blankempathy
Member
Let's be honest. Their popularity mostly stems from being the original ranger team and two of them were replaced early on. Billy had a longer run with the show but he was still no Tommy.
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THR(SPOILERS): 'Power Rangers' Cast Lobbying for a Female Green Ranger in Sequel
- Thread starter LordOfLore
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JonnyDBrit
Member
Have her be the subject of the
'girlfriend problems' that apparently get brought up in the film. Green vs Yellow turns into the ultimate lover's spat.
Also on the costume point, have the Green Ranger wreck the others so badly that they need 'an upgrade' which conveniently removes the boob armour, heels, and streamlines the suits - whether to be more in line with the originals or for a touch of Dairanger - ala Iron Man's fixes over the course of the Marvel films.
But yeah uh, I'd be kinda down with this, and now I kinda wanna see the movie to help make it happen. This cast actually seem to be decent people.
Yeah Becky G didn't have to do shit besides stand out of frame for most of the movie, reject Zack's advances, and have the cutest scene during the montage. If Tommy is a girl, love interest for her and hopefully they develop Trini more.
Speaking of Zack tho...hip hop kido anyone?
First of all, none of those characters are nearly as iconic as Tommy. Tommy is THE Power Ranger, with Jason and Kimberly a step behind him. Jason because he was the leader, Kimberly because she was the first crush of many a youth.
I have no problem with them changing the ethnicity of some of the characters, especially when you factor in how originally, the black ranger was black and the yellow ranger was Asian. It's one thing to do that in the 90's, but there would be some serious raised eyebrows in this day and age. It was kind of necessary. The ethnicity change also really doesn't change the dynamic of any of the relationships.
Turning Tommy into a woman fundamentally changes the entire relationship with Jason. Not that that would be a terrible thing, but that's not Jason and Tommy. If their names weren't Jason and Tommy, I'd have zero issues with making the green ranger a woman.
Once again, that's probably unreasonable, but sometimes nostalgia is unreasonable.
I think it's also because the Tommy/Jason bromance was one of the better ones told in the original Power Rangers. There was a real rivalry between them, but also a great deal of mutual respect. They were both equals, friends, and yet also competitors. That made for a great dynamic, especially with Jason's guilt at failing to save Tommy from losing his Ranger powers. Many episodes were dedicated to just how similar, yet uniquely different, the pair were and how they had to overcome their issues and work as a unit.
Tommy was basically a darker, more powerful version of Jason, which is why he was both so threatening as a villain and so helpful as an ally (and why Tommy ultimately slipping into the role of "leader" later on was pretty natural).
While it's not inherently better or worse, swapping the gender does change that dynamic, and I think many would read into it far more as belligerent sexual tension more than friendly competition. Of course it could go any direction possible - that's the power of fiction after all, but I'll admit I have a deep and powerful nostalgia for the original Green Ranger (hell, there's a figure of him on my shelf right next to my computer as I type this).
If they change it, eh, fine. It's not like the original dynamic from the show ceases to exist.
Catalix
And on the sixth day the LORD David Bowie created man and woman in His image. And he saw that it was good. On the seventh day the LORD created videogames so that He might take the bloody day off for once.
That's... beside the point I was making. I'm not talking about popularity here. Tommy is without a doubt the most celebrated ranger of all time, deserved or otherwise. An episode of the series (Forever Red) even pokes fun of this fact.
But I was discussing how Zack, Trini and Billy are pre-established characters with a specific ethnic identity. Being among the original 5 team members automatically seals their place as nostalgic figureheads for a lot of older fans. And hell, for a lot of casuals their race was THE defining characteristic lol. So it made me wonder if the race alterations of those established characters was just as off-putting as the potential gender swap of Tommy.
SlipperyFishes
Banned
Honestly if people are so beholden to the original then who cares what they think of a movie without the original cast. It's not the same thing.
It might have similar window dressing but this is a new story and if they want a different spin then I'm happy for them to have a chance.
But how will the Puttys easily crush all the female characters' sternums with a single punch when the plot demands it?
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
Don't forget that years later JDF came back to play Doctor of Paleontology Tommy Oliver / Dino Ranger in Dino Thunder.
I'll admit, I was surprised they didn't just go with their replacements outright and bypass the race-swapping of the originals.
Ultimately, I still found it... innocuous enough. This is not the original Power Rangers; it's its own thing and deserves to be its own thing, rather than a direct translation of the originals.
I mean, in my head, Trini is always going to be Asian, Zack will always be black, and Billy will always be the traditional nerd, but that's MY generation of Power Rangers.
