WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always brings closure to Trini’s Power Rangers story in a sad reminder of what happened to Thuy Trang. Three decades after Zordon picked five teenagers with attitude to fight Rita Repulsa, the original Power Rangers reunite for Once & Always, an anniversary special celebrating Mighty Morphin. The Power Rangers reunion also honors Thuy Trang and gives the original Yellow Ranger a legacy in the form of a new character.
Billy (David Yost) and Zack (Walter Emanuel Jones) were the only two characters from the first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team to return for Once & Always. The Power Rangers reunion also revisits characters from the final two Mighty Morphin Power Rangers seasons, namely Rocky, Kat, Aisha, and Adam. Despite the returning Power Rangers actors, Once & Always’ story revolves around a new character, Minh, Trini’s daughter.
What Happened To Yellow Ranger Actress Thuy Trang
Thuy Trang, who played Trini in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, died on September 3, 2001, after a car crash when she was 27 years old. Trang continued to be remembered by her fellow Power Rangers actors and the Power Rangers community alike, but Trini’s fate in the story was never addressed. The original Yellow Ranger exited Zordon’s Power Rangers team midway through Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2 when Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang all exited the cast. Trang’s final Power Rangers episode was “The Power Transfer, Part II,” in which the Sabertooth Tiger powers were passed on to Aisha, played by Karan Ashley.
What happened to Trini in Power Rangers after “The Power Transfer” had never been addressed in the saga’s canon. Recently, the Power Rangers comics established that Trini, Zack, and Jason lied to Zordon about the Peace Conference and continued to fight as Omega Rangers. Currently, Trini is the Red Omega Ranger in the comics’ continuity, which overlaps with the events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3. A morphed version of the Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger appeared in recent crossover episodes. However, it was impossible to say if it was Trini, Aisha, or an alternate version of either of them.
Trini’s Death In Power Rangers: Once & Always Is Sad But Meaningful
Power Rangers’ TV canon has finally addressed what happened to the original Yellow Ranger. Power Rangers: Once & Always confirms that Trini, the character, was alive until the Power Rangers reunited to fight Robot Rita somewhere between 2021 and 2022. Robot Rita kills Trini at the beginning of Power Rangers: Once & Always, offering closure to the original Yellow Ranger’s story and setting up a sad but meaningful homage to both the character and the actress. Once & Always is not only a Power Rangers reunion but also a tribute to Thuy Trang. Trini’s presence is felt throughout the entire special, namely, thanks to Minh Kwan’s story.
Charlie Kersh plays Minh, Trini’s daughter, in Power Rangers: Once & Always. Minh is a new Power Rangers character created for special, and her story gives Trini a legacy. Minh becomes the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Once & Always after being able to access her mother’s memories through the Morpher in an emotional scene. In addition to the memories sequence, Trini directly appeared in Once & Always’ ending credits, which brought back a heart-whelming moment from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always was dedicated to Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank, the latter of which died shortly after the reunion was filmed.
