Removing Rita and Zedd from the Zeo era entirely would have given the Machine Empire total focus. We wouldn’t have gotten the bizarre, somewhat out-of-character comedic turn that Rita and Zedd took in Season 4. The tone of Zeo would have remained consistently sci-fi and slightly more serious.

The absence of Rita and Zedd would have meant no “Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd’s Wedding” episode. This was a massive cultural moment for the franchise. Without it, we miss out on the introduction of the Impursonator, and we miss the hilarious dynamic of the villains being forced to get jobs or live as bums while hiding from the Machines.

The Machine Empire wouldn’t have had any rivals to keep them on their toes. Part of what made the later Zeo episodes fun was watching Mondo panic when Rita and Zedd returned with a new monster. Without that external pressure, Mondo’s schemes might have felt even more repetitive and mundane.

The eventual fate of Rita and Zedd in In Space wouldn’t have had the same impact. If they just disappeared after MMPR, their redemption arc and Zordon’s sacrifice wouldn’t have had the same emotional weight. We needed to see them humbled and humanized in Zeo to buy into their purification at the end of In Space.

Honestly, as an adult, I find Rita and Zedd’s Zeo-era comedy to be a bit cringey. It ruined Zedd’s cool factor. But as a kid, I loved seeing them get married. Keeping them away would have made Zeo a stronger, more cohesive season, but it would have robbed the franchise of some of its most memorable, weirdly charming moments.