Credit: Adi Shankar Productions (via YouTube), original creators Haim Saban, Shuki LevyLong before The Mandalorian (2019) premiered on Disney+, or even before Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Star Wars: Rebels (2014) arrived for that matter, Katee Sackhoff was already deeply embedded in the world of fantasy and science fiction; tearing through the stars aboard space ships, “jumping” into hyperspace, and even sporting an iconic helmet.
These days, the 42-year-old actress is best known for playing the character of Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian (she also voiced her in The Clone Wars and Rebels), however, fans of Battlestar Galactica (2004), the remake of the original 1978 series, will recognize her as Kara “Starbuck” Thrace first, the rough-around-the-edges Raptor pilot.
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Battlestar Galactica follows a race of “other” humans elsewhere in the galaxy, who go on the run in deep space aboard a fleet of vessels led by the titular warship, after their home world “the Twelve Colonies” comes under nuclear attack from the “Cylons”; a race of artificially intelligent machines who now have the ability to appear human.
So, Katee Sackhoff doesn’t just have one iconic science fiction character under her belt, who sports an iconic helmet, has their own space ship, and so on. In fact, she doesn’t just have two, as the actress has also played another similar character within the world of fantasy and science fiction, whose helmet and costume is easily the most iconic of all three.
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In 2015, Sackhoff appeared in a fan-made film on YouTube by Joseph Kahn; a super-violent interpretation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers — the popular kids’ show from the ’90s. The film, titled Power Rangers Short Film, is only 14 minutes in length, however, it features the likes of Sackhoff and Dawson’s Creek (1998) actor James Van Der Beek.
In the film, Sackhoff plays Pink Power Ranger Kimberly Hart, who was played by actress Amy Jo Johnson throughout the ’90s, including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), while Van Der Beek plays the Red Ranger Rocky DeSantos. The film offers a vision of Power Rangers the likes of which we’ve never seen before, pitting them in a violent, futuristic war, before each of them is brutally killed by an unseen figure.
You can watch the film below:
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While, of course, the film is in no way canon with any of the official Power Rangers material, whether it’s the ongoing television series, the 1995 film, the 2017 reboot, the comic books, or the upcoming 30th anniversary special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always (2023), it’s still widely appreciated by many fans.
At the time, the video went viral, and even caught the attention of Power Rangers creator Haim Saban, as well as the late legacy Power Rangers actor Jason David Frank, who both admitted that they weren’t fans, given the extremely violent nature of the film (understandable, of course, considering the IP has always been family-friendly).
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However, it remains an awesome alternative version of the Power Rangers that stars the one and only Katee Sackhoff. These days, the Battlestar actress is busy helping Din Djarin/protect Grogu from Imperial forces, but it would be great to see her ditch her Mandalorian helmet for a while and pick up the Pink Ranger one again. We’re just not convinced putting the hard-as-nails Sackhoff up against Rita Repulsa would be a fair fight for the evil space-witch!
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Either way, for now, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always will have to do! It premiers on Netflix on April 19, 2023. As per Netflix, here’s the official synopsis:
After tragedy strikes, an unlikely young hero takes her rightful place among the Power Rangers to face off against the team’s oldest archnemesis.
It stars David Yost, Walter Jones, Catherine Sutherland, Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch, who are reprising their roles as Power Rangers Billy Cranston, Zack Taylor, Katherine Hillard, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, and Adam Park, respectively, and Barbara Goodson and Richard Horvits, who are back as Rita Repulsa/Robo Rita, and Alpha 5.
Check out the brand-new trailer below:
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What’s your favorite Katee Sackhoff role? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!