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Category: Fan Art

From Days of Never-Were: Jason Russell’s 2024 Fan Adaptation of LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Greg Tyler

Many longtime Voltron fans know that the original concept for 1980s animated television series VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE was to have been a trilogy, produced by adapting, and loosely connecting, three unrelated, anime programs that had been created by Toei Animation. The programs were to have been:

  • ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV (1982-1983)
  • LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS (1983-1984)
  • BEAST KING GOLION (1981-1982)

As an aside, Voltron’s producers, World Events Productions (WEP), intended to select MIRAI ROBO DALTANIOUS (1979-1980) as one of the three programs, but due to a miscommunication, Toei sent BEAST KING GOLION instead.

WEP moved forward with DAIRUGGER, ALBEGAS, and GOLION far enough for toy company Matchbox to repurpose those programs’ super robot toys as licensed Voltron toys. The super robot from DAIRUGGER was dubbed “Voltron I” of the Near Universe; the ALBEGAS super robot was called “Voltron II” of the Middle Universe; and the GOLION robot was “Voltron III” of the Far Universe.

At some point, WEP determined that the GOLION imagery was overwhelmingly more popular than that of DAIRUGGER, so WEP abandoned its seemingly not-yet-initiated plan to adapt ALBEGAS, and chose instead to animate, from scratch and with reused footage, 21 new episodes based on GOLION. WEP would also release an original, two-part “feature” called “Fleet of Doom,” featuring only the GOLION and DAIRUGGER robots and characters.

Since then, “Voltron II,” which would have been born of ALBEGAS, has been little more than an obscure footnote in Voltron history.

In April 2020, the TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL YouTube page released the first two episodes of LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS, with English subtitles. This allowed most fans of 1980s VOLTRON to enjoy this program for the first time.

  • ALBEGAS (Episode 1)
  • ALBEGAS (Episode 2)

On the eve of a 2024 release of the entire LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS anime program, with English subtitles, on standard-definition Blu-ray Disc, author Jason Russell has created a website called The Voltron II Project.

Russell’s website posits what VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE episodes adapted from LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS might have been like. On the site’s Summary page, he suggests character names and a premise that connects the ALBEGAS concept with the VOLTRON episodes that WEP had created based on GOLION and DAIRUGGER.

On the website’s Pilot Episode page, Russell shares his self-authored short story to suggest, in prose, what a VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE episode adapted from LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS‘ first episode might have been like.

It should be noted that Russell’s story is fan fiction; as such, it is not licensed by WEP or Toei Animation; however, the story is entertaining and worth reading.

The story can be found here: https://voltronii.weebly.com/pilot-episode.html

The story is a quick read that is reminiscent of James Blish’s short-story adaptations of episodes of the 1960s STAR TREK television program. 1980s VOLTRON fans might liken Russell’s short story to Jack McKinney’s ROBOTECH novels, each of which adapts a handful of ROBOTECH episodes.

Russell’s story, like the ALBEGAS episode that it adapts, introduces three teenagers who have built their own award-winning, gigantic humanoid mechs. A species of hostile aliens launches a surprise attack on the planet, and the teens try to defend their home using their mechs. The attackers quickly overpower the mechs and force the teens to retreat, but with the help of one teen’s father, the mechs are upgraded into more formidable combat mechs that, unbeknownst even to the teens, have a mighty secret.

Russell’s Voltron story generally follows the ALBEGAS story. Because WEP had described its “Voltron II” as being the Defender of the Middle Universe, and because VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE depicts a planet Earth that is only rarely under direct threat, Russell’s Voltron story recontextualizes the setting of the ALBEGAS story from Earth to a planet called Otoko. ALBEGAS’ alien menace is recontextualized as being associated with the Drule Empire — the villains of the DAIRUGGER-based VOLTRON episodes, and associates of the villains of the GOLION-based VOLTRON episodes.

