What was supposed to be the anniversary for Power Rangers was derailed right from the start.

Megaforcewas supposed to be the biggest season ofPower Rangersever.

It was the 20th anniversary, celebrating two decades ofPower Rangersheroes.

It started off with a battle featuring every Power Ranger ever.

What could go wrong?

Well, theSentai, for starters.

The former was a bland season about guardian angels that has long since been forgotten by fans.

The latter was the 35th anniversary forSentai.

Filled to the brim with fanservice and returning cast members, it seemed tailor made forPower Rangersown anniversary.

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Power Rangers Megaforcewould adaptGoseigerandPower Rangers Super Megaforcewould adaptGokaiger.

Story editor James W. Bates was not a fan of this approach.

Goseigerwasnt something we wanted to stick with but they were assets that existed, he told us.

We had marching orders to combine the two shows.

I wanted the same thing for our anniversary season.

There, nearly every plot was lifted directly from its Japanese counterpart.

We arced outMegaforcefirst, Bates says.

As writing got underway, Bates hands were immediately tied.

Tzachor had no interest in exploring the characters back-stories or letting them have fun outside of being Rangers.

The first of several examples of this is, Troy, the Red Ranger.

Bates outlines what the original idea for the character was.

He was almost like a chosen one.

Troy was almost the magnet that brought Gosei to choose these kids.

Him being there was almost like why the others got chosen because they were at the same school.

Was he plugged into the morphin grid?

All these things were talked about.

Troy actually has a father he moved to town with.

It was also closely tied into the seasons sixth Ranger, Robo Knight.

They both come from the same spark of power, Bates explains.

Robo Knight is without question the fan favorite fromMegaforce.

Bates had created him as a contrast to the high school aged Rangers.

He doesnt have to do homework.

He doesnt have to worry about who he wants to take to the prom.

So he comes off as RoboCop, obviously, hes a robot on a mission.

Sadly, the other teen characters didnt get much to work with for Robo Knight to play off.

Imagine that, a character who goes Im a superhero.

I should be on lunch boxes.

I should be interviewed!

It wasnt just because it was easy.

I think it was inspired, Bates admits.

You notice how a lot of the character sound like side effects of Xandred may include rising red water?

To better support the cast, two human side characters were introduced into the mix.

As the season went on, fans noticed that both characters werent adding much to the stories.

Ernie just went with that set, admits Bates.

That sounds lame but Mr. Saban was interested in having the kids eat something healthy.

A kid at the mall or a kid using a cellphone?

As for his name being shared with a classicMighty Morphin Power Rangerscharacter?

It was, like the premiere, an homage.

Bates regrets that Mr. Burley, a crypto zoologist, was underutilized.

It wasnt to be.

It seems no matter what Bates had planned it barely ended up in the show.

Throughout the writing ofMegaforce,Bates would pitch out ideas for storylines that would be completely rejected by Tzachor.

In a more specific example, Bates recalls the original idea for the episode Robo Knight.

We had a pollution monster.

We had a character who was developed to be an environmental activist (Emma).

Tzachor was also partially responsible for one ofMegaforcesmost beloved yet baffling moments.

In the premiere, Troy is training and kicks a water bottle off a roof.

Not a big deal, right?

This odd sequence of events lead to a fan theory that water bottles killed Troys parents.

you might blame me for writing but you cant blame for directing and producing and acting, Bates laughs.

Im not putting down any of those people with how it was played.

He just really loved a Rube Goldberg slash homemade training thing.

It makes it sound like Im making Jonathan the villain, but he had different priorities.

WhenPower Rangers Megaforcedebuted, the early episodes featured glimmers of potential.

Unlike inSamurai, the Rangers got into unmoprhed fights that displayed a lot of personality.

Little seeds were planted that hinted at elements to later be introduced inSuper Megaforce.

They were in high school again!

The characters had subtlety!

Things seemed to be going alright.

As early as the second episode,Megaforcedeveloped a problem with the length of its fight scenes.

By the end of the season the characters had barely changed from where they began in epiosde one.

It felt like the show was running in place.

The season also lacked any elements of a twentieth anniversary celebration.

To many,Megaforce, likeSamurai, became just another season killing time until the big event.

Things we had spent a lot of time on.

Things like the kids having their own website.

This process is what would eventually lead to Bates leaving just after the start ofPower Rangers Super Megaforce.