WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending teases what is next for Power Rangers and revisits a Mighty Morphin scene in an emotional tribute. The Power Rangers reunion celebrated Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary and paid homage to Thuy Trang, Trini Kwan’s actress, who died in 2003. Once & Always’ ending was also dedicated to Jason David Frank, Tommy Oliver’s actor, who died shortly after Once & Always was filmed.
Power Rangers: Once & Always saw Zack, Billy, Kat, and Rocky reuniting to fight Robot Rita, who killed Trini and began to capture Rangers from multiple Power Rangers shows. Power Rangers: Once & Always’ story concluded similarly to how Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes usually ended – a fun moment featuring the Rangers at Ernie’s Juice Bar. Here’s a breakdown of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending and where Power Rangers goes next.
Which Power Rangers Episode Once & Always’ Ending Tribute Is From
Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending tribute scene is from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2, episode 11, “The Song of Guitardo.” The 71st Power Rangers episode, “The Song of Guitardo,” saw Kimberly trying to write a song with the help of Zack. Kimberly’s guitar was turned into a monster, Guitardo, by Lord Zedd. Toward the end episode, after defeating Guitardo and recovering her guitar, Kimberly sang her new song for her friends. Three decades later, Kimberly and Zack’s song worked as a bittersweet yet perfect tribute to Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank. The lyrics spoke of “what life may hold in store” and that “memories never die.”
Is Rita Repulsa Dead For Good?
The original Rita Repulsa was redeemed at the end of Power Rangers in Space’s “Countdown to Destruction Part II,” but Rita’s evil essence was accidentally brought back by Billy. Instead of restoring Zordon, Billy pulled Rita’s evil side from the Z-Wave, which is how evil Rita Repulsa returned in Power Rangers: Once & Always. Robot Rita’s plans involved going back in time and warning her younger self about Zordon’s Power Rangers team. Fortunately, the Power Rangers managed to close Rita Repulsa’s time portal before she could reach her younger self. Robot Rita was destroyed by a blast shot from Zack’s Power Axe.
Robot Rita came to be after Rita’s evilness found itself a new body, Alpha-5’s. Considering that Robot Rita’s body was destroyed by Zack’s Power Axe, Rita should no longer be a threat to the Power Rangers. Though Rita’s evil essence may still exist out in the universe, there is no reason for Power Rangers to bring Rita back after Once & Always. The Power Rangers special perfectly revisited one of the best Power Rangers villains, tying Rita’s return with the Rangers’ reunion. With the original Rita redeemed and Robot Rita destroyed, Power Rangers may have bid farewell to its original antagonist.
Will Minh Become The New Yellow Ranger In Power Rangers?
Minh becomes the Yellow Ranger during Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending battle. Minh is now the third Power Rangers character to have used the Sabertooth Tiger Power Coin, continuing the legacies of Trini and Aisha. Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending even had a brief but meaningful moment in which Aisha, who replaced Trini as the Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin season 2, gave her blessings to Minh. Trained by Zack for more than a year, Minh has the skills and the heart to honor the Yellow Ranger’s legacy. Whether Minh will return as the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers remains to be seen.
Power Rangers: Once & Always was designed as a standalone special celebrating Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary. The Mighty Morphin characters haven’t been the franchise’s main Rangers since Turbo season 2, and only a few of them had returned before Once & Always. Power Rangers Dino Fury‘s team is the franchise’s current one, and they will return in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury. Curiously, Dino Fury did not have a Yellow Ranger, so maybe Minh could appear in Cosmic Fury. Lord Zedd, Rita’s ally in Mighty Morphin, will be Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s villain after all.
What Minh Seeing Her Mother’s Memories Means
Minh seeing Trini’s memories through the Morpher was a beautiful way to revisit some of Thuy Trang’s moments in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. However, Minh being able to access her mother’s memories thanks to the Yellow Ranger Morpher also has implications for the Power Rangers universe. The Power Rangers: Once & Always ending highlights how surprised Zack and Billy were in learning about Minh’s visions. Before Once & Always, no Power Rangers character had ever accessed another person’s memory by using their Morpher. As Billy noted, there is still a lot about Morphers that the Power Rangers do not comprehend.