Russell’s story adds a scene that arguably better establishes the story’s primary villains of the series than ALBEGAS did — while also serving as “time filler” for scenes that Russell chooses to remove. ALBEGAS’ first episode shows the home life of one of the three teens, including siblings, a homemaker mother, and a painter father who is overly defensive about not being unfaithful to his wife. Russell’s story omits much of this material, perhaps because the home is in a city neighborhood with many prominent, Japanese-language signs that, in an adapted animated episode, would be difficult to edit around. (In the 1980s, it was common for American-adapted animation from Japan to omit Japanese-specific cultural cues.) Russell’s story also omits scenes involving a “comic relief” ALBEGAS side character — Goro, a buffoonish student who, like the hero teens, has developed his own mech, but with far less success.

Russell’s story wouldn’t be a Voltron story without independently piloted craft that combine into a giant robot called Voltron. This Voltron, a direct adaptation of ALBEGAS’ giant mech Albegas, does not disappoint. The “form Voltron” sequence reads as if it might have been inspired by Viewpoint Productions’ fan edit of ALBEGAS’ combination sequence. Whatever the case, the written sequence works well.

Russell’s story also weaves in a bit of trivial minutiae to explain how this new Voltron came to be. To fans with a deep knowledge of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, this is a nice touch that adds a sense of continuity that the actual television program rarely had itself.

Jason Russell’s “Voltron II” story is a fun glimpse at what might have been, had WEP created VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE episodes from LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS. I recommend the story to longtime Voltron fans, and I recommend that the tale be read a second time alongside a video of ALBEGAS’ first episode. It’s fun!

Posted in Fan Art, Lightspeed Electroid Albegas, News, Special Features, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

A Guide to Vehicle Team Voltron Pilots and Vehicles

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Greg Tyler

I just created this guide to the pilots and vehicles of Vehicle Team Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE. Enjoy! (Click the image to view it at full size.)

This image can be thought of as a “2.0” version of an image that I made and posted to another website in 2012.

Posted in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, Fan Art, News, Special Features, Vehicle Team Voltron, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

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.)

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron with Blazing Sword

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron with Blazing Sword

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron and Patrick O'Connor

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Lions

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Lions

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Lions

Costume Under Construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Green Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Green Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Red Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Red and Green Lions under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Red and Green Lions under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Yellow Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Yellow Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Yellow Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Yellow Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Black Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Test-fitting the costume

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Black Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Black Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Black Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Black Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Red Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Green Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Blue Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Yellow Lion under construction

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Patrick O'Connor tries to adopt Yellow Lion

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Eric's Voltron alongside World Events Productions' Voltron

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron and World Events Productions' President Bob Koplar

Eric Stocker's transforming Voltron costume - Voltron with Blazing Sword

Posted in Conventions, Fan Art, Lion Force Voltron, Special Features, VoltCon, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Time and Time Again – Another Voltron Legendary Defender Chronology

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Greg Tyler

As a fan of “metafiction” books such as Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology, the Star Trek Chronology, and Timeline of the Planet of the Apes, I’m fascinated by how some enthusiasts of a television or movie-based fictional universe create chronologies from clues in the TV episodes or films. In two previous articles on this website (https://lionsandpilotsandbots.com/2017/12/27/5-11-14-and-monday-chronologizing-voltron-legendary-defender/, https://lionsandpilotsandbots.com/2017/11/12/yearning-for-a-year-voltron-legendary-defender/), I attempted to start a Voltron Legendary Defender chronology from clues in the episodes.

I decided to try once more, now incorporating information from Voltron Legendary Defender: The Paladin’s Handbook, plus additional information from the television program that I had not previously considered.

Data Points:

  • In “The New Alliance” (the first part of “The Rise of Voltron”), Lance records a Galaxy Garrison Flight Log with a date of “5-11-14.”
  • In “The New Alliance,” in daylight on the day after “5-11-14” – Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk leave Earth in Blue Lion.
  • In “Some Assembly Required,” Hunk recalls his last night on Earth being on a Monday.
  • In “Reunion,” Matt Holt’s false grave marker displays an incorrect birth date of “0010.05.25,” and a death date of “0014.04.28.”
  • In “Reunion,” shortly before the launch of the Kerberos Mission, Katie Holt wonders how she’ll “have to go through middle school without” her brother Matt.
  • In “From Days of Long Ago”, Shiro states that he had been “locked up by aliens for a year.”
  • In “Tears of the Balmera,” Sam Holt hints that the Kerberos Mission’s journey from Earth to Kerberos will take two months.
  • In “Tears of the Balmera,” the public announcement of the missing Kerberos Mission crew was made five months after the mission’s launch.
  • Voltron Legendary Defender: The Paladin’s Handbook states that Katie Holt (Pidge) was 14 when the Kerberos Mission launched.
  • Voltron Legendary Defender: The Paladin’s Handbook provides the age and birth month and day-of-month for each Paladin from Earth:
    • Shiro: Age 25, born February 29 (during a leap year, since February 29 is a “Leap Year Day”)
    • Keith: Age 18, born October 23
    • Lance: Age 17, born July 28
    • Hunk: Age 17, born January 13
    • Pidge (Katie Holt): Age 15, born April 3
  • Voltron Legendary Defender: The Paladin’s Handbook describes Allura as a teenager.

Assumptions:

  • “5-11-14” is the actual date on which Lance records the Galaxy Garrison Flight Log.
  • “5-11-14” is an Earth calendar date, rather than something exotic like a Star Trek “stardate.”
  • “5-11-14,” Hunk’s last night on Earth, is a Monday.
  • “0014.04.28” is a plausible date of death for Matt Holt. In “Reunion,” Pidge notices the incorrect birth date on Matt’s false grave marker, but she does not seem to question the plausibility of the death date.
  • The dates on Matt Holt’s false grave marker are Earth calendar dates.
  • “5-11-14” occurs sometime between Earth years 2100 and 2599. Preferably the date occurs sometime between 2200 and 2499, to avoid dates which are “too soon” or “too distant” in the future. (This date range is a personal preference.)
  • On Earth, an academic year begins sometime between June and August, and it ends sometime between May and July. (These month ranges accommodate year-round schools and schools with summer breaks between academic years.)
  • Most kids begin kindergarten at age five and complete kindergarten at age six.
  • Pidge’s middle school included the seventh and eighth grades, and possibly also an earlier grade or two.
  • For Pidge to express concern about going through middle school without Matt, she would need to be in the eighth grade or earlier as of the launch of the Kerberos Mission.

My approach to creating a Voltron Legendary Defender chronology was as follows:

  • Compute all reasonable Earth calendar dates that “5-11-14” might represent.
    • Although the format of “5-11-14” is likely either month/day/year or day/month/year, assume it could be any permutation of year, month, and day. (Having said that, month/year/day and day/year/month would be… strange.)
    • If “5” is a year, then allow the possibility that “5” could be a one-digit year or a two-digit year. (Having said that, a one-digit year would be… strange.)
  • Compute all reasonable Earth calendar dates that “0010.05.25” and “0014.04.28” might represent.
    • Assume both dates have the same format.
    • Although the format of the dates is likely year/month/day, assume it could be any permutation of year, month, and day.
    • For “0014.04.28” to be a plausible date of death for Matt Holt, it should be no earlier than roughly two months after the Kerberos Mission launch date, and it should be no later than when Pidge discovered Matt’s false grave marker (sometime not much later than 5-11-14).
  • Score each possible “5-11-14” date according to the following criteria:
    • Format Score: If the “5” in “5-11-14” is a two-digit year, and the format isn’t “strange” (day/year/month or month/year/day), then the date is given one point. If the “5” is a one-digit year or the format is “strange,” then the date is given only 0.7 points.
    • Monday Score: If 5-11-14 is a Monday, then the date is given 1 point; otherwise it is given 0 points.
    • Matt Score: If “0014.04.28” can be parsed to a plausible death date relative to 5-11-14, then the date is given 1 point; otherwise it is given 0 points.
    • Shiro Score: If Shiro’s age can be 25 as of 5-11-14, then the date is given one point. If Shiro’s age can be 26 as of 5-11-14, then the date is given 0.7 points. Otherwise the date is given 0 points. (I assumed that age 26 was acceptable, although not ideal. A 26-year-old Shiro’s age could still be 25 in the Galaxy Garrison records as of 5-11-14, if the Garrison had assumed that he was dead.)
    • Total Score: Add the previously mentioned scores.
    • Adjusted Total Score: If “5-11-14” is between 2200 and 2499, then multiply the score by 1. Otherwise, if “5-11-14” is between 2100 and 2599, the multiply the score by 0.7. This reflects my bias that dates between 2100 and 2199 are acceptable but “too soon” in the future, and that dates between 2500 and 2599 are acceptable but “too distant” in the future.
  • Sort the “5-11-14” dates by Adjusted Total Scores, from highest to lowest. The highest-scoring “5-11-14” date “wins.”