Just as I accept that "my" version of many heroes is not the version a whole new generation grew up with. I grew up with Hal Stewart, but a whole new generation views Kyle Rayner or John Stewart as "their" Green Lantern. There's room for both.
blankempathy
Member
I disagree. Trini didn't get much back story that I remember but for Billy his identity was basically that of a nerd and techno geek. Zack is a different story but his portrayal also wouldn't really work today.
I'm sure some fanfics would come true.
Catalix
And on the sixth day the LORD David Bowie created man and woman in His image. And he saw that it was good. On the seventh day the LORD created videogames so that He might take the bloody day off for once.
I dunno, I can see the Jason-Tommy rivalry/bromance being perfectly viable if Tommy were female. Chicks can be bros too, breh. It'd be interesting to see how that dynamic could play out.
Yeess, I was thinking the same thing! I need this in my life.
I personally prefer when they shake up certain conventions from the source material, including things like race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. They handled the changes well enough in the movie. Kept it familiar but fresh.
It's not like that already happened to other character in the movie...
And now I am hyped by this.
I guess I will watch again the movie to help the sequels happen.
Only thing I'd miss is that I love bromances. I like when guys are given examples of close male friendship and that's treated as something acceptable, like it's healthy to have close friends and open up to them. I think a lot of people try to be overly silent and standoffish because they think that's what they need to do and yeah, I like when media shows that bromances are cool to have.
So I'd miss the Jason Tommy bromance.
But I understand that female representation is more important than my personal enjoyment, so I'm not exactly gonna complain about this.
So I'd miss the Jason Tommy bromance.
But I understand that female representation is more important than my personal enjoyment, so I'm not exactly gonna complain about this.
SlipperyFishes
Banned
She overcame her fear of heights to save Billy once.
Ahhh, I hope they keep it a guy. They can create an additional female ranger later or replace one of the guys with a girl. Just don't make that particular character a girl.
Edit: The Jason-Tommy bromance is one of the main reasons I want the character to be male. It was one of my favorite aspects of MMPR.
Edit: The Jason-Tommy bromance is one of the main reasons I want the character to be male. It was one of my favorite aspects of MMPR.
I'd agree. And personally, I just think the idea of Tommie (Thomasina?) being that much of a bad bitch in direct opposition to Jason's alpha male would honestly be a cool thing to delve into. Whether they tried to play up a possible romantic/bromantic thing or not!
Besides, the original series is still there. The Boom series reinvents that dynamic in an interesting way, so why not do another different take in the movie line?
What if they changed his race? Like, hypothetically. Would you condone a change like that? What is it about gender that crosses the line? Consider this very carefully.
Catalix
And on the sixth day the LORD David Bowie created man and woman in His image. And he saw that it was good. On the seventh day the LORD created videogames so that He might take the bloody day off for once.
Yeah she really was a blank slate. Pleasant, but bland.
we're not even through the first weekend yet
if it drops like crazy second weekend we ain't getting a sequel
blankempathy
Member
The problem is that typical media is so lazy and bad at writting that usually any type of closeness leads to full on romance.
Well there was an episode where the villain tried to make them fight over whether Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa were better.
F0rneus
Tears in the rain
Y'all need to watch Lord Zedd's wedding.
Along those lines: in Dino Thunder Tommy Oliver comes back as a paleontologist. He's the one who finds the MacGuffins that give the rangers dino powers, and for the first half of the show acts as a mentor/Zordon figure to the rangers.
Then when they add in the extra ranger (who's always got the biggest zord and the fanciest costume), he grabs that for himself and becomes the field leader, upstaging the new rangers. Proving once and for all that Tommy Oliver/JDF is a spotlight-stealing bastard.
I was ready to forgive him for what he did to Jason, but after that I'm scorched-earth on the fucker.
Rumblebones
Banned
I'd rather they didn't. If only one for the Jason/Tommy dynamic.
But... he doesn't have the fanciest costume of Dino Thunder.
That honor went to this guy:
Razgriz-Specter
Member
You know i'd be against this but all the other characters were done so well a female Tommy wouldn't hurt a balance or anything.
Not like they can top original Tommy straightforward anyway.
Though it would be controversial so it depends if they want it or not.
Not like they can top original Tommy straightforward anyway.
Though it would be controversial so it depends if they want it or not.
F0rneus
Tears in the rain
But... he doesn't have the fanciest costume of Dino Thunder.
That honor went to this guy:
Goddamn you Trent. Didn't deserve that shit.
ultracal31
You don't get to bring friends.
Isn't it "zit aiYAH!"?
Having the same sex as a rival is different from opposite genders. Same sex characters are far more likely to understand more subtle social cues that opposite genders don't.
It would be cool to have a green ranger as a woman but I agree with those it would feel off and not for nostalgia reasons.
It would be cool to have a green ranger as a woman but I agree with those it would feel off and not for nostalgia reasons.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Do it, but keep the name Tommy for extra salt.
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