Although Vehicle Team Voltron is far less well remembered than Lion Force Voltron, one fact about the vehicle-based ‘bot that people seem to remember most is that it can operate for only five minutes.
What do actual episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe say — and show — about Voltron’s time limit, if there is one? Let’s find out.
In Search of New Worlds (#101)
In the first Vehicle Team episode, “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101), Commander Steele reminds other Galaxy Garrison officers of Voltron’s power limits.
STEELE
…the Land, Sea, and Air Teams can combine to form the giant robot… but remember he has only five minutes of stored nuclear power. He’s our last line of defense.Another officer in the room, called “Professor” in the script, replies.
PROFESSOR
We can only hope five minutes is enough.
Later in the episode, as Voltron battles a Robeast that Voltron: From Days of Long Ago: A Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration calls the Crush Crab Robeast, Hawkins mentions Voltron’s time limit.
HAWKINS
Voltron only has five minutes of stored solar energy. There’s not much time left.
Is it “stored nuclear power” or “stored solar energy?” We’ll think more about this later.
As Voltron continues to fight the Robeast, Jeff announces to the team:
JEFF
One minute left, team!
Fortunately Voltron destroys the Robeast less than a minute later.
A Temporary Truce (#111)
The next mention of a five-minute limit for Voltron is in “A Temporary Truce” (Production #111). Professor Page, the resident scientist of the Stellar Ship Explorer, mother ship of the Voltron Force, openly mentions it to Sandu, a young Drule soldier whom the Explorer crew brought aboard as a guest following the crash of his ship.
PAGE
The giant robot only has five minutes of stored thermonuclear energy, but that’s always enough to defeat any enemy.
Why Page would trust a Drule soldier — even one as seemingly friendly as Sandu — with such critical information is baffling. It’s also baffling that Voltron’s five-minute limit refers to yet another metric — thermonuclear energy.
The Red Moon People (#137)
The next reference to a five-minute limit is in “The Red Moon People” (Production #137), when a Drule robot (called a “hooded robot” in the script) announces:
HOODED ROBOT
Voltron has only five minutes of stored energy and most of it is used up. Now finish him off!
How did the Drule robot know about Voltron’s time limit? It seems certain that Sandu would have been debriefed after he was returned to the Drule Empire. Despite Sandu’s growing interest in peace between the Drule Empire and the Galaxy Alliance, Sandu probably would have told his superiors what Professor Page had openly told him.
Summary of Dialogue
Among all episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe, a “five-minute rule” is mentioned four times across three episodes:
| Production # | Title | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | In Search of New Worlds | Five minutes of stored nuclear power (Commander Steele) | |
| 101 | In Search of New Worlds | Five minutes of stored solar energy (Commander Hawkins) | |
| 111 | A Temporary Truce | Five minutes of stored thermonuclear energy (Professor Page) | |
| 137 | The Red Moon People | Five minutes of stored energy (Drule hooded robot) |
Even ignoring the adjectives, “energy” and “power” are distinct, but related, things. According to Wikipedia, “energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to an object in order to perform work on, or to heat, the object,” and power is the amount of energy transferred or converted per unit time.”
That said, the phrases “five minutes of power” and “five minutes of energy” can be thought of as stating the same thing — that, for a “typical” set of power-draining activities, Voltron can operate for about five minutes before depleting its energy reserves.
And now, the adjectives — “nuclear,” “solar,” and “thermonuclear.” The term “thermonuclear” refers to nuclear reactions at very high temperatures. In other words, “thermonuclear” is a more specific term than “nuclear.”
What about “solar?” The term “solar energy” usually refers to energy gathered from sunlight. On the other hand, the energy of a star itself comes from thermonuclear reactions, so if we streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch a bit, Hawkins’ “solar energy” reference can be thought of as a very loose description of thermonuclear energy.
To summarize, with a bit of hand-waving, as stated in episodes 101, 111, and 137, Vehicle Team Voltron’s “five-minute rule” is that the robot’s thermonuclear energy reserves can provide power for an estimated five minutes’ worth of a typical range of activities.
But is that the whole story? Let’s dive deeper.
Believe Nothing You Hear, and Only One Half that You See
Edgar Allan Poe is credited for having originated, in “The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether” (1845), the phrase “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” We’ve just examined all that we hear about Voltron’s power limits, but we haven’t examined what we see.
