Once a Ranger

"Once a Ranger" is a special two-part team-up episode of Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive, commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the Power Rangers television series begun in 1993. It features the return of five former Rangers who aid the current team of Operation Overdrive Rangers against the son of the original two villains of the series. This was the second episode to commemorate the anniversary of the Power Rangers Franchise, the first one being forever red in the tenth season Power Rangers Wild Force

The "Retro Rangers"
As part of the fifteenth anniversary, four actors reprise their roles from the series since Power Rangers: Wild Force, the 10th anniversary series which had its "Forever Red" anniversary episode. In addition, one actor from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reprises his role for this anniversary episode.
 * Tori Hanson: Tori is the Blue Wind Ranger of Power Rangers: Ninja Storm. At the close of Ninja Storm, she becomes a sensei at the Wind Ninja Academy, overseeing students who were proficient in water techniques. A professional surfer, she now also owns a surf shop. Tori is portrayed by Sally Martin. Tori is the only Ranger, besides the Operation Overdrive Rangers, to have her Japanese counterpart, Nanami Nono/Hurricane Blue, appear in the Japanese version of this team-up.
 * Kira Ford: Kira is the Yellow Dino Ranger of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder. At the end of Dino Thunder, she pursued her singing career and is working on her first CD. Kira is portrayed by Emma Lahana.
 * Bridge Carson: Bridge is the S.P.D. Red Ranger of Power Rangers: S.P.D.. In S.P.D. he was the Green Ranger,(Blue Ranger in the final episode) but a series of retires and promotions of other characters has moved him up to the rank of Red Ranger. As S.P.D. is set in the future he is the only future ranger among the retro rangers. Bridge is portrayed by Matt Austin.
 * Xander Bly: Xander is the Green Mystic Ranger of Power Rangers: Mystic Force. As of the end of Mystic Force, he is the manager of the Rockporium, a record shop in Briarwood where all of the Mystic Rangers have worked. Xander is portrayed by Richard Brancatisano.
 * Adam Park: Adam is the second Black Power Ranger of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He serves as the leader of the "Retro Ranger" team. Adam has also been Zeo Ranger IV - Green in Power Rangers: Zeo and the first Green Turbo Ranger in Power Rangers: Turbo. He now owns his own dojo. He is the only member of the team to be from the Saban-Era. Adam is portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Thrax

 * Thrax: Thrax is the son of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers villains Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, and is the primary antagonist of this episode. Long ago, he was imprisoned by the Sentinel Knight in a space dumpster, much like Zordon had done to his mother. He grew stronger as the Sentinel Knight grew weaker and was able to escape as his mother did on the moon, and now he sought revenge on the Sentinel Knight. Angry at his parents for becoming good and wanting to restore their evil legacy, he unites the four Overdrive villain groups into an alliance to destroy the Power Rangers. He is voiced by Glen Levy.
 * Vulturus: Vulturus is a vulture-like monster created by Thrax. According to Thrax, he is supposed to be invincible. As a giant, Vulturus fights the Megazords only to be sliced in half by Mack using the Excelsior Sword. Vulturus' body is found by the villains and Thrax has Flurious implant a gyro in it, transforming Vulturus into Vulturus Maximus. He is later destroyed by the Mercury Ranger using the Drive Detector.

Plot summary
Thrax, the son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, arrives and proposes a temporary alliance with the four factions of Operation Overdrive villains. The villains, hesitant at first, join forces and wage an all out war against the Rangers. United, the villains defeat the Overdrive Rangers. Then, as the final attack, Thrax severs their link to the Universal Morphing Grid, stripping them of their powers and making it impossible for Andrew Hartford to restore them. Sentinel Knight's spirit arrives and whisks the Rangers to safety.

Andrew then tells the Rangers that Thrax's alliance is attacking various locations around the world and tells them to use their genetic enhancements as they head to Stonehenge to fight Kamdor and Mig. Things weren't looking good for the Rangers with Kamdor and Mig overwhelming them. In the nick of time, veteran Rangers Adam Park, Tori Hanson, Kira Ford, Bridge Carson, and Xander Bly arrived and fended off Kamdor and Mig.

Back at Hartford's mansion, Sentinel Knight reveals that he summoned them to take their place while the Morphing Grid is being fixed. Andrew Hartford reinforces the Morphing Grid so that Thrax cannot cut off the veteran Rangers' powers as well, while Adam seeks a way to repair the Grid. All the Operation Overdrive Rangers, save for Mack, feel left out and decide to leave Operation Overdrive to return to their pre-Ranger lives.

Without his Ranger powers, Mack's role in Operation Overdrive is reduced to sweeping floors at the mansion. Adam brings his new teammates to Angel Grove to retrieve Alpha 6 to repair the Operation Overdrive link to the Morphing Grid. Meanwhile, Mack learns of the legend of Excelsior, a golden sword which is the only weapon capable of fully restoring the Sentinel Knight.

After consulting Rose, who is again teaching college-level courses, Mack decides to search for Excelsior. Rose deduces Mack's plan and gathers the rest of the Overdrive team to join him; not a difficult task, since none of the Overdrive Rangers were happy with their "normal" lives seeing as how their mission is still unfinished. Successfully retrieving the sword from beneath Thrax's fingertips results in the destruction of a powerful monster attacking the city. Alpha 6 restores the Overdrive Rangers' link to the Morphing Grid, and all 11 Rangers band together to confront Thrax and his alliance.

The villainous alliance is dissolved with Thrax's destruction by the Sentinel Knight, restored and repowered by Excelsior. The Episode ends with all 11 Rangers placing their hands together and cried the traditional Power Ranger call, "Go Go Power Rangers!"

Reception
During their initial broadcasts and subsequent reruns on ABC, "Once a Ranger" gathered some of the series' highest ratings for the 6-11 demographic (other demographics not reported). The Nielsen ratings for part 1 show 0.8/4 for the first showing and its rerun a week later ; the second part received 0.9/5 for its first showing, and 0.8/4 for its subsequent rerun. Only a few other episodes received higher ratings than the average for the series as a whole, the pilot (1.6/8 & 1.2/6) and several reruns shown at 12:00p.