WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always' new Power Coins fixed one of the franchise’s most annoying plot holes. Characters like Rocky and Kat have used multiple Power Rangers powers, but a Mighty Morphin reunion had to feature the Dino powers somehow. Therefore, Power Rangers: Once & Always would have to come up with some lore explanations to avoid creating canon inconsistencies.
Fortunately, Power Rangers: Once & Always addressed all the necessary Power Rangers lore questions. A couple of throwaway lines in Once & Always were enough to avoid void major Power Rangers plot holes. For example, the Power Coins handed to Pink Ranger Kat and Red Ranger Rocky came with a solid explanation behind them.
Once & Always’ Proxy Power Coins Avoided Previous Power Rangers Mistakes
Rocky, the second Red Ranger, and Kat, the second Pink Ranger, were summoned by Alpha 9 to help in the fight against Robot Rita. However, both the original Red Ranger Jason and the original Pink Ranger Kimberly had been kidnapped by Robot Rita. Jason and Kimberly were using their Mighty Morphin forms when they were kidnapped, meaning that Rocky and Kat should not be able to use the Tyrannosaurus and Pterodactyl powers, respectively. In fact, after Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3, most of the original Power Coins should not even exist. Power Rangers: Once & Always found a simple yet effective solution to the “Power Coins problem,” proxy coins.
By establishing that Billy and Alpha can create proxy Power Coins, Power Rangers: Once & Always retroactively fixed dozens of Power Rangers plotholes. For example, how could Jason morph into the Tyrannosaurus Red Ranger during Wild Force's "Forever Red" episode? Likewise, how could Tommy use the Green Ranger powers during Super Megaforce’s “Legendary Battle” crossover? Power Rangers rarely explained how legacy Rangers could morph into their original forms, leaving it for the audiences to fill in the gaps. Instead of relying on the multiverse or the Morphin Masters, Once & Always kept it simple. Power Coins can be replicated, and Zords can be restored.
Power Rangers: Once & Always Improved On Previous Anniversary Specials
Power Rangers: Once & Always is the latest entry in a series of Power Rangers anniversary specials. However, whereas previous Power Rangers anniversary reunions were released as regular episodes within the ongoing Power Rangers season, Once & Always got to be its own thing. Power Rangers: Once & Always' hour-long runtime also set it apart from previous Power Rangers crossovers. The Power Rangers reunion had enough time to feature both character moments and lore-heavy dialogues. Previous Power Rangers crossovers had to jump right into the action, offering little to no explanation as to why this or that Ranger was returning.
Power Rangers: Once & Always is the Mighty Morphin reunion the franchise needed. Revisiting characters from other Power Rangers seasons in crossovers like “Forever Red” or “Dimensions in Danger” is always great. However, Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary had to be focused on Mighty Morphin. Though some Mighty Morphin characters returned after the Zordon Era ended, Power Rangers' original team had yet to be the focus of a modern release. Episodes like “Legendary Battle” and “Grid Connection” featured several iconic Power Rangers, yet most of them never spoke or removed their helmets. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, on the other hand, treated those legends as human, relatable characters.