Warning: Spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Below!
Netflix’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always introduces a new robotic ally for the Rangers in the form of Alpha 9. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always sets the Rangers on a new mission when the evil Rita Repulsa hatches a plot to eliminate the Power Rangers and finally conquer Earth with the help of Trini’s daughter Minh (Charlie Kersh), the original Rangers team up to put a stop to Rita once and for all.
Once and Always is a warm and loving tribute to the impact of the Mighty Morphin era of Power Rangers, with numerous OG Power Rangers morphing back into action. The special also pays heartfelt respect to the late Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank, who respectively played Trini Kwan and Tommy Oliver on the show. Additionally, Once & Always also includes a whole new version of the Rangers’ Alpha assistant known as Alpha 9. His predecessor’s story ties directly into the return of Rita Repulsa seen on Once & Always.
What Happened To The Other Alphas In Power Rangers
Alpha’s 5, 6 and 7 had previously departed to other planets in the past Power Rangers iterations like Turbo, Lost Galaxy, and Dino Force, with Alpha 8 becoming the latest Alpha successor. In a flashback, Once & Always shows Alpha 8 (Richard Steven Horvitz) assisting Billy Cranston (David Yost) in reviving the Rangers’ deceased mentor Zordon into his tube in the Command Center. Unfortunately, they inadvertently end up waking Rita Repulsa (voiced by Barbara Goodson) instead, who takes control of Alpha 8’s body to return in a new cybernetic form.
The newly created Alpha 9 (also played by Horvitz) assists Billy in his continued efforts to bring back Zordon, as well as providing technical assistance to the Rangers against Rita. However, Alpha 8’s possession by Rita causes Billy tremendous guilt, which only grows worse after the original Yellow Ranger Trini is killed by Rita, with Billy blaming himself for her demise. Alpha 9 ultimately proves to be a massive aid to the Rangers against Rita and a strong character in his own right.
Alpha 9 Is A Great Replacement For Alpha 5 In Power Rangers: Once & Always
Alpha 5 was always a source of both technical assistance to the Rangers from the Command Center and a wise-cracking, light-hearted sidekick with his signature catchphrase of “Ai yi yi yi yi!” Alpha 9 has a somewhat more sardonic personality than Alpha 5 but also brings the same skills of operational know-how of the Command Center and every Alpha’s lovable charm. Alpha 9 also has skin in the game in a way that past Alphas have not, being created in the aftermath of Alpha 8’s demise and the death of Trini. In some ways, Alpha 9 feels the need to prove himself more than any other Alpha ever did.
Coming into Once & Always as no previous Alpha has, Alpha 9 establishes himself as far from a mere replacement robot, but the kind of full-fledged character his predecessors were and a true ally to the Rangers. The Command Center would never be complete without an Alpha on board to lend the Rangers support while adding levity and the requisite number of “Ai yi yi“‘s to the show. In his somewhat darker origin story on Power Rangers: Once & Always, Alpha 9 proves himself a worthy successor to Alphas 5 through 8, as well as a likely guide for Minh in her Yellow Ranger future.
