Greg Tyler – Page 2 – Lions and Pilots and Bots… Dot Com!

The Mutation and Evolution of Commander Kala

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Greg Tyler

Commander Kala was created specifically for VOLTRON FORCE. Over the course of the program’s first and only season, she evolved from mysterious and evil to really, really creepy.

Ignoring the montage of images at the end of the teaser in “New School Defenders” (Episode 1), Kala is first “properly” seen and mentioned later in the episode. Coran tells Sky Marshall Wade that “our sources have intercepted increased chatter about this mysterious Commander Kala specifically mentioning Lotor.”

Kala is next seen in “Defenders of Arus” (Episode 2). A Drule explorer ship reports to Kala that it has reached the Haggarium Quasar. Kala commands the ship’s captain to launch a pod to collect a sample of Haggarium from the quasar. The quasar reacts violently, ultimately consuming the Drule ship and its crew. As the captain realizes that he has met his fate, Kala’s only words to him are that he has failed her.

Soon afterward, from the safety of her own ship, Kala tells Maahox that his “attempts to harness the power of the Haggarium Quasar seem futile. And have cost a good portion of the fleet.” She also reminds Maahox that, if this attempt were to fail, she would destroy him. Soon afterward, a pod containing Haggarium emerges from the Quasar.

Later in the episode, Kala witnesses Maahox’s use of the Haggarium sample to return the long-dead Drule king Lotor to life.

Maahox introduces himself and Kala to Lotor. He tells Lotor, “This is Commander Kala from the planet Darkor. What she lacks in personality, she makes up for in tactical brilliance. And blood lust.”

Maahox tells Lotor that, to celebrate Lotor’s “rebirthday,” Kala has sent a “neatly packaged gift” to Arus — a coffin containing a Robeast. The Voltron Lions defeat the Robeast, which upsets Lotor, but Kala reassures him: “That Robeast’s defeat was part of my plan. It was a relic from your days. A minor challenge to bring Voltron back into the open. We have something much more powerful in store.”

Maahox tells Lotor that nature provides “some of the best raw material for Robeasts.” And he and Kala present, in a glass orb, an alien spider.

Maahox then tells Lotor — and Kala — that spiders need “the brain capacity for reason – for strategy.” Maahox says they will “give this to our next generation of Haggarium-powered Robeasts.” Maahox then presses a button and encases Kala and the spider inside a clear containment cylinder.

Taken by surprise, Kala drops the orb, and it shatters. The Kala protests that “this wasn’t part of [her] plan.” As she screams and the spider attacks her leg, Maahox replies that “it was part of [his].”

Maahox pulls a lever, and the cylinder fills with Haggarium energy.

Kala and the spider dissipate into a cloud of energized particles. Maahox tells the energized particles, “Don’t fight it, dear Commander. I promise…you’ll love what I’ve done with you.”

In the next episode, “Defenders of the Universe” (Episode 3), Maahox reveals that in Lotor’s absence, Kala had trained soldiers for Lotor to command.

Soon afterward, Lotor’s fleet arrives at Arus. One of the Drule ships launches a coffin-shaped transport ship that lands in a canyon.

Detecting the arrival of a Robeast, and with Black Lion temporarily out of commission, the Voltron Force pilots the other four Lions to the canyon. Red Lion is soon caught in Haggarium webs, and the Voltron Force sees the new Robeast for the first time. It’s the alien spider, increased to a massive size, powered by Haggarium, and controlled by Kala’s mind. (Kala’s body was presumably destroyed when she was merged with the spider.)

Sky Marshall Wade, who had already been attacking Arus with his robotic army, notices that a Robeast has attacked the Voltron Lions, and he responds by launching his own Lion Robeast to destroy them all.

The Voltron Lions prove to be no match for either the Kala Robeast or Wade’s Lion Robeast. Fortunately for the Lions, the two Robeasts attack each other.

The Kala Robeast easily pierces the Lion Robeast’s armor in multiple places. As the Lion Robeast is damaged, Wade, who is controlling the monster from his office on Earth, using a mind-control device, is shocked with an energy overload.

The Kala Robeast cocoons itself and Wade’s Lion Robeast. The cocoon flares with Haggarium energy. As it does, Wade continues to feel the effects — perhaps more than in a physical sense.

A much larger Robeast emerges — Kala’s Robeast has merged with Wade’s Lion Robeast. Its feet now look like those of Wade’s Lion Robeast.

The combined Robeast traps the four Lions in its Haggarium webs. Fortunately Black Lion is soon brought back online. It frees the other Lions, and they form Voltron. Weakened by its proximity to Haggarium, Voltron becomes cocooned with the Robeast. It seems the Robeast will next merge with Voltron.

With an unexplained power boost from Vince, Voltron forms the Blazing Sword while inside the cocoon, and it destroys the Robeast.

Voltron wraps the remains of the Haggarium-filled Robeast in its own webs and throws it into space.

Unbeknownst to the Voltron Force, the Robeast begins to reassemble itself using Haggarium strands.

The Kala Robeast is not seen again until “I, Voltron” (Episode 21). On Earth, as the Galaxy Alliance council sentences Sky Marshall Wade — who was arrested in “Clash of the Lions” (Episode 13) — the Kala Robeast breaks into the courtroom, frees Wade, and flies into space. Wade acts as if he had foreknowledge of his own rescue.

The Voltron Force tracks the Robeast’s Haggarium trail to a cluster of seven moons between which are large Haggarium webs. By this time, Hunk has begun to refer to the Robeast as a “Lider” — half the original Spider Robeast, and half Wade’s Lion Robeast. Over time the rest of the team begins to use the term.

Daniel, whose mind is temporarily in Voltron, follows the trail to the moon cluster. Upon arrival, “Dan-tron” notices the energy-draining effects of Haggarium.

Daniel lands on the large, central moon, and the Kala Robeast, which has now also merged with Wade’s mind — and seemingly destroyed his body, as had presumably been done with Kala’s — emerges from a crater to greet Voltron. The Robeast’s legs are more heavily armored than before, which suggests that the Robeast has merged with spacecraft and upgraded itself further. The Robeast is now much larger than Voltron.

The Robeast, speaking with a blend of Wade and Kala’s voices, realizes that Daniel’s mind has merged with Voltron. The Robeast soon traps the weakened “Dan-tron” in a ball of Haggarium web.

The Voltron Force enters the ball of web and discovers that the Robeast has trapped Voltron, physically and mentally. Pidge comments, “This thing and Daniel and Voltron are in some kind of mental stasis. Their brains must be merging before their bodies follow suit.”

The team decides that Vince, with his special powers, should try to retrieve Daniel from the mental stasis, while the rest of the team tries to break Voltron from the Robeast’s physical grasp.

Vince dons the mind-link interface — the same physical device that had previously caused Daniel’s mind to enter Voltron — and he uses it and his Voltcom to interface with Voltron by plugging the fist of his Voltcom-wearing arm into a socket in Voltron’s chest.

