While it’s established early on that Power Rangers‘ Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson) was trapped in a space dumpster on the moon, her prison’s real location is actually something much more exotic. While Mighty Morphin Power Rangers managed to adapt multiple aspects from its counterpart series, Super Sentai, the two do clash on some points, including where Rita was originally imprisoned. This makes for some interesting inconsistencies between the world of Power Rangers versus what was shown on the screen.
One such difference relates to Rita Repulsa, who served as the main antagonist of the show's first season. Introduced as an evil, powerful sorceress, Rita was released from a space dumpster at the very beginning of the series. it was revealed early on that Zordon imprisoned Rita in a dumpster on the moon long ago, and it’s her escape that heralds the recruitment of the franchise's very first heroes. In the Super Sentai season Power Rangers is based on, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, events transpire a bit differently.
Rita Isn't On The Moon When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Begins
Of the small inconsistencies in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that are often ignored, one of the most curious ones is the geography of space, especially in the immediate region of Earth. No other planets are introduced, and it’s never suggested that there’s anything different in the universe of the Power Rangers than what exists in real life. So, to make sure Rita was imprisoned close enough to be able to threaten Earth, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers insinuated that Rita was abandoned on the moon, and later increased this connection by establishing Rita’s hideout on the moon as well.
However, when looking at the original footage from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, it’s clear that the Japanese version of the series went in a different route with the setting. There’s a sky, and as the astronauts approach in their shuttle, they’re angling towards a planet that is a deep red. Also, the shuttle passes a smaller, deeply pitted celestial body that’s meant to be the moon as Earth shrinks behind them.
Power Rangers' Rita Repulsa Was Trapped On Nemesis
In Super Sentai, Rita was not trapped on the moon at all, but on a planet called Nemesis. In Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, Nemesis is a fictional planet in the solar system with a very different orbital path. Its existence is a significant plot point to the pilot episode, as it's said that Nemesis has not been so close to intersecting with Earth in over 200 million years. It’s this occurrence that causes astronauts to venture into space and release Rita in the first place. However, this aspect of lore was changed for the American Power Rangers, possibly to keep the story as centered on Earth and its heroes as possible.