From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Power Rangers: RPM is the seventeenth
and as of 2009, the final entry in the long-running Power Rangers
series of American children's television.[3] As with
all previous Power Rangers series, RPM uses footage,
costumes, and other props from the Super Sentai Series Engine Sentai Go-onger.
With the rebranding of Jetix to
Disney XD, all Power
Rangers shows were dropped from the channel and RPM is
only broadcast during the ABC Kids block on ABC stations.
Story
Three years prior to the series' beginning, an AI computer virus called Venjix took over
all of the Earth's computers, rendering all communication useless
while creating an army of robot droids to destroy everything.
Humanity's last safehaven became the domed city of Corinth.
Surrounded by Venjix's forces and a force field, it is nearly impossible to
enter without luck or firepower. When the force field is lowered to
allow surviving humans into the sanctuary, Dr. K's RPM Power
Rangers fight Venjix's forces to protect Corinth from being
destroyed.
Production
Australian actor Eka Darville, who previously starred in
series three of Blue Water High, was reported to
have a role in September 2008 in what was then unknown as
RPM which began production in September 2008 in New Zealand.[4][5] He is
still cast as the Red Ranger, Scott Truman. Heidi Kathy Bradhurt
had been cast as an extra,[6]
but her profile initially listed her as the Yellow Ranger, named
"Kayla", whose name and actress has since been changed to "Summer"
played by Rose
McIver. Daniel Ewing had been reported in
November 2008 to be playing a major character named "Dillon",
revealed to be the Black Ranger.[7] Other
cast members include Murray Keane in the role of "Benny"[8],
Charlie McDermott voicing "General Crunch"[9], and Jason Hoyte as a guest
role named "Mr. McAllistair".[10]
An article of The New Zealand Herald
reported that Power Rangers: RPM is the last season of the
Power Rangers run. Production manager Sally Campbell
stated in an interview "...at this stage we will not be shooting
another season".[11] A
September 1, 2009, revision to Disney A to Z: The Official
Encyclopedia by Disney's head archivist Dave
Smith states that production of new episodes of Power
Rangers ceased in 2009.[12] A re-version of Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers began broadcast on ABC Kids on January 2, 2010.[13][14]
Characters
The Power Rangers
(Ranger Operators)
- Scott
Truman
- A year prior to the present day, Scott and his older brother
Marcus, codenamed Eagle 2 and Eagle 1 respectively, were pilots in
the Air Force's Eagle Squadron; Scott found himself often in his
brother's shadow, as his father, Colonel Mason Truman, was both
overprotective of Scott and put more faith in the older son. Both
brothers fought in the original battle against Venjix's forces to
secure Corinth, where Marcus was killed when his fighter jet was
shot down. Scott was chosen to be the Ranger Operator Series Red
(Ranger Red). As the cocky, stubborn, and strong-headed leader of
the RPM team, Scott is somewhat abrasive to many at first and
admitted that he was at first unimpressed with the likes of Dillon
and Ziggy being added to the Ranger team. Scott's operation number
is one. Scott is portrayed by Eka Darville.
- Flynn
McAllistair
- A laid back Scottish
mechanic with a useful basic knowledge of technological devices.
Flynn grew up on comics and always wished to be able to help people
just like the superheroes he admired. Unfortunately it was due to
his will to help people that he constantly suffered and lost jobs
as a result of his naivety towards such responsibilities. During
the battle for Corinth, he single-handedly risked his life to go
back out of the city and bring a busload of refugees in,
finally impressing his father, who used to scoff at and look down
upon his son's desire to be a hero. He was later chosen by Dr. K as
Ranger Operator Series Blue (Ranger Blue). Flynn's operation number
is two. Flynn is portrayed by Ari Boyland.