Vince enters a “Voltron mindspace,” but the web-like patterns make it clear that the Robeast is also inside Voltron’s computer brain.

Vince sees an avatar of Wade, advancing toward an avatar of Daniel, who is “dressed” in a wireframe representation of Voltron. Wade, in a voice mixed with Kala’s, tells Daniel to “stop fighting us! Surrender Voltron or be destroyed!”

Vince knocks Wade away from Daniel, who is trapped in webs, but Kala appears behind Daniel.

Vince pleads with Daniel to wake up. Outside the mindspace, the rest of the Voltron Force notices that Voltron’s eyes have opened and are glowing with Haggarium energy.

In the mindspace, Daniel’s eyes also glow with energy. Vince asks Kala what she has done to him. Kala replies, in a voice mixed with Wade’s, “Planted the seed. Of chaos. Just as was done to me.” The dual voice continues, “When Kala’s Robeast merged with mine, so too did our minds. Mind control devices are a dangerous endeavor.”

The Kala avatar continues, “Of course, he resisted at first.”

Both avatars continue, with primarily Wade’s voice, “But, then I realized the strength I gained by merging with her. We have been able to hear each other’s thoughts and coordinate our future plans. For some time, our connection was beyond my ability to comprehend, but I had A LOT of time to think while I waited in jail.”

They continue as they merge into an avatar of the Robeast: “Our bond really grew there. Now we will merge with Voltron… and your friend. Which leaves very little use for you!”

Outside, the Voltron Force has nearly severed the Robeast’s connections — its claws — to Voltron. In the Voltron mindspace, the Robeast avatar deals what it intends to be a killing strike at Vince, but its claw passes through Vince’s chest. The Robeast avatar flickers. Outside, the Voltron Force finishes freeing Voltron from the Robeast’s grasp. In the Voltron mindspace, the Robeast’s avatar, and the Haggarium webs, flicker. Vince strikes at the Robeast avatar with his Voltcom “finger wires,” and the Robeast vanishes entirely from the Voltron mindspace.

Vince convinces Daniel to exit Voltron. They grasp hands, Daniel’s eyes flash, and his avatar’s “wireframe costume” disappears. Their avatars disappear from the Voltron mindspace, and outside, Vince withdraws his hand and finger wires from Voltron’s chest socket. Vince removes from his own head and holds the mind-control interface, which glows, as he says, “I got him.”

Keith and Lance tear a large hole in the side of the ball of Haggarium web that contains Voltron, and the Voltron Force tows Voltron out using a Galaxy Alliance fighter craft. The Robeast begins to stir. Hunk decides to buy the team time by setting Awesometron’s generator to overdrive and setting Awesometron on a collision course with the Robeast. The Robeast grasps Awesometron with its legs, planning to merge with it when it explodes, scattering debris of the Robeast and Awesometron.

The Robeast immediately begins to re-assemble itself, but the Voltron Force is able to tow Voltron back to Arus.

On Arus, Vince uses the mind-link interface and his Voltcom finger wires, to return Daniel’s mind back to his body. When Daniel awakens, he and Vince are surprised to discover that they can now read each other’s minds.

The Kala Robeast is seen next — and for the final time — in “Deceive and Conquer” (Episode 25). The Robeast arrives on Planet Doom. Kala seeks revenge against Maahox, who had originally turned her into the Robeast. Kala is dominant for most of what transpires.

When the Kala Robeast arrives on Doom, seeking revenge against Maahox, Daniel learns that the Haggarium infection that began in “I, Voltron” enables him to read the Robeast’s mind. He sees through “Kala’s” eyes as it approaches and attacks Maahox. The Robeast looks the same as it had when the Voltron Force had last encountered it. Kala tells Maahox, in a voice mixed with Wade’s, “You did this to me! You double-crossed me, turned me into a monstrosity.”

Kala’s first strikes miss Maahox and pierce the recently reconstructed Castle Doom. Lotor, now super-charged with Haggarium, tells Kala not to damage his castle. They begin to fight.

The Robeast then pauses, and its minds begin to quarrel. Kala wants only revenge against Maahox, whereas Wade wants to stop Lotor first, since he is their greatest immediate threat. In their confusion, the super-charged Lotor buries the Robeast beneath rock.

Back on Arus, Daniel experiences the Robeast’s pain. When it subsides, he tells Vince and Larmina, “That thing that infected me… the Lider. If I’m gonna be cured, I think we have to destroy it.” He persuades his friends to agree to convince the rest of the Voltron Force that they need to stop the Kala Robeast, while not revealing that Daniel’s has the Haggarium infection.

Back on Doom, the fight between the Robeast and Lotor continues. Before Lotor can bury the Robeast entirely, the Robeast shoots a glob of webbing that covers Lotor’s upper body. The Robeast pulls Lotor into its mandibles and envelops Lotor in a cocoon that glows with Lotor’s super-charged Haggarium energy.

Maahox compliments the Robeast: “Bravo! Wonderful! Breathtaking, even. Taking down a Haggarium-powered foe and absorbing his essence into your own? Commander Kala – and, I presume, Sky Marshal Wade – you have turned Lotor’s destruction into an art!”

As soon as the cocoon has completely covered Lotor, it glows with Haggarium energy. The Robeast “eats” the cocoon, while replying, “I don’t see what you’re smiling about, Maahox. I’m coming for you.”

Maahox replies, amused, “I know, I know. And you seem so excited about it, I almost hate to even point this out. But I believe something you ate is disagreeing with you.”

The Robeast glows purple, its abdomen begins to swell, and purple energy radiates from its abdomen. The Robeast screams in three voices — Kala’s, Wade’s, and Lotor’s. Back at the Castle of Lions, Daniel senses that the Robeast is merging with Lotor. He and Vince convince the rest of the Voltron Force to go to Planet Doom to investigate and stop a surge of Haggarium.

On Planet Doom, the Voltron Force discovers that the Robeast — the “Lider” — has merged with Lotor and evolved into a new form. It now resembles a biped with six additional, spider leg-like appendages, and its former Lider head now resembles a helmet atop a gigantic version of Lotor’s face.

VINCE
Kala…Wade…and Lotor?

HUNK
“Lotolider?”

LANCE
Not the time, Hunk.

When the Robeast speaks, Lotor’s is the only audible voice. It prepares to attack the Lions, but the Lions first manage to combine into Voltron.

The “Lotolider” retains its predecessor’s ability to shoot Haggarium strands — this time from its spider-leg appendages.

Lotor adapts quite well to his new form.

Fortunately for Voltron, Daniel can read the Robeast’s mind, so he is able to direct the team to dodge the Robeast’s attacks and then counterattack.

Lotor soon discovers that he can also read Daniel’s mind, and he begins to use this to his advantage. When Daniel realizes that the mind link is bidirectional, he asks Vince and Larmina to help him.

Larmina replies, “Why not? They’ve got a three-brained beast.”

