Voltron: Legendary Defender is Out of this World!

By: Alexandra Geisser

Fans of the 1984 TV show “Voltron” would be ecstatic to know that their beloved show has made a great comeback twenty-two years later thanks to the combined efforts of Dreamworks and Netflix. June 11, 2016 brought the show of the ‘80s back and better than ever with brand new animation, new character designs and a thicker plot.

The animation style of the show is the same animation used for “Legend of Korra,” the second installment of the “Avatar: The Last Airbender series.” The style of both shows is easily comparable to each other and pleasing to look at for the eyes, even if a strange piece of animation pops up now and again. The character designs are absolutely gorgeous compared to the past reboots and the original show. Our seven main characters have been redesigned time and time again, but this reboot seems to be their best appearance yet. Our heroes come from all across the globe and galaxy, each with their own story and personality. Our characters are Lance, Hunk, Pidge Gunderson, Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane, Keith, Princess Allura of Altea and her assistant, Coran.

The story begins with scientists on one of Pluto’s moon, Kerberos, taking ice samples from the outer layer. There, they’re intercepted by an alien warship and taken captive. Skip to one year later at the Galaxy Garrison, a school and headquarters for space travelers and scientists, where Lance (Jeremy Shada), an ex-cargo pilot turned fighter pilot, and his team fail a simulation and are being scolded before the entire class. He was partnered with his close friend Hunk (Tyler Labine), a mechanic, and Pidge Gunderson, a technician. These three had luck on their side as Lance and Hunk followed Pidge (Bex Taylor-Klaus) outside after curfew, who was going to listen to alien radio wavelengths for something called “Voltron.” As Pidge explains why he’s listening in and what Voltron is, they witness an spacecraft crash landing just in front of the Garrison. Naturally, they investigate and discover the occupant inside to be none other than Takashi Shirogane, the pilot for the Kerberos mission one year prior.

The three decide to break Shiro (Josh Keaton) out from the Garrison, meeting up with expelled cadet, Keith (Steven Yeun), who seems to know Shiro (their relationship was never confirmed in the first season). Together, they escape the Garrison and find out what Keith has been doing since his expulsion––tracking strange energy readings that all pinpoint to the plateaus in front of the Garrison. Tracking down the source, the five discover a giant blue lion robot hidden under the rocks. Lance manages to “become one” with the lion and is able to pilot it, causing the five to shoot into space and encounter the same aliens who had capture Shiro just a year previous.

They manage to escape, leading the aliens away from Earth, and arrive on an alien planet where they meet our final two main characters––Princess Allura (Kimberly Brooks) and Coran (Rhys Darby). It turns out that Princess Allura comes from the planet the blue lion was created, which was destroyed ten thousand years ago without her or Coran’s knowledge. With the Princess’s guidance, the group become the paladins for the five lions which form Voltron.

From there, the series is them learning about themselves, each other, their lions, abilities and Voltron while they fight the evil forces of the Galra under the rule of Zarkon (Neil Kaplan), a ten thousand year old king bent on taking over the universe. The Galra empire is the same empire who held Shiro and still holds his team captive.

The series is wonderful, showcasing interesting character designs and personalities, along with backstories that were made to intrigue. Our cast of characters are all amazing with good hearts and characteristics we can all relate to to some extent. Pidge, for example, is incredibly smart. He has a knack for hacking and technological doodads while also being a bit of a worrywart. He’s very uptight whenever the Kerberos mission is mentioned, having strong feelings towards the disappearance and labeled “deaths” of the crew. Pidge can be a bit reckless, but he’s not nearly as bad as Keith.

Keith had been the top student before he’d been expelled. He’d punched a teacher and had been booted from the Galaxy Garrison. Keith is all instinct, gut feeling and stubbornness. He isn’t the smartest and may be a bit too literal for Lance to take at times, but he still has his moments of kindness, even if he is usually too reckless to show it properly.

Lance is nearly as reckless as Keith, if only because he wanted to keep up with the top student. “Neck and neck” were his exact words in episode one. Lance is a flirt, saying crappy one-liners to any girl who he made contact with. However, despite that, he is very rational and smart with a great sense of humor that no one on the team seems to appreciate except for Hunk.

Hunk is, essentially, a ray of sunshine. He’s kind, caring, thoughtful and smart. He loves cooking (having a knack for it) and is the one who makes the meals for everyone. Hunk can be a bit of a coward at times, but he means well and is always ready to protect his friends and those he cares about. He’s easily the sweetest of the Voltron paladins, though Shiro is considerably kind as well.

Shiro suffers from heavy PTSD, constantly being plagued with flashbacks at the worst moments. While we have no real evidence of it, he may be having night terrors as well as he wakes up long before anyone else does and is already training. He’s a leader––strong, devoted and kind. He’s also the leader of Voltron, but second in command under Princess Allura.

Princess Allura has been through more than anyone should––war, death, pain and suffering – though she still manages to smile and be kind. She also somehow manages to encourage the Earthlings to try again. Princess Allura doesn’t have a family or even a kingdom, but the five Earthlings that she woke up to seem to be good enough at times. Allura is smart, crafty, and a good soul, much like her assistant.

Coran is… goofy. He’s got a sense of humor that no one can really get and he’s all-around hilarious. He’s very passionate about fighting against Zarkon, but isn’t above having fun. He’s a good man, defensive and protective of his princess. He loves her and the paladins like they’re his own children.

These seven have taken on the task of freeing the universe from Zarkon’s evil forces, liberating planets all across the galaxy and gaining allies to help fight. They have a lot under their belt, but there’s no doubt that Voltron is a legendary defender that will save the universe.