Power Rangers Dino Thunder

Power Rangers Dino Thunder (often abbreviated as "PRDT") is the tenth incarnation and twelfth season of Power Rangers, based on the 27th season of Super Sentai - Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger.

Synopsis
A soccer player, computer expert, a musician, and a science teacher join forces to become Power Rangers and help save the Earth from mutant dinosauric beings that wish to eradicate all human life and return Earth to the age of the dinosaurs.

In this season, Tommy Oliver, of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to Power Rangers Turbo fame, returns as a paleontology professor in Reefside, California. When he is assigned three detention students, Conner, Ethan, and Kira, they end up finding the Dino Gems, paving the way for them to become the Dino Thunder Power Rangers. Conner gains the power of the Tyrannozord, as well as superspeed; Ethan gains the power of the Tricerazord, as well as the ability to make his skin super-strong; Kira gains the power of the Pterazord, as well as a sonic scream. Tommy (known often as Dr. O) himself joins the team as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger, and they are also later joined by Trent Mercer as the White Dino Thunder Ranger. During the course of the series, the team adds to its arsenal Zords based on the Pachycephalosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ankylosaurus, Dimetrodon, and Stegosaurus, the last of which combines with Trent's Zord, a Tupuxuara, to form the Dino Stegozord. Tommy pilots the Brachio Zord, the carrier for all the other Zords. At the end of the series, Conner, Kira, Ethan, Tommy, and Trent finished off Mesogog but burned out their Dino Gems in the process.

A year after stopping Mesogog, the three main teens arrive at Reefside High for a reunion. Conner is working on starting a soccer club for kids. Ethan is attending Reefside Tech. Kira has moved to New York City in an attempt to start a recording career. So far; Conner is having trouble raising money for the club, Ethan's schedule is hectic, though Kira has been spotted on the radio—doing a cat litter jingle.

Kidnapped into the future, they aid the S.P.D. Rangers in defeating Gruumm. They learn that Conner will set up a series of soccer camps for kids, Ethan will eventually develop computer systems and software (and the like) which continue to be used for several years into the future. Some of the software is used by Space Patrol Delta (S.P.D.) and Kira will become a major singing star. After assisting SPD, the trio is sent back to the very moment they were kidnapped without any memories of their involvement. Their Dino gems and morphers remained locked away in an unknown location by SPD.

This was the first time the two teams of Rangers would meet. In a later episode of SPD ("Wormhole"), the SPD Rangers would travel back in time to 2004. Gruumm has returned to defeat the Rangers so he would not face them in the future. Both teams of Rangers teamed up and defeated Gruumm - again. However as with the first team-up only the SPD team remembered it but with the second team up only Gruumm and a few others remember.

Also, in the Operation Overdrive team-up episode Once A Ranger, Kira was one of the five former Power Rangers chosen by the Sentinel Knight to replace the Overdrive Rangers when they lost their powers (the others being Adam Park as the second Black Power Ranger - though also wielded the Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger powers, Bridge Carson as the Red B-Squad SPD Ranger - though he was Green in his series, Tori Hanson as the Blue Wind Ranger, and Xander Bly as the Green Mystic Ranger). She and the other "Retro Rangers", as they have been referred to, dealt with the current villains until the Overdrive Rangers' powers were restored, and both teams fought one battle alongside each other before the former Rangers went back to their old lives. This is the third time Kira has fought alongside Bridge, however it is unlikely her memory was erased this time, so this would be the first time that she remembers.

Villains
Dino Thunder Monsters
 * Mesogog
 * Elsa/Principal Randall
 * Zeltrax
 * White Ranger Clone
 * Tyrannodrones: Mesogog's Foot Soldiers.
 * Triptoids: Zeltrax's Foot Soldiers.
 * Lothor
 * Izzy & Pupperazi
 * Zurgane
 * Kelzaks: Lothor's Foot Soldiers.

Other Characters/Allies

 * Cassidy Cornell: The local High School reporter.
 * Devin Del Valle: Cassidy's stupid sidekick and cameraman; he has a slight crush on Cassidy.
 * Hayley Ziktor: Manager of the Cyberspace Cafe, and technical advisor of the Rangers.
 * Anton Mercer: Trent's adoptive father and Mesogog's alter ego.
 * Mr. Cormier: Cassidy's boss and employer.
 * Ninja Storm Rangers
 * Wind Rangers
 * Shane Clarke
 * Dustin Brooks
 * Tori Hanson
 * Thunder Rangers
 * Blake Bradley
 * Hunter Bradley
 * Cameron Watanabe
 * Sensei Kanoi Watanabe

Morphers

 * Dino Morpher (Red Ranger/Conner, Blue Ranger/Ethan and Yellow Ranger/Kira)
 * Brachio Morpher (Black Ranger/Tommy)
 * Drago Morpher (White Ranger/Trent)
 * Triassic Morpher (Triassic Ranger - used for Battlizer)

Weapons

 * Tyranno Staff (Red Ranger/Conner)
 * Tricera Shield (Blue Ranger/Ethan)
 * Ptera Grips (Yellow Ranger/Kira)
 * Brachio Staff(Black Ranger/Tommy)
 * Drago Sword (White Ranger/Trent)
 * Shield of Triumph (Triassic Ranger)
 * Thundermax Blaster/Saber (Red/Conner, Blue/Ethan and Yellow/Kira)
 * Z-Rex Blaster

Vehicles

 * Raptor Riders (Red/Conner, Blue/Ethan, Yellow/Kira and Black/Tommy)
 * Raptor Cycles (Red/Conner, Blue/Ethan and Yellow/Kira)
 * Dino ATVs (Black/Tommy and White/Trent)
 * Hovercraft Cycle (Blue/Ethan)
 * Triceramax Command Center Truck

Suit Upgrades
When the Triassic morpher is given enough dino energy, it unlocks the Battlizer Armor.
 * Super Dino Mode (All 5 Rangers)
 * Triassic Ranger (Red Ranger upgrade)
 * Battlized Triassic Ranger (Triassic Ranger upgrade)


 * Triceramax Command Center was shown on screen but not named. The name "Triceramax Command Center" comes from the toy line released by Bandai in the US.

The Comic Strip
A monthly comic strip based on the series appeared on several issues of "Jetix Magazine" in the UK. Jetix Magazine was the official magazine of JETIX, the channel that aired Dino Thunder in the UK.

The Video Games
There were two games produced for the Dino Thunder series. On the Game Boy Advance, there was a sidescrolling version which was a simple platformer involving fighting several foes from the series. The other game was produced for the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube. This was the first Power Rangers game produced on a "next generation" console. Unexpectedly all the action takes place inside the zords. This game also had a few inconsistencies with the series to allow the action to take place in the zords while battling the regular bad guys who were human size. (The series always displayed a monster needing to be destroyed before it could be a giant, a side affect of the Hydro Re-Generator)

DVD

 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder Vol. 1 Day of the Dino
 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder Vol. 2 Legacy of Power
 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder Vol. 3 White Thunder
 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder Vol. 4 Collision Course
 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder Vol. 5 Triassic Triumph
 * Power Rangers Dino Thunder (Complete Season) [RC2]
 * Power Rangers Seasons 8-12 (Lightspeed Rescue to Dino Thunder)