Result:

  • Based on the approach above, the highest-scoring date parsed from “5-11-14” is May 11, 2314. (This is consistent with my reckoning here: https://lionsandpilotsandbots.com/2017/12/27/5-11-14-and-monday-chronologizing-voltron-legendary-defender/.)
    • May 11, 2314 has a reasonable format. (It’s neither month/year/day nor day/year/month.)
    • May 11, 2314 is a Monday.
    • Matt’s false date of death can be parsed to April 28, 2314, which is plausible. Matt’s false date of birth can be parsed to May 25 during some year ending in 10 – likely 2210 or earlier, making him at least 104 as of his falsified death. (This age would be absurd to Pidge or anyone else who had known Matt on Earth. On the other hand, Matt’s non-human rebel comrades would not likely know a human’s average life expectancy — but even they would be suspicious of a 2310 birth year, making Matt only four years old as of his falsified death.)
    • For Shiro to be 25 as of May 11, 2314, his February 29 birth month and day would need to be in the year 2289. Unfortunately, 2289 is not a leap year. The closest leap year is 2288, which would make Shiro 26 as of May 11, 2314.
    • (The single highest-scoring date parsed from “5-11-14” which enabled Shiro to be 25 as of that date is November 14, 2405. Unfortunately, no plausible date of death for Matt Holt could be parsed from “0014.04.28”, and the  adjusted total score of November 14, 2405, was less than that of May 11, 2314.)
  • Derived dates:
    • As previously stated, Matt Holt’s false date of death is April 28, 2314 – about two weeks before Shiro crashed to Earth. Matt Holt’s false and incorrect date of birth is May 25 of some year ending in 10.
    • Shiro, age 26 as of 5-11-14, was born on February 29, 2288.
    • Keith, age 18 as of 5-11-14, was born on October 23, 2295.
    • Lance, age 17 as of 5-11-14, was born on July 28, 2296.
    • Hunk, age 17 as of 5-11-14, was born on January 13, 2297. Hunk is about six months younger than Lance.
    • Pidge, age 15 as of 5-11-14, was born on April 3, 2299. Pidge had turned 15 about a month before 5-11-14.
    • For Pidge to have been 14 when the Kerberos Mission launched, the launch date could be no earlier than Pidge’s 14th birthday, April 3, 2313. Shiro returned to Earth on May 11, 2314, after about a year in Galra captivity, which followed a two-month flight from Earth to Kerberos. If Shiro spent slightly less than a full year in Galra custody, and/or the flight from Earth to Kerberos took slightly less than two months, then the launch date of the Kerberos Mission could plausibly be on or shortly after April 3, 2313. Since Pidge’s birthday isn’t mentioned in “Tears of the Balmera,” it’s likely that the launch date was soon after rather than on April 3, 2313. If so, then the Kerberos Mission crew could plausibly have been captured shortly after their arrival on Kerberos in early June 2313 – meaning Shiro would have spent about eleven months (close enough to round up to a year) in Galra captivity. In conclusion…
      • The Kerberos Mission launched in April 2313, sometime soon after April 3.
      • The Kerberos Mission reached Kerberos in early June 2313. Soon afterward, the crew was captured by the Galra.
      • Pidge and her mother watched the news announcement of the disappearance of the Kerberos Mission in September 2313, about five months after the mission launched. In “Tears of the Balmera,” Pidge was surprised by the news announcement, but in “Reunion,” it was established that Pidge could communicate with Matt using a secret code. This implies that, for about three months after the Kerberos Mission crew was captured, Pidge was unable to communicate with Matt. Perhaps other factors had already prevented Pidge from communicating with Matt, so that she could still be surprised by news of the crew’s loss.
    • The future Paladins left Earth in Blue Lion on the morning after 5-11-14; that is, on May 12, 2314. On this date they reached Arus and inadvertently revived Princess Allura and Coran from cryo-sleep.
    • Allura and Coran, in cryo-sleep for 10,000 years by the time of their revival, would have been placed in cryo-sleep in roughly 7787 B.C.E.
    • If we conjecture that Allura was 17 years old when she and Coran were placed in cryo-sleep, then she would have been born in roughly 7804 B.C.E.
    • The Castle of Lions, built some 10,600 years prior to 5-11-14, would have been built in roughly 8387 B.C.E.
  • About Pidge’s grade in school:
    • As of the April 2313 launch date of the Kerberos Mission, Pidge was 14 years old, but she had not yet completed middle school. If like many kids, she began kindergarten at age five and completed it age six, then she would have begun eighth grade (a middle school grade) when she was 13 and completed it when she was 14. It’s plausible that a 14-year-old Pidge was in the final months of middle school when Matt departed Earth with the Kerberos Mission.

