Truncated Power Rangers

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Jason: Zordon, what the hell is going on?
Zordon: What always happens, Jason? Rita tried to kill people. You saved the day.

The Abridged Series of Power Rangers, specifically Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created in August 2008, the series is notable for being one of the first live-action Abridged series and having its contributors recognized by real names instead of handles. While only one person does the voices, there is a team of writers behind the series.

Posted on blip.tv here.


Tropes used in Truncated Power Rangers include:

Bulk: Oh-ho! Someone's coming up with oneliners now! It's like you have your own videos on YouTube!

  • Actor Allusion: Subverted. Zack's character is a parody of that other black Black Ranger's actor.
  • Affectionate Parody: Who didn't love Power Rangers?
  • Anything That Moves: Kim. Just ... Kim.
    • Rita, when they aren't making menstruation jokes.
  • Artistic License Astronomy: Lampshaded in Episode 1, with the astronauts visiting the Earth's second moon. The show itself glosses over this.
    • This is the basis for the morph gag in Episode 25.
  • As Himself: Ron Wasserman.
  • Attack! Attack! Retreat! Retreat!: Tommy v. Dry Bowser in the movie.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Bulk and Skull wind up saving the day during episode 17. The footage used? The scene where they morphed in to mock-Power Rangers.
  • Bonnie Scotland: Haggis the Horrible in Episode 25.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: Oh, lordy. Zedd is the executive producer of Power Rangers - of which Zordon is a producer - and the primary motive is to keep the show on the air.
    • Most episodes have at least one time this happens. At one point Alpha asks, "Is this meta enough for you?" before turning back to the viewing globe.
  • Butt Monkey: Canary Gary from episodes 13 and 31.
    • Jason and Tommy with idiot jokes.
    • Kim with slut jokes.
  • Call a Rabbit a Smeerp: Baseball is referred to as Stick-a-Stitch on Triforia.
  • Call Back: The first few episodes serve as standalones, but after the writers took a break in the Spring of 2009, the following episodes (11+) began to heavily use these.
  • Calling Your Attacks: Frequently.

Napalm Holocaust!
Mega Dragonzord Super Fighting Awesome Machine!
Serenity Slash!

    • Goldar finally calls Jason out on this in Episode 28.
  • Catch Phrase: Subverted. The morph calls are usually different every episode, but a few phrases get repeated.

Zack, Episode 1: Elephant!
Jason, Episode 5: Do the super jump!

    • Bonus: If you know a lot of geeky things, the morph calls also count as Shout Outs to various things.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Most characters are guilty of this, but Jason is this in spades.
    • And Tommy. Dear god, Tommy.

Alpha: "I don't understand this Zordon, Saba doesn't talk!"
Zordon: "Tommy's turned his new superpowered weapon into something of an imaginary friend."
Alpha: "Isn't he like twenty?"
Zordon: "It's Tommy, he's mentally six."

Alpha 5, Episode 23: Meth is a hell of a drug.

Zordon, Episode 1: Bring me five teenagers too stupid to understand the cosmic repercussions of their actions.

    • Played straight as well--while Zordon and Alpha are normal, as well as the villains, the heroes are stunningly idiotic.
  • Editing Works
  • Faster-Than-Light Travel: Gleefully subverted in Episode 31.
  • Flat What: Zordon's reaction to Alpha breaking out multi-parters "out of freakin' nowhere" in Episode 33, particularly when three of the Rangers get trapped in a storybook.
  • Fluffles the Terrible: Episode 16, when Finster creates Goldar's War Zord (Cyclopsis from MMPR) and names it Fluffles after the rest of Rita's crew can't decide on a name.
  • Gag Dub
  • Genre Savvy: Zordon. On the other side of the (Power) coin, Goldar.
  • Gilligan Cut: Episode 10.

Jason: Let's sneak up on him!
(beat)
Jason: HEY UGLY!

  • Godwin's Law: Invoked in Episode 24, and lampshaded via caption.
    • Also used in episode 32.
  • Greek Chorus: Usually from Zordon and Alpha, but the rest of the cast get their moments.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Ron Wasserman, the composer of most music on the show, provides the voice for himself in Episode 26.
  • Hey, It's That Sound: Episode 4 features the infamous Gutsman sound from the Gutsman's Ass video.
  • Ho Yay: Jason and Tommy. Just... Jason and Tommy. Granted, it's played off the rumor that Austin St. John was in a homoerotic video, but still.
    • Also Billy and whatever guy is nearby, occasionally Jason, since David Yost is gay.
  • Hostage Situation: Episode 7's dance party is revealed to be one of these.
  • Insufferable Genius: Billy, ramped up to eleven.
  • Just Fine Without You: When Zordon warns that Jason may not come back at the end of Episode 28, the team cheers.
  • Larynx Dissonance: All the female characters, but Rita stands out the most.
  • Leitmotif: Youth Center scenes are accompanied by the Wii Sports theme. Bulk and Skull's are various Super Mario themes. When Rita is around, her palace scenes are accompanied by Ganondorf's theme; similarly, Zedd is always coupled with Dr. Wily's theme.
  • Lens Flare: Lampshaded in Episode 7.
  • Loud of War: The entire joke behind Episode 26 1/2.
  • Mars Needs Women: Somewhat invoked in Episode 32, but this was more of a reference to Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.
  • Mauve Shirt: Putty #6, notable for being a Butt Monkey in Episode 21, becomes this in Episode 22.
  • Million-to-One Chance: Goldar has a really good day in Episode 28 and asks what the chances are of Jason coming and ruining them...

Kim: Uh ... pretty good, actually.

Horny Rhino: See, I punched! That's something they do in football!

  • N-Word Privileges: Used in Episodes 13 and 17.
  • No Indoor Voice: Jason and Tommy. Especially Tommy.
  • Oblivious to Hints: The rest of the team is shocked when Tommy is revealed as the White Ranger.
  • Offscreen Crash: Billy and Kim shove Waldo into one of these in Episode 3.
  • Padding: The point of Episode 31.
  • Queer As Tropes: Billy.
    • According to Episode 24, arguably Alpha.
    • According to the series, arguably everyone. At one point they imply Rita and Kim slept together, though Rita identifies as 'bicurious'.
  • Reference Overdosed: Debatable.
  • Rimshot: Episode 23 features one.
  • Rule of Three: Episode 27 lampshades this with its plot device.

Tommy: Any questions, bitch?

Lord Zedd, Episode 23: I am Lord Zedd of Nazareth. Identify yourself, you schmuck.