Power Rangers RPM

Power Rangers RPM is the seventeenth installment in the American children's television series Power Rangers.^[3] As with all previous Power Rangers series, RPM uses footage, costumes, and other props from the Super Sentai Series, in this case, from Engine Sentai Go-onger. With the re-branding of Jetix to Disney XD, all Power Rangers shows were dropped from the channel in the United States and RPM was only broadcast during the ABC Kids block on ABC stations. It was also the last original Power Rangers series produced by Disney before the franchise was re-acquired by Haim Saban and his company Saban Capital Group. RPM has a darker, much more mature tone in comparison to some past seasons of Power Rangers.

Story

An AI computer virus called Venjix takes over all of the Earth's computers, rendering all communication useless while creating an army of robot droids to try to destroy virtually every city in the world. Humanity's last known safe and stable city became the domed metropolis 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, Doctor K's RPM Power Rangers fight Venjix's forces to protect Corinth from being destroyed.

The Power Rangers Samurai two-part episode Clash of the Red Rangers, a cross-over with RPM, establishes that RPM is set in a different dimension than the other seasons of the Power Rangers franchise.

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 or Racing Performance Machines 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 broadcasting in early 2010 instead.

However, in mid-2010, Haim Saban's Saban Brands bought the Power Rangers franchise back from Disney^[13] and production was restarted during that year for a 2011 series.^[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 first 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 Red Ranger. As the confident, 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 Ziggy and Dillon being added to the 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. He never even thought that he would get to be a Power Ranger some day. 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 Doctor K as the Blue Ranger. 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 her home 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 Yellow Ranger, while making a deal with her parents to be given space in return for an eventual marriage. She convinced Dillon to join the team later on. 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 in the desert and returns with him to Corinth. He eventually joins the team as an assistant to Doctor K. He later becomes the Ranger Operator Series Green (The Green Ranger) 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 the following year after Corinth's battle trying to reach Corinth until he ran into Ziggy trying to hijack his car, the latter who then subsequently helped him get into city before being saved by the three Power Rangers. They were initially surprised to find out that there were Power Rangers in Corinth. 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 (The Black Ranger). The only clues to his past are a musical pocket watch 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 other 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 organization, where they met Doctor K and eventually became her first friends. When the Alphabet Soup think tank attempted to assassinate Doctor 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 Doctor 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 in the desert. After helping the core Rangers out and taking them back to Corinth, the twins reveal themselves to Doctor K, to her delight; as a result, K began to be more emotionally open. Gem's operation number is seven, and Gemma's is eight. Gem is portrayed by Mike Ginn and Gemma is portrayed by Li Ming Hu.

Allies

• Doctor 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 teenage girl. 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." It's also repeatedly hinted that, despite how she acts towards him, she does care more for him than she does the others, even making his name her password for her computer. 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, Doctor 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 children's school with Ziggy. Doctor 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 Doctor K. This attitude changes as soon as Doctor K reveals that hybrid humans created by Venjix are within Corinth, making him realize that they would not be in their present situation if they had taken a more proactive approach to the war. 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 Doctor K's equipment. At the end of the season it was revealed that he was a hybrid infected with Venjix technology. His name is a reference to Michael Biehn's character in the 1986 film Aliens. Portrayed by Damien Avery.
• Vasquez: A female officer working with Colonel Truman. She assisted Dr. K, Summer and Gemma when all of the men were knocked out in the city. At the end of the season it was revealed that she was a hybrid infected with Venjix technology. Her name is a reference to Jenette Goldstein's character in the 1986 film Aliens. Portrayed by Mia Koning.
• Benny: A friend of Ziggy's from his Scorpion Cartel days, who helped smuggle him out of the city and later set the record straight about why Ziggy vanished. Portrayed by Murray Keane.
• Samurai Power Rangers Scott teams up with the 6 Samurai Rangers in "Clash of the Red Rangers."

Villains

The villains of RPM are led 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 Doctor 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 Doctor K. The assassination attempt was thwarted when Gem and Gemma knocked the facility staffers out. It's unknown what their objective was before Venjix was released, why they took Doctor 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:^[15] 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.
• Burst Attacks: Each Ranger (except for Gold and Silver) has the ability to manipulate electrons in their personal biosphere to bend space-time in unique ways, letting them perform powerful attacks.
  • Burst Attack: Ranger Red can accelerate 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 Doctor 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

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 Engine Cells into their respective Zords in order to power them up and enlarge them.

Episodes

References

External links

• Power Rangers RPM at the Internet Movie Database
• Power Rangers RPM at TV.com