Anniversaries

My marriage and 'Power Rangers SPD' share a milestone date.

My wife Stephanie and I got married three years ago today, following a snow-filled Feb. 4 that threatened to keep most of our friends and family — most of whom live several hours away from us — away from the Saturday ceremony.

We were gonna get married regardless, but we were fortunate to have so many of our invited guests still able to make it (many of them drove into town as the heavy snow fell the day before). Our beginning was a roaring success, a coming together of us and so many people who made each of us the people we are.

Feb. 5 was an unconventional date. Most weddings in the U.S. are planned during the non-winter months; among other things, we preferred the cost savings of an off-season nuptial. The numerology of the day itself — 5, my favorite number and the number of most starting teams in Power Rangers, my favorite TV show — was absolutely a motivator in that specific date.

What I didn’t realize until a few weeks ago is that the same date was the premiere date for exactly one season of the show that inspired its selection. Power Rangers S.P.D., which celebrates its 20th anniversary. Its first two episodes — “Beginnings Part 1” and “Beginnings Part 2” — premiered in the U.S. on Feb. 5, 2005, and even then the in-universe timeline position of the season — the year 2025 — was questioned by the fandom and those involved with production.

Disney wanted the year to be something “attainable” for kids, according to executive producer Greg Aronowitz.

“It should have been 2300 or something like that,” Aronowitz said in an interview conducted for Morphenomenal: How the Power Rangers Conquered the World. “Because people have powers and there’s aliens all over the place. … But when you watch all the ’80s shows and they’re all like, ‘It’s 1999,” and then we’re there and it’s nothing like that.”

Stephanie and I met the same year Power Rangers S.P.D. premiered, as high school freshmen in our hometown. We flirted throughout our prep years but following graduation didn’t reconnect and start dating until 2019. A lot changed in the time between then and 2025, but beings from other worlds have yet to take up residence on Earth. Maybe in another 20 years, if the planet makes it that long.

Happy 20th anniversary to one of my favorite seasons of Power Rangers and, far more importantly, happy third anniversary to Stephanie. There’s no one with whom I’d rather wait and watch the skies.

“Morphenomenal: How the Power Rangers Conquered the World” is available to pre-order! If you’re a fan of Power Rangers, pop culture or TV history, I think you’ll love it. Available at Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble or through your favorite independent bookseller.