Partial Chronology

  • 8387 B.C.E. (approximate): The Castle of Lions is built.
  • 7804 B.C.E. (approximate): Allura is born.
  • 7787 B.C.E. (approximate): Allura and Coran are placed in cryo-sleep.
  • February 29, 2288: Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane is born.
  • October 23, 2295: Keith is born.
  • July 28, 2296: Lance is born.
  • January 13, 2297: Hunk is born.
  • April 3, 2299: Pidge is born.
  • April 3, 2313: Pidge becomes 14 years old.
  • April 2313 (shortly after April 3): The Kerberos Mission is launched. At this point, 14-year-old Pidge is an eighth-grade middle school student, and Shiro is 25 years old.
  • June 2313: The Kerberos Mission reaches Kerberos. Shortly after its arrival, the crew is captured by the Galra.
  • September 2313: Pidge and her mother watch a news announcement that the Kerberos Mission has been lost.
  • April 28, 2314: According to Matt Holt’s false grave marker, Matt Holt died on this date. (The marker’s false and incorrect date of Matt’s birth is May 25 of some year ending in 10.)
  • May 11, 2314: Lance, Hunk, and Pidge fail a simulated Galaxy Garrison rescue mission. That night, Shiro crashes to Earth.
  • May 12, 2314: Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk leave Earth in Blue Lion. They reach Arus, where the group inadvertently revives Allura and Coran from cryo-sleep.

This chronology is conjectural, but it holds together surprisingly well. I doubt that there will ever be a “canon” chronology for Voltron Legendary Defender, but for now, this partial one is good enough for me. In the future, I’ll probably add information from more episodes as well as tie-in fiction.

In the meantime, I hope this chronology doesn’t tick off too many fellow fans. (See what I did there?)

 

Posted in Fan Art, Special Features, Voltron, Voltron: Legendary Defender

The Shake Ups – Legendary Defenders: Voltron-Inspired Album Releasing June 1

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Greg Tyler

The Shake Ups, a band that specializes in pop culture-themed “power pop” music, is releasing a Voltron-inspired album on June 1, 2018. Entitled The Shake Ups – Legendary Defenders, the album features 15 tracks that cover Voltron Legendary Defender and Voltron: Defender of the Universe. The tracks cover a variety of topics in Voltron lore, from Shiro, Haggar, and even the Space Mice from Voltron Legendary Defender to the Voltron Vehicle Team from Voltron: Defender of the Universe.

In a Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast episode scheduled to be released on June 1, Marc Morrell and I spoke with band members Patrick O’Connor and Savannah O’Connor about the upcoming album. The Shake Ups were kind enough to allow Marc and I an early listen to the album, and… well… it’s a lot of fun! There’s something to like in each of the tracks. My personal favorites are “Space Mice”, “Quiznak!”, and “Team Punk.”

If you like Voltron and music, you’ll like Voltron music — and you’ll like this album, so check it out!

