New 'Power Rangers' Plot Details Reveal Connection To All Previous TV Versions

Ever since Lionsgate picked up the rights to Power Rangers, the project has been described as a reboot. However, there have been rumblings that the story would somehow keep the mythology of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and all the versions that followed intact. When plot details surfaced over the summer, we learned how the original Power Rangers would be utilized in a big action sequence opening the movie. But it turns out some of those details may not have been very accurate.

A new batch of Power Rangers plot details from the opening of the movie, including the villains involved and a link to previous iterations of the team, have painted a different picture, and it sounds much more satisfying for longtime fans of the series. However, beware of spoilers from here on out!

Previously, we had heard that Power Rangers would begin on Earth all the way back in the Cretaceous period, with Zordon and his group of Power Rangers fighting Rita Repulsa. In order to defeat her, Zordon somehow detonates a black hole, getting rid of Rita. We then flash forward 65 million years to meet the eventual new team of rangers who will have to deal with the return of Rita Repulsa, who's looking to reassemble her villainous counterpart Goldar.

But Collider has learned that while there is indeed a major action sequence used to open the movie, Rita Repulsa is not part of this battle. Why? Well, apparently the film is set after the events of Power Rangers: Dino Charge, the most recent iteration of the show, and at this point Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd have been vanquished by an energy wave (or Z-wave) created by Zordon that purified the longtime villains of the series.

However, the Dino Charge rangers (above) will have to deal with another classic villain from the series, one who was apparently not affected by the Z-wave, and that's Scorpina. As a minion of Rita Repulsa, she's giving the rangers some trouble, and she's brought an army with her to take down the team and their Zords. That's where the movie begins.

So what's Scorpina up to? She's trying to destroy the Morphin Grid, the device which gives the Power Rangers their powers. It also happens to function like a crystal ball, allowing the rangers to see not only past memories from previous rangers, but also glimpses of future rangers and their battles. So the Dino Charge team is doing everything they can in order to protect it.

Therefore, it won't be the original Power Rangers who are involved in the opening, but rather this most recent version. This opening does allow for all previous versions of the series to remain intact as part of the mythology of the Power Rangers, and there may be quick flashes of each iteration if the Morphin Grid is accessed during this battle.

It does seem a little weird that the new version of the Power Rangers will have the exact same names as the first team, but maybe that will be part of what makes them worthy of their own feature film. They could end up being the most powerful team yet. Who cares knows?

My bet is that the Dino Charge team fails to protect the grid and Scorpina (above) destroys it. The Dino Charge team may even get a glimpse of the future and see that they need to let Scorpina win because the new team is the group who will actually come to destroy her. But the question then arises as to what happens if Scorpina succeeds. Is she the villain throughout the whole movie? Or will Rita Repulsa end up coming back as well? As of now we're not sure.

As someone who hasn't watched any versions of Power Rangers since I became obsessed with the first iteration as a kid, I can say that this reboot wasn't exactly something I feel compelled to see. But the idea of preserving the entire mythology of the show, which has been running for about 20 years now, is a nice touch for fans.

Power Rangers is supposed to begin production in Vancouver in January and is set for release on January 13th, 2017.