that the show went to series. On the ORIGINAL PILOT. The one with Audri. Tony's confirmed that. This means that they thought the show would, at the time, "change premises." It's why they had to jettison the Dino Rangers name on the floor and go with MMPR. It looks like the plan when shooting the original forty episodes was to change formats and casts annually. When ordering Zyu2 (concurrent to Kakuranger's production), they knew they had a feature film coming down the pike. They already knew they had to bring back Tommy at this point and set up things relevant to adapting Kakuranger for season three. Zyu2 was meant as the stop-gap solution for this. They'd commission their own footage until the movie hit. Except Zyu2 cost an absolute fortune, so any plans to do Zyu3 died.

My larger issue is, near as we can tell Zyu3 was conceived exclusively to "get them a White Ranger to match Kakuranger," as best as we can tell. Zyu3 must have been conceived of roughly concurrent to Zyu2. They knew they needed a White Ranger, and apparently Brad was CAST as a WHITE RANGER... Before Zyu2 was ordered. In the weird netherworld between Cybertron's pilot in the summer/fall of 1993 and the VRT presentation reel in the fall/winter later used in the MMPR fan club video. So this means Tommy was intended to come back as the Green Ranger for his Zyu2 storyline because the footage was already commissioned... After they were casting for the White Ranger, and thus could swap Brad out from "White Ranger for PR" to "Adam/Ryan Steele" on the spinoff? This only makes sense if Zyu2 was a half-order.

Does this mean there was a point somewhere Zyu2/3 was intended to exclusively integrate Kibaranger into the Zyuranger team, and no reuse of the Dragon Ranger suit at all? Is THAT where the children crying for more Tommy came in? Then, after agreeing to use Tommy for half of the slated 52 "made by Toei for PR" fights, they still planned to transition to the White Ranger, played by another guy? I could actually ACCEPT this was conceived of as a stopgap. The choice to make Tommy the White Ranger may have only materialized once production on the second season started, and they genuinely thought children ONLY wanted Tommy back as Green. The reason I like this theory is because it denotes organized chaos in the production staff, where no hand knows what any other hand is doing. That is VERY MUCH how PR was operated in that era.

[PRangerX]

They knew they needed a White Ranger, and apparently Brad was CAST as a WHITE RANGER... Before Zyu2 was ordered. In the weird netherworld between Cybertron's pilot in the summer/fall of 1993 and the VRT presentation reel in the fall/winter later used in the MMPR fan club video. So this means Tommy was intended to come back as the Green Ranger for his Zyu2 storyline because the footage was already commissioned... After they were casting for the White Ranger, and thus could swap Brad out from "White Ranger for PR" to "Adam/Ryan Steele" on the spinoff? This only makes sense if Zyu2 was a half-order.

I thought Stack and yourself claimed that Brad wasn't really cast as White Ranger? Have you changed you're minds?

[Hears All]

I thought Stack and yourself claimed that Brad wasn't really cast as White Ranger? Have you changed you're minds?

JDF said Brad was the White Ranger and he (JDF) was working on VR Troopers. So (paraphrasing JDF) "they just swapped places on the saban lot"

[Jiemusu]

My larger issue is, near as we can tell Zyu3 was conceived exclusively to "get them a White Ranger to match Kakuranger," as best as we can tell. Zyu3 must have been conceived of roughly concurrent to Zyu2. They knew they needed a White Ranger, and apparently Brad was CAST as a WHITE RANGER... Before Zyu2 was ordered. In the weird netherworld between Cybertron's pilot in the summer/fall of 1993 and the VRT presentation reel in the fall/winter later used in the MMPR fan club video. So this means Tommy was intended to come back as the Green Ranger for his Zyu2 storyline because the footage was already commissioned... After they were casting for the White Ranger, and thus could swap Brad out from "White Ranger for PR" to "Adam/Ryan Steele" on the spinoff? This only makes sense if Zyu2 was a half-order.

Does this mean there was a point somewhere Zyu2/3 was intended to exclusively integrate Kibaranger into the Zyuranger team, and no reuse of the Dragon Ranger suit at all? Is THAT where the children crying for more Tommy came in? Then, after agreeing to use Tommy for half of the slated 52 "made by Toei for PR" fights, they still planned to transition to the White Ranger, played by another guy? I could actually ACCEPT this was conceived of as a stopgap. The choice to make Tommy the White Ranger may have only materialized once production on the second season started, and they genuinely thought children ONLY wanted Tommy back as Green. The reason I like this theory is because it denotes organized chaos in the production staff, where no hand knows what any other hand is doing. That is VERY MUCH how PR was operated in that era.