- Summer
Landsdown
- Summer was a rich and spoiled heiress, with constantly absent
parents; when Venjix forces attacked on her birthday, she was
abandoned by her friends and long-suffering staff during the
evacuation. She abandoned her selfish personality when her butler,
Andrews, who saved her during the frantic race towards Corinth, was
killed protecting her. She later performed amateur medevac
operations in the battle for Corinth, rescuing the downed Scott
after he ejected from his ruined jet. She was chosen to be the
Ranger Operator Series Yellow (Ranger Yellow), while making a deal
with her parents to be given space in return for an eventual
marriage. She convinced Dillon to join the team. Summer's operation
number is three. Summer is portrayed by Rose McIver.
- Ziggy
Grover
- Ziggy was a former (and incompetent) member of Fresno Bob's
criminal Scorpion Cartel, but angered all the cartels in an act of
kindness. It was due to this that he was forced to flee the city.
During his first appearance, he befriends Dillon and returns with
him to Corinth. He eventually joins the team as an assistant. He
later becomes the Ranger Operator Series Green (Ranger Green) when
bonding with the Green Rev Morpher became the only option to
protect the powers from falling into Tenaya 7's possession.
Everyone except Dillon initially had trouble accepting Ziggy
becoming the Green Ranger. He is simple-minded and slightly
cowardly, and reluctant to be a Ranger. However he later took his
duties more seriously, attempting to do his best during missions as
opposed to hiding, which he did in his first battle. Ziggy's
operation number is four. Ziggy is portrayed by Milo
Cawthorne.
- Dillon
- Dillon has no memory of his past, nor has any knowledge of why
his body is riddled with Venjix technology that boosts his physical
capabilities, and only knows that he has a long lost sister. He
spent a year trying to reach Corinth until he ran into Ziggy trying
to hijack his car, the latter who then subsequently helped him get
into city. A terse loner, he outwardly is unconcerned with others,
but has defended Ziggy and Summer, who convinced him to join the
RPM team as the Ranger Operator Series Black (Ranger Black). The
only clues to his past are a musical pocketwatch that he seems to
have some emotional attachment to, and several mysterious recurring
dreams. He later found out that his sister is Tenaya 7. He's a
superhuman hybrid. Dillon's operation number is five. Dillon is
portrayed by Daniel Ewing.
- Gem and
Gemma
- Gem and Gemma are fraternal twins who complete each other's
sentences. They have incredibly hyperactive, childlike
personalities, to the annoyance of the Rangers. Colonel Truman is
also put off by their reckless and offensive approach to battle in
contrast to his defensive tactics. They were raised to be test
pilots of the Ranger Operator Suits in Alphabet Soup, where they
met Dr. K and eventually became her first friends. When the
Alphabet Soup think tank attempted to assassinate Dr. K, they
arrived to rescue her, then helped her escape. They stayed in the
building, attempting to get the classified Ranger Gold and Ranger
Silver morphers, where an explosion seemingly killed them in front
of Dr. K, but they survived, with Gem becoming Ranger Operator
Series Gold and Gemma becoming Ranger Operator Series Silver, and
fought a guerilla war against Venjix. After helping the core
Rangers out and taking them back to Corinth, the twins reveal
themselves to Dr. K, to her delight; as a result, K began to be
more emotionally open. Gemma and Gem's operation numbers are seven
and eight, respectively. Gem is portrayed by Mike Ginn and Gemma is
portrayed by Li Ming
Hu.
Allies
- Dr. K: The Rangers' mentor who created their
technology and also the Venjix technology; she is extremely
sensitive about the Ranger suits, and gets hostile if someone calls
them or even refers to the suits as spandex. She is a genius and also musically inclined, using the violin and keyboard when working
and even using them in conjunction with some of her equipment.
