Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always: Netflix 30th anniversary movie release date, cast and new Ranger

Thirty years after the Power Rangers made their screen debut, a Netflix special movie Once & Always, reunites the original cast of heroes and villains.

The 1993 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series saw a team of teenagers with a penchant for martial arts recruited by the wise galactic wizard Zordon to protect the California town of Angel Grove from intergalactic baddies. The series became a pop culture hit, spawning a number of spin-offs and lots of merchandise.

The hour-long Netflix feature film returns to the low budget nostalgic style of the original series as the teenage heroes once again don their spandex Ranger suits to protect the Earth from an old threat.

Rita Repulsa, the evil witch who was freed from 10,000 years of imprisonment when her dumpster jail crashed on the moon, kicking off the events of the original series, has returned. Despite being defeated by the Rangers years ago, she has found a new robot body and has killed one of the Rangers’ own.

As a new teenager steps up to take her mother’s place, she joins forces with the original Power Rangers to defeat Rita once and for all.

Who is in the cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always? 

As a grand nostalgia trip, the film features many of the original Power Rangers cast. 

Returning cast members include:

• Walter Jones as Zach (Black Ranger)
• David Yost as Billy (Blue Ranger)
• Steve Cardenas as Rocky (Red Ranger)
• Catherine Sutherland as Kat (Pink Ranger)
• Karan Ashley as Aisha (Yellow Ranger)
• Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam (Black Ranger)
• Richard Steven Horvitz as Alpha
• Barbara Goodson as Robo Rita (the robot reincarnation of Rita Repulsa, played by Goodson in the original series)

Sadly, Thuy Trang who played Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger, died, aged 27 in 2001. In the new Netflix film, Kwan’s daughter, Minh, played by Charlie Kersh, takes up her mother’s mantle. Additionally, Jason David Frank, who played Tommy Oliver, the Green and later White ranger in the original series, died by suicide in 2022 and does not feature in the special.

Charlie Kersh is a Vietnamese-American actress, singer, and martial artist - she is a Taekwondo Xtreme Martial Arts world champion and a Creative Martial Arts World Champion, making her an ideal Power Ranger. The Netflix special is one of her first screen roles, but she previously played Minh in one episode of Power Rangers: Dino Fury. 

How did Yellow Ranger actress Thuy Trang die?

Thuy Trang died in September 2001 whilst travelling with her friend, actress Angela Rockwood on an interstate in California. Trang was due to be a bridesmaid at Rockwood’s marriage to Dustin Nguyen. 

The driver of the car, another bridesmaid, lost control of the vehicle after driving over loose gravel - the car flipped several times and crashed into a rock face. Trang died of her injuries whilst in transit to hospital by helicopter. The driver and Rockwood survived the crash, though she was rendered quadraplegic due to severe spinal injuries.

In the Netflix film, the archival footage of Trang's voice is used in scenes where Trini is morphed as the Yellow Ranger. Trini Kwan is killed by Rita and the movie revolves around the character’s daughter Minh. The film is dedicated ‘in loving memory’ to Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank.

When is Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always on Netflix?

The short film was released on Netflix in the UK on Wednesday 19 April.

All of seasons one and two of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the first 33 episodes of the third season are available on Netflix now. The 32 re-version episodes of season one which include a new opening sequence and added special effects are also on Netflix.  Power Rangers: Dino Fury, Power Rangers Ninja Steel, and the 2017 Power Rangers reboot movie are also on Netflix now.