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From the same investigative mastermind who revealed Godzilla's true nature,
LogBook now proudly discloses the identity of the greatest force for evil on
Earth - and it's not just because your kids keep buying the toys!
"They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for
one's country. But in modern war there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your
dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason."
- Ernest Hemingway
Zordon - The Face of Evil.
History is littered with the bodies of good people who have lost to evil's
overwhelming forces. If history is indeed written by the winners, then there's
a good chance Zordon has been influencing the chronicles in his favor.
Are Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd and Ivan Ooze the bad guys, as we have seen, or
are they trying to loosen Zordon's tyrannical grip on the universe? Are the
five Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers fighting on the side of angels, or are they
Zordon's pawns in an eons old battle for domination?
I have come to the conclusion that Zordon and his henchbot Alpha-5 are
evil forces bent on taking over the world.
The giant head's manipulation of the Rangers is the key to analysis.
He kidnapped four teenagers and seduced them with power, cool clothes and rad
wheels (okay, 'Zords, but transportation nonetheless). Later, he managed to
turn one of Rita's minions, the Green Ranger, into a traitor with the promise of
uninterrupted strength.
The power Zordon has provided the Rangers must be called upon before being
used, but he controls how that power is used and how much they receive. The
Rangers apparently are also kept in the dark as to where the Command Center and
the Zords are kept. They must be transported to the Center, while the Zords
simply appear from nowhere (someone has to maintain, repair and fuel those
things. Especially considering the amount of battle damage they receive).
They do not question his orders, or if they do, Zordon gives them a
simplistic answer or appeals to their egos by telling them he "has faith in
their abilities."
And who gave them their abilities? That's right, Zordon. And as we have
seen, he can strip away those abilities at a moment's notice. Look what
happened to the original Red, Yellow and Black Rangers. Their powers were taken
away from them and they were whisked away to a foreign land, ostensibly for a
"peace conference."
What happened? There was no real apparent reason for this. Did they
discover the truth about Zordon and he eliminated them before they had an
opportunity to tell everyone? Are they really at a peace conference? The one
short note to Kimberly, the Pink Ranger, following their departure could very
easily have been forged.
His adversaries fare even less well. Rita Repulsa and Ivan Ooze were
squeezed into tiny spaces for thousands of years. Lord Zedd, although not
stated explicitly, was apparently banished and has only recently returned.
These are not the actions of a benevolent dictator, but rather the actions of a
frightened fascist.
Among his most powerful weapons is his use of negative publicity. Rita, Zedd
and Ooze have been painted in such broad strokes the only conclusion that can be
reached is that they are unredeemably evil. No one, though, is unredeemable.
Zedd and Rita are married! There must be something nice about them. (By the
way, did you send a wedding gift?)
The Rangers themselves are held up to highest regard when they must have some
frailty. Surely one of them picks his/her nose in public, or something like
that. No one can be that good (although Kimberly does tend to be
materialistic).
Just who is Zordon anyway? He claims to be many thousands of years old, from
another planet and is here on Earth to protect us. Zordon has set himself up as
a deity, and apparently believes we can't take care of ourselves. But where are
the others of his race? It seems more and more likely he was imprisoned for
life on our backwards planet. Rita, Zedd and Ooze may be wardens to ensure he
doesn't escape, with Alpha-5 acting as an early warning system.
The more we delve into this mystery, the more ominous Zordon becomes. We can
count our blessings that he pretty much confines his activities to Angel Grove.
"What is history but an agreed-on fable?"
- Napoleon Bonaparte
This article originally appeared in the October 1995
issue of LogBook: The Zine
Reprinted with the permission of Robert Parson. © 1995, 1997
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