I used a video editing application to analyze how long Vehicle Team Voltron remains formed in each of the robot’s appearances in Voltron: Defender of the Universe. The goal to was to see how often, if ever, Voltron stays formed for longer than five minutes.
Caveats:
- We almost never see Voltron form and disassemble in the same episode. Usually but not always, we see the Voltron Force actually form Voltron. Very rarely do we see Voltron disassemble. Since the robot must assemble after its 15 constituent vehicles launch from the Explorer, and the robot must disassemble before returning to the Explorer, these events must occur off-screen when they aren’t shown on-screen. In other words, Voltron does more in each appearance than is overtly shown in an episode.
- Episode running time does not necessarily correspond to narrative time. For example, even though we might first see Voltron 16 minutes into an episode, and last see Voltron 21 minutes into the episode, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Voltron had been active for five minutes of narrative time. It might have “really” spanned more time or less time than what we see on the screen. Scenes shown sequentially might have “really” taken place wholly or partially at the same time, and more narrative time might have passed between scenes than running times would suggest.
For each of Voltron’s appearances:
- I defined the “start time” as follows:
- If we see Voltron form, then the clock starts when the final assembly action ends. For example, in many episodes, the last assembly action is Ginger’s red jet attaching to Voltron’s chest. In some episodes, the last action is Voltron’s twin face plates opening to reveal the face.
- If we don’t see Voltron form, then the clock starts when we first see the robot.
- I defined the “stop time” as follows:
- If we see Voltron disassemble, then the clock stops when Voltron breaks apart.
- If we don’t see Voltron disassemble, then the clock stops when we last see the robot.
If Voltron remains assembled across commercial breaks, then I didn’t count the breaks — or the bumpers, when Peter Cullen says “Voltron will return after these messages,” or “We now return to Voltron: Defender of the Universe.”
If Voltron makes an out-of-context appearance at the end of the episode, then this analysis does not include that appearance. For example, if after Voltron fights a Robeast, we see the Voltron Force back aboard the Explorer, followed by an end-of-episode appearance of the robot with a voice-over narration, then this analysis does not treat that appearance as a “real” appearance of Voltron, or an extension of an in-context appearance of the robot.
This analysis of Voltron’s appearances also does not include flashbacks of appearances from prior scenes or episodes.
(Robeast names are from Voltron: From Days of Long Ago: A Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration.)
| Appearance # | Episode Production # | Episode Title | Appearance # in Episode | Duration (Minutes) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 101 | In Search of New Worlds | 1 | 2.70 | Voltron forms, fights the Crush Crab Robeast, then stands dramatically on the planet. Note: 1.47 minutes after forming, Jeff says, “One minute left, team!” |
| 1′ | 101 | In Search of New Worlds | 1′ | 5.23 | As with Appearance #1 (101-1), but assumes Jeff’s “One minute left, team” line begins exactly four minutes after Voltron has formed. |
| 2 | 102 | First Day on a New World | 1 | 3.01 | Voltron forms, fights the Titanic Tick Robeast, then stands dramatically on the planet. |
| 3 | 103 | Building a New World | 1 | 0.67 | Voltron forms and then flies away from a planet before it is destroyed. |
| 4 | 104 | Goodbye New World | 1 | 3.80 | Voltron forms, fights the Dragonoid Robeast, then stands dramatically while Hawkins communicates with Jeff, telling him to meet the Explorer at a newly sighted planet. |
| 5 | 105 | Try This World for Size | 1 | 2.31 | Voltron forms, fights the Crush Crab Neo Robeast, then leaves the planet upon Hawkins’ order to withdraw. |
| 6 | 106 | A Storm of Meteors | 1 | 2.81 | Voltron forms, fights the Antropoda Robeast, then disassembles to escape the Robeast’s rocket ropes. Voltron immediately re-forms (Appearance #7) to continue the battle. |
| 7 | 106 | A Storm of Meteors | 2 | 7.13 | Voltron re-forms immediately after escaping (Appearance #6) the Antropoda Robeast’s rocket ropes. Voltron fights the Robeast, then goes to the nearby Planet of Meteors and stands guard as the Explorer is repaired. When a storm of meteors begins to fall, Voltron uses its Blazing Sword against large, falling meteors until the Explorer leaves the planet. Voltron flies alongside the Explorer. |