Daniel, Vince, and Larmina connect their Voltcoms to the consoles of their Lions, and each activates his or her “boost” to Voltron’s abilities — Larmina’s “Butt Kick Boost,” Vince’s “Power Boost,” and Daniel’s “Speed Boost.” Voltron finishes off the Robeast with its Blazing Sword. The strike destroys the Robeast, leaving behind a mist of Haggarium and a field of debris.

Maahox later gathers the remains of the Robeast and uses some of Castle Doom’s Haggarium to return Lotor to life in his original body.

Lotor quickly learns why Maahox has resurrected him — so that Maahox can reveal his now completed plan — to create an entirely new Haggarium-powered Robeast from Castle Doom itself. Maahox then crushes Lotor’s body and pilots the new Robeast off-planet for a battle to end all battles against Voltron.

As for the Lotolider — or Lider — or Spider Robeast — or Commander Kala, she is never seen or mentioned again, which might suggest that Voltron had destroyed her. Indeed, the minds of Kala and Wade might have been destroyed as soon as Lotor took control of the “Lotolider” Robeast. On the other hand, perhaps the Robeast, without Lotor, reassembled itself once more.

“Go Together” T-shirt to Benefit Heart to Heart International

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Greg Tyler

The Voltron Store has opened pre-orders for an exclusive “Go Together” T-shirt. Proceeds from sales of the shirt will benefit Heart to Heart International, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1992.

Here is Heart to Heart International’s mission statement, from the group’s website:

Heart to Heart International strengthens communities through improving health access, providing humanitarian development and administering crisis relief worldwide. We engage volunteers, collaborate with partners and deploy resources to achieve this mission.

Only 2% of the organization’s funding is spent on fundraising and general administration. 92% goes to international health initiatives, and 6% goes to projects in the United States.

Click here to pre-order the “Go Together” T-shirt.

The Nexus Perplexes (Voltron Force)

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Greg Tyler

One of many elements that distinguish Voltron Force from other iterations of our favorite Defender of the Universe is the Nexus. It’s kind of cool, but it’a also kind of confusing.

What Is the Nexus?

We first see the Nexus at the end of the feature-length premiere, “The New Defenders Trilogy.” In other markets, this feature aired as three regular-length episodes, and in that context we first see the Nexus in the third episode, “Defenders of the Universe.”

After the five Lions take a pounding from a Haggarium-powered Robeast, the Voltron Force decides that they’re ready to form Voltron. Keith gives the classic “Activate interlocks” preamble, and the Lions connect as Keith orders them to “form feet and legs” and “form arms and body.” Just before Voltron’s head is formed, there is a quick cutaway shot.

The star is a nod to Voltron: Defender of the Universe. In that program, inside each Lion’s cockpit, just above the slot in which the pilot inserts the Lion’s key, a display panel features a star comprised of six lights. The panel becomes visible and lights up just after the pilot inserts the Lion’s key, and when the pilot goes through the “Activate interlocks” routine in preparation to form Voltron.

The Lion cockpits in Voltron: The Third Dimension have a similar display panel.

The Stealth Lion cockpits in Voltron: The Third Dimension have a star-shaped display on a flat, touchscreen interface.

In Voltron Force, once the star is formed, the person in the “center Lion” tells everyone that he or she will form Voltron’s head.

This star is the Nexus — although this and other information about the Nexus aren’t revealed until the 13th episode, “Clash of the Lions,” which we’ll get to later.

The star is shown each time Voltron is formed using the “standard formation sequence.” We’ll probably explore the other formation sequence, “Flash Form,” in a future article.

The positions of the five “Nexus pieces” match the positions of the Lions when they are combined as Voltron, when viewed from the front. The upward point corresponds to the “center” Lion — the one that forms Voltron’s head and body. The upper left point and upper right point represent the “right arm Lion” and “left arm Lion,” respectively. The lower left point and lower right point represent the “right leg Lion” and “left leg Lion,” respectively.

Black Center

Red Center

Green Center

Blue Center

Yellow Center

In “Hungry for Voltron,” Blue Lion is separated from the others by a planetary force field, and the other four Lions are forced to form Voltron with a missing right leg. Correspondingly, the Nexus has only four of its five pieces. In the episode we see a four-Lion Voltron in both Black Center and Yellow Center configurations. We’re treated to a four-piece Black Center configuration of the Nexus. We aren’t shown the four-piece Yellow Center configuration of the Nexus, but we can assume it happens off-screen.

Four-Lion Voltron (Black Center)

Four-Lion Voltron (Yellow Center)

The episode “Clash of the Lions” finally reveals more about the Nexus. Sky Marshall Wade fires a Corite charge at the center of Voltron’s chest.

After Voltron is returned to the Castle of Lions, Pidge assesses the damage to the robot.

PIDGE
The Corite pierced something inside Voltron that we’ve never been able to crack before. The Lions each have one in their chest – like a heart-slash-hard drive – and they all come together when Voltron forms.

VINCE
Kinda like a Nexus!

PIDGE
Hmmm. Yeah. A Nexus. That’s exactly what it is. And now that there’s a hole in the Black Lion’s piece of the…Nexus, it’s releasing all kinds of strange data, things I can’t even begin to decipher. Whatever it is, access to this Nexus could change the entire way Voltron works.

In “Inside the Music,” Pidge explains more about his attempts to decipher the aforementioned “strange data.”

PIDGE
The hole Wade shot in the Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus has given me access to copious amounts of new data…but it all seems to be encrypted with some code so ancient, it’s…it’s almost like I need to create a new branch of science to understand it.

Later in the episode, Voltron battles a Robeast that can fire blasts of “Sonic Haggarium.”

KEITH
It’s like Haggarium is leaching in!

PIDGE
It must be penetrating the Nexus through that hole!

In “Rogue Trip,” in the hangar in the Castle of Lions, Pidge takes his research a bit too far.

PIDGE
I’ve been studying the Black Lion’s Nexus relentlessly, but I still can’t decipher the code. It’s based on ancient, but highly advanced, mathematical algorithm. If I’m going to have any hope of making progress, I’ll need to extract the Nexus and analyze it in the control room. Can you help me do some heavy metal surgery?

Hunk uses what looks like a blowtorch and cuts into Black Lion, but mere inches from the Nexus, Black Lion activates, roars, shakes Pidge and Hunk loose, and exits the hangar of the Castle of Lions.

The Voltron Force soon discusses Black Lion’s departure.

PIDGE
It’s as if Black sensed the Nexus was being threatened, and it triggered some kind of security response.

KEITH
But the Lions bond with their pilots, so how could they possibly consider us a threat?

PIDGE
I don’t know. But one thing is certain — the Nexus modules are far more important to Voltron than I ever suspected. I have to do more research.

The Voltron Force locates and approaches Black Lion. In response, Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus flashes — and this triggers the Nexus pieces in the other four Lions to flash. The other four Lions eject their pilots and side with Black Lion as they stare down their much smaller pilots. Keith later “tames” all five Lions by behaving like a new Alpha to which Black Lion submits.

