The Power Trip: A Journey Through the Power Rangers Franchise

Michael and Nathan come to what some call the end of the Saban Era (which they don’t) or the start of the Disney Era (which they do) of Power Rangers: Power Rangers Wild Force. This transitional season is an odd hodgepodge of both Saban and Disney sensibilities. To say it’s uneven would be an understatement. On one hand, it’s compelling and dark when the villain Zen-Aku is on screen, but it’s also heavy-handed and saccharine when Kite/Animus is the focus...

Nathan and Michael have reached the end of an era—the Saban Era, that is! Join them as they rank the first entries in the Power Rangers franchise from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to Time Force (including the two movies) in a pair of epic top ten lists. Both hosts surprised each other all the way up to their respective number ones...

Make time for…Time Force! You’re gonna need some quantum power to listen to this. Longest. Episode. EVER!!! But it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Michael and Nathan would dive deep into the final Saban Era season that was so dark and grown-up, it really aired in primetime before The X-Files. This season has everything: time travel, robots, and mutants. It’s at once embedded in its time while also timeless (see what I did there?)...

Nathan and Michael get to the neglected middle child of the post-Zordon Saban Era: Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. It’s underrated and underappreciated because it’s sandwiched between two popular and excellent seasons. While it has its faults—it tries and fails to recapture the magic of “Green with Evil,” it crams in too many plotlines, and the villainous Vypra is prettier than she is talented—it also has some good characters, an original Ranger, and a solid finale...

For this special bonus episode, Michael and Nate discuss Nate's "power trip" to Indianapolis for Indiana Comic-Con over the weekend. Nate talks about his experience meeting 4 Power Rangers, including the original Green Ranger, and Michael's personal G.O.A.T, Jason David Frank! It was a fun, laid-back discussion about a really great weekend.

Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy marks a crossroads for the franchise—and for Michael! This was the season where Saban Entertainment fully embraced the Super Sentai model with new characters and a new team every year. Even so, this is sometimes grandfathered into the Zordon Era because it does carry over a few things from the previous season, like Alpha-5 and the Astro Mega Ship. But this is also where Michael’s nostalgia for Power Rangers ends (so hopefully he gets more objective after this)...

The rumors of a three-hour PowerPoint (ba-dum-tsh) presentation were untrue—it’s 2.5 hours. Like Nathan said in the previous episode, Power Rangers Turbo broke the franchise’s leg so Power Rangers In Space could put it in a splint, run, and then break the splint while sprinting. In fact, the franchise flies higher than ever before—and it inspires the “professor” side of Nathan to come out and educate Michael...

If Nathan was a Power Ranger monster-of-the-week, his name would be “Rant Master.” Michael gets earfuls of it this week when they discuss the infamous double whammy of Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie and Power Rangers Turbo. Michael tries to counter Nathan…by raving about Divatox’s corset...

Here’s a special “Lightning Round” for you today, Listeners with Attitude! Michael and Nathan are joined by Karl Dutton, the founder of Scyther Audio Drama Podcasts, which includes Power Rangers: The Audio Drama. Yes, after referencing it in nearly every episode of The Power Trip so far, its creator graces your hosts with his presence...

Michael and Nathan get to the first season that was radically different in more ways than one: Power Rangers Zeo. Saban took one step closer to embracing the Super Sentai formula by changing costumes, Zords, and villains! It was a paradigm shift that felt like an earthquake, but in the end, the franchise was STRONGER THAN BEFORE. With Tanya joining the team and Machine Empire usurping the Moon Crew’s claim on Earth, this season is all about displacement, both for the characters and the audience...