The show that kicked off the Power Rangers franchise is known as Mighty Morphin, and if you’ve not kept up with the cast lately we’re here to get you up to speed on what they’ve been up to.
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kicked off in 1993, kickstarting a phenomenon that 25 years later is still going strong. While the bright costumes and giant Zords were definitely part of the show’s appeal, fans didn’t connect with those elements as much as the cast itself, with every fan identifying with a different member of the team.
Whether it was the dedication of Jason Scott, the energy of Zack Thompson, or the honor and loyalty of Trini, each Ranger appealed to a different type of person, and to top it all off the cast also appealed to a wide variety of ethnicities and races, with one of the more diverse casts assembled on a television show.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ran for 156 episodes over 3 seasons, which is surreal, as the first season alone held 60 of them. As most fans know the show is based on footage from the Super Sentai series, with season 1 specifically based on Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Season 2 of Mighty Morphin took footage from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, while season 3 of Mighty Morphin was based on Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.
The franchise also spawned two movies, the first of which occurred after some cast changes in the original show. The second came recently as the 2017 Power Rangers reboot, which also featured a cameo from two of the original series stars.
Now the franchise is in new hands, as Saban recently sold the franchise to Hasbro, who will take over the show and the toys starting in 2019. Before Power Rangers Beast Morphers takes hold though, we thought we should catch up with the cast of the original series and see what they’ve been up to.
Austin St. John
The Ranger’s unflinching leader was the Red Ranger Jason Lee Scott, brought to life by Austin St. John.
St. John would play the character from 1993 to 1994, though it was much longer than just the ordinary 22 episodes that you expect from a year of television thanks to the extended filming the cast did. St. John would play the character for around 80 episodes, and did later return to the role in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie and in the anniversary special Forever Red.
Since then he’s written books (Karate Warrior – A Beginner’s Guide To Martial Arts) and served overseas as a military paramedic. Over the past few years, he has started going to more conventions to interact with the fans and has stayed busy with film projects like Monsters at Large.
He has several projects in production, including Tres Leches, Gideon’s Frontier, A Walk with Grace, Survival’s End, and A Gift of the Heart. He is also appearing in The Order, the oft-delayedย project that reunited a host of former Power Rangers in an all-new movie project. The film is currently without a release date.
Thuy Trang
The Yellow Ranger named Trini Kwan was brought to life by actress Thuyย Trang, but unfortunately, she is no longer with us.
The character of Triniย was actually a bit based on Trang, and she played the part to perfection for a season and a half. Trangย left the show along with Austin St. John and Walter Jones around the episode 80 mark, with the Yellow Ranger role being taken over by Karanย Ashley.
Sadly Trangย passed away on September 3, 2001,ย as the result of a car accident. The Circuit Unsure episode of Power Rangers Time Force was dedicated to her memory.
Walter Jones
The lovable Black Ranger Zack Taylor was portrayed by actor Walter Jones, and he’s still just as active in the Power Rangers community.
Jones ended up playing the role until the same 80 episode mark that Austin St. John and Thuyย Trangย did, leaving after contract disputes. Jones wouldn’t return as his character like St. John though, but he did show back up in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy as the voice of Nightmare the Monster. He also showed up as Gerrock in Power Rangers Wild Force.
Jones has also appeared in The Shield and CSIย and voiced characters in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Red Dead Redemption. He currently has two projects in development called Gideon’s Frontier and Red to Black.
Amy Jo Johnson
The Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart was played by Amy Jo Johnson, who is still a fan favorite to this day.
Johnson played the part of the Pink Ranger until later in the third and final season of Mighty Morphin, passing the baton to Katherine Hillard. After that, she would return to the role in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and while she wasn’t playing Kimberly she also had a cameo in the recent Power Rangers movie reboot.
In the years after Mighty Morphin, she appeared in numerous television projects like Felicity, Flashpoint, and Covert Affairs, and has even stepped into the director’s chair with her film The Space Between. She also has a new series in development titled The Has Been, and her next film is titled Tammy’s Always Dying.