In “Gary” Hunk and Pidge continue their repair efforts.

HUNK
All right, Pidge. Hopefully this will fix this hole in Black’s Nexus.

A Space Mouse takes Hunk’s torque wrench, interrupting his and Pidge’s work. Soon afterward a group of Garys does much worse. Several Garys enter Black Lion and began to take control of it. One of them discovers Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus.

Although Keith drives out the other Garys, the one near Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus remains inside even during Voltron’s subsequent battle with a Robeast-sized Gary.

The Voltron Force tries to form Voltron in its traditional, “Black Center” configuration, but before the formation sequence completes, Voltron forms Yellow Center. Pidge quickly realizes why this happened.

PIDGE
It’s the Nexus! It’s got one of those things in it! It must have… gotten into the Nexus through the hole in Black’s piece!

Voltron then forms Red Center, although Keith somehow regains control and forms Black Center.

The Gary in the Nexus continues to make Voltron unstable. At multiple times its arms and legs begin to pull away from the torso, as if the Lions are about to separate or change configuration again.

After the Garys are defeated, Hunk is more determined to fix Black Lion.

HUNK
All right, I think now we REALLY gotta figure out how to fix that hole in you.

The Voltron Force discusses its next step in “Five Forged.”

KEITH
Every time we mess with the Black Lion’s broken Nexus, bad things happen.

PIDGE
True, but even worse things are going to happen if we don’t do something. There’s Haggarium in there now, spreading like an infection. We’re leaking power at an alarming rate. If we don’t repair this Nexus soon, we could lose the Black Lion.

Vince tries to use his “finger wires” to hack into Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus, but Black Lion comes to life, frees itself from the finger-wires, and flees Arus — followed by the other four Lions. The Lions fly to the planet Ariel, where they stand just outside the entrance to what looks like a temple. The Voltron Force pilots and cadets arrive and pass a sequence of five challenges, after which five Krelshi converge above their heads, to be replaced by an apparition of a kind but tough-looking blacksmith.

PIDGE
You’re the blacksmith. The one who forged Voltron.

BLACKSMITH
I had my part, yes.

PIDGE
I have so many questions.

BLACKSMITH
I’m certain you do. But I’m afraid I have a very limited role. And to much time to do it in. I understand your Black Lion has a Nexus problem.

After the blacksmith uses some exotic tools, Black Lion stands and roars, and all is right with Voltron once more.

Interestingly, when the Voltron Force is in the workshop of the blacksmith, before the blacksmith appears, they examine artwork on the walls, but they don’t mention one that would let them know, beyond any doubt, that they were in the right place.

After Black Lion’s piece of the Nexus is repaired in “Five Forged,” the Nexus isn’t directly mentioned again for the rest of the program, although it is still shown each time Voltron is formed.

Unanswered Questions

When exactly do the five Lions’ Nexus pieces combine?

In a typical formation sequence, the Nexus pieces are shown to combine after the Lions combine, but before the operator of the “center” Lion announces that he or she will form the head.

On relatively few occasions, the Nexus pieces are shown to combine before the Lions combine.

I assume the Nexus pieces “really” combine after the Lions combine, but this isn’t entirely clear. I suppose it’s possible that each Nexus piece teleports from its Lion’s chest to Voltron’s chest before the Lions combine, but the Lions themselves aren’t shown to have teleportation capability, so this seems unlikely.

Where exactly do the five Lions’ Nexus pieces combine?

Do the Lions’ Nexus pieces always combine inside Black Lion, regardless of whether Black Lion is the center Lion?
Do the Lions’ Nexus pieces always combine in the center Lion?

What happens to the Nexus when Voltron reconfigures?

When Voltron reconfigures, such as from changing from Black Center to Red Center, a sequence of operations occurs:

Voltron’s limbs detach from the “old” center Lion
Simultaneously…
1. The “old” center Lion moves from head/torso position to its position in Black Center configuration, while transforming from head/torso mode to its mode in Black Center configuration
2. The “new” center Lion moves from its position in Black Center configuration to head/torso position, while transforming from its mode in Black Center configuration to head/torso mode
3. If Black Lion is neither the “old” center Lion nor the “new” center Lion, then it moves from the “old” center Lion’s position in Black Center configuration to the “new” center Lion’s position in Black Center configuration, while transforming from the mode of the “old” center Lion in Black Center configuration to the mode of the “new” center Lion in Black Center configuration
Voltron’s limbs attach to the “new” center Lion

Example: When Voltron changes from Black Center to Green Center…

Voltron’s limbs detach from Black Lion
Simultaneously…
1. Black Lion moves from head/torso position to left arm position, while transforming from head/torso mode to arm mode
2. Green Lion moves from left arm position to head/torso position, while transforming from arm mode to head/torso mode
Voltron’s limbs attach to Green Lion

Example: When Voltron changes from Blue Center to Yellow Center…

Voltron’s limbs detach from Blue Lion
Simultaneously…
1. Blue Lion moves from head/torso position to right leg position, while transforming from head/torso mode to leg mode
2. Yellow Lion moves from left leg position to head/torso position, while transforming from leg mode to head/torso mode
3. Black Lion moves from right leg position to left leg position, while transforming from leg mode to… leg mode
Voltron’s limbs attach to Yellow Lion

While all this is happening to the Lions, what happens to the five pieces of the Nexus?

Do they remain inside Black Lion the whole time, even if Black Lion isn’t the center Lion?
Do they move as a combined whole from the old center Lion to the new center Lion? If so, then when during the reconfiguration process does this happen?
Does each piece return to its Lion before the Lions separate, and then re-combine after the Lions re-combine? If so, then do they always combine/re-combine inside Black Lion, or do they re-combine in the new center Lion?

What happens to the Nexus when Voltron “Flash Forms?”

When the Lions “Flash Form” into Voltron, they transform and combine very quickly, bypassing the “Activate interlocks” preamble. During a Flash Form, the Nexus pieces aren’t shown. Do they also “Flash Form,” or do they combine at their regular speed, which is still pretty darn fast, although it might lag Voltron’s formation by a short duration?

What happens to the Nexus when Voltron is forcibly separated into the five Lions?

In the final episode, “Black,” Maahox’s Castle Doom Robeast wraps a tentacle around each of Voltron’s limbs and pulls it apart. Each part crashes to the planet below. In such a scenario, do the Nexus pieces similarly separate, with each piece very quickly snapping back into the chest of its respective Lion? Or do they remain stuck inside the “center” Lion? In “Black” the Lions are shown to fight after Maahox pulls them apart, which would suggest that each Lion got its Nexus piece back, but it’s not entirely clear.

In Closing

Like Voltron’s reconfiguration power, the Nexus is a fun aspect of Voltron that distinguishes the Defender of the Universe in Voltron Force from its incarnations in other Voltron programs.

