Power Rangers fans are no strangers to a great redemption story, and we’ve seen some great ones over the franchise’s history, including in the very first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. While there have been several, few have been as full of twists and turns as one specific redemption story that took place 22 years ago, and it turned one of the deadliest Power Rangers villains ever into a heroic force for good.
22 years ago, fans tuned into the Power Rangers Dino Thunder episode titled Copy That, and by the end of the episode, not only did fans learn the truth about Mesogog, but the show’s villainous Ranger Trent, aka the White Dino Ranger, was finally freed of the white Dino Gem’s corruption. Without that corrupting force, Trent was able to make his own decisions again, and he would help take down Copyotter and Zeltrax before officially joining the Rangers.
When the episode begins, Trent is still helping Mesogog, but things start to unravel when Trent is framed by Zeltrax. Zeltrax destroys Mesogog’s lab and plants a copy of the Drago Sword to frame Trent, and it works, as Mesogog captures Trent and looks to take him out for good.
Trent is strapped to a chair as Mesogog readies the Lifeforce Extractor, and though Trent tries to tell him he’s innocent, those pleas fall on deaf ears. What does get through though is Trent calling out to his father, who shares a mind with Mesogog. Trent’s father, Anton, takes control and stops the process right in time, and while he saves his son, he also directly causes Trent’s transformation.
When he saves Trent from the laser, it ends up ricocheting off nearby mirrors and hitting the White Dino Gem. The resulting impact eradicates the Gem’s evil encoding, completely freeing the Gem of corruption and therefore clearing Trent’s mind in the process. Anton encourages Trent to help the Power Rangers and use his powers to help others, and that’s when Trent heads out to help the Rangers take down Copyotter and Zeltrax.
Eventually, the other Rangers would learn the truth about Trent’s father and his unique predicament, but even with some of the conflicts that came from that revelation, Trent would go on to be a vital ally to the Rangers over the course of the season. His help would be crucial towards the end of the series, including the final battle with Mesogog and Zeltrax.
While the final battle is action-packed, it’s also the big payoff of Trent and Anton’s story, as Trent is finally able to help free his father from having to share a mind with Mesogog. Not only would Trent and his father finally reunite with Mesogog’s corruption, but the Rangers would also have the chance to return to their normal lives after Mesogog’s defeat, with Trent deciding to pursue his love of art. After all is said and done, It’s difficult to ask for a happier ending than that.
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