The five teenagers with attitude that were called on by Zordon back in August 1993 have certainly come a long way. Spanning worldwide for over 30 years through television, theatrical releases and merchandising deals, the Power Rangers franchise has continuously revitalized itself by constantly and successfully changing the series dynamic with every season. Fighting against an evil witch that escaped from prison on the moon in the original series, being a part of an intergalactic police force that stops alien criminals in Power Rangers: SPD or slowly coming together in the middle of an apocalypse to stop an ever-changing computer virus in Power Rangers: RPM, each initial scenario presented makes fans eager to see what happens to the superhero team in the latest season.
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Fans can get excited though, because they are back in the upcoming special Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once & Always. Here’s what we hope to see.
Bringing the Rangers Back Together
Netflix
Besides the initial premise always promising adventure and excitement, the series has also always delivered on crossover and anniversary entries which bring various members or entire teams together from different eras in special one-off episodes in order to take down threatening new villains. While the Kamen Rider and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle collaborations are usually frowned upon by fans, the 10th and 15th anniversary specials titled Forever Red and Once A Ranger stand the test of time as fan favorite episodes. When it comes to the upcoming 30th anniversary special, which will be by brought to audiences by the streaming platform known as Netflix, the tradition will very much continue to honor the legacy and cultural impact of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
On January 17, Entertainment Weekly released an exclusive piece detailing the summer 2023 release of Power Rangers: Once & Always. While the tease spliced in quick promotional interviews with behind the scenes’ footage, this new special will not only feature Catherine Sutherland, Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch and Steve Cardenas reprising their roles but Walter Emanuel Jones will come back as the original Black Ranger and David Yost, who hasn’t been in a Power Rangers production in over twenty-three years, will make his return as the original Blue Ranger.
Throughout the two-minute featurette, fans can see that a nostalgia overload is in store with the original suits, morphers, putty patrollers but charismatic Alpha 5 robotic assistant will all be brought back too. While not confirmed, Bryan Cranston as Zordon should be announced soon given his assistant is in the special. The biggest tease in this announcement though, is not in what fans are seeing but rather what is said in the official description.
Villains Never Stop Trying to Conquer the Earth
Providing exclusive looks into other releases such as Josh Groban’s Todd Sweeney revival, the official synopsis for Once and Always provided by Entertainment Weekly reads that this historic Power Ranger team will once again face “a familiar threat from the past.” This statement alone has single-handedly opened the rabbit hole for new and old fans in trying to figure out which iconic villain from the past is wreaking havoc on a global scale.
Since the Netflix special seems to be dealing with worlds and characters from the first three seasons, we all hope to see Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson is returning as the voice but no word on any physical depiction yet), Lord Zedd, or even Master Vile, Rita’s father, make an appearance. Even though he is an antagonist, fan favorite Goldar getting his revenge on the Rangers after all these years would provide an ample conclusion to his story arc. The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Movie from 1995 was officially deemed as not canon quite the number of years ago but Ivan Ooze reforming in the dark depths of space and dripping back to Earth would certainly attract the attention of fans.
One question about the future of Power Rangers that has been speculated for so long has finally been answered by Entertainment Weekly. Fans of the original series are elated that an honorable tribute has finally been made for the late Yellow Ranger, Thuy Trang, who played Trini. Cast as Trini’s daughter, actress Charlie Kersh will play Minh and help the Power Rangers fend off Earth from the mystery villains. Followers of the Saban-produced show are thrilled to see what she has in store for the 30th anniversary special.
Dinozords, Megazords, and War Zords, Oh My!
Long-standing fans of the series also always think about those epic giant robot battles that took place at the end of every episode and how those same moments can be transferred to the new special. As a way of reintroducing the Megazord, a heartwarming sequence should give time showing off every original Dinozord and a small interaction could then be had with each ranger. Within this scene, a touching tribute could be made for Jason David Frank, the original Red Ranger. If Goldar returns with his War Zord, Cyclopsis, the towering menace could once again come into play along with Lord Zedd’s Serpentera. Any die hard fans remember that the greatest larger than life battles were the ones that took place with multiple Zords on screen at once. Using modern technology and updated special effects, these clashes can look better than ever and make Once and Always that much more memorable.
Even though much excitement and exhilaration can be had from theorizing which famous MMPR characters will be included in this Netflix special event, we will all get to see numerous faces from our favorite Saturday morning superhero team reunite once more when Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once & Always releases on April 19.
