"It was such a mistake" Power Rangers writer reflects on the casting choice of Black and Yellow rangers

Power Rangers was one of the most popular shows of the early '90s. It has also been an influential part of this century as the show introduced superheroes who battle against monsters and villains. A much-loved media franchise, the show has gone on to have remakes and reboots, although its utmost brilliance in the first series is unmatched. However, it has also been a topic of controversy, particularly because of the casting choices, a decision that Power Rangers writer Tony Oliver now regrets.

The original ensemble for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers included Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott, Walter Emanuel Jones as Zachary "Zack" Taylor, Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Ann Hart, David Yost as Billy Cranston, and Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan.

Among the actors, the casting of Zachary Taylor, also known as the Black Ranger, and Thuy Trang, also known as the Yellow Ranger, were criticized, with many calling out the show for being racist and intentionally assigning the actors characters that were relevant to their race.

Oliver has opened up to the "mistake" about how the decision was not motivated by racism, as he spoke about it on Investigation Discovery's Dark Side of the Power Rangers. The writer said:

"None of us are thinking stereotypes.."It was such a mistake,"

He also added that his assistant had brought it to his notice.

The casting of Power Rangers was not influenced by any racial factors

. Director Shukli Levy had previously spoken about this issue in an interview with Complex in 2013:

"At that time, (show creator Haim Saban) and I were new to this country. We didn't grow up in the same environment that exists in America with regards to skin color. We grew up in Israel, where being a Black person is like being any kind of color. It's not something we talked about all the time. It wasn't a big issue. And that's also how I felt in Paris, where we lived for seven years before coming here."

Barbara Goodson, who played the antagonist Rita Repulsa on the show, also added how the show would have been criticized if they had not cast a Black actor as the Black Ranger, as she told the same outlet:

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"If they didn't do it, people would say, 'Well, why didn't they make the Black Ranger a Black Ranger?' You could get criticized either way. The girl who played the Yellow Ranger after Thuy wasn't Asian, she was Black. You could find something to scoff at everywhere."

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is available to stream on Netflix.

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