I thought Stack and yourself claimed that Brad wasn't really cast as White Ranger? Have you changed you're minds?

http://www.rangercrew.com/forum/showthread.php?11466-Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-Season-2-Discussion&p=388849&viewfull=1#post388849

[Cmdr Crayfish]

I'm looking at this in the abstract. If we're to take Jason AND Brad at their words (which, as Jesse has argued to me, holds up to far more scrutiny than just Jason's notoriously terrible memory), we have to deal with the concept that they genuinely thought kids ONLY wanted Tommy as Green. Or they planned to do season two as a straight up Dairanger hack, except once again- they only cast for a White Ranger in 1993, apparently. That denotes "Kibaranger with Zyuranger team." That still makes no sense, unless we see Zyu3 as part of Zyu2 they opted not to purchase.

[Dragon Caesar]

Whenever this idea comes up for discussion, I remember seeing zord plans of redesigned Dinozords and White Tiger Thunderzord some years ago. Would anyone have knowledge or pics of these?

[Quark]

Whenever this idea comes up for discussion, I remember seeing zord plans of redesigned Dinozords and White Tiger Thunderzord some years ago. Would anyone have knowledge or pics of these?

Bask in it's magnificent glow. (http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8961/thundermegazordconcepty.jpg)

[rangerfan998]

Bask in it's magnificent glow. (http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8961/thundermegazordconcepty.jpg)

I never tire of seeing these...

[Razor]

I never tire of seeing these...

(Me either) Then gaze on >>THESE (http://alphabetho.multiply.com/photos/album/7#)<<

[SirStack]

Here's the thing. They shot the Cybertron pilot in November 93. MMPR was on hiatus then until December. They had to have known Green was going to be in the Zyu2 stuff. So it looks like JDF was shooting Cybertron, already knowing he was coming back as Tommy, but that when they finished shooting the Zyu2 eps, he'd go do Cybertron and that'd be it. But this is all intentions before Christmas 93, when PR blew up gigantically. The ratings for the show when Tommy came back were obviously big, but they must have been big enough to realize that if Tommy left then, it'd kill the series, if not damage it heavily. Probably as much as replacing three cast members at once! Heheh. Oh, wait...

It seems like more of a tactic of selling Cybertron to stations. Look! It's Tommy! The one your kids actually clamour for! In a new show! Then the stations buy the show, only to have him not be on it. Probably not that devious, but you know Saban.

Still doesn't answer the question of what they were going to do for season 2. It seems they thought they were going to use all the Zyu2 eps before season 1 ended, then use Zyu3 or Dai for season 2. Even then, White wouldn't be on the show until a certain period had passed. Why cast him so far in advance? There's no way in hell they changed their minds at last minute. Not on something that big. So many questions, so few answers.

[Lonewolf92]

Still doesn't answer the question of what they were going to do for season 2. It seems they thought they were going to use all the Zyu2 eps before season 1 ended, then use Zyu3 or Dai for season 2. Even then, White wouldn't be on the show until a certain period had passed. Why cast him so far in advance? There's no way in hell they changed their minds at last minute. Not on something that big. So many questions, so few answers.

So zyu2 was just meant as a way for season 1 to last longer (instead of just the 44 episode of actual zyuranger footage used) that ended up overlapping into season 2?

[Churly]

White was going to be in Zyu3. That's why we've got the Dino Megatigerzord.

That never made much sense to me though, why give us 5 remodeled Dino Zords for the presumed Dairanger Won Tiger when they could have given us a remodeled Dragonzord and 5 entirely new toys from Dairanger?


So zyu2 was just meant as a way for season 1 to last longer (instead of just the 44 episode of actual zyuranger footage used) that ended up overlapping into season 2?

That's why Dino Megazord & Dragonzord were behind the smoke battling Pirantis & Co.

[Digifiend]

Dragonzord didn't need hiding, only Megazord did.
It seems like more of a tactic of selling Cybertron to stations. Look! It's Tommy! The one your kids actually clamour for! In a new show! Then the stations buy the show, only to have him not be on it. Probably not that devious, but you know Saban.Wouldn't put that past him, I mean, this is the guy who apparently told Disney PR would end up on The Hub, when he already had the Nickelodeon contract signed and sealed. Conning Disney for a lower price it would seem.

[mnikolic]

Yup. Threads like this one are my favorite!!! :D

So they were going to give us a remodeled Dinozords rather then the "upgraded" Dinozords, thunder-powered? That would've been interesting to see, even more interesting than seeing the Rangers convert/upgrade their respective Dinozords into the Thunderzord in EVERY EPISODE OF SEASON 2!