Billy was trying to bring Zordon back decades after the Power Rangers’ mentor sacrificed himself during Power Rangers in Space. Zordon’s energy, the Z-Wave Billy was trying to access, once saved the universe from the Alliance of Evil. Despite the Robot Rita incident, Billy hasn’t given up on bringing Zordon back. Minh’s unique experience with the Morpher could be the key to understanding more about how the Morphin Grind works and how Zordon could be brought back. Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending was mostly self-contained, but Billy’s quest to resurrect Zordon could perhaps lead to future Power Rangers stories.
What Happened To The Power Rangers Robot Rita Captured
The Power Rangers Robot Rita imprisoned were all saved after Once & Always’s ending battle. By defeating Snizzard, the Power Rangers were able to free their captured colleagues, although the imprisoned Rangers were still turned into miniatures. Given how characters like Jason David Frank’s Tommy and Amy Jo Johnson’s Kimberly were not actually in the reunion, they could not appear at the end. Instead, Once & Always’ ending established that it would take a while before the miniaturized Rangers could go back to their original sizes. Adam and Aisha, S.P.A. agents, informed that those Rangers will receive medical treatment in Aquitar.
Aquitar is a very important planet in the Power Rangers universe. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3 was followed by a short Power Rangers season, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, where audiences followed the Rangers of Aquitar. The Aquitians feature highly advanced technology compared to Earth’s, so it makes sense to take the captured Power Rangers there for treatment. Adam and Aisha’s S.P.A., presumably Space Patrol Alpha, was in charge of taking the miniaturized Power Rangers to Aquitar.
Where Billy Is Going After Power Rangers: Once & Always
After assisting the Power Rangers of Aquitar several times, Billy permanently moved to Aquitar. There, he married an Aquitian named Cestria, who Adam references during Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending. It seems that Billy is still married to Cestria, although Cranston also has a life on Earth. Billy founded a company, Cranston Technologies, which is not surprising. Billy is one of the most brilliant minds in the Power Rangers universe and was behind dozens of inventions between Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo. Billy states that he still has business on Earth before going back to Aquitar.
Will There Be A Power Rangers: Once & Always Sequel?
Whether Power Rangers: Once & Always will have a sequel remains to be seen. The Power Rangers reunion was planned as an hour-long standalone anniversary special celebrating the Mighty Morphin era, slightly different from the usual anniversary episodes. Power Rangers: Once & Always is the first Power Rangers project centered on Mighty Morphin for TV since 1995, when Mighty Morphin was replaced by Zeo. Characters like Walter Emanuel Jones’ Zack and David Yost’s Billy had been away from the franchise for decades, making it difficult to predict what is next for the Mighty Morphin crew after Once & Always.
If Power Rangers: Once & Always performs well, then perhaps new Mighty Morphin reunions could happen. Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending teases that Billy’s search for Zordon is not over and that the original Power Rangers are still working together. In addition, not revising Minh as the new Yellow Ranger would be a waste. Excluding the comics, Power Rangers S.P.D., which takes place in 2025, is the furthest known point in the Power Rangers timeline. Therefore, a Power Rangers: Once & Always sequel would have a lot of creative freedom to continue the stories of the original Power Rangers.
What Is Next For Power Rangers After Once & Always
Power Rangers’ 30th-anniversary celebration continues with Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, the 30th Power Rangers season. Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s release date has yet to be revealed, but the next Power Rangers season is confirmed to drop all 10 episodes on Netflix during Fall 2023. Despite being a Power Rangers Dino Fury sequel, Cosmic Fury is expected to be a quite different Power Rangers series. For example, Cosmic Fury will only have 10 episodes as opposed to the usual 23. In addition, Cosmic Fury will not follow Power Rangers’ “monster-of-the-week” trope, meaning that there will not have fillers.
The next Power Rangers show will not directly adapt a Super Sentai series. Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is based on Uchu Sentai Kyuranger for the Zord and Megazord fights, but elements like the Power Rangers’ costumes will be all-original. Cosmic Fury ties into Mighty Morphin thanks to Lord Zedd, who was brought back from the past during Dino Fury. A Power Rangers series aimed at young adult audiences, which presumably will not adapt any Super Sentai, is also in the works. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always celebrates the franchise’s origins as Power Rangers heads towards an exciting future.
