Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Green Ranger is among the saga’s most memorable characters, and Power Rangers Dino Thunder’s strongest Ranger was the closest thing to a Tommy Oliver replacement. In the Power Rangers timeline, Tommy continued to be involved in Ranger business even after the events of Power Rangers S.P.D. While Power Rangers gave Tommy a legacy in the form of J.J. Oliver, Tommy and Kat’s son, Dino Thunder had the perfect successor to the original Green Ranger.
Unlike all the other Disney Power Rangers shows, Power Rangers Dino Thunder was a legacy season rather than a standalone story. The return of Tommy Oliver, now Dr. Oliver, made Dino Thunder feel like a continuation of the Zordon Era. Tommy eventually became a Ranger again, Dino Thunder’s Black Ranger. Interestingly, one other Dino Thunder story felt very similar to Mighty Morphin’s “Green With Evil” arc.
Dino Thunder’s White Ranger Story Mirrored Mighty Morphin’s Green Ranger
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Green Ranger was the first “sixth Ranger” in the franchise, repeating an already established Super Sentai trope. Tommy, who was originally brainwashed by Rita Repulsa and given the corrupted Green Power Coin, was also the very first evil Power Ranger. Since then, Power Rangers has seen dozens of sixth Rangers and evil Rangers, many of which were heavily inspired by Mighty Morphin’s Green Ranger. Lightspeed Rescue’s Titanium Ranger and Ninja Storm’s Thunder Rangers, for example. However, none of those matched the impact and the sheer power of Mighty Morphin’s Green Ranger as much as Trent, Power Rangers Dino Thunder’s White Ranger.
Just like Tommy. Trent was introduced as a new high school friend of the Power Rangers. Trent began to attend the same school as Connor, Ethan, and Kira, quickly becoming close to the Rangers. However, Connor was put under an evil spell by Mesogogg, Dino Thunder’s main villain. Just like Tommy in Mighty Morphin, Trent had no control over his actions and was turned into a weapon. Dino Thunder’s White Ranger was by far the most powerful Ranger of the season and easily defeated the Power Rangers multiple times. Also like Mighty Morphin’s Green Ranger, Dino Thunder’s White Ranger stole the show every time he was on screen.
Dino Thunder’s Trent Continued Tommy Oliver’s Legacy
There have been multiple Tommy Oliver Power Rangers forms, but Mighty Morphin’s Green Ranger is arguably the most popular. Tommy’s Green Ranger legacy is felt to this day, and Dino Thunder’s Trent continued that legacy. More than just another evil Power Ranger arc, Trent’s story mirrored Tommy’s journey in a way that honored Power Rangers’ first sixth Ranger. The fact that Jason David Frank starred in Dino Thunder made Trent’s Green Ranger parallels even better. Decades after being captured by Rita Repulsa, Tommy had the chance to help someone who was going through a very similar experience.
Dino Thunder’s “White Thunder” arc was a spiritual successor to Mighty Morphin’s “Green With Evil.” The relationship between Kira and Trent, who were fighting each other as Rangers without knowing, also mirrored Kimberly and Tommy’s relationship from Mighty Morphin. Lastly, Tommy served as a mentor to Trent, helping the White Ranger break free of Mesoggog’s magic. Tommy stood up for Trent and told the Rangers that he had gone through something similar decades earlier. Tommy describing his own experience as a brainwashed Ranger was an emotional Mighty Morphin Power Rangers callback, making Dino Thunder’s Trent storyline even better.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