[Digifiend]

Would've avoided that dreadful toy-based transformation sequence, lol. It was fine when they went to Dairanger footage, but the toy-based transition footage was awful. Same goes for the season 3 Ultrazords.

[Jiemusu]

I didn't mind the tackiness of the Thunderzord summoning sequence, MMPR was known for it's charismatic cheesiness. It was tacky, that's why we loved it.

MY tiff was that they used the SAME poses for it each time for the core rangers, it was literally just recycled, it seemed pointless.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, Green With Evil's roll call poses. At least they redid the poses for the final usage of the sequence, in Ninja Quest part 1.

[Churly]

Dragonzord didn't need hiding, only Megazord did.

Dragonzord was still a victim of the S2 Zyu2 genocides. He was cut out of the Robogoat Zord fight and was cut out of the Bloom of Doom Zord fight when it still had it in the script.

He was also likely in the Flytrap & Guitardo Zord fights as well.

[Digifiend]

Bloom of Doom? Wasn't the entire zord fight left on the cutting room floor?

[Churly]

The Zord fight appeared in one of the scripts Stack acquired at the first Morphicon.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, but it wasn't used in the final version of the episode, so Dragonzord being cut there is irrelevant.

[rangerfan998]

Yeah, Green With Evil's roll call poses. At least they redid the poses for the final usage of the sequence, in Ninja Quest part 1.

They redid them twice. Once for "A Friend In Need, Part 3" and once for "Ninja Quest, Part 1".

But yeah that sequence was way over-played....

[PRangerX]

JDF said Brad was the White Ranger and he (JDF) was working on VR Troopers. So (paraphrasing JDF) "they just swapped places on the saban lot"

I know that. I was refering to how Jesse and Chris questioned it before. But since my last post Chris has clarified and Jesse chimed in.

[Lonewolf92]

Wasn't he (Tommy) also originally suppose to be named Rocky and didn't at one point they considered killing him off to mirror Zyuranger but Fox censors said No?

[Jiemusu]

Wasn't he (Tommy) also originally suppose to be named Rocky and didn't at one point they considered killing him off to mirror Zyuranger but Fox censors said No?

As far as I recall, Rocky (as in the literal character that we see when he joins, greased haired latino) was the actual original prototype for the green ranger. It wasn't just Tommy being called Rocky, it WAS Rocky as we knew it.

[Lonewolf92]

As far as I recall, Rocky (as in the literal character that we see when he joins, greased haired latino) was the actual original prototype for the green ranger. It wasn't just Tommy being called Rocky, it WAS Rocky as we knew it.

So they liked the characterization for "Rocky" so much they decided to reuse him for their replacement Red Ranger,?

[Jiemusu]

I couldn't say. To me, it seems that they DIDN'T like the characterization, hence why they changed it... but then went along with it for one of the MMPR2 replacements, because it was a catagorization they already had (debatably already written for).

[Lonewolf92]

Good point. Do you know anything about if they considered killing Tommy off in Green Candle or not? I heard the rumor from this site:http://www.powerrangersonline.org/behindthescenes/mmpr1.html (http://www.powerrangersonline.org/behindthescenes/mmpr1.html)

[Jiemusu]

Curiously enough, I do remember that being said. I thought about it for a while, but then I remembered most of MMPR1's mentality was to take what made Zyuranger good, bastardize it to try and be all different, and not explain certain things that actualy made things in Zyuranger more logical and impacting. The target audience is alot different too. They probably thought about it in the planning stage, but I doubt they'd ever have actually carried it out. Much kid-friendlier, and story-watering down, to just have the powers fade, and for Tommy to go on a vacation.

[SirStack]

Good point. Do you know anything about if they considered killing Tommy off in Green Candle or not? I heard the rumor from this site:http://www.powerrangersonline.org/behindthescenes/mmpr1.html (http://www.powerrangersonline.org/behindthescenes/mmpr1.html)

I've posted the earliest possible script for Green Candle 2, "Green Means Go, Part 2". It's nowhere in there. I doubt they ever considered it.

[Cmdr Crayfish]

Paulie mentioned back on the old Orb site they considered doing it, Jesse. He'd talked to Tony about it at the time. They just never took it beyond the writer's room.

[Lonewolf92]

Paulie mentioned back on the old Orb site they considered doing it, Jesse. He'd talked to Tony about it at the time. They just never took it beyond the writer's room.

I'd imagine the show would have been cancelled after season 1 if they had went through with it

[Digifiend]

It wouldn't have passed muster with the Fox censors, I reckon.