What’s In a Name – Zarkon’s, That Is…

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Greg Tyler

That moment when…

Bob Bobs Up

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Greg Tyler

In the Voltron: Legendary Defender seventh-season episode “The Feud,” Keith, Lance, Pidge, Allura, and Hunk become unwilling contestants in a game show called Garfle Warfle Snick, hosted by a charismatic captor of an alien called Bob. The Paladins win the game and are returned to their Lions to continue their journey to Earth.

In the eighth-season episode “Clear Day,” look who’s among the spectators at the Clear Day arm-wrestling competition — Bob!

Numbers, Shmumbers: Season and Episode Numbers in Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Greg Tyler

As I described in “It’s as “Easy” as I, II, III: Being a Voltron Fan in the 1980s,” keeping up with Voltron: Defender of the Universe was a bit difficult. I wish I could say it has gotten easier over the years, but it hasn’t.

Even numbering the program’s seasons and episodes has been a challenge. Why? Buckle up, and I’ll tell you.

The program’s 124 regular-length episodes can be thought of as comprising three “seasons.” In original air date order, the seasons are:
1. 52 Lion Force episodes adapted from Beast King Golion
2. 52 Vehicle Team episodes adapted from Armored Fleet Dairugger XV
3. 20 Lion Force episodes which were animated specifically for Voltron
In original air date order, a small number of second-season (Vehicle Team) episodes originally aired in the middle of the first season.
As I described in “Out of Order: Voltron vs. Golion and Dairugger”:
- The episodes of Voltron‘s first season originally aired out of sequence with respect to the corresponding episodes of Beast King Golion.
- The episodes of Voltron‘s second season originally aired out of sequence with respect to the corresponding episodes of Armored Fleet Dairugger XV.
The double-length “Fleet of Doom” episode, which was animated specifically for Voltron, isn’t considered one of the program’s episodes, but rather a distinct production; however, in some markets, the episode was edited into two regular-length episodes that aired alongside the program’s 124 regular episodes.
While examining scripts from Voltron, I learned about the episodes’ production numbers:
1. The first season’s 52 episodes have production numbers 201-252. Their sequence matches that of the Beast King Golion episodes from which they were adapted.
2. The second season’s 52 episodes have production numbers 101-152. Their sequence matches that of the Armored Fleet Dairugger XV episodes from which they were adapted.
3. The third season’s 20 episodes have production numbers 301-317 and 319-321. Their sequence matches that of the episodes’ original air dates.
4. The third-season episode with production number 318 was never completed or aired. Video-only excerpts from this unfinished episode were an extra in the Media Blasters DVD sets of the mid-2000s.
5. The “Fleet of Doom” script has no production number.
In the original “Voltron Trilogy” concept for Voltron:
1. Voltron I, which later became known as Vehicle Team Voltron, was the titular robot in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV.
2. Voltron II was the titular robot from Lightspeed Electroid Albegas.
3. Voltron III, which later became known as Lion Force Voltron, was the titular robot in Beast King Golion.
That “Voltron I’s” 52 episodes have production numbers in the 100s, and “Voltron III’s” initial 52 episodes have production numbers in the 200s, suggests that the decision not to adapt Lightspeed Electroid Albegas into “Voltron II” was made fairly early in production — perhaps even during pre-production.
The Madman Entertainment DVDs of the early 2000s and the Universal DVDs of 2019 numbered the Voltron episodes as follows:
1. The first season’s 52 episodes are numbered as “Lion Force” episodes 1-52. Their sequence matches that of the Beast King Golion episodes from which they were adapted.
2. The third season’s 20 episodes are numbered as “Lion Force” episodes 53-72. Their sequence matches that of the episodes’ original air dates.
3. The second season’s 52 episodes are numbered as “Vehicle Force” episodes 1-52. Their sequence matches that of the Armored Fleet Dairugger XV episodes from which they were adapted.
The Media Blasters DVDs of the mid-2000s numbered the Voltron episodes as follows:
1. The first season’s 52 episodes are numbered as episodes 1-52. Their sequence matches that of the Beast King Golion episodes from which they were adapted.
2. The third season’s 20 episodes are numbered as episodes 53-72. Their sequence matches that of the episodes’ original air dates.
3. The second season’s 52 episodes are numbered as episodes 73-124. Their sequence matches that of the Armored Fleet Dairugger XV episodes from which they were adapted.

The table below is my attempt to capture all this information in one place. You can sort a column by clicking on its header. You can sort multiple columns by holding the Shift key while you select multiple columns. (Sorting by multiple columns probably won’t work on most mobile browsers.)

The abbreviated column headers are as follows:

Prod #: Voltron production number
Seas: Voltron season number (in original air date order)
Bot: Indicates Lion Force Voltron or Vehicle Team Voltron
Seas for Bot: For a given Voltron robot (Lion Force Voltron or Vehicle Team Voltron), the season number (in original air date order)
Title: Episode title
OAD: Original air date
MB DVD Ep #: Episode number according to the Media Blasters DVDs of the mid-2000s
ME / Univ DVD Ep #: Episode number according to the Madman Entertainment DVDs of the early 2000s and the Universal Home Entertainment DVDs of 2019
An: Original anime program (Beast King Golion or Armored Fleet Dairugger XV)
An Ep #: Anime program episode number
An Title: Anime program episode title
An OAD: Anime program episode original air date

