As we get closer to the Netflix premiere date Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and for all, the hype is steadily climbing. But with that hype come questions, and some pretty big ones. One of those questions concerns the involvement of the pink and red rangers, how are they back but with different actors? Earlier today, a new clip surfaced explaining how to do that.
Once & always follows a team of rangers who are no longer teenagers, but mature adults who are called upon to don their suits once again to save the world. The team consists of the original Blue and Black Rangers Billy (David Yost) and Zack (Walter Emanuel Jones), with the second Red Ranger Rocky (Steve Cardenas) and the second Pink Ranger Kat (Catherine Sutherland). But taking over those rangers’ roles didn’t mean they had the specific Dino Powers. But in the clip above, Rocky and Kat will officially use the same powers as Jason and Kimberly thanks to “special proxy power coins.” Zack warns that “duplicating active powers is very dangerous”, but neither Kat nor Rocky are deterred by this.
Once a ranger, always a ranger
While the clip doesn’t explain exactly what happened to Kimberly or Jason, we do see a red and pink Ranger (speculated to be them in their Ranger uniform) at the beginning of the trailer. We also see a Green Ranger in that sequence, confirming a possible Tommy cameo. This sequence is speculated to be the death of the original Yellow Ranger, Trini. The in-universe character’s daughter, Minh (Charlie Kersh), will take on the mantle of Yellow.
Why The Missing Rangers?
When the trailer initially came out, fans quickly noticed that the original Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, was missing. There was a lot of speculation, such as contract issues or money. But the actress took to Twitter and gave her final answer. The actress is currently writing a Power Rangers comic series.
“Please stop saying I didn’t do the reunion because of money. Just not true. Maybe when I was 50 I just didn’t want to wear spandex or couldn’t go to NZ for a month. Or none of our beeswax JDF & I have any both chose not to for our own reasons. They filmed before he died.”
Johnson is referring to her co-star, Jason David Frank, who played Tommy the original Green Ranger. Frank played the character for several seasons of Power Rangers. Sadly, he passed away last November. Frank’s last acting credit is the movie Legend of the white dragonwhich will appear in the near future.
As for the original Red Ranger, Jason, his absence is likely due to legal issues. The actor who plays Jason, Austin St. John, was arrested in May 2022 for pandemic government loan fraud. St. John was one of 18 individuals charged with fraudulently submitting applications for Payment Protection Program loans, then depositing the funds in private accounts. Due to his income requiring travel to special fan events and performances, St. John is allowed to travel outside of his home state of Texas under strict supervision. It’s likely that such cramped travel conditions made it difficult to be a part of filming a project like Once & always.
As for Trini, the original Yellow Ranger, she was portrayed by actress Thuy Trang in both the first season and the first half of season two. She initially stepped down alongside Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones due to contract disputes. Trang sadly died in a car accident in September 2001. She was only 27 at the time.
Power Rangers is a staple of ’90s nostalgia, and the action hasn’t stopped since. Even when members are missing, their legacy lives on in their devoted fans. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and for all premieres on Netflix on April 19.