Although her identity was initially obscured by her speaking
through a computer screen and distorting her voice (the Rangers
referred to K as "he"), the Rangers later learned that she is
actually a young woman. It is revealed throughout the series that
she was the creator of the Venjix virus when she was abducted by
the "Alphabet Soup" government think tank. As a result of her
upbringing, she no longer knows her own name ("K" is her government
code name), rarely ever leaves her base of operations, is socially
inept (as demonstrated by her bluntness with others), and initially
only refers to the Rangers by their colors instead of their given
names. After the arrival of Gem and Gemma, she becomes more
emotionally open, tries a more encouraging approach with her
methods, and has begun to occasionally refer to each Ranger by name
- with the exception of Ziggy, much to his chagrin. However, she
does still apparently think better of him, as she stated, "The five
of you are the only family I've ever known. I love you all." While
she is by no means a physical fighter, she can defend herself with
her weapons and wits, as well as an enhanced violin. Despite her phlegmatic demeanor, Dr. K has shown an
affinity for cute things, as seen by her Zord designs, puppy
slippers and pajamas. Ziggy
has also stated that she has a sweet tooth, which contrasts from
her rather sour personality. After the war, she plans to open a
childrens school with Ziggy, who she appears to be in a
relationship with now. Dr. K is portrayed by Olivia Tennet.
- Colonel Mason Truman: Scott's father and the
leader of Corinth's defense forces. Truman's relationship with his
son is a strained one, as he seemingly favored his late son,
Marcus, over Scott. Even after Scott's recruitment as Ranger Red,
Truman is still overprotective of him. Although he does not express
it openly, Truman is proud of Scott's accomplishments. Colonel
Truman's primary strategy
in the war against Venjix is a simple defensive one: staying behind
the domed shielding while the Rangers as well as his forces take
out any Venjix attackbots (Grinders) that breach the shields.
Because of this, he often disapproves of any plans requiring going
outside the dome, especially if it involves dropping the shields
for any reason. However, he does give in under certain
circumstances, such as acknowledging Scott's stubbornness or being
threatened with a laxative
that is ten times worse than the effects of dysentery by Dr. K. This attitude changes as
soon as Dr. K reveals that hybrid humans created by Venjix are
within Corinth. With this in mind, he assembles his troops to
finish off Venjix but are stopped by the hybrids and meets Venjix
face to face where he is imprisoned along with the rest of Corinth.
He continues to lead his troops after the war and gives Scott the
leadership position in Eagle Squad. Portrayed by James Gaylyn.
- Corporal Hicks: Colonel Truman's aide-de-camp. While a
capable soldier, he is curious and can be a bit clumsy, and is
often seen absentmindedly fiddling with Dr. K's equipment. At the
end of the season it was revealed that he was a hybrid infected
with Venjix technology. Portrayed by Damien Avery.
- Vasquez: A female officer working with Colonel
Truman. At the end of the season it was revealed that she was a
hybrid infected with Venjix technology. Portrayed by Mia
Koning.
- Benny: A friend of Ziggy's from his Scorpion
Cartel days, who helped smuggle him out of the city. Portrayed by
Murray Keane.
Villains
Main article: Villains
in Power Rangers: RPM
The villains of RPM are lead by the sentient computer
virus Venjix, who uses his humanoid generals and Tenaya 7 to take
over the world and attack the city of Corinth.
Minor
villains
Other villains besides Venjix.
- The Cartels: Five criminal organizations
(The Scorpion Cartel; Roland's Blue Crew; Spike, Mike, and the
Boys; The Southtown Sweettooths; and The Yo-Yo Brothers) that
control the Corinth underworld and who are not affiliated with
Venjix. On highly lucrative operations or against common problems
(such as Ziggy), they have been known to work together. The most
prominent is the Scorpion Cartel under Fresno Bob
(John
Sumner), who is known as a criminal to both the Rangers and
Colonel Truman, but manages to remain free. After being saved by
Ziggy, Fresno Bob decides to let Ziggy off the hook and call them
even.
- Alphabet Soup: A government think-tank, they
abducted Dr. K and other child prodigies such as Gem and Gemma to
work on secret, complex scientific projects, keeping the children
at their facility by making them believe they were ill and fatally
allergic to sunlight. They had both the Ranger Series technology
and the Venjix virus created, and when Venjix broke free, their
primary concern was to ensure nobody knew of their involvement with
the creation of the virus by ordering the death of Dr. K. The
assassination attempt was thwarted when Gem and Gemma knocked the
facility staffers out. It is as yet unknown what their objective
was before Venjix was released, why they took Dr. K in the first
place, or what became of them after the release of Venjix. Assorted
members of Alphabet Soup were voiced by Jim McLarty and Cassandra Woodhouse.