Prod #	Seas	Bot	Seas for Bot	Title	OAD	MB DVD Ep #	ME / Univ DVD Ep #	An	An Ep #	An Title	An OAD
201	1	Lion	1	Space Explorers Captured	1984-09-10	1	1	G	1	Escape from Slave Castle	1981-03-04
202	1	Lion	1	Escape to Another Planet	1984-09-11	2	2	G	2	Ruined Phantom Planet, The	1981-03-11
203	1	Lion	1	Ghost and Four Keys, A	1984-09-12	3	3	G	3	Ghost and the Five Keys, A	1981-03-18
204	1	Lion	1	Missing Key, The	1984-09-13	4	4	G	4	Resurrection of the Legendary Giant	1981-03-25
205	1	Lion	1	Princess Joins Up	1984-09-14	5	5	G	5	Fortress for the New Struggle	1981-04-01
206	1	Lion	1	Right Arm of Voltron, The	1984-09-17	6	6	G	6	Death of Shirogane the Hero	1981-04-08
207	1	Lion	1	Lion Has New Claws, The	1984-09-18	7	7	G	7	Beautiful Princess’ Battle, The	1981-04-15
208	1	Lion	1	Stolen Lion, The	1984-09-26	8	8	G	8	Stolen Blue Lion	1981-04-22
209	1	Lion	1	Pretty Spy, A	1984-09-27	9	9	G	9	Girl of the Land of Evil	1981-04-29
210	1	Lion	1	Secret of the White Lion	1984-09-28	10	10	G	10	Secret of the White Lion	1981-05-06
211	1	Lion	1	Surrender	1984-10-01	11	11	G	11	Red Rain of Hell, The	1981-05-13
212	1	Lion	1	Bad Birthday Party	1984-10-08	12	12	G	12	Evildoing of the Emperor	1981-05-20
213	1	Lion	1	Witch Gets a Facelift, The	1984-10-12	13	13	G	13	Introducing Beautiful Honerva	1981-05-27
214	1	Lion	1	Yurak Gets His Pink Slip	1984-10-02	14	14	G	14	Crown Prince of Hell, The	1981-06-03
215	1	Lion	1	Give Me Your Princess	1984-10-03	15	15	G	15	Overcome the Phantom of Shirogane	1981-06-10
216	1	Lion	1	Bridge Over the River Chozzerai	1984-10-04	16	16	G	16	Legendary Bridge of Love, The	1981-06-17
217	1	Lion	1	My Brother is a Robeast	1984-11-19	17	17	G	17	Challenge from Space	1981-06-24
218	1	Lion	1	Zarkon is Dying	1984-10-05	18	18	G	18	Footsteps in the Forest of Fear	1981-07-01
219	1	Lion	1	Buried Castle, The	1984-10-16	19	19	G	19	Mystery of Ghost Castle, The	1981-07-08
220	1	Lion	1	Pidge’s Home Planet	1984-10-25	20	20	G	20	Goodbye, Earth	1981-07-15
221	1	Lion	1	It’ll Be a Cold Day	1984-11-21	21	21	G	21	Altea’s Sister Planet	1981-07-22
222	1	Lion	1	Deadly Flowers, The	1984-10-09	22	22	G	22	Plantom Space Flowers	1981-07-29
223	1	Lion	1	It Takes Real Lions	1984-10-17	23	23	G	23	Friday the 13th	1981-08-05
224	1	Lion	1	Raid of the Alien Mice	1984-10-10	24	24	G	24	Look for the Little Shadows	1981-08-12
225	1	Lion	1	Short Run of the Centipede Express	1984-10-11	25	25	G	25	Destroy the Giant Cannon!	1981-08-19
226	1	Lion	1	Invisible Robeast, The	1984-10-26	26	26	G	26	Defeat the Invisible Enemy	1981-08-26
227	1	Lion	1	Green Medusa, The	1984-10-15	27	27	G	27	Giant Beastman’s Lullaby	1981-09-02
228	1	Lion	1	Treasure of Planet Tyrus, The	1984-10-30	28	28	G	28	Demon’s Birthday, The	1981-09-09
229	1	Lion	1	Magnetic Attraction	1984-11-06	29	29	G	29	Comes a Fiery Sky	1981-09-16
230	1	Lion	1	Sleeping Princess, The	1984-10-18	30	30	G	30	Prince Imperial’s Dark Love, The	1981-09-23
231	1	Lion	1	Sincerest Form of Flattery, The	1984-10-31	31	31	G	31	Dreaded Mecha Beastman, The	1981-09-30
232	1	Lion	1	Transplant for the Blue Lion, A	1984-11-15	32	32	G	32	Behold the Hundred-Ton Punch	1981-10-07
233	1	Lion	1	Attack of the Fierce Frogs	1984-11-08	33	33	G	33	Terror of the Space Frogs	1981-10-14
234	1	Lion	1	Lotor Traps Pidge	1984-10-19	34	34	G	34	Underground Operation	1981-10-21
235	1	Lion	1	Doom Boycotts the Space Olympics	1984-10-29	35	35	G	35	Protect the Soccer Field	1981-10-28
236	1	Lion	1	Lotor’s Clone	1984-11-07	36	36	G	36	Mortal Combat of Light and Shadow	1981-11-04
237	1	Lion	1	Lotor’s New Hit Man	1984-11-14	37	37	G	37	Space Speed Demon	1981-11-11
238	1	Lion	1	Raid of the Red Berets	1984-11-16	38	38	G	38	GoLion Hunting	1981-11-18
239	1	Lion	1	Captive Comet, The	1984-10-22	39	39	G	39	Hypergravity Planetoid Trap, The	1981-11-25
240	1	Lion	1	Little Prince, The	1984-10-23	40	40	G	40	No Tomorrow for Altea	1981-12-02
241	1	Lion	1	There Will Be a Royal Wedding	1984-10-24	41	41	G	41	Brave Shirogane’s Brother	1981-12-09
242	1	Lion	1	Sand People, The	1984-11-05	42	42	G	42	Sand Planet of Death, The	1981-12-16
243	1	Lion	1	Voltron Frees the Slaves	1984-11-12	43	43	G	43	Angry Youth Suicide Corp	1981-12-23
244	1	Lion	1	Voltron Versus Voltron	1984-11-09	44	44	G	44	Planet Jarre Oath, The	1981-12-30
245	1	Lion	1	One Princess to Another	1984-11-20	45	45	G	45	Great Army of Darkness, The	1982-01-06
246	1	Lion	1	Mighty Space Mouse	1984-11-13	46	46	G	46	Fight Back, Space Mice	1982-01-13
247	1	Lion	1	Summit Meeting	1984-11-22	47	47	G	47	Seven Free Planets, The	1982-01-20
248	1	Lion	1	Return of Conan’s Son	1984-11-01	48	48	G	48	Reunion with the Phantom	1982-01-27
249	1	Lion	1	Coran’s Son Runs Amuck	1984-11-02	49	49	G	49	Last of Hys, The	1982-02-03
250	1	Lion	1	Zarkon Becomes a Robeast	1984-11-23	50	50	G	50	Great Storming of Galra, The	1982-02-10
251	1	Lion	1	Lotor the King	1984-11-26	51	51	G	51	GoLion’s Desperate Battle	1982-02-17
252	1	Lion	1	Final Victory	1984-11-27	52	52	G	52	Burn Galra Castle	1982-02-24
301	3	Lion	2	Dinner and a Show	1985-10-21	53	53
302	3	Lion	2	Envoy from Galaxy Garrison	1985-10-22	54	54
303	3	Lion	2	Mousemania	1985-10-23	55	55
304	3	Lion	2	Shell Game, The	1985-10-24	56	56
305	3	Lion	2	Traitor, The	1985-10-25	57	57
306	3	Lion	2	Voltron Meets Jungle Woman	1985-10-28	58	58
307	3	Lion	2	Little Buddies	1985-10-29	59	59
308	3	Lion	2	Who Was that Masked Man?	1985-10-30	60	60
309	3	Lion	2	Take a Robot to Lunch	1985-11-01	61	61
310	3	Lion	2	War and Peace… and Doom!	1985-11-04	62	62
311	3	Lion	2	Who’s Flying the Blue Lion and the Return of Sven	1985-11-05	63	63
312	3	Lion	2	Enter Merla: Queen of Darkness	1985-11-06	64	64
