With a little over a week to go, Netflix (via Entertainment Weekly) has released the first official clip for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always 30th Anniversary Reunion Special, revealing exactly how Rocky (Steve Cardenas) and Kat (Catherine Sutherland) obtain access to the legendary Dino Powers, which were only ever wielded by original Rangers Jason (Austin St. John) and Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson), who are not returning for the Special.
As per the clip, Billy (David Yost) and Alpha 5 (Richard Horvitz) explain that they were able to duplicate Jason and Kimberly's original Dino power coins to create "proxy power coins" for Rocky and Kat to use as a contingency plan in a time of emergency. It's a dangerous gambit according to Zack (Walter Jones), but neither former Ranger is particularly worried about the conseqeunces since the world needs them now more than ever. "Once a Ranger... Always a Ranger!," they conclude.
While the clip doesn't exactly explain what happened to Jason or Kimberly - or Tommy - recent reports have suggesed the three, who will appear in their morphed states early on, will be captured by Robo-Rita at an early point in the Special, likely after Trini's death, keeping them off the map for a majority of the event.
Amy Jo Johnson recently explained her decision not to return for the Special, simultanously announcing plans to write a new comic book, while Austin St. John's absence was presumably due to his ongoing legal issues stemming from his 2022 arrest for COVID wire fraud, which disallowed him from traveling outside of the United States.
The late Jason David Frank also declined an invitation to return, stating early last year that he had retired from the Tommy Oliver role. He tragically passed away in December, and while production had wrapped prior to his death, we'd imagine the Special was able to find a way to honor him as well, alongside Thuy Trang.
From the original Mighty Morphin cast, both David Yost (Billy Cranston/Blue Ranger) and Walter Jones (Zack Taylor/Black Ranger I) will suit up and will be joined by Season 2 and 3 cast members Steve Cardenas (Rocky DeSantos/Red Ranger II), and Catherine Sutherland (Kat Hillard/Pink Ranger II).
Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park/Black Ranger II) and Karan Ashley (Aisha Campbell/Yellow Ranger II) are also back in supporting roles as members of the mysterious SPA, with newcomer Charlie Kersh portraying Trini's daughter Minh Kwan.
Richard Steven Horvitz reprises his role as the voice of Alpha 5, with Barbara Goodson voicing Robo-Rita.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always starts streaming exclusively on Netflix on April 19.
Check out the first clip below:
In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, 30 years after the wise and powerful Zordon formed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the team comes face-to-face with a familiar threat from the past. In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs. Inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise “Once a Ranger, always a Ranger,” Once & Always reminds everyone when you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and always welcome.