| 6, 7 (cumulative) | 106 | A Storm of Meteors | 1, 2 (cumulative) | 9.94 | (Voltron had no time to replenish its energy reserves between Appearance #6 and Appearance #7.) |
| 8 | 107 | Help Not Wanted | 1 | 1.31 | Voltron forms and fights the Cannon Mantis Robeast. |
| 9 | 108 | Ghost Fleet from Another Planet | 1 | 2.68 | Voltron forms, fights the Mutant Sphere Robeast, then drives away Mongo’s attack fleet. |
| 10 | 109 | A Very Short Vacation | 1 | 3.22 | Voltron forms, fights the Barracudax Robeast, dragging it underwater. Note: 1.56 minutes after forming, Jeff says, “We don’t have much time!” After destroying the Robeast, Voltron flies back toward the Explorer, which prompts Zabor to retreat. |
| 11 | 110 | Planet of the Bats | 1 | 2.78 | Voltron forms, fights the Dread Sinistar Robeast, then stands dramatically on the planet. |
| 12 | 112 | Wolo’s Lost World | 1 | 4.15 | Voltron forms, fights Brak’s Robeast, then stands as Wolo remembers a lesson that his brother Kobal had taught him. (Note: FDLA does not unambiguously name this Robeast, due to errors in the book.) |
| 13 | 113 | Planet Stop for Repairs | 1 | 2.90 | Voltron forms, prpeares to fight Nerok’s Robeast, but does not strike, avoiding a battle. Voltron stands by as the Robeast and Nerok depart. (Note: FDLA does not unambiguously name this Robeast, due to errors in the book.) |
| 14 | 114 | A Curious Comet | 1 | 2.08 | Voltron forms and begins to fight the Cyberbug Robeast, which fires at Voltron, causing its right arm to separate and separate into Rugger 3 (Wolo’s ship) and Rugger 12 (Cinda’s ship). (Time between completion of assembly and detachment of right arm: 0.55 minutes.) Voltron’s right arm re-attaches, and Voltron continues to fight the Cyberbug Robeast. (Time between re-attachment of right arm and last instant of Voltron’s appearance: 1.29 minutes.) This sequence is considered a single appearance because Voltron remains (mostly) assembled. |
| 15 | 115 | In the Enemy Camp | 1 | 4.36 | Voltron forms, fights the Planet Smasher Robeast, then stands dramatically on the planet. |
| 16 | 118 | What’s on First | 1 | 4.06 | Voltron forms, fights the Hades Orb Robeast. Voltron then fights the Nightshade Berzerker Robeast. Voltron’s Wing Beam and a rogue tornado presumably destroy the Robeast, and Voltron escapes the tornado. |
| 17 | 119 | Great Stone Space Faces | 1 | 1.57 | Voltron forms and fights a Nightshade Berzerker Robeast — seemingly a different one than the Robeast fought in Episode #118. |
| 18 | 120 | Defend the New World | 1 | 3.04 | Voltron forms without its head. Krik commands the headless Voltron as it fights the Heavy Blazersect Robeast. Voltron’s head attaches 0.81 minutes after forming. Voltron defeats the Robeast, then stands dramatically on the planet. |
| 19 | 121 | Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison | 1 | 0.25 | Voltron forms, then flies off to meet a support fleet. |
| 20 | 122 | Nerok Scores Big | 1 | 2.36 | Voltron forms, then fights the Arachno-Binder Beast, accidentally damaging the Explorer during the battle. Voltron then escorts the Explorer away from the battle site. |
| 21 | 123 | Hazar on the Carpet | 1 | 2.08 | Voltron forms, then fights the Rocket Sniper Robeast. |
| 22 | 124 | Hazar is Demoted | 1 | 0.88 | Voltron forms, then departs a planet with the Explorer to meet a group of space settlers. |
| 23 | 125 | Just Like Earth | 1 | 3.37 | The Steel Spacebug Rattler Robeast fires at Rugger 7 (Lisa’s ship) before it, Rugger 9 (Shannon’s ship), and Rugger 14 (Marvin’s ship) can form Voltron’s right leg. Voltron fights the Robeast. After Voltron’s right leg attaches, Voltron defeats the Robeast and destroys Zabor’s Drule battleship. |
| 24 | 126 | The Planet Trap | 1 | 2.49 | Voltron forms, fights the Wolf-Beetle Robeast, then destroys Brak’s Drule battleship before it can ram the Explorer. |
| 25 | 127 | Save the Space Station | 1 | 9.26 | After the Explorer and are repaired, Voltron forms and escorts the fleet near an asteroid field, where Voltron is ambushed by the Death Digger Robeast. Voltron fights the Robeast. |
| 26 | 128 | Planet of the Amazons | 1 | 3.35 | Voltron forms, fights the Dagger Toad Robeast, and then destroys the attacking Drule fleet. |