313	3	Lion	2	Ghost of a Chance, A	1985-11-07	65	65
314	3	Lion	2	To Soothe the Savage Robeast	1985-11-08	66	66
315	3	Lion	2	Doom Girls on the Prowl	1985-11-11	67	67
316	3	Lion	2	With Friends Like You	1985-11-12	68	68
317	3	Lion	2	Lotor – My Hero?	1985-11-13	69	69
319	3	Lion	2	No Muse is Good Muse	1985-11-14	70	70
320	3	Lion	2	Alliance Strikes Back, The	1985-11-15	71	71
321	3	Lion	2	Breaking Up is Hard to Doom	1985-11-18	72	72
101	2	Vehicle	1	In Search of New Worlds	1984-09-19	73	1	D	1	Galactic Clash	1982-03-03
102	2	Vehicle	1	First Day on a New World	1984-10-27	74	2	D	2	Isolated Regiment, The	1982-03-10
103	2	Vehicle	1	Building a New World	1984-11-03	75	3	D	3	Farewell, Achilles	1982-03-17
104	2	Vehicle	1	Goodbye New World	1984-11-10	76	4	D	4	Rescue Mission TO Hell	1982-03-24
105	2	Vehicle	1	Try This World for Size	1984-11-17	77	5	D	5	Battle of the Experiment Fleet	1982-03-31
106	2	Vehicle	1	Storm of Meteors, A	1984-09-20	78	6	D	6	Fall to the Meteor Shower	1982-04-07
107	2	Vehicle	1	Help Not Wanted	1984-09-29	79	7	D	7	Annihilation of the Reinforcement Fleet	1982-04-14
108	2	Vehicle	1	Ghost Fleet from Another Planet	1984-10-07	80	8	D	8	Specters of the Binary System	1982-04-21
109	2	Vehicle	1	Very Short Vacation, A	1985-01-14	81	9	D	9	Glorious Suicide Corps, The	1982-04-28
110	2	Vehicle	1	Planet of the Bats	1984-09-21	82	10	D	10	Sneak Attack on the Space Fortress	1982-05-05
111	2	Vehicle	1	Temporary Truce, A	1984-12-14	83	11	D	11	Momentary Truce, A	1982-05-12
112	2	Vehicle	1	Wolo’s Lost World	1984-12-17	84	12	D	12	Legend of the Space Forest	1982-05-19
113	2	Vehicle	1	Planet Stop for Repairs	1984-12-24	85	13	D	13	Enemy Within the Mind, The	1982-05-26
114	2	Vehicle	1	Curious Comet, A	1984-12-25	86	14	D	14	Earth Fleet’s Counterattack, The	1982-06-02
115	2	Vehicle	1	In the Enemy Camp	1985-03-05	87	15	D	15	Breakdown of the Space Talks	1982-06-09
116	2	Vehicle	1	Who’s on First	1984-12-18	88	16	D	16	Two Rebellions, The	1982-06-16
117	2	Vehicle	1	No, Who’s on Second	1985-01-15	89	17	D	17	Orders For Asimov’s Return	1982-06-23
118	2	Vehicle	1	What’s on First	1985-01-16	90	18	D	18	Touch and Go Situation, A	1982-06-30
119	2	Vehicle	1	Great Stone Space Faces	1985-01-17	91	19	D	19	Red Moon Rising	1982-07-07
120	2	Vehicle	1	Defend the New World	1984-12-19	92	20	D	20	Desperate Struggle for Planet K	1982-07-14
121	2	Vehicle	1	Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison	1984-12-28	93	21	D	21	Arise Galaxy Garrison	1982-07-21
122	2	Vehicle	1	Nerok Scores Big	1985-01-18	94	22	D	22	Ex-Commander Teles	1982-07-28
123	2	Vehicle	1	Hazar on the Carpet	1984-12-20	95	23	D	23	Mission to Recapture Planet K, The	1982-08-04
124	2	Vehicle	1	Hazar is Demoted	1984-12-26	96	24	D	24	Riot on Galveston	1982-08-11
125	2	Vehicle	1	Just Like Earth	1985-01-07	97	25	D	25	Bitter Struggle on the Planet of Light	1982-08-18
126	2	Vehicle	1	Planet Trap, The	1984-12-31	98	26	D	26	Snare of the Hell Planet, The	1982-08-25
127	2	Vehicle	1	Save the Space Station	1985-02-01	99	27	D	27	Storming the Space Fortress	1982-09-01
128	2	Vehicle	1	Planet of the Amazons	1985-01-02	100	28	D	28	Eldora’s Plea	1982-09-08
129	2	Vehicle	1	Revolt of the Slaves	1985-01-11	101	29	D	29	Uprising of the Space Fort	1982-09-15
130	2	Vehicle	1	Raid on Galaxy Garrison	1985-01-21	102	30	D	30	Earth’s State of Emergency	1982-09-22
131	2	Vehicle	1	Smashing the Meteor Barrier	1985-01-01	103	31	D	31	Locate Enemy Headquarters	1982-09-29
132	2	Vehicle	1	Man-Made Sun, A	1985-01-03	104	32	D	32	Destruction of the Front Line Base	1982-10-06
133	2	Vehicle	1	Captain Newley Returns	1984-12-27	105	33	D	33	New Allied Fleet to the Rescue, The	1982-10-13
134	2	Vehicle	1	Hazar Bucks the Empire	1985-01-24	106	34	D	34	Planet of the Burning Cave	1982-10-20
135	2	Vehicle	1	Letters from Home	1984-12-21	107	35	D	35	Get Yourself Together, Mutsu	1982-10-27
136	2	Vehicle	1	Peace! A Fish Story	1985-01-25	108	36	D	36	Desperate Undersea Combining, A	1982-11-03
137	2	Vehicle	1	Red Moon People, The	1985-01-08	109	37	D	37	Air Rugger Vanishes	1982-11-10
138	2	Vehicle	1	This World’s for the Birds	1985-01-09	110	38	D	38	Emma, the Female Captain	1982-11-17
139	2	Vehicle	1	That’s the Old Ball Game	1985-02-04	111	39	D	39	Tears of a Rugby Player, The	1982-11-24
140	2	Vehicle	1	Red Moon Rises Again	1985-01-31	112	40	D	40	Boy Denon and the Elk, The	1982-12-01
141	2	Vehicle	1	Another Solar System	1985-01-29	113	41	D	41	Discovery of the New World	1982-12-08
142	2	Vehicle	1	Whose World Is It?	1985-01-30	114	42	D	42	Impending Crisis on the Inhabitable Planet	1982-12-15
143	2	Vehicle	1	It’s Anybody’s World	1985-02-05	115	43	D	43	Teles and Asimov	1982-12-22
144	2	Vehicle	1	Frozen Assets	1985-02-06	116	44	D	44	Aki Team Gets Caught	1982-12-29
145	2	Vehicle	1	Coconuts	1985-02-07	117	45	D	45	Defend the Third Planet	1983-01-05
146	2	Vehicle	1	It Could Be a Long War	1985-02-08	118	46	D	46	Fall of the Survey Base, The	1983-01-12
147	2	Vehicle	1	Color Me Invisible	1985-02-11	119	47	D	47	Invisible Super Weapon, The	1983-01-19
148	2	Vehicle	1	Time Is Running Out	1985-02-12	120	48	D	48	Get Past the Tenth Planet	1983-01-26
149	2	Vehicle	1	Zero Hour Approaches	1985-02-13	121	49	D	49	Entering the Final Zone of Defense	1983-02-02
150	2	Vehicle	1	Drules’ World Cracks Up, The	1985-02-14	122	50	D	50	Struggle for Galveston, The	1983-02-09
151	2	Vehicle	1	Drules Surrender, The	1985-02-15	123	51	D	51	Fierce Battle in the Underground City	1983-02-16
152	2	Vehicle	1	End of Hazar’s World, The	1985-02-18	124	52	D	52	Galactic Dawn	1983-02-23
				Fleet of Doom	1986-09-10

