system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Power Rangers] How come the Power Rangers don't go straight to their Zords when the monster of the week appears?

Those monsters do quite a bit of property damage even before they grow. I think the Rangers could just go ahead and step on the bastards as soon as they pop out.
gpt
You might as well ask "why doesn't a cop pull out a gun every time he encounters a criminal?"  Simple - the Force Continuum.

The Force Continuum has nothing to do with the morphing grid.  Very simply put, a situation is as bad as whomever is putting the most into it.  Yet, in order to stop a situation, you have to be the one with the *most* force in the situation.  So, we have a dillemma:  how can you reliably stop monsters without making the battle worse than it has to be?

With the Force Continuum, Power Rangers - and cops - are taught what is reasonable.  You are taught to go *one higher* than whatever the foes are using - *no* further.

Each armed force generally has its own force continuum based on the laws it is responsible to and the foes it encounters - so don't take the Power Rangers, an extralegal organization, as representative of the Force Continuum used by actual armed forces.  Also, their exact tactics generally aren't open for public discussion - they often seem to *match* the level their foes are using, counting on their technological advantages to carry the day.  That said, here's what's observed:

1.  **Presence.**  Just being present is a use of force - and can prevent action.  *Example:  When the Tenga approached a playground, the Power Rangers appeared.  The Tenga left without actually attacking.*
2.  **Verbal Commands.**  Exercising your authority as a Ranger - even if it is only an authority granted by virtue of that giant robot you're known to ride around in - is definitely force.  *Example:  In the middle of a museum robbery, in perhaps the only time verbal commands has worked, Rito gave up when commanded by the Power Rangers to give up.*
3.  **Unarmed Combat.**  Although this imposes the greatest risk on the Rangers, it contains the combat to a small area - less risk of property damage.  *Example:  Whenever the MOTW doesn't give up, unarmed combat begins.*
4.  **Armed Combat.**  Although modern magic and interstellar technology make armor incredibly effective, weapons are still potentially lethal, and not called for until a foe is at least *intending* to kill someone.  *Example 1:  When the later Putty Patrollers start attacking with swords, the Rangers begin arriving to battlefields with their 'numedieval' weapons already out.  Example 2:  The Rangers will pull their sidearms on anyone that harms an innocent.*
5.  **Heavy Weapons.**  The Rangers do have a limited number of heavy weapons.  *Example:  Many MOTWs, once they have demonstrated a willingness to kill or harm, may find themselves on the receiving end of a United Blaster or Power Cannon shot.*
6.  **Vehicles.**  The land-borne Shark Cycles and the airborne Battleizers provide an armor and mobility advantages over prior levels, while not being quite as destructive as a Zord.  *Example:  The one time that the Tenga brought a mounted rocket launcher to the party, the Power Rangers skipped all prior levels and immediately went to the Battlizers.*
7.  **Zords.**  When possible, the Rangers are taught to use their individual zords.  This was rare with early Rangers - as the Zords were primarially there to keep the superweapon from being 100% functional if any single part were captured - although it became much more common later (esp. Turbo and SPD).  *Example:  Just the Sabretooth Tiger was enough to stop a one monster menacing Angel Grove.*
8.  **Megazords.**  Rita's power as a sorceress is enough where they often have to skip the prior two levels entirely.  *Example:  Just look anywhere in Angel Grove for the footprints.*
8.  **Ultrazords.**  Even more powerful than the Megazords, the massive destructive potential of the united Ultrazords make it so they are rarely called forth.  *Example 1:  Dischordia, a 'more powerful' ally of Master Vile, had to be taken down by the Shogun Ultrazord to prevent any Ranger from coming any further under her compulsions.  Example 2:  The only time two Ultrazords were fielded against one foe was against the planet-breaker Serpenterra, which is so off the Force Continuum as to be silly.*