Austin St. John, who played Jason in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, is not returning for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. The upcoming Power Rangers special will see actors from all Mighty Morphin seasons reuniting for an hour-long, scripted event celebrating Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary. Unlike previous Power Rangers anniversary specials, Once & Always will focus solely on the Mighty Morphin era.

The Mighty Morphin Rangers have fought together a few times since the original show, although most of the characters never removed their helmets. Power Rangers: Once & Always will be the first time since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ended that the saga will actually revisit its very first team. Still, some original Power Rangers characters are missing from the Power Rangers: Once & Always cast, including Jason, the first Red Ranger.

Austin St. John Is Not In Power Rangers: Once & Always Likely Due To Legal Issues

Austin St. John’s Jason is one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers actors who did not return for the special. An official reason as to why Austin St. John did not participate in Power Rangers: Once & Always was never given. It must be noticed that St. John is currently facing legal issues after being charged with fraud on May 2022. Given how Power Rangers: Once & Always was filmed toward the end of 2022, St. John’s legal issues likely played a role in the actor’s absence from the special. Austin St. John’s most recent appearance in Power Rangers was 2020’s “Grid Connection” episode.

The other two major Power Rangers actors missing from Once & Always’ cast are Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson, the former of which passed away shortly after the special was filmed. Both Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson declined to participate in the Power Rangers reunion. Of the original Mighty Morphin Rangers, only Zack (Walter Emanuel Jones) and Billy (David Yost) are returning for Once & Always. Steve Cardenas’ Rocky, who replaced Jason in Mighty Morphin season 2, will be Power Rangers: Once & Always’ Red Ranger.

Jason’s Power Rangers Legacy Explained

Jason Lee Scott, Power Rangers’ first Red Ranger, served as the leader for Zordon’s team until the latter half of Mighty Morphin season 2. Zordon eventually chose former Green Ranger Tommy Oliver, now the White Ranger, to replace Jason as the team’s leader ahead of Austin St. John’s exit from Power Rangers. Jason would later make a surprising comeback in Power Rangers Zeo, where he was chosen by Tommy to become the Gold Ranger. In the BOOM! Power Rangers comics’ continuity, Jason, Zack, and Trini never actually went to the Peace Conference. Instead, they became Omega Rangers, a special Power Rangers team put together by the Blue Emissary.

Considering the comics’ continuity, Jason was the Dino Red Ranger, the Omega Red Ranger, and the Zeo Gold Ranger. After Power Rangers Zeo, Jason returned in Wild Force’s “Forever Red,” a crossover episode celebrating Power Rangers’ 10th anniversary. In “Forever Red,” Jason was able to morph into the Dino Red Ranger, even though the Tyrannosaurs Power Coin had been destroyed. Between Zeo and Wild Force, Jason made a cameo in 1997's Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. Finally, Jason returned during Power Rangers: Beast Morphers’ “Grid Connection.” The gaps in Jason’s Power Rangers timeline would likely have been filled had the character returned in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.