Eric Stocker’s Awesome Transformable Voltron Costume

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Greg Tyler

On October 19-20, 2019, I had the privilege of being a guest at VoltCon, the first-ever Voltron-focused convention. It was a lot of fun, and one reason why was an amazing 1980s Lion Force Voltron cosplay by Eric Stocker.

The costume is a great-looking rendition of Lion Force Voltron from Voltron: Defender of the Universe, with light-up eyes and a Blazing Sword. On top of that, the costume can “transform” into the five individual Robot Lions! Black Lion is a costume in its own right, and the other four Lions are impressive display pieces.

Recently I asked Eric if I could spotlight his costume on this website, and he graciously agreed.

Here’s what Eric had to say about his costume:

I made my Voltron: Defender of the Universe cosplay out of EVA foam and hot glue. Although I am not 100% sure, I believe this is the first individually worn cosplay of the mighty robot that breaks down into its lion components. The time spent into making it was about 250 to 300 hours. It is painted by hand with latex paint and primer. The joints are held together using nylon screws, bolts and washers while the covers of the lions legs and a few other places are held in place with neodymium magnets.

I am very proud of the outcome and have had extremely positive reviews. I plan on this being my go to cosplay in the future and will be at every Voltcon.

Thanks to Eric for sharing these photos. (I also snagged a handful of photos from VoltCon.org.)

Costume Under Construction

Voltron Classic Lions Being Re-Released — GameStop Exclusive

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Greg Tyler

Playmates Toys’ “Voltron 84″ Classic Legendary Lions, which were originally released at mass retail in late 2017, are being re-released as a GameStop exclusive.

The five lions combine into a 16” Voltron. Black Lion features electronic lights and sounds. Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow Lion each include a variety of accessories.

Here’s how to pre-order online:

Voltron Classic Black Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $39.99
Voltron Classic Red Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99
Voltron Classic Green Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99
Voltron Classic Blue Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99
Voltron Classic Yellow Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99

As co-host of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast, I reviewed these lion toys for the podcast’s YouTube channel. Check it out here.

Here is a link to all Voltron merchandise at GameStop: Link

These are my all-time favorite toys of the 1980s Voltron lons that don’t carry pilot action figures. (Yes, I like them more than the Popy/Bandai Golion of the early 1980s, the classic Matchbox version in the mid-1980s, and the Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-71 of 2017.)

Robeast Prorok Looks Familiar…

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Greg Tyler

I knew that Voltron: Legendary Defender‘s Robeast Prorok looked familiar…

Robeast Prorok and Robo Force toys — Prorok’s barrel-like body, rocket nozzle-like base, and long, clawed arms look a lot like the Robo Force toys made by Ideal in 1984!

Let’s Get to the Lions! (Voltron: The Third Dimension)

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Greg Tyler

This site has already examined, in excruciating detail…

Now it’s time to take a similar look at Voltron: The Third Dimension.

Dens

Just as in Voltron: Defender of the Universe, the Lions in Voltron: The Third Dimension spend their idle time in “dens” on Planet Arus.

Black Lion’s den is within a lion statue on one side of the Castle of Lions.

It’s not clear which side of the castle sports the lion statue.

Red Lion’s den is within an active volcano.

Green Lion’s den is inside a giant tree stump.

Blue Lion’s den is at the bottom of the moat that surrounds the Castle of Lions.

Yellow Lion’s den is inside a giant lion statue in a desert.

It’s unclear how far the dens of Red, Green, and Yellow Lions are from the Castle of Lions. The Castle’s moat is surrounded by trees, so Green Lion’s tree stump den might be nearby, but it might not. In any case, it seems unlikely that all five dens are equidistant from the Castle.

Lion Launch Sequence

As in Voltron: Defender of the Universe, each Lion pilot boards a small shuttle that travels in a tunnel to a point beneath his or her Lion’s den. It’s unclear how the pilots reach the shuttle from the control room. In the program’s second episode, “Red Lion Breaks Loose,” the pilots exit the Castle of Lions’ control room through a seemingly ordinary doorway.

Lance exits through a seemingly different doorway than the others, but maybe all doors lead to the Lions.

When we next see the pilots, each is in an identical “shuttle bay.” (In most episodes, what Keith calls the “Lion Launch Sequence” begins in these shuttle bays rather than in the Castle’s control room.) Each bay’s exterior walls are natural rock, which implies that all five bays are located below ground.

How each pilot reaches his or her underground shuttle bay from the presumably above-ground control room of the Castle of Lions is unclear. Maybe the pilots descend in vertical chutes, as they do in Voltron: Defender of the Universe. On the other hand, maybe the pilots take Lion-colored spiral staircases. Or water slides. I’m going with water slides.

Once each pilot has taken a seat inside his or her shuttle, a transparent canopy closes, and the shuttle begins to travel in a horizontal tunnel. Interestingly, all five tunnels start with a shallow and seemingly unnecessary S-curve.

The shuttles soon accelerate to a high speed, and at a certain point, each tunnel seems to dip downward sharply. There’s no indication that the pilots hold their hands up and scream, as if they were riding in roller coasters.

Our next view of the pilots is from the inside of the Voltron Lions — from inside the cockpit in each Lion’s head, looking rearward. Each cockpit has a hole in the floor, and we see each pilot ascend into the cockpit, still seated in his or her now open-canopied shuttle. The shuttle seat becomes the Lion cockpit seat, and the rest of the shuttle goes… elsewhere. The open shuttle canopy seems to disappear just behind the rear wall of the cockpit.interior literally becomes part of the Lion’s cockpit interior. The lights beneath the cockpit go dark, conveniently hiding how this magic happens.

Once the pilot is inside his or her Lion, he or she places the Lion’s Lion-colored key into a special slot in the cockpit, and the Lion powers up.

Unlike in Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Black Lion, when in its den, is always concealed within the lion statue. Just before Black Lion launches into the sky, the statue disappears, as if by magic. On the other hand, maybe the statue is only a hologram.

The other Lions “simply” leap out of their dens.

It’s unclear where the pilots keep the keys when they aren’t in use. The uniforms are form-fitting, and they don’t seem to have pockets. Maybe the keys are kept in compartments hidden in the bulky, mouth-concealing portions of the helmets.

And that’s how the brave pilots of the Voltron Force get to their Lions.