The Epic Departure: Power Rangers' Strongest Team That Shattered Boundaries

The Power Rangers' most powerful team was introduced relatively recently in the Mighty Morphin era, but it was not considered part of the official TV canon by the franchise. After Zordon's death in Power Rangers in Space, each new season of Power Rangers stood as its own separate story. However, in celebration of Power Rangers' 30th anniversary, the story has returned to the Mighty Morphin era.

It's important to note that Zordon's Power Rangers teams were not the only ones operating in the universe. For example, Andros was already a Red Ranger during the events of Power Rangers Zeo. Additionally, the Aquitar Power Rangers were active at the same time as the Earth Power Rangers. However, the supposed strongest Mighty Morphin-era Power Rangers team was not recognized as TV canon.

Power Rangers All But Confirmed The Omega Rangers Are Not TV Canon

The Power Rangers reunion in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" takes place 30 years after the original show. This marks the first appearance of Walter Emanuel Jones' character, Zack, since his departure in season 2. Although Zack had been absent from the live-action Power Rangers series since "The Power Transfer," he, along with Trini and Jason, continued to be Power Rangers in the BOOM! Power Rangers comics. In the comics' storyline, the Peace Conference was a cover-up, allowing Jason, Trini, and Zack to create a new Power Rangers team under the guidance of the Blue Emissary, known as the Omega Rangers.

The Omega Rangers' adventures occur concurrently with the events of Mighty Morphin season 2 and potentially season 3. With Zack making his return in Power Rangers: Once & Always, there was an opportunity to acknowledge the Omega Rangers from the comics and incorporate them into the TV canon. However, the reunion episode failed to mention Zack and Trini's time as Omega Rangers. Furthermore, Zack's involvement in politics suggests that he did attend the Peace Conference, contradicting the Omega Rangers' retcon. During the episode, Zack did not bring up the fact that he and Trini were part of a different Power Rangers team, not even when reminiscing with Billy about their friend.

Why The Omega Rangers Weren't Mentioned In Once & Always

The Omega Rangers made their comic book debut in 2019, and 2023's Power Rangers: Once & Always provided the first opportunity to incorporate this concept into the TV canon. Although the Power Rangers comics have a different continuity from the TV show, the Omega Rangers could easily fit into the TV show's timeline. The Power Rangers comics consider all events of the TV show as canon. However, Power Rangers: Once & Always intentionally kept the two continuities separate and did not directly reference the current comics.

Simon Bennett, the showrunner of Power Rangers, who produced Power Rangers: Once & Always, explained their commitment to maintaining consistency with the "TV show canon." While the Power Rangers comics introduce new elements and retcon some aspects, they do not eliminate anything from the TV shows. Including a mention of the Omega Rangers in Once & Always could have caused confusion and alienated viewers not familiar with the comics. Nevertheless, the Omega Rangers were a valuable addition to Power Rangers' canon, and it would have been intriguing to see their storyline explored in live-action with Zack in Once & Always.

Sources: Simon Bennett (@Pookina1)