WARNING: CONTAINS HUGE SPOILERS
Power Rangers fans across the world have been reduced to tears after watching the gut-wrenching tribute to Thuy Trang, the original Yellow Power Ranger, in the new Netflix special.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always landed on the streaming service on Wednesday (19 April) to celebrate three decades of the Power Rangers franchise and the debut of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The 55-minute one-off episode reunites several cast members from the original series, including David Yost as Billy, Walter jones as Zack, Steve Cardenas as Rocky, Catherine Sutherland as Kat, Karan Ashley as Aisha and Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam.
Tragedy strikes though, when the six original Mighty Morphin rangers must face a robotic, revived version of Rita Repulsa and a gang of Putties. After Billy is knocked to the edge of a cliff, Robo-Rita attempts to finish him off - however, Trini saves the day by diving into the path of the blast and is instantly killed.
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It marked a shocking twist in the Power Rangers universe since Thuy Trang, the actor who portrayed Trini between 1993-1994, died in a car accident in 2001 aged 27.
She had been travelling between San Francisco and Los Angeles with her friend Angela Rockwood, for whom she was to serve as bridesmaid. The vehicle they were in – which was being driven by another bridesmaid – swerved off the road and hit a rock face on the roadside.
The 2001 episode of Power Rangers Time Force, titled “Circuit Unsure”, was dedicated to Trang’s memory. But until the arrival of the Netflix special this week, the fate of Trang’s character was unclear.
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The remaining cast members paid tribute to Trang over the years, including Yost who shared his memories of Trang in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2018. “I'll always remember her great laugh and infectious smile,” he said.
After Trini dies on screen, the rest of the special follows her daughter, Minh (Charlie Kersh) trains to become the new yellow ranger and eventually follows in her late-mother’s footsteps.
With the Netflix special focusing on Trini’s legacy and the Trang’s time as a superhero, fans were left feeling extremely emotional.
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One mourner said: “Just watched the Power Rangers special Once and Always. It was a beautiful tribute to Thuy Trang.”
Another Power Rangers fan said: “Ok so just finished watching Power Rangers on Netflix and seriously I was alright till the end and they showed the clip of Kim singing with a tribute to Trini and Tommy then I just [bawled] like a baby
A third gushed: “Just watched the Power Rangers Once and Always movie. Man, that sh*t made me tear with all the Trini and Minh scenes. They did a perfect cast for Minh.”
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Someone else replied: “Just watched it, too, and agree! I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing, it was a touching tribute to Thuy.
Fans also praised the tribute to Jason David Frank, the actor best known for his portrayal of Tommy Oliver, who died in November two months after the special was filmed.
“That Power Rangers special Once And Always brought me back to my childhood watching the original Power Rangers in the 90s,” one fan reflected. “And the ending had me in tears. Beautiful tribute to the Yellow and Green Rangers.”
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Another tribute said: “So just finished this up now and blimey I haven’t watch Power Rangers in years but this was a true love letter to the show I remember as a kid and a real tribute to Thuy Trang and JDF.”
A third fan lamented: “Power Rangers: Once and Always was perfect! A great tribute to Thuy Trang. The way they incorporated her passing into the story was tasteful. Love that the Green Ranger appeared & they used soundbites of Jason David Frank. The tributes at the end for them wrecked me.”
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix
Gregory Robinson