| 27 | 129 | Revolt of the Slaves | 1 | 8.18 | Voltron forms, protects the Explorer from Drule missiles, then fights the Twin Equinox Dragon Robeast. |
| 28 | 129 | Revolt of the Slaves | 2 | 1.43 | Voltron forms, then fights an attacking Drule fleet. |
| 29 | 130 | Raid on Galaxy Garrison | 1 | 0.48 | Voltron forms, then strikes a heroic pose. |
| 30 | 131 | Smashing the Meteor Barrier | 1 | 13.63 | Voltron, already formed, flies with the Explorer fleet toward a Drule command base. Then Hawkins orders Voltron to protect a support fleet from a Drule attack. Voltron fights a Robo-Golem Robeast, then helps the Explorer fleet and the support fleet to drive the Drule forces into an asteroid belt. On Hawkins order to return to the Explorer, Voltron disassembles. |
| 31 | 131 | Smashing the Meteor Barrier | 2 | 2.97 | Voltron, already formed, follows the Meteorbreaker and leads two Galaxy Garrison fleets through a dense meteor barrier and to a Drule command base. |
| 32 | 132 | A Man-Made Sun | 1 | 3.31 | Voltron, already formed, approaches a Drule base and destroys incoming Drule missiles, fights the Black Poison Robeast, and then separates to enter the Drule base. |
| 33 | 133 | Captain Newley Returns | 1 | 5.23 | Voltron forms, then fights the King Hydraxis Robeast. |
| 34 | 134 | Hazar Bucks the Empire | 1 | 2.43 | Voltron forms, fights the Razorface Robeast, disassembles, then escapes the planet before it is destroyed. |
| 35 | 135 | Letters from Home | 1 | 1.82 | Voltron forms, then fights the Death-Knight Crusader Robeast. |
| 36 | 136 | Peace! A Fish Story | 1 | 1.89 | Voltron forms, fights the Beachhead Robeast, then frightens the Drule fleet into retreating. |
| 37 | 137 | The Red Moon People | 1 | 3.21 | Voltron forms, then fights the Demon Bluegore Robeast. |
| 38 | 138 | This World’s for the Birds | 1 | 4.06 | Voltron forms, fights the Cyberai Robeast, then protects the Explorer from Twyla’s Drule fleet. |
| 39 | 139 | That’s the Old Ball Game | 1 | 2.45 | Voltron forms, fights the Repto-Boxer Robeast, then destroys Drule battleships. |
| 40 | 140 | Red Moon Rises Again | 1 | 3.12 | Voltron forms, then fights the Invincibeast Robeast, with the help of a buck. |
| 41 | 141 | Another Solar System | 1 | 5.16 | Voltron forms, fights the Doom Gladiator Robeast, then strikes a pose. |
| 42 | 142 | Whose World Is It? | 1 | 9.08 | Voltron forms, fights the Astroblaster Robeast, and then stands by as Hawkins convinces the Drules to conduct peace talks. |
| 43 | 143 | It’s Anybody’s World | 1 | 2.41 | Voltron forms, then fights the Planet Compactor Robeast. |
| 44 | 144 | Frozen Assets | 1 | 1.83 | Voltron forms, then fights the Bladebug Robeast. |
| 45 | 145 | Coconuts | 1 | 2.01 | Voltron forms, fights the Sentrius Robeast, then destroys Zutka’s Drule battleship. |
| 46 | 146 | It Could Be a Long War | 1 | 1.67 | Voltron forms, then fights the Blackstar Unicorn Robeast. |
| 47 | 147 | Color Me Invisible | 1 | 1.19 | Voltron forms, then fights the Krushborg Robeast. |
| 48 | 148 | Time Is Running Out | 1 | 3.80 | Voltron forms and is immediately covered with Magna Mines. Voltron fights the Monster Vultura Robeast and throws it at a Drule attack base, destroying both. |
| 49 | 149 | Zero Hour Approaches | 1 | 5.50 | Voltron forms, fights the Astronomax Robeast in an asteroid field, then destroys a Drule base with a full-power Electro-Therma-Blast. |
| 50 | 150 | The Drules’ World Cracks Up | 1 | 6.50 | Voltron forms, fights its way to the surface of the Drule homeworld, then disassembles during combat against three Robeasts. |
| 51 | 151 | The Drules Surrender | 1 | 16.02 | Beneath the surface of the Drule homeworld, Voltron forms and fights multiple Robeasts. When Voltron is approached by Drule civilians who wave a white flag of surrender and peace. Jeff tells the team that it’s time to return to the Explorer. |
| 52 | 152 | The End of Hazar’s World | 1 | 0.78 | As the already formed Voltron, already formed, stands before a group of Drule citizens, Hazar emerges from the crowd, asking Voltron to help the people to evacuate before the Drule homeworld explodes. |
| 53 | ? | Fleet of Doom | 1 | 8.16 | Voltron forms, then fights alongside Lion Force Voltron against the Drule Voltron 2 Robeast. Afterward, the two Voltron robots stand side-by-side as their pilots reunite. |
Summary of Appearances
Regardless of Vehicle Team Voltron’s “five-minute rule,” on 13 occasions (12, if we ignore Jeff’s “One minute left, team!” remark in “In Search of New Worlds”), the mighty robot is seen to be active for over five minutes of episode running time.
