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Thursday, July 29, 2010

(Cy)Borgs, An(Droids), and Robo(ts) in the 'Saban-Verse'

The word 'borg' is thrown around alot and some might think Star Trek: The Next Generation's Borgs was the inspiration to the use of the word 'borg' in the Sabanverse. The truth is that the word 'borg' comes from 'Cyborg.' Here I note the differences.
Battle Borgs
The first time we hear 'Borg' used in Power Rangers, they weren't Zords, but Borgs, even they look similar to the Shogunzords. The Battle Borgs were introduced in Season 3, belonging to the Aquitar Rangers. In Kakuranger original footage, they became a 'Megazord.'

Big Bad Beetleborgs
Later in the Saban-verse, we here it again with the Beetleborgs. Yet, they were giant fighting robots but kids that became superheroes. Beetleborgs lasted two seasons.

(CY)BORGS
Cyborgs in fantasy are usually agreed upon to be humans with technology or robots with human skin like the Terminators.
Astronema (Power Rangers in Space)
She was made into a cyborg by Dark Spectre.

Cyborg Rangers
Lightspeed Rescue. We never saw their faces. They were more like robots than cyborgs as we never saw their human face.

Dillon/Tenaya (RPM)
He and Tenaya were made into cyborgs by Venjix.

(AN)DROIDS

Androids are usually agreed upon to be robots that look like human, in some cases they don't look human but in most cases, they do. They can have some bio technology but mostly robotic and made up to look human. 'Droids' as a word was never used in Power Rangers but in Star Wars.

Mac (Operation Overdrive)
He was said more than once to be an Android and not a robot or cyborg. Cyborg was not mentioned, robot was. He could had human-like skin but underneath he was robot and we saw his insides were mechanical.

Sophie
In SPD, she was found out to be an android. She was only seen in a 2-parter, part of D-Squad.


ROBO(TS)
In Fantasy, robots are usually mostly mechanical, they can be bipeds (in most cases because it is usually a little person in a robot costume) like humans but have no humanity implants or anything bio. They can also look like animals. In Power Rangers, the Zords are referred to robots sometimes and the SPD and PROO villains had robots too, but here are a FEW major robots that had artificial intelligence and spoke.

Alpha 5 (MMPR)
He obviously had independent thought, he was like a person, no one questioned him to not be human. And he could fix himself.


Robot Rangers (Turbo)
Justin Robot didn't know he was a robot, they were more like cyborgs or androids as they looked human.


Circuit (Time Force)
Time Force's helper robot owl, he had independent thought and was genuinely loyal.

R.I.C.
R.I.C. ran at his own beat, mostly against Doggy and Syd's wishes.


ZORDS and ZOIDS
Zords was a new word made up for Power Rangers, some people think it was named after Zordon but in fact, in the pilot he was called 'Zoltar' and the Zords were said to be Droids (changed to Zords in the only broadcast in 1999). Zoids are multi-media model-kit-based franchise originating from Japanese toy company Tomy. TOMY re-released the Mechabonica line in the United States and Europe in 1983, under the name Zoids. I think Zords was inspired by Zoids but has not be confirmed. Above is the Liger Zoid from the 1999 series.

5 comments:

  1. In the unaired Zoltar pilot, Zords were called DROIDS. It was redubbed Zords when it aired on the Lost Episode special.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, the battle borgs are a separate set of mecha from the Shogunzords.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shinken Red is right. They were different sets in Kakuranger and actually fought side by side one...

    Also should be noted that Cyborg is short for Cybernetic Organism.

    ReplyDelete
  4. And what about the Cyborg Rangers from PRLR's... umm, what was the episode called...

    ReplyDelete
  5. The main problem for S.O.P.H.I.E was that the writers of Wired(Both parts)couldn't decide on the difference between a android, a cyborg or a computer. I wish they could have made the plot of that adventure closer to its Dekaranger version (In which the rangers befriend an android girl with a blank slate).

    I got that android/Cyborg/Computer data from Power Rangers Central.

    ReplyDelete

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