Arsenal
- Engine Cells: Power chips that plug into both
the Rangers' weapons to power them, and the Zords to enlarge
them.
- Cell Shift Morpher: A hand-held cell phone
device Rangers Red, Blue, and Yellow use to morph. They must also
insert a blue-decaled, silver Engine Cell that allows them to
morph. Their morphing call is "RPM, get in gear!"
- Rev Morpher: A wrist worn device modeled after
a gear shifter that Rangers Green and Black use to morph. They must
also insert a green-decaled silver Engine Cell that allows them to
morph. They have the same morphing call, "RPM, Get In Gear!"
- Sky Morpher: A gun-like morpher resembling an
aircraft handle that Rangers Gold and Silver use to morph. They
must also insert a red-decaled silver Engine Cell that allows them
to morph. It can also be used to form a weapon and becomes the
control for the Gold and Silver Zords. They have the same morphing
call, "RPM, Get In Gear!"
- Nitro Blasters: The Rangers' sidearms, powered
by Engine Cells. They also have a Nitro Sword
mode.
- Wheel Blasters: These are actually the wheels
that allow the Rangers to control their Zords. It is used with a
Cell Shift Morpher or a Rev Morpher inserted in the middle. It can
be separated in the cockpit of the Zenith or SkyRev Megazord or the
RPM Ultrazord and shifted into a blaster. By inserting a
checker-decaled, white Engine Cell, they can use the Zenith
Megazord, SkyRev Megazord, or the RPM Ultrazord's Final Attack. It
can also be removed from the Zords completely for use as a weapon
in field combat.
- Spacetime Manipulation: Each Ranger (except
for Gold and Silver) has the ability to manipulate electrons in
their personal biosphere to bend spacetime in unique ways, letting
them perform powerful attacks.
- Burst Attack: Ranger Red channels energy into
his own body for three seconds.
- Time Manipulation Burst: Ranger Blue is able
to freeze time for ten seconds.
- Energy Blast: Ranger Yellow can fire large
surges of energy.
- Teleportation: Ranger Green can teleport to
various distances for a limited number of times.
- Invincibility Shield: Ranger Black can produce
a shield that makes him impervious to almost all attacks for five
seconds.
- RPM Enforcer: A combination of the Road
Blaster and the Turbo Plasma Launcher. Powered by Engine Cells.
- Road Blaster: A combination of the Street
Saber, Turbo Cannon, and Zip Charger. Powered by Engine Cells.
- Street Saber: Ranger Red's personal
weapon.
- Turbo Cannon: Ranger Blue's personal
weapon.
- Zip Charger: Ranger Yellow's personal
weapon.
- Turbo Plasma Launcher: A combination of the
Turbo Axe and Rocket Blaster. Powered by Engine Cells.
- Turbo Axe: Ranger Green's personal
weapon.
- Rocket Blaster: Ranger Black's personal
weapon.
- Cloud Hatchet: The personal weapons of Rangers
Gold and Silver are daggers that resemble space shuttles, and each
have multiple attack modes, such as Light, Ice, Energy, and Jet.
- SkyShift Blazer: Rangers Gold and Silver can
each combine their Cloud Hatchet with their own Morphers to form
this weapon, which resembles a futuristic handgun. Powered by
Engine Cells. By using a checker-decaled, white Engine Cell inside
the SkyRev Megazord or the RPM Ultrazord, they can use that
Megazord's final attack.