David Yost
The Blue Ranger Billy Cranston was played by actor David Yost, who is still quite proud of the legacy he helped create.
Of all the characters on Mighty Morphinย Billy really changed the most, and that’s something fans have always loved about the character. Unlike the other core 5 Rangers Billy would go on to be included in the next season of Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and would appearย throughout that entire series.
Since then he’s taken on more roles as a producer, but he did recently reunite with severalย other former Rangers in The Order, which is still awaiting a release date. You can also find out more about his latest project with DoSomething.org, the You’ve Got The Power Campaign right here.
Jason David Frank
The Green Ranger Tommy Oliver was played by Jason David Frank, who has gone on to become one of the most popular Rangers ever.
Frank was actually brought in for a short stint as the Green Ranger but proved so popular that they eventually brought him back. He would then go on to become the White Ranger, taking over as the team’s leader, and then continued on as the Red Zeo Ranger, Red Turbo Ranger, and eventually the Black Dino Ranger.
Since then he’s made frequent appearancesย at conventions interacting with fans, and would ultimately return once more as part of Power Rangers Super Megaforce’sย Legendary Battle. He’s also been featured in a cameo role in the recent 2017 reboot alongside Amy Jo Johnson, and he’s reprised the Green and White Ranger role in Super Power Beat Down.
Most recently he starred as Lord Drakkon in a live-action Shattered Grid trailer directed by Kyle Higgins.
Outside of Power Rangers Frank has become an MMAย fighterย and has also played roles in Transformers (Emissary) and Ninjakย vs the Valiant Universe (Bloodshot). His next project is titled Underdogs Rising and is slated to come out this year.
Karan Ashley
The second Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morph was namedย Aishaย Campbell and was played by actress Karanย Ashley.
Ashley would take over the part of the Yellow Ranger from Thuyย Trangย after she left the show with Austin St. John and Walter Jones. Ashley would play the role for the remaining episodes in Mighty Morphin as well as in the Mighty Morphinย Power Rangers movie.
After the show, Ashley showed up in popular shows like Kenanย & Kelย and The Steve Harveyย Show, but most recently she would return to the world of Power Rangers thanks to the live-actionย tabletop show Power Rangers HyperForce.
Ashley is also executive producing and starring in The Order, a film that reunites a host of former Power Rangers actors in a more mature and action-packed project. The film currently has no release date.
Steve Cardenas
The second Red Ranger in Mighty Morphin was named Rocky DeSantos and was played by actor Steve Cardenas.
Cardenas would take the Red Ranger powers in the Power Transfer episode, taking over the role from Austin St. John. He would then finish out the series in the part and would also star as the Red Ranger in the film. After that he would switch colors and become the Blue Zeo Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo, appearingย in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie as well.
He continued until the first three-part episode of Power Rangers Turbo, signaling his exit of the series.
In addition to interacting with fans at conventions, Cardenas’ most recent projects include working on the Liquid Metal video game as well as playing the role of Evans in the film Enuattii.
Johnny Yong Bosch
The second Black Ranger was named Adam Park and was played by actor Johnny Yong Bosch.
Like Cardenas and Ashley, Park would take over for a departing Ranger, this time being Walter Jones. Afterward, Park would finish out the rest of Mighty Morphin and star in the film, and then would continue on as the Green Zeo Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo. After Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie he would play the part of the Green Turbo Ranger in Power Rangers Turbo but would return to the series twice more.
The first appearanceย was during In Space (Always a Chance) and the second was in Operation Overdrive (Once A Ranger).
Bosch might be even more well known for his work in the Animeย industry however, as his credits include popularย properties like Trigun, Mobile Suit Gundamย Seed, Fullmetalย Alchemist, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wild Arms 4, Suikoden V, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmaria, Naruto, Bleach, Disgaea, Code Geass, Persona, and more.
His most recent projects include Space Racers, Digimonย Adventure Tri. 6: The Future, Persona Q2, and The Rogue, which is currently in production.