Posted in Fan Art, Let's Voltron Podcast, Lion Force Voltron, News, Special Features, Vehicle Team Voltron, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Voltron’s in a Winter Wonderland (Let’s Voltron Holiday Carol Video)

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Greg Tyler

On December 13, 2017, shortly after Marc Morrell and I recorded the (not yet released) 4th-anniversary episode of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast (Link), I had the idea of celebrating the holidays Voltron-style, by creating a holiday carol video. One week later, Marc and I have just released the video on the Let’s Voltron YouTube channel (Link)!

Voltron’s in a Winter Wonderland

(Inspired by “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”)

I wrote the lyrics, edited the video using screen caps from Voltron Legendary Defender, and added some visual effects. More on this later.

Cast

Five fellow Voltron fans sang the lyrics while doing their best impressions of characters from Voltron Legendary Defender.

  • Shamus Kelley – Lance, Zarkon, Slav
  • Mel Meiko – Allura, Haggar, Shay
  • Marc Morrell – Matt, Voltron, Laika, Galra commander
  • Greg Tyler – Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Lotor, Coran, Kolivan
  • Zilla – Pidge, Bi-Boh-Bi

Lyrics

(Allura) The princess sings
(Allura) Are you listening?
(Coran) I’m youngish
(Coran) though I’m glistening
(Pidge) The Castle’s in space
(Lance) with Lance’s hot face
(Hunk) Voltron’s in a winter wonderland.

(Keith) Gone away
(Keith) is Galra Keith
(Kolivan) Blade of Marmora
(Kolivan) stuck in its sheath
(Bi-Boh-Bi) Bi-boh-bi boh-bi
(Slav) in this reality
(Allura) Voltron’s in a winter wonderland

(Galra commander) On the cruiser
(Galra commander) we can build a Kuron
(Galra commander) We’ll pretend that
(Galra commander) he’s the real Shiro
(Galra commander) He’ll say, “Do you trust me?”
(Galra commander) They’ll say, “Yeah, man!”
(Shiro) ‘Cause I look just like their beloved hero.

(Zarkon) I’ll be your boss
(Zarkon) at Central Command
(Lotor) I’ll pursue
(Lotor) my plans which are grand
(Haggar) I’ll cast evil spells
(Haggar) and ring Paladin death knells
(Laika) Yup-yup yup yup yup-yup yup-yup-yup.

(Hunk) In deep space
(Hunk) we all can have a snow fight
(Pidge) They’re not snowballs,
(Pidge) they’re Olkari spores.
(Shay) I have never seen
(Shay) a single snow fight
(Matt) You know, I really ought to
(Matt) find some mistletoe

(Allura) Our Lions
(Allura) contain quintessence
(Lance) But I still
(Lance) want holiday presents
(Shiro) We’ll fight as a team
(Allura) To restore Alfor’s dream
(Allura) Voltron’s in a winter wonderland

(Pidge) With family, there’s nothing
(Pidge) we can’t withstand
(Allura) Voltron’s in a winter wonderland
(Voltron) Yes, I am in a winter wonderland

The Snowflakes

The snowflakes were a visual effect that I made using Adobe After Effects, following this tutorial video: Link

Rather than use just any old snowflake, I decided to create one that was Voltron-themed, even though it’s impossible to notice this in the finished video. Here is a close-up of the snowflake:

I made the snowflake from a drawing that I made a few years ago:

That drawing was based on a logo that was featured on much of the 1980s Voltron: Defender of the Universe merchandise that pertained to Vehicle Team Voltron. (Yes, I had to work Vehicle Team Voltron into this video somehow!)

Happy holidays to fellow Voltron fans across the universe!

Posted in Fan Art, Let's Voltron Podcast, News, Special Features, TV, Voltron, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Ship Shapes: Romantic Relationships in Voltron Fan Art and Fan Fiction

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Greg Tyler

Updated December 6, 2017, with information from a recent New York Times article about shipping.

Since Voltron: Defender of the Universe premiered in 1984, there has been Voltron fan art and fan fiction. Perhaps surprisingly to a casual Voltron fan, much of Voltron fan art and fan fiction concerns romantic relationships.

