The Complicated Legacy of Power Rangers: Revisiting the Nostalgia

The Nostalgic Legacy of Power Rangers

Revisiting Power Rangers can be difficult. The 1990s’ Power Rangers seasons are synonymous with nostalgia, but not everything about the show has aged well, and some scenes are hard to watch now. The Power Rangers chronology goes well beyond the events of Mighty Morphin and the Zordon era. However, it cannot be denied how the franchise will always be defined by its original TV show – from the five “teenagers with attitude” and the Green Ranger to villains like Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd.

Split Image Of Trini, The First Yellow Ranger, From Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

What the show’s future after Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending will be remains to be seen, but the franchise has already built an impressive legacy since 1993. Still, there are a lot of issues with the first few seasons of Power Rangers, either from a story perspective or a behind-the-scenes standpoint. Additionally, some Power Rangers scenes have become very bittersweet following the passing of cast members.

Kimberly and the cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Challenges and Bittersweet Moments

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers never settled where Trini and her family were from, instead combining aspects from different cultures into her character without properly caring about establishing her heritage. For example, Trini’s uncle was Japanese, some details about the character had to do with Korea, and her signature martial arts style came from China. Thuy Trang, who played Trini in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, was Vietnamese-American. The Power Rangers comics would establish Trini’s mother and father as being Korean and Taiwanese, respectively, yet the TV series never properly incorporated this. As one of the first Asian superheroes in an American production, Trini deserved better.

Jason, Trini, and Zack standing together in Power Rangers

Power Rangers season 2, episode 11 saw Tommy Oliver accepting he would soon lose his Green Ranger powers and would have to exit the team. “Song of Guitardo,” which is about a guitar turning into a monster, ends with Kimberly and Zack performing a song they wrote for Tommy as a goodbye to their friend. While this moment was meant to be a temporary farewell to Tommy ahead of his eventual return as the White Ranger, it has since become a very sad scene following the deaths of Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank. The song was even used during Power Rangers: Once & Always’ tribute to the two actors. The lyrics of “Down The Road” talk about how it is impossible to predict what life has in store for people, and how scary the thought of changes is. The song also talks about how someone is never alone when they have friends, and how memories never die. Not only do the lyrics become extremely emotional when considering the deaths of two of the show’s lead actors, but the episode itself hits a lot differently now. Much of it is about saying goodbye to Tommy, and both Trini and Tommy are shown back to back when Kimberly is performing the song.

Jason, Trini, and Zack talking to Zordon in Power Rangers

Bulk and Skull were Power Rangers’ first comic relief duo, and there have been dozens of attempts to replicate their dynamic since the end of the Zordon era. Interestingly, while Bulk and Skull were the bullies, the Power Rangers were usually the ones making fun of the duo and not the other way around. Still, although some of the comedy around Bulk and Skull was harmless and appropriate for a kids' show, many bits were entirely about Bulk’s physique. The Power Rangers never made fun of Bulk’s weight, but the show itself did, from physical gags to the name of the character.

Jason, Trini, and Zack standing together in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Controversies and Unresolved Issues

Power Rangers season 2, episode 20, “Opposites Attract” marks the final time the original Power Rangers, including sixth Ranger Tommy, were together on-screen. It must be noted that Trini, Zack, and Jason would continue to appear for a couple of episodes after “Opposites Attract,” but always through reused footage and body doubles. This is when Thuy Trang, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Austin St. John left Power Rangers due to a salary dispute. In hindsight, knowing that the original team would never be together again makes “Opposite Attract” one of the most difficult Power Rangers episodes to get through on a rewatch.

Rocky, Aisha, and Adam stand together in the command center as Zordon talks to them in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Power Rangers’ 1990s legacy goes beyond Mighty Morphin, for better and worse. One of the worst episodes on the show comes from 1999’s Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, which is widely considered one of the best entries in the franchise but missed the mark with “Stolen Beauty.” Trakeena, an incredible villain looking for power and recognition from her father, is suddenly placed into a story where she is bothered by the fact there are human women as pretty as her on Terra Venture. Most of the episode is about a monster searching for these pretty women to steal their beauty – an awful and problematic storyline that never fit into Lost Galaxy.

David J. Fielding as Zordon on the Command Base in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

“The Power Transfer” is one of the most important episodes in Power Rangers history, yet it is also one of the most poorly made. Rather than offering Jason, Zack, and Trini a proper farewell now that their respective actors were exiting the show, Power Rangers simply used old footage and stand-in actors. The contracts of Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang had expired already, but the show should have handled their exits much better. Just the fact that an agreement for a new contract never came to be and the characters had to be written off is disappointing, but not having a proper goodbye made everything worse.

Stingwingers about to explode in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy