Day of the Dumpster

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“Day of the Dumpster”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episode

Opening Title Card
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1
Written by Tony Oliver
Shuki Levy
Directed by Adrian Carr
Production no. 101
Original airdate Saturday August 28, 1993
Episode chronology
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List of Power Rangers episodes

Day of the Dumpster is the first episode of the American television program Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and, as a result, the first episode of the Power Rangers franchise. It was initially broadcast on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Network, as part of the Fox Kids programming block, and was later released on VHS and lated DVD. As with all Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes, the vast majority of the scenes featuring the Rangers in costume and the Zords are taken from a Japanese tokusatsu series, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, the 16th entry of Super Sentai.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Two astronauts are exploring the moon and happen to come across a space dumpster. When they open it, witch Rita Repulsa and her minions Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster emerge from a 10,000-year captivity. Rita decides the time has come to conquer Earth and rebuilds her palace on the moon, from which she can launch her attacks.

In the city of Angel Grove, California, Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston, Trini Kwan, and Kimberly Hart are hanging out at Ernie’s Youth Center. The guys are working on karate, while the girls are practicing gymnastics. Farkus Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch, better known as Bulk and Skull, come to harass them but make fools of themselves.

The five teens are sitting down to some fruit shakes from Ernie’s Juice Bar when an earthquake begins. At that moment, in the Command Center, Zordon, the wise sage who battled Rita many millennia ago, tells his robotic assistant, Alpha 5, to bring him five teenagers to fight Rita.

The teens are teleported from the Juice Bar to the Command Center, where Zordon explains the situation and makes them the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, each with a powerful Dinozord. Jason, dubbed leader of the team, becomes the Red Ranger, with the power of the Tyrannosaurus; Zack is made the Black Ranger, with the Mastodon; Billy becomes the Blue Ranger, with the Triceratops; Trini is made the Yellow Ranger, with the Saber-Toothed Tiger; and Kimberly becomes the Pink Ranger, with the Pterodactyl. They are told that in times of distress, they can call on their Zords and combine them into the Megazord.

The teens don’t buy into it at first and leave the Command Center. At that moment, Rita sends a squad of her new Putty Patrollers to attack them. At first the Putties succeed, but the teens morph into the Power Rangers and beat the Putties. Then they are sent back to Angel Grove to fight more Putties, along with Rita’s most powerful warrior, Goldar.

The Rangers maintain the upper hand until Rita throws her magic scepter to Earth to make Goldar giant. The Rangers call on their Zords and combine them into the Megazord. Goldar has the upper hand on them at first, but when Jason calls on the Power Sword, Goldar, afraid of being destroyed, retreats to the safety of Rita’s palace, where the angry sorceress harshly reprimands him.

Back at the Command Center, the teens are finally convinced that they can save the world from Rita’s evil, and they agree to the following rules: (1) “Never use your power for personal gain”; (2) “Never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to do so”; (3) “Keep your identity secret.” Zordon promises that he will be there to advise them whenever they need it, and thus the first team of Power Rangers comes together to save the world.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Primary cast

[edit] Secondary cast

[edit] Pilot episode comparisons

[edit] Pilot episode

The original pilot episode was shown in a 1999 special titled “The Lost Episode,” which was hosted by Austin St. John and Walter Jones. It contained the same basic story as the released “Day of the Dumpster,” but with some differences.

  • Billy’s speech pattern was even more fragmented with complex words.
  • Billy had a different hair style and wore thick black glasses.
  • Kimberly has much longer hair and wears a black tank top and pink shorts.
  • Rangers teleported with a bending effect instead of a light-up effect.
  • Trini wasn’t Asian and was played by another actress (Audri DuBois). The character was also very different.
  • The Command Center was not as detailed as it was in the series.
  • The Rangers’ hangout was a bowling alley.
  • The Rangers’ morphers would open up during morph sequence.
  • The Rangers fought both Goldar and King Sphinx (who was known as Fly Guy), not just Goldar.
  • Some of Rita’s goons had different voices.
  • Alpha 5 was bulkier than the one in the series.
  • Zordon looked more solid than light.
  • Zordon’s original name was Zoltar.
  • When surrounded by Putties (unnamed in the pilot though), the teens screamed for help before morphing.
  • Power Morphers were known as Transmorphers in the pilot.
  • The Rangers called on their Zords differently.
  • None of the Rangers had surnames.
  • There were no Ernie or Skull characters.
  • During the morphing sequence you can see the Zyurangers in the background holding the glowing morphers.

[edit] Second Pilot

Tony Oliver, at Power Morphicon 2007, the first Power Rangers Convention, during final hours of the convention, showed the audience a second pilot never aired to the public. Tony revealed that they filmed the first episode three times. The first pilot was too violent for Saban so they re-did the episode. The second pilot had some similarities to the first but also some changes vital to the final product of the episode. The changes were as follows:

  • Ernie's Juice Bar is used as the rangers’ hangout instead of a bowling alley.
  • The scene opens with Jason and Trini side by side practicing martial art moves together.
  • Billy's conversation is changed and is talking with Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) first.
  • Zack enters with a skateboard instead of walking and greeting several people.
  • The beginning fight was made a little more humorous, but still violent, and Bulk was changed to the leader of the group of punks instead of a subordinate.
  • The late Thuy Trang was cast as Trini. Also Jason Narvy was cast as Skull and Richard Genelle as Ernie.

[edit] External links

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