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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers -- Frequently Asked Questions

Version 2.00 -- Release 1.1

The original Power Rangers F.A.Q. document can be obtained from Terri Ann C. Guingab - tguingab@vms1.gmu.edu.

This document is Copyright © 1995 Artist Bros. Enterprises and may not be repackaged, edited, released, distributed, or used for profit without consent of Dairenn Lombard. This includes, but is not limited to: CD-ROMs, magazines, books, newspapers, or television broadcasts. Free distribution is encouraged provided the document is unabridged, unmodified, and unaltered. This Copyright does not extend to, and is not intended to infringe upon, the characters, names, and related indica of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers®" which remains Copyright © 1993-1995 Saban Entertainment, Inc. & Saban International, N.V.; the authors of that motion-picture for the purposes of the Berne Convention. The information in this document has been checked where appropriate, and is considered as accurate as possible. However, nobody's perfect. As such, Artist Bros. Enterprises takes no responsibility for incorrect or inaccurate information beyond correcting the error in the next version of this FAQ.

5.0 The Origin of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Haim Saban (Producer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saban Entertainment) spent part of his childhood in Egypt where at the age of 22, he began his career in Israel as a music promoter and manager. In 1973, the Yom Kippur War forced him to move to France where Saban Records, a successful producer of television music soundtrack recordings, was founded. In 1980, Saban relocated to Burbank, California where Saban Entertainment was created. During which, in the last 15 years, has become a major force in the creation, production, distribution, aquisition and licensing of all forms of music, television programs and feature films for the worldwide entertainment marketplace.

In 1986, Saban was traveling in Japan and saw a series of live-action television programs called sentai. Sentai is japanese for task-force (or battle team) and for the most part describes a particular genre of television programs that usually involves a team of different colored, spandex-clad, helmet wearing, karate fighting heroes whom have their own larger fighting machines to defeat monsters originating from an evil alien force. Unlike with Power Rangers, live-action sentai is a serial with special effects that has an end by the fiftieth or so episode, then another series with an entirely different plot (and television name) replaces it.

The japanese sentai production filmed in 1987, but broadcasted in 1992, that was determined to become America's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" was KYORYUU SENTAI ZYURANGER [which, translated to english, means: Dinosaur Task-Force/Battle Team Beast Ranger] produced by TOEI Inc. in which five Japanese young adults, Geki (Tyrannoranger), Goshi (Mammothranger), Dan (Triceraranger), Boi (Sabertigerranger), Mei (Pteryoranger) were released from suspended animation to combat a villainess named Bandra who was dubbed as Rita in "Power Rangers."

Due to the fact that sentai is largely, yet unexplicably, disliked by America, Saban realized an immediate opportunity to import the concept because since the helmets and suits cover their faces and bodies (read, skin color), it would be simple and inexpensive to hire likeable, no-name, inexperienced, non-union actors and actresses to pose as teenagers and dub their voices over the footage and reduce expenses.

Saban spent eight years attempting to sell his project to the networks with children's programs and syndicators before Margaret Loesch (president of the Fox Kids Network) bought Saban's idea in 1993.

Now, it has become Fox's most profitable Fox Kids program in their line-up ever with billions in merchandising and worldwide popularity. However, Saban has been recognizing the complaints most parents have been putting forth and has toned down the violence by eliminating almost 95% of all Zyuranger footage from Power Rangers and restricting all action scenes to the Zords which, as per the second season, have come from the 1993-94 sentai program: GO SEI SENTAI DAIRANGER (Japanese for "Five Star Battle-Team/Task-Force Great Ranger"). It is assumed that in 1996, "Power Rangers'" third season will use the Zord footage from NINJA SENTAI KAKURANGER (Ninja Task-Force Hiding Ranger). Now, most stunts are done by the U.S. stunt actors posing as the Power Rangers, and the scenes usually lack explosions or anything that would be considered ``too violent.''

The interesting fact is that since the "Doomsday" two-part episode features scenes from the ZYURANGER series finale, Saban contracted Toei to film action scenes for Power Rangers but did not in actuality come from ZYURANGER. Most all monsters that follow that episode until the second season episode "Orchestral Manuevers in the Park" were created after the ZYURANGER series had concluded. Proof of this is that footage from "Doomsday" comes from the finale of ZYURANGER.

5.2 Shuki Levy

Born and raised in Israel, Levy spent seven years as a French television star, a composer of themes for more than a doezen feature films and television movies and some 130 television programs, a singer and songwriter with more than fourteen million records sold wordwide, garnered the "Best Composer" Award at the 1974 Yamaha International Song Festival and a recipient of 15 Gold and Platinum records.

