Power Rangers: Time Force star Erin Cahill attended a panel at Rangerstop & Pop ATL 2022, where she discussed heroism in her era, reunion dreams, and more with the fans.
Erin Cahill played Jen Scotts, the strong, smart, and courageous Pink Time Force Ranger on Power Rangers: Time Force, where she served as the first female leader of the team. In many Power Rangers TV series, the leader is usually the Red Ranger, who tends to be male. However, at the beginning of Time Force, the team’s Red Ranger, Alex, is killed off by Ransik, archnemesis of the Rangers.
His demise left a leadership void which Jen quickly stepped up to fill, even though she was grieving the loss of not just a fellow Ranger, but her romantic partner. The loss of Alex took a toll on everyone on the team, but by and large, her resolve was the glue that held Time Force together. That resilience, that determination, that refusal to give up even when facing down the worst odds imaginable, well that inspired a generation. It inspired me.
POWER RANGERS TIME FORCE: HOW THE PINK RANGER TAUGHT A GENERATION
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Check out Erin Cahill’s thoughts on the impact of the Pink Time Force Ranger below.
We didn’t know what we were signing up for. We didn’t even know what our arcs were, we just knew the first episode…So I didn’t know that I would be that. It really changed things, it was really ahead of its time. It was me, Wonder Woman, and the Bionic Woman, or so I’ve been told.
To have that, to have kids come up to me and say how wonderful Jen is, that she’s their favorite, but more than that, I’ve had girls in college tell me “I went to college because of you”. How lucky is that, how fortunate! I couldn’t have predicted that. –Erin Cahill, Time Force Pink
Some of my earliest memories of television are memories of Power Rangers Time Force. The first toy I remember owning was a Jen Scotts action figure, and I took it with me everywhere. I idolized those heroes from the time I could walk, but as I got older, I foolishly forgot about Power Rangers. My interests changed, and I took a step away from many wonderful pieces of media that society and myself deemed “childish”, for no reason other than to divide and discredit. Oh, how I wish I could take that back.
It wasn’t until I graduated high school, fostered a passion for writing, and joined The Illuminerdi that I really began to get into Power Rangers once again, now as an adult. At this same time, I began to learn a great deal about myself, particularly in regards to my gender identity and sexual orientation. As a non-binary person assigned male at birth, there is a powerful piece of myself that associates with femininity, especially female strength.
As I sat in the audience at the Rangerstop & Pop ATL 2022 Power Rangers Time Force panel, listening to Erin Cahill talk about what it was like to be one of the first mainstream female superheroes, my mind raced back to those childhood days in Baltimore, watching Jen Scotts fight for her friends, and wanting to be just like her. I still do, in a lot of ways.
That, in my opinion, is one of the most important things that franchises such as Power Rangers are capable of. Their ability to inspire people of all ages to be better people, to stand up against injustice and to realize the true meaning of heroism cannot be understated or overlooked. Erin Cahill and Jen Scotts are shining examples of what it truly means to be a Power Ranger.
Now, while many Time Force fans such as myself look back on the 2001 TV series fondly, there are still some grievances fans air to the cast to this very day. When asked about a potential reunion, Erin Cahill had this to say.
POWER RANGERS TIME FORCE: WES AND JEN NEED TO MEET AGAIN
“One thing the fans constantly bring up is that Wes and Jen never had a goodbye kiss. But the fans are consistently pretty upset that never happened. But really, like you guys, we just want to know what happened after.” –Erin Cahill, Time Force Pink
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After Jen Scotts and the rest of the Time Force Rangers traveled to the year 2001, following Ransik, they met a man named Wes, who turned out to be the ancestor of Alex, their fallen Red Ranger. He joined up with the team, slowly gaining their trust and friendship. Eventually, a romance would blossom between Jen and Wes, but the two would part ways without so much as a goodbye kiss. If a Time Force reunion ever comes to pass, perhaps that can be rectified in live-action.
Outside of the Power Rangers franchise, Erin Cahill has starred in projects such as Red Widow, How I Met Your Mother, General Hospital and more. Here is what Erin Cahill shared with fans in regards to her career outside of Time Force.
ERIN CAHILL’S CAREER OUTSIDE OF POWER RANGERS: TIME FORCE
“I would never have imagined that after Power Rangers I would play a racecar driver, or a ranch owner who herds horses. I played a chef a couple times, which my husband thinks is hilarious, because I don’t cook. It really is like this whole other world that opens up. But specifically, I think How I Met Your Mother is a favorite for me.” –Erin Cahill, Time Force Pink
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While I haven’t seen several of the projects Cahill has appeared in, I of course love her work on Power Rangers, and she knocks it out of the park as Ted Mosby’s sister. With the new TV series, How I Met Your Father currently fresh on the public mind, perhaps a return for Heather Mosby could be in the cards. That’s probably just wishful thinking on my end, but only time will tell. For now, we’ll always have HIMYM Season 4, Episode 11, “Little Minnesota”.
The career of Erin Cahill and the adventures of Jen Scotts are marvelous tales that I for one look forward to learning more about. Furthermore, I hope and pray that the next generation of live-action Power Rangers includes some love for the Time Force era.
What did you think of Erin Cahill’s words from Rangerstop & Pop ATL 2022? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media!
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