Command Center (Power Rangers)

The Command Center, later called the Power Chamber, is the fictional headquarters for the Power Rangers in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and its sequels up to Power Rangers Turbo.

Initially, the base was called the Command Center, and used in the first series. At the beginning of Power Rangers Zeo, storylines and a new scene design led to the location being renamed the Power Chamber, though beyond superficial differences there was little to no change in the building's function. It also appeared, as the Command Center, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, though it had been thoroughly redesigned for the movie. Only the external shot of the building remained consistent for all incarnations of the structure.

The building exterior itself is actually the House of the Book building at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, located in the city of Simi Valley in southern California. The twin-peaked mountain where the Command Center/Power Chamber is supposed to lie is the Vasquez Rocks.

Use of the location continued until 1997 with the end of Power Rangers Turbo.

History

According to the series and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Zordon had set up the building called the Command Center on Earth millennia ago, as an outpost to be used in his fight against evil. Zordon himself was trapped in an energy tube, appearing just as an ethereal head in a column of light, and the day-to-day maintenance of the facility fell to his robotic companion, Alpha 5.

The building was located in a mountainous region, nestled between the twin peaks of a mountain. It was located in proximity to the fictional city of Angel Grove, the setting for much of the action in the first five seasons of the show's run.

Command Center

Design

The Command Center was introduced in the first episode of the show, "Day of the Dumpster". The five original teens were teleported to the Command Center by Zordon and Alpha 5 to receive their powers, becoming Power Rangers. The Command Center thenceforth served as an "official" meeting point for the Rangers, and they would frequently gather there to learn about new threats before leaving to tackle them. Often they would "Behold the Viewing Globe," a large crystal ball-like object that could display pictures of events occurring in the city, most often of attacking monsters.

Zordon and Alpha 5 used the Command Center to construct new weapons and gear for the Rangers, as well as monitor repair procedures on the Zords in their holding bay when they were damaged.

The inside of the Command Center resembled a large, low, circular podium, on which people could walk, with computer consoles arranged around its edge. On one side was Zordon's plasma tube, and the Viewing Globe was opposite. Beyond the ring of computers were no walls, but rather a blackness, dotted with lights, resembling the night sky. There were no obvious doors leading into or out of the main room (most travel to and from the Command Center was by teleportation), but occasionally computer-generated doors were added to access secret locations.

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, the Command Center was featured with a brand new design. In this, the main room was a brightly-lit oval chamber with a large set of sliding double-doors at one end, opposite Zordon's energy tube (similarly redesigned). The computer terminals were still present, but spaced differently around the room, leaving space for coloured glass columns of indiscernible purpose. The Viewing Globe was still present, located to one side.

In the Series 2 episode "Wild West Rangers", the exterior of the Command Center was slightly altered, with the side of the building resembling the Wild West-era style.

Security

Although the location of the Command Center was supposed to be a secret, many villains knew of its location. Rita Repulsa watched Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly leave the Command Center when they walked back to Angel Grove. She sent Putties to intercept them.^[1]

Only a Power Ranger can teleport into the Command Center undetected. Rita used this to her advantage by creating her own evil Green Ranger to infiltrate the Command Center and disable Zordon and infect Alpha 5 with a virus. Green Ranger had to enter the Command Center again when a repaired Alpha almost succeeded in re-establishing contact with Zordon, but Alpha trapped him in a forcefield. Rita had to use one of her spells to release him.^[2]

The Command Center's security systems can be weakened by a galactic alert transmission.^[3] The Command Center's sensors apparently don't function effectively in the basement area, nor in the hidden passages beneath the Command Center.^[4]

Notable events

In the season 3 episode "Changing of the Zords, Part II", Lord Zedd established contact with the Rangers through the Viewing Globe, and forced the Rangers to teleport him into the Command Center, threatening to harm Kimberly (whom he had captured) if they refused. Once inside, he blackmailed the Rangers into piloting the Ancient Zords: "Or you can refuse my offer, and we can have a jolly time watching the Pink Ranger waste away". The Rangers agreed, and Zedd teleported out. Although Lord Zedd is not the first villain to teleport into the Command Center, he is the most powerful, and the first time a head villain accessed the Rangers base.

Power Chamber

In 1996, villains Rito Revolto and Goldar attempted to blow up the Command Center by placing a bomb outside. Master Vile predicted blowing up the Command Center would start a chain reaction which would disintegrate the "Morphin Grid" forever, robbing any Ranger teams from morphing in traditional methods. This plan was foiled by Alpha 5, who defused the bomb. However, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa succeeded by destroying the Power Coins. Needing a new power source, the Rangers went through time to reassemble the Zeo Crystal.^[5][6]

A short time later, Rito and Goldar were able to teleport into the Command Center from a forgotten series of passageways running underneath the facility. The villains were able to plant an implosion device, take the Zeo Crystal, and leave. The Rangers teleported out to safety, but their mentor Zordon and companion Alpha 5 seemed destroyed in the blast.^[7]