In 1980, Shuki Levy became partners with Haim Saban and is currently completing a musical opera based on the story of Masada; chronicling the Roman Siege of heaquarters of a group of Jewish freedom fighters in the first century.

5.3 Sentai Japanese Television Series

Sentai is Japanese for task force or battle team. The formula involves an evil group of aliens, monsters or demons who wish to conquer Earth. A team of teenagers or young adults are empowered to fight them. Usually dressed in full-body, athletic spandex jumpsuits, belts, boots, gloves and an identifying helmet, they combat the monster of the day until the evil side magically transform them to the size of high-rise buildings. The good-guys page their fighting robots which usually meld into one gigantic robot with one secret weapon that is always able to destroy the monster used at the very end of a battle.

The reason that the footage between the rest of Power Rangers differs so greatly from the action scenes is because Saban records Power Rangers to videotape and Toei created the sentai series on Film. Therefore, a marked difference in film quality.

The following sentai television programs have been produced by TOEI Inc.: 

                                                                            No.
                                                                            of
TITLE                                         Translation to English  YEAR  Eps
--------------------------------------------------------------------  ----  --
*HIMITSU SENTAI GORANGER  (Secret Task-Force FiveRanger)              1975  84
BATTLE FEVER J                                                        1979  52
DENSHI SENTAI DENJIMAN  (Electron Task-Force Electromagnetic Men)     1980  51
TAIYO SENTAI SUN VULCAN  (Solar Task-Force Sun Vulcan)                1981  50
DAI SENTAI GOGGLE V  (Great Task-Force Five)                          1982  50
KAGAKU SENTAI DYNAMAN  (Science Task-Force Dynaman)                   1983  51
  [Used in USA's Dynaman]
CHO REI SHI SENTAI BIOMAN  (Super Electron Bioman)                    1984  51
DENKI SENTAI CHANGEMAN  (Lightning Task-Force Changeman)              1985  55
CHO SHIN SEI SENTAI FLASHMAN  (Super Nova Star Flash Man)             1986  50
   [1st w/Dual Robots]
HIKARI SENTAI MASKMAN  (Light Task-Force Maskman)                     1987  51
CHO ZYUU LIVEMAN  (Super Beast Task-Force Liveman)                    1988  49
  [1st w/Combination Robot]
KOSUKU SENTAI TURBORANGER  (High Speed Task-Force TurboRanger)        1989  51
CHIKYUU SENTAI FIVEMAN  (Earth Task-Force Fiveman)                    1990  48
CHO JIN SENTAI JETMAN  (Birdman Task-Force Jetman)                    1991  51
KYORYUU SENTAI ZYURANGER  (Dinosaur Task-Force Beast Ranger)          1992  50
  [Used in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]
GO SEI SENTAI DAIRANGER  (Five Star Task-Force Great Ranger)          1993  50
  [Used by Saban for ThunderZord Footage]
NINJA SENTAI KAKURANGER  (Ninja Task-Force Hiding Ranger)             1994  53
  [Used by Saban for NinjaZord Footage]
CHO RIKI SENTAI OHRANGER  (Super Power Task-Force King Ranger)        1995  ?
  [To be used by Saban for "Power Rangers Zeo" series]

NOTE: "Battlefever J" is technically the first original Super Sentai
      program to be produced by Toei, Inc. (according to Billy Teo) and that
      Goranger were labeled together recently by Toei to commemorate the 20th
      Anniversary of the Great Sentai Series.
Other shows that have been dubbed in english but are not sentai is as follows: 
TITLE                                               YEAR    # OF EPISODES
--------------------------------------------------  ----    --
SHAIDER                  [Used in "V.R. Troopers"]  1984    48
JIKUU SENSHI SPEILBAN    [Used in "V.R. Troopers"]  1986    44
CHOUJINKI METTARUDAR    [Once Used in VR Troopers]  1987    39
DEN KO CHO JIN GRIDMAN      ["SuperHuman Samurai"]  1993    39
KAMEN RIDER               [Used in "Masked Rider"]  1988    47
Jikuu Senshi Speilban means "Space Warrior Spilvan" in Japanese. Also, Choujinki Mettarudar translates to "Hyperoid Metalder" in english. For more information, see section 11.5.
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``Frequently Asked Questions'' HTML document for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This FAQ is independent of the original Power Rangers text F.A.Q. Copyright © 1995 Artist Bros.

Dairenn Lombard 1-2351@tnet.bluethun.com
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