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The Power Rangers franchise turns 30 years old this August, and to celebrate the occasion, Netflix and Hasbro are bringing together members of the original cast for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once And Always, an almost hour-long special that pays tribute to these characters and continues their story.
Reprising their roles almost 30 years later are David Yost and Walter Jones as Billy Cranston and Zack Taylor, the original Blue and Black Ranger, respectively. Joining them are Steve Cardenas as Rocky de Santos and Catherine Sutherland as Kat Hillard, the second Red and Pink Ranger. There’s also some new blood joining the team in 16-year-old Charlie Kersh portraying Minh Kwan, Trini Kwan’s (original Yellow Ranger played by the late Thuy Trang) daughter.
To promote the special, the cast did a series of meet and greets earlier this week with fans in Los Angeles. It was the first time the group assembled with Kersh, too, giving the young star her first fan experience when she was asked for an autograph.
“We’re like, ‘Yes you’re going to sign a bunch of different stuff.’ So it was a lot of fun to coach her through a fan experience and see how she reacted to it,” Yost told GameSpot. “She’s going to do great, but it was a real eye-opener. Obviously, the original cast has been a mainstay of what Power Rangers is, and Walter and I are humbled by what the fanbase is and their continued support for us.” Yost went on to praise his young co-star and said she really “blew it out of the park” during the special.
Once And Always is a first for the franchise in a few ways, mainly Jones getting suited up with Cardenas and Sutherland as Rangers. Jones described the difference between working with past co-workers Austin St. John and Amy Jo Johnson and sharing the screen with the second-generation Red and Pink Ranger.
“I would say it’s definitely different, but it’s still a feeling of family,” Jones explained. “Here we are together again working through a negative situation and we got to fight for our lives and the lives of everybody else. So, if you’re on my team, you’re on my team. That’s what it feels like. In this episode, we’re not together for long but I still knew them and knew of them and we’re fighting on the same team.”
With this being the 30th anniversary of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, the two stars discussed the biggest factor of the show’s longevity and its staying power with fans.
“I would say it’s the positivity aspect,” said Jones. “The fact that for a lot of people, we were role models. We gave them life lessons that they continued to follow for the rest of their life to teach their own children. I think that positive aspect and that it’s in 40 countries around the world and everybody got the same message.”
“For us, we were way ahead of the curve…because we were all diverse. We all came from different backgrounds and we showed what teamwork meant,” added Yost. “We could be different and be the best of friends and really get things accomplished. I think that truly resonates with a lot of fans. Walter and I hear so many stories about how Power Rangers was their mainstay for them as children. If they had a bad home environment and Power Rangers were their one saving grace, or it gave them confidence and encouraged them to become martial artists or gymnasts. Or in my case, because I was the nerd, a scientist. I get that all the time. ‘I’m in IT, I’m a doctor, I’m a paleontologist’ of all things, because of Billy.”
Before the Once And Always special came to fruition, there were early talks between Yost and Hasbro about producing something with his own take on Power Rangers called Quantum Continuum. Yost posted the scripts on his social media to give fans a look at what could have been. The actor is somewhat hopeful of it being made way down the line, even if it has to be rewritten.
“So the deal with Quantum Continuum, I was originally pitching to Hasbro maybe two and a half years ago. We ran into a legal issue that had to put a hold on that series, but out of those discussions came Once and Always,” Yost said, “It’s not anywhere near the same storyline I was telling, but it is a story.” Yost commended Hasbro for stepping up to the plate and coming up with this 30th-anniversary special. “I had to fight a little bit to make sure they were shooting at union [rate] and they did so thank you to Hasbro for that. We really had to work hard on getting the story right and close a lot of the loopholes, which I think we did. The writers did a great job, the producers did a good job, and I’m happy the way it turned out.”
Yost did add that if the popularity was there, he hoped Hasbro would revisit Quantum Continuum with him. “I think it will be rehashed right now with the loss of Jason David Frank, but I would hope they would want to create something like that because the fans will want to see more of the original cast.”
For most of his Ranger career, Billy was seen as the brains and inventor and not really as any sort of field leader. With Once And Always, Billy takes command of the assembled team and pilots the original Dino Megazord for the first time. Yost talked about what that meant to him as well as for Billy.
“I think it’s very exciting for the character of Billy. Billy has always been the brains of the group and having to figure things out and always put the pieces of the puzzle together for the team to get them out of situations,” Yost said. “So obviously he’s in a leadership role–we’re all in leadership roles here–so it was great to portray that. It was awesome for Zack and Billy stepping up to leadership roles at different times in the series. Hopefully, fans will like that but it was really cool to have Billy drive the Megazord and sit front and center. I was excited about that for Billy. It’s cool.”
Yost’s return to the franchise is also one of the longest spans of not being part of the show in any capacity. The actor mentioned in past interviews how things had gotten so bad he contemplated suicide the week before he finally left the show. Billy didn’t even have a proper send-off episode involving Yost, with the character being dubbed in his final scene.
Yost opened up about the fan support over the years and the decision to finally make his Ranger return.
“Well, the fans have always been super supportive and sorry to hear what I went through as an actor on set. A lot of time has passed, for me personally, so I’ve had time to deal with a lot of issues that were going on,” he said. “Just knowing the brand was being taken over by Hasbro and the people have been so amazing to me and the rest of the cast. It felt like a great atmosphere to want to come work in and be with. They were so open and listening to what I was saying and what other actors might have been saying. So for me, it was great to come back to the franchise and be back in such a positive way and I’m really happy it turned out the way it did.”
Looking back at their time on the show and how actors are sometimes synonymous with their characters can be daunting for some actors. However, Jones and Yost have embraced their legacies and their ties to this brand for the rest of their careers.
“I have no issue with it at all,” said Jones. In the special it’s mentioned in passing that Zack eventually became a congressman. He even joked about the possibility of Congressman Zack fanfic in the same vein as Quantum Continuum saying “anything can happen” but no plans just yet.
“The fact that it’s been around for 30 years and been an inspiration to so many people…I can’t think of anything else like this that’s left that kind of mark. I’m so proud to have been part of it.”
“There was definitely a point in my life for about seven years I wish I wasn’t known as just a Power Ranger. As time goes on I learned to embrace it and be proud of it,” Yost said. “Like Walter said, just knowing the impact our characters had on so many people’s lives it’s been overwhelmingly humbling. I can’t speak for anybody else, but it’s made me want to be a better person and to really make sure I’m living up to the fans’ expectations in some way. It’s a reminder for me of the influence that people can have on other people’s lives. So again knowing that our characters really helped people through hard times and gave hope to so many kids around the world it’s really hard to comprehend. I’m glad to be part of a show that has had this impact. It’s certainly an honor and would never want to trade it. As the special says ‘once and always’ and that’s where we are in our lives.”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once And Always is streaming now exclusively on Netflix.
