Original ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ debuted 25 years ago today
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Are you ready to feel old? It was on this day, 25 years ago, that the very first episode of “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” debuted in the United States.
The show first aired on August 28, 1993.
The show starred Austin St. John (Red Ranger), Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger), David Yost (Blue Ranger), Thuy Trang (Yellow Ranger), and Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger) as the original five power rangers. Jason David Frank (Green/White Ranger) also later joined the cast.
However, the American actors only appeared in scenes outside of their power suits. The actual scenes with the rangers fighting bad guys and when they were in their Megazords actually came from the Japanese TV show Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger.
The formula was a hit, and there have been 22 different versions of the series since.
So what has the cast done since? Here’s a quick look.
Austin St. John (Red Ranger)
Austin played Jason Lee Scott as both the Red Ranger and Gold Ranger. According to his website, he then dedicated his life to to the community where he spent 16 years as a fire department paramedic. He even went to the middle easy to serve as a medic during the war. He retired in 2014 and has been traveling the country to meet his fans from his time as a power ranger.
Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger)
Walter played Zach Taylor in the original series and also appeared in 1999’s “Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.” He’s spent most of his career acting, appearing on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “NYPD Blue,” “CSI,” and providing voices to “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.”
David Yost (Blue Ranger)
David played Billy Cranston in the original series. When he left the series, Yost got heavily involved in conversion therapy, which is a controversial treatment designed to change a person’s sexual orientation, in attempt to “get rid of being gay.” Eventually, he came out and went back to acting and producing. He often appears at events to meet fans from his days as the blue ranger.
Thuy Trang (Yellow Ranger)
Thuy Trang played Trini Kwan in the original series. After leaving the series midway through the second season, she went on to star as Kali in “The Crow: City of Angels.” She died tragically in a car crash on September 3, 2001 at the age of 27.
Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger)
Amy played Kimberly Hart, the original Pink Ranger. She later starred in “Felicity,” “The Division,” and “Flashpoint.” She also launched a successful music career as a singer-songwriter. She has four studio albums which you can find on Google Play Music.
Jason David Frank (Green/White Ranger)
Jason played Tommy Oliver in the original series and several subsequent series. He holds the title as the longest running ranger in the series. He is an accomplished martial artist, even setting a Guinness World Record Holder in 2013 by breaking 7 1-inch pine boards in freefall. He owns Rising Sun Karate Academy where he teaches Karate, Toso Kune Do, and other martial arts through virtual lessons.