It Wasn’t a Mistake!

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In the realm of television and film productions, especially when it comes to historical character casting, there are instances that are later perceived as thoughtless or incorrect. Lately, Tony Oliver, the head writer from the original
series, expressed his viewpoint that casting a Black actor and an Asian actress as the Black and Yellow Power Rangers was regrettable, referring to it as “such a mistake.” However, these remarks, made during Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons series, have sparked a response from Walter Emanuel Jones, the original Black Ranger in that series.

Despite many sharing Oliver’s viewpoint that the casting was both colorblind and somewhat uninformed, Jones perceives it differently and is more likely to recall the groundbreaking influence his character had as one of the earliest Black superheroes to grace television screens. On his Instagram, Jones expressed this by saying:

It’s amazing to see so many news outlets reporting on this topic, yet while some focus on the negative aspects, I’ve always advocated for emphasizing the positive. I acknowledge the desire to discuss potential cultural insensitivity, but labeling it as a ‘mistake’ seems to minimize its profound impact on countless individuals worldwide who found inspiration and representation in the first Black superhero on TV – none other than the Black Power Ranger! It wasn’t an error; it was a monumental achievement. It was a privilege.

‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ Delivered a Diverse Cast

Criticisms regarding insufficient representation on TV and in films often originate from brief comments on platforms like X/Twitter, failing to consider the progressive development of diverse casting throughout different eras. Previously, Jones mentioned that he never considered himself as a Black actor; instead, he simply found the black suit he wore to be stylish. In a podcast clip he included in his post, he emphasized this point by saying it was just a cool suit.

I’ve never been troubled by the notion of wearing a black suit, quite the contrary. When I initially saw it, I felt pleased. To me, it seemed stylish, and the black color was exactly what I desired.

Back in the early ’90s, as I watched Power Rangers on Saturday mornings, Trini Kwan, portrayed by Thuy Trang as the Yellow Ranger, was a character that stood out for me, an Asian kid like myself. Though some might have seen her casting as “a little odd,” as Jones put it, it didn’t strike us that way at the time. We were too caught up in the excitement of seeing a superhero who looked like us on our screens.

Looking back now, I can see that the show may not have been perfect when it came to representation. However, for many Asian children, including myself, Power Rangers was a significant step forward. It was one of the first instances where we saw someone from our race in a prominent superhero role on a Saturday morning TV show in the U.S. Despite its flaws, this show played a crucial role in breaking barriers in an industry that’s still grappling with diversity issues over 30 years later.

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2025-04-11 18:06