The Most Nostalgic Power Rangers Episode Broke The Fourth Wall And Brought The Show Full Circle

Power Rangers achieved an impressive 500-episode milestone in 2004, and it celebrated it with a nostalgic episode that essentially broke the fourth wall to honor the franchise’s history. Power Rangers began in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a localized version of a Super Sentai show called Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The idea of combining the action scenes of a Japanese show with American footage worked better than anyone could have expected, and Power Rangers soon became a worldwide phenomenon. While MMPR ended in 1995, the Power Rangers franchise would continue for decades to come.

Power Rangers turned 30 in 2023, a year that saw the release of Power Rangers: Once & Always as well as Cosmic Fury, both of which celebrated the show’s history and were full of callbacks to the original series. Power Rangers has always been great at anniversary episodes, most of which were crossover episodes. While Dino Thunder’s “Legacy of Power” was not exactly an anniversary special, it was Power Rangers’ 500th episode. As a result, it didn’t follow the show’s usual formula, delivering instead a homage to the franchise.

“Legacy Of Power” Was A Meta Episode About Power Rangers’ 500-Episode History

The Dino Thunder Rangers Watched A Recap Of The Entire Show

Power Rangers Dino Thunder episode 4, “Legacy of Power,” sees the Rangers learning that their high school teacher and mentor, Dr. Oliver, was once a Power Ranger himself. While the Rangers knew that Tommy Oliver had access to morphers and Zords, they had to find out that he was once the original Green Ranger. In “Legacy of Power,” Tommy has been kidnapped by the villains, leaving the Power Rangers to investigate his whereabouts. The heroes go to their secret lab and find a recording left by Tommy on his computer in which he narrates the history of the Power Rangers.

The recording featured scenes from every Power Rangers show between 1993 and 2004, starting with Mighty Morphin and going until Ninja Storm. “Legacy of Power” works as an extensive Power Rangers recap in which Tommy Oliver goes from season to season and explains the history of every Power Rangers team that came before Dino Thunder. It was almost as if Conner, Ethan, and Kira were discovering the Power Rangers TV show, especially because the footage Tommy was presenting was actually scenes from the previous seasons. The three Dino Thunder Rangers also make comments as they watch the recording.

Tommy Becoming A Power Ranger Again Made “Legacy Of Power” Even Better

“Legacy Of Power” Was Followed By “Back In Black”

“Legacy of Power” was about the history of the Power Rangers franchise, but it was also a celebration of Tommy Oliver’s character ahead of his triumphant Black Ranger debut. Tommy hadn’t been part of a proper Power Rangers team since 1997, although he did appear in Wild Force for the “Forever Red” crossover. The next episode after “Legacy of Power” was “Back in Black,” during which Tommy got a new morpher for the first time in seven years and became the Dino Thunder Black Ranger.

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The first five episodes of Dino Thunder work as one big origin story for the core team, with Tommy being the fourth addition to the squad. Seeing Tommy back in action right after revisiting his Power Rangers history was very special, and it made his first Dino Thunder morph even cooler than it would have already been. Dino Thunder knew how to play with nostalgia, and “Legacy of Power” is a great example of it.

Power Rangers Dino Thunder is a television series that premiered in 2004, serving as the 12th season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows three high school students who become superheroes known as the Dino Thunder Power Rangers, tasked with saving the world from the evil Dr. Tommy Oliver and his minions.

Cast James Napier , Kevin Duhaney , Emma Lahana , Jason David Frank , Jeffrey Parazzo

Release Date February 14, 2004

Seasons 1

Streaming Service(s) pluto tv

Writers Douglas Sloan , Ann Austen

Directors Charlie Haskell , Andrew Merrifield

Creator(s) Haim Saban , Shuki Levy