Wandering up to the ruins of the Command Center, the Rangers discovered the Zeo Crystal. It created a hole in the ground which swallowed up the Rangers and took them to the hidden passages. Following the sound of Alpha's voice, the Rangers were led to a vortex. Meanwhile, above ground, the exterior of the Command Center rebuilt itself. Walking through the vortex, the Rangers return to their base of operations, but this is a more futuristic version, the second generation of strategic command outposts. Zordon, still very much alive, announces the facility is known as the Power Chamber.^[8]

Design

The Power Chamber has an unusual shape. It is almost circular, but the back wall curves inwards. The rear wall had windows, with the old Ranger costumes and weapons behind them (minus the Green Ranger). Above this was a rotating alarm panel. At the front of the Chamber was a plasma tube through which Zordon, and later Dimitria, could communicate. In front of Zordon was a computer bank, and another one to one side. The Power Chamber also contained two double doors at each side, a bio-bed, a viewing globe built into the wall, and two displays on the wall. One of these was a map of Earth, another a diagram of the Chamber.

Scene change

Interior of the Power Chamber, from Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.

A new Power Chamber set was introduced for Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and was also used in the Power Rangers Turbo series. This was a significant change from the original Power Chamber set as seen in episodes of Power Rangers Zeo. Among other things, the windows along the back wall containing the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers suits were changed to colored tubes of light, representing each ranger's color. No explanation was made in the movie or the television show for the significant change to the set.

Off to one side of this Chamber through one of the double doors was access to the Hidden Chamber. This resembled the design of the old Command Center without the console ring, with the columns of light to one side of a plasma tube for Zordon, and other columns of lights and a tube for Dimitria. In this Chamber, Tommy, Kat, Tanya and Adam transferred their powers to TJ, Cassie, Ashley and Carlos respectively.^[9]

Notable events

King Mondo apparently knew of the location of the Power Chamber, although later Divatox did not. King Mondo activated a nuclear non-reflective protective shield around the Chamber so that the Gold Ranger, who was teleporting to the Chamber at the time, would smash into the field mid-transit and be destroyed. The Gold Ranger had to be redirected until Billy could find a way to lower the shield.^[10]

When the Earth's temperature was rising rapidly by Mondo's Defoliator monster, there was a danger that the Chamber's heat shield would fail.^[11]

The Power Chamber momentarily lost power when Main Drain was draining power around Angel Grove to energise himself.^[12]

When Earth became frozen in time, there were no ill-effects inside the Chamber.^[13] When Angel Grove began vanishing, the Rangers teleported to the Power Chamber, to find it not there. In actuality, the Power Chamber had been transported to a hidden dimension where it could not been seen by the Rangers.^[14]

Destruction

At the end of Turbo, Rygog and Elgar found the Power Chamber by tracking the Rangers' teleportation beams. Having discovered its location, and having defeated both of the Rangers' Megazords, Divatox's forces attacked the Power Chamber en masse. Hordes of Piranhatrons raced up to the Chamber, having teleported into the area undetected. The Rangers tried to hold them away from the Chamber, but were forced back inside.

Once there, the Piranhatrons used a battering ram to break open the main doors, while others scaled the walls and smashed in through the roof. Though the Rangers and Alpha 6 fought bravely, they were overwhelmed by the Piranhatrons, and Elgar managed to plant explosive charges. When the charges were detonated, the building was completely destroyed by the explosion, leaving only a pile of rock and rubble. Before Divatox could claim victory and find the Rangers among the rubble, she was recalled to the Cimmerian Planet by Dark Specter, prompting the Rangers, who had lost their powers due to the explosion, to pursue her into space and abandon the former Command Center location.^[15]

Footage of the explosion that destroyed the Power Chamber was recycled from the destruction of the Command Center at the end of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

References

1. ^ "Day of the Dumpster". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1993-08-28.
2. ^ "Green with Evil". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1993-10-05.
3. ^ "Alien Rangers of Aquitar, Part I". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-02-05.
4. ^ "Water You Thinking?". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-02-12.
5. ^ "Alien Rangers of Aquitar, Part II". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-02-06.
6. ^ "Water You Thinking?". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-02-12.
7. ^ "Hogday Afternoon, Part II". Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-02-12.
8. ^ "A Zeo Beginning". Power Rangers Zeo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-04-20.
9. ^ "Passing the Torch, Part II". Power Rangers Turbo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1997-09-10.
10. ^ "Revelations of Gold". Power Rangers Zeo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-10-03.
11. ^ "There's No Business Like Snow Business, Part III". Power Rangers Zeo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-05-13.
12. ^ "Inner Spirit". Power Rangers Zeo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1996-05-16.
13. ^ "When Time Freezes Over". Power Rangers Turbo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1997-09-19.
14. ^ "Vanishing Act". Power Rangers Turbo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1997-09-18.
15. ^ "Chase into Space, Part II". Power Rangers Turbo. Fox Broadcasting Company. 1997-11-24.