How can this be?
The likely real-world reason is that the Voltron writers invented the “five-minute rule” to increase the suspense in a given episode, knowing full well that most of the time, the robot would not be seen in action for more than five minutes. It should be noted that Voltron’s limited energy reserves were a purely Voltron invention. Such a limitation is never specified in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, the anime program from which the “Vehicle Team” episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe were adapted.
In the context of the Voltron fictional universe, there are multiple possible reasons for the occasional, unexpected longevity of Voltron’s energy reserves:
- One minute of episode running time need not equal one minute of narrative time. Perhaps a longer-than-five-minute appearance “really” lasted less than five minutes.
- In some of Voltron’s longer-than-five-minute appearances, the robot spends portions of time flying casually in space, or standing still — activities that presumably require less power than active combat against a Robeast.
- Perhaps Voltron’s limited energy reserves are used only during “surges” of activity, such as combat. For less-intensive activities, the robot might be able to tap other energy reserves that are adequate for low-intensity activities, but inadequate for combat.
- Perhaps over time, Voltron’s energy reserve capacity was increased, perhaps just once, or perhaps incrementally. There is some evidence which might support the idea of such an upgrade or upgrades:
- Although a Drule robot mentions Voltron’s five-minute energy reserve limit as late as “The Red Moon People” (Production #137), the last time anyone from the Galaxy Alliance mentions this limit is in “A Temporary Truce” (Production #111), when Professor Page openly states this limitation to Sandu, a young Drule soldier who is later returned to his people.
- Perhaps Voltron’s energy reserves were increased sometime after the events of “A Temporary Truce,” but before the events of “Zero Hour Approaches,” the first of the last four of Voltron’s lengthy appearances.
- It is also possible that Voltron’s energy reserves were increased before “A Temporary Truce,” and that Professor Page fed misinformation to Sandu. It does seem unconscionable that the professor would volunteer such sensitive information to an enemy soldier – even one who seems open to peace.
- Prior to Page’s mention of the “five-minute rule” in “A Temporary Truce,” the only episode that references the limitation is “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101) — the same episode in which Jeff tells the team that they have only one minute left — after which Voltron remains formed for at least 0.23 minutes of episode running time, plus the time needed for Voltron to separate off-screen. Maybe Voltron’s energy reserves were increased mere months, weeks, or even days after the events of this episode.
- Although a Drule robot mentions Voltron’s five-minute energy reserve limit as late as “The Red Moon People” (Production #137), the last time anyone from the Galaxy Alliance mentions this limit is in “A Temporary Truce” (Production #111), when Professor Page openly states this limitation to Sandu, a young Drule soldier who is later returned to his people.
Conclusion
Vehicle Team Voltron’s “five-minute rule” is expressed four times in Voltron: Defender of the Universe, but based on episode running times, Voltron violates the rule as many as 12 or 13 times.
Maybe the rule was rendered “OBE” — Overcome By Events — through one or more upgrades to Voltron’s energy reserves. Maybe we weren’t supposed to notice Voltron’s lengthier appearances. We certainly weren’t meant to time the robot’s appearances with a stopwatch…or video editing software.
Whether Voltron can function for five minutes, five hours, or five months at a time, it has inspired the imagination for over 35 years, which is a remarkable time indeed.