Fans of Voltron: Defender of the Universe have created relationship-based fan art and fan fiction for a small number of pairings, the most popular of which seems to be between Keith and Princess Allura. Such stories commonly were, and to a lesser extent still are, called “K/A” for “Keith/Allura.” In the TV program, a Keith/Allura romance was only subtly implied, most notably in the final episode, “Fleet of Doom.” In that story, Haggar releases Keith and Allura from an alternate dimension. She tells them to let their love guide them home. When they return to the real world, Keith holds Allura’s hands, and they smile at each other. Voltron: Defender of the Universe fan art and fan fiction also explore other romantic pairings, including but not limited to Sven and Romelle — the couple that was most overtly suggested in the TV program — as well as Lotor and Allura, and Lance and Allura.

Voltron: The Third Dimension does not seem to have inspired much in the way of fan art or fan fiction.

Voltron Force inspired relationship-based fan art and fan fiction, much of which explores a Keith/Allura relationship. Voltron Force was subtle but direct in suggesting a Keith/Allura romance. In “Gary,” Keith says, “if it’s what Allura wants, then it’s what I want.” Afterward, Allura smiles, eyebrows raised. In “Crossed Signals,” the pair hold hands, and in front of the other members and cadets of the Voltron Force, Allura puts her hands on Keith’s right shoulder and gives him a loving look. In “Deceive and Conquer,” the recently crowned Queen Allura suggests, in front of the rest of the Voltron Force, that Keith, who in this show is of Arusian heritage, become king. It’s clear to the rest of the Force that Keith and Allura are a couple. Later Keith smiles and has an arm around Allura. In the final episode, “Black,” when Allura first sees Keith, it’s clear from the look on her face that she is in love with him.

Voltron Legendary Defender has inspired a new wave of fan art and fan fiction. The scale of this wave of fan creativity is unprecedented in Voltron fandom. A sizable amount of this program’s fan art and fan fiction concerns romantic and/or physical relationships — commonly abbreviated as ships. Fans who support ships are commonly called shippers. Many shippers name ships after the people are in the ship. Ships explored in Voltron Legendary Defender fan art and fan fiction include, but are by no means limited to, the ones listed below. More comprehensive ship lists are available online.

Characters Ship Name
Shiro, Keith Sheith
Shiro, Lance Shance
Shiro, Keith, Lance Shklance
Keith, Lance Klance
Keith, Allura Kallura
Hunk, Lance Hance
Lance, Lotor Lancelot

As reported in December 4, 2017, article in the New York Times (Link), the most popular ship in all of Tumblr in 2017 was “Klance” (Keith/Lance). According to Tumblr (Link), “Sheith” was a still impressive #12.

Voltron Legendary Defender ships have been a source of strife among some shippers. A small subset of shippers have demanded that the creators of Voltron Legendary Defender make their favorite ships “canon” — that is, overtly depict the ship in the television program. A tiny number of shippers have even attacked or threatened other shippers who prefer different ships, or the show’s creators if their favorite ships are not made canon. As a very small but very vocal subset of shippers actively attack other people, as of this writing (December 2017, between the releases of the fourth and fifth seasons), the Voltron Legendary Defender TV program has not depicted a romance among any of the show’s prominent characters. In essence, a militant shipper lashes out at others for not imagining what he or she is imagining. Even if one or more ships were to become “canon” in the show, it wouldn’t make anyone’s imagination any less valid than anyone else’s imagination.

Relationship-based Voltron fan art and fan fiction have existed since the 1980s, and today they are more prominent than ever. As long as their creators and consumers treat others with kindness, fan art and fan fiction are fun ways to celebrate and share enthusiasm for Voltron.

This author supports fellow fans’ enthusiasm and creativity. It is the opinion of this author that all fan-imagined romantic and physical relationships are equally valid, as long as they are consensual and lawful.

Posted in Fan Art, Lion Force Voltron, Special Features, Vehicle Team Voltron, Voltron, Voltron Force, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Uggamuggatron

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Greg Tyler

Uggamuggatron: Defender of the Neighborhood!

Posted in Fan Art, Special Features, Voltron

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