January 2019 – Lions and Pilots and Bots… Dot Com!

Who is N-7? (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Greg Tyler

In the Voltron Legendary Defender fourth-season episode “Begin the Blitz,” when Matt Holt joins Captain Olia in a rebel fighter that attacks a Zaiforge Cannon of the Galra Empire, Matt and Olia aren’t the only beings in the cockpit.

It’s unclear who or what this being is. Is it a humanoid in armor, perhaps like Iron Man from Marvel Comics? Is it a robot, like C-3PO from Star Wars? Is it a cyborg, like… Cyborg from DC Comics? (It should be noted that as late as in “Begin the Blitz,” Matt Holt is still flirting unsuccessfully with Princess Allura.)

The mysterious being speaks a single line in this episode:

“See if the Blades can use their cannon to take down the shield.”

The mystery being has a seemingly impassive, electronic-sounding, female voice.

At the end of the seventh season, in “Lions’ Pride Part 2,” Matt Holt returns to Earth, and he is holding hands with the being, so it appears that Matt and the being have fallen in love and are in a relationship.

In the eighth season, we get a glimpse of the being in “The Prisoner’s Dilemma.” In “Clear Day,” Matt playfully puts a miner’s helmet on the being’s head, and later the being poses with the Holts in a family photo.

In the eighth-season episodes “Genesis” and “The Zenith,” the Netflix subtitles reveal the being’s name: N-7.

I asked Lauren Montgomery to explain who N-7 is. (At the time I asked her about the character, I had forgotten that the being’s name had been given in subtitles.) Here is Lauren’s response, dated January 6, 2019:

Her name is N seven. I assume it’s a reference to mass effect though I know our writers don’t play video games so I’m not sure how they came up with it. N seven is a robot. Full on AI so she’s technically not a she, but Kimberly did the voice so we tend to just refer to N seven as a she anyway. But robots are generally genderless. It just seemed right that Matt, like Pidge, would fall in love with technology.

Lauren also pointed out that in the final episode, Pidge and Matt Holt are essentially building a robot “child,” Chip, further demonstrating Matt’s (and Pidge’s) love of technology.

Thanks to Lauren Montgomery for sharing this insightful back story for N-7!

Voltron Easter Egg: To Boldly Go Where No Rugger Has Gone Before?

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Greg Tyler

During a recent re-watch of the Voltron: Defender of the Universe episode “Letters from Home,” which was adapted from the Armored Fleet Dairugger XV episode “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu,” I noticed a funny Easter egg.

In this single shot, Ginger’s Voltron vehicle or “Rugger” bears the name “USS Enterprise,” presumably from Star Trek! Some old-school fans differentiate the Vehicle Team episodes of 1980s Voltron by likening it to Star Trek, while likening the Lion Force episodes to Star Wars. Maybe this is why!

I have no idea why the “USS Enterprise” marking would be next to an “SR-5” marking. Ginger’s Rugger is Rugger #5, so “R-5” would make sense… but what’s with the “S?” In Voltron, Ginger is part of the Air Team — but “Air” doesn’t start with “S.” The five Air Team vehicles combine into the Strato Fighter, so maybe that’s where the “S” comes from. On the other hand, in Dairugger, the team is called the Air Rugger Team — the “Aki Team” for short, and the five Ruggers form the Air Rugger. None of those terms start with “S.”

Then again, I’m trying to rationalize a marking that’s next to a nonsensical “USS Enterprise” marking. Curse you, brain, for overthinking yet again! :)

Robotech Easter Eggs in Voltron Legendary Defender “Clear Day”

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Greg Tyler

The prize booth in the Voltron Legendary Defender episode “Clear Day” features some fun Robotech Easter eggs!

In the middle of the image is a toy mecha that is inspired by a Destroid from Robotech and Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
Just above and to the right of the Destroid toy is a plush toy that is inspired by Invid mecha from Robotech and Genesis Climber Mospeada.
To the right of the Destroid are two toys that are inspired by the VF-1 Veritech from Robotech and Super Dimension Fortress. Check out the “knockoff” color scheme of the Veritech on the left. The body and head are black, the arms are red and green, and the legs are blue and yellow, not unlike Voltron.

VoltCon! (A Fan-Run Voltron Convention) – October 19-20, 2019

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Greg Tyler

VoltCon! — a fan-run, Voltron-themed convention, is coming to Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 19-20, 2019. More information will be revealed during the next Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast, but registration has already started. Check out the VoltCon website (voltcon.org) for the latest information and to register.

Among the guests announced so far are The Shake-Ups — and Marc Morrell and I, as host and co-host of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast. Marc and I will present at least one panel at the convention. We hope to see you there!