- Project GO-ONGER: Also known as the
Ground Outdoor
Operational Network
General-Purpose Explorational
Rover, Project GO-ONGER is a multi-terrain attack
and surveillance vehicle which allows the Rangers to explore the
wasteland outside of Corinth. It holds communications equipment
allowing the Rangers to keep in contact with Dr. K, and is also
designed to allow the Rangers to use their arsenal well outside the
operational range of the dome, as their weapons and Zords typically
cannot be utilized unless the Rangers are inside or at least near
the city. It is the prized possession of Colonel Truman and was
manufactured at the Brighton Installation two miles beneath the
Nevada Desert. The vehicle was destroyed due to an Attack Bot known
as Dynabot. The vehicle's name comes directly from the Japanese
Super Sentai Series Go-onger, the series on
which RPM is based; it is also based on the Ginjiro from
Go-onger, the major transport for the main
characters.
- Rail Saber: A sword-like weapon which
resembles a railroad crossing gate that can be used by any of the
rangers. Powered by two Engine Cells instead of one making it more
powerful than the Nitro Sword.
- Rail Blaster: A combination of the Nitro
Blaster and the Rail Saber. Powered by three Engine Cells (one in
the Nitro Blaster and two in the Rail Saber)
Zord Attack
Vehicles
Main article: Zords in
Power Rangers: RPM
The Zords in RPM are
referred to within the series as the "Zord Attack Vehicles". Each
Zord Attack Vehicle is an animal-themed motor vehicle with large
optical sensors that the Rangers say resemble anime-style eyes. When summoned by the Rangers,
they must plug their appropriate Engine Cell into their respective
Zords in order to power them up and enlarge them.
Episodes
Main article: List of
Power Rangers: RPM episodes
| # |
Air date |
Episode Title |
| 1 |
2009-03-07 |
"The Road to Corinth" |
| 2 |
2009-03-07 |
"Fade to Black" |
| 3 |
2009-03-14 |
"Rain" |
| 4 |
2009-03-21 |
"Go for the Green" |
| 5 |
2009-03-28 |
"Handshake" |
| 6 |
2009-04-04 |
"Ranger Green" |
| 7 |
2009-04-11 |
"Ranger Red" |
| 8 |
2009-04-18 |
"Ranger Yellow Part 1" |
| 9 |
2009-04-25 |
"Ranger Yellow Part 2" |
| 10 |
2009-05-02 |
"Ranger Blue" |
| 11 |
2009-05-09 |
"Doctor K" |
| 12 |
2009-05-16 |
"Blitz" |
| 13 |
2009-05-23 |
"Brother's Keeper" |
| 14 |
2009-06-13 |
"Embodied" |
| 15 |
2009-06-20 |
"Ghosts" |
| 16 |
2009-07-04 |
"In or Out" |
| 17 |
2009-07-11 |
"Prisoners" |
| 18 |
2009-08-01 |
"Belly of the Beast" |
| 19 |
2009-08-08 |
"Three's a Crowd" |
| 20 |
2009-08-15 |
"Heroes Among Us" |
| 21 |
2009-08-22 |
"Not So Simple" |
| 22 |
2009-09-05 |
"The Dome Dolls" |
| 23 |
2009-09-12 |
"And... Action" |
| 24 |
2009-09-19 |
"Ancient History" |
| 25 |
2009-09-26 |
"Key to the Past" |
| 26 |
2009-09-26 |
"Beyond a Doubt" |
| 27 |
2009-10-03 |
"Control - Alt - Delete" |
| 28 |
2009-10-03 |
"Run Ziggy Run" |
| 29 |
2009-12-19 |
"If Venjix Won"[15] |
| 30 |
2009-12-19 |
"End Game"[15] |
| 31 |
2009-12-26 |
"Danger and Destiny, Part 1"[15] |
| 32 |
2009-12-26 |
"Danger and Destiny, Part 2"[15] |
References
External
links
| Power
Rangers |
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers:
The Movie • Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
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games:
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Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers • The Movie •
The Fighting Edition • Zeo: Battle
Racers • Lightspeed Rescue • Time
Force • Wild Force • Ninja
Storm • Dino Thunder •
S.P.D. • Super Legends
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