A project by one of our writers. Would you give it a read?
Hey guys. For those who may not know me, I’m actually an (un)professional screenwriter. I put un in there because I work at around the same level as a professional but I’m very unemployed.
I also grew up with Power Rangers since I was a wee lil’ boy. Through all the hardships of early childhood, I had the Rangers there to get me through some stuff. So, I thought I might write a little something since we’re in the year of the 30th anniversary. This project is a culmination of all my love towards the franchise; All the tropes I like, as well as a little criticism (as a treat) for more recent stuff the brand has put out recently. But, with that being said,
What the hell is this even about?
Good question. So the basic plot is:
Ven is a Morphin’ Master in training. Though as the Machine Empire revives as the Neo Machine Empire, the Morphin’ Masters are all mind controlled and Ven gets ousted to a world without Power Rangers. There, using the Grid Gears the Masters gave him, he literally builds his own team and becomes the leader of the Machina Morphin’ Power Rangers!
On that note,
Who are the characters?
Ven is our protagonist/Goshikida Kaito’s rep, a.k.a. “Machina Kaiser!” Ven’s pretty knowledgeable and acts as one of the brains for the team. Despite his cheery attitude, he’s still hung up on the Masters’ mind control and kidnapping. They were like the only family he ever knew. Though he tries to power through as the leader of his team to stop the Empire and make his family proud.
Mighty is Zyuran’s rep, a.k.a. “Machina Red!” Mighty acts like a 90s kid, asking for parties and always wanting to have fun. Though that’s because he’s been locked up in Ven’s lab the longest. In truth, he just wants to interact with humans. Being couped up in a lab for most of his life, no one can blame him for some irrational behaviour.
Wilde is Gaon’s rep, a.k.a. “Machina Yellow!” Wilde loves the animals of the planet but has a disdain towards humans. Not a strong enough disdain to not protect them but he only truly fights for the animals of the planet. He recognizes that humans are the ones polluting the planet and takes time to hold back his reservations when interacting with humans because of that.
Filly is Magine’s rep, a.k.a. “Machina Pink!” Filly is an otaku. Since her creation, she’s been addicted to anime and constantly watches her favourite shows when not out protecting the public. She wants nothing more than to live out her fantasies as a magical girl but has to learn real life isn’t exactly like that.
Op is Vroon’s rep, a.k.a. “Machina Blue!” Op is the other brains of the team, though has less knowledge than Ven. Despite that, he wants to learn everything. He particularly starts to hate the Empire because he doesn’t want to become a soulless machine like the Borgs – the Neo Machine Empire’s mooks.
Channie is Secchan’s rep. He serves as a robotic bird assistant and security guard for Ven’s lab. Don’t worry, he can’t “bonk” you that hard.
Ms. Thompson is Yatsude’s rep, Ven’s professor and semi-mentor figure. She’s totally out of her element when it comes to Power Ranger stuff but tries to encourage Ven as the only parental figure in his life at this moment.
The Remnant is Boccowaus’ rep, the king of the Neo Machine Empire. Instead of being a wall, he has his own immaculate, shiny, silver body. He loves his body and almost loves the Empire just as much. He has this more immaculate design because he wants to look as regal looking as the royals of the original Machine Empire. He cites as wanting to “go back to the good ol’ days” as he puts it. Which is why he decides to hold some mercy for this Earth and sparks a rivalry between himself and the Rangers.
And now,
Why did I make these decisions?
Good question. Let me start with why I picked Zenkaiger. Zenkaiger I feel is a great season to adapt because it’s so different, yet can honor the past of Power Rangers very well. Some people might say “Well hey, it uses unadapted teams. It’s useless.” Well, with the amount of original footage PR has been using recently with Dino Fury (and by extension Cosmic Fury), you can cut said scenes out and modify the helmets/gears. Or just put in the bare minimum effort to explain the existence of said teams. If I remember correctly, a couple of the teams were shown off in the comics already. So yeah, just explain them like Gosei did. Maybe it was a simple explanation after all…
There’s also the question of how I got to the plot I got. There were several versions of the plot I drafted up in my mind as Zenkaiger was running. One had the NME conquering Earth and making people move to another planet, one about dimensional travel. Several drafts of the idea later, I got to this. It’s something that narratively satisfies me and naturally uses the lore of PR as a whole. I’m not an official one-stop-shop for lore in the PR universe, so I can’t even say anything, but I have some interesting fan theories. Nothing more than fan theories but they might be satisfying/interesting to some.
There’s also the fact that the Tojitendo translate really well as the revival of the Machine Empire. They feel a bit too goofy to be the revived Venjix’s forces. Plus, that really wouldn’t work well with Beast Morpher’s finale and everything. Though who knows, I might use Scrozzle as a treat. Then, there’s the Remnant and my choice to use Z’s monster suit from ToQger. My basic plan for him is that he starts out by using Z’s suit, which gives off this air of cockiness by itself. With how the suits from ToQger have been being used in anything other than a ToQger adaptation, I think it’s a perfect way to use a suit that would otherwise go unused. Just make slight modifications here and there to portray this man of metal who has an appreciation for a regal flourish, and boom. Later, he gets damaged in a fight so much that he’s repaired into the big wall we know as Boccowaus.
There’s also the names. There’s no real reason for Channie, Thompson and Ven. They just fit in my head. Though there’s a reason for the other Robots. Mighty, Wilde and Op are very obvious, their names are based off of the seasons they’re based off of. Filly is a kinda deep reference into Mystic Force. I didn’t want to name Filly something like “Misty” or “Mystique” because I didn’t want to confuse her with Mighty in the long run. Since the horses Catastros and Brightstar were important parts to the general plot of Mystic Force, I thought it might be a fun reference. And Filly, wouldn’t you know it, is another name given to young horses.
Where’s the script?
Right Here!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1595vK4UXMPaLsMz9YdyWh-IFOdHQ79eB/view?usp=share_link
This is just the first draft and I’ll likely be updating it + posting new episodes on my Twitter, seen below.
I don’t expect a lot to come out of this script, except a little traction here and there. I don’t even expect people to like the ideas I’ve presented or to even read the script at all. I most certainly am not going to go up to Hasbro and demand this be produced immediately. Though I’d love to hear any thoughts from anyone if you do end up reading the script. I’d also really like to thank our boss, Jez, who let me post this! I really do appreciate letting me use this as a platform to get my work out there.
