Galaxy Garrison Vehicles of the Near Universe (Part 1): An Appreciation of 1980s Voltron Art

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Greg Tyler

Introduction

This article is part of a series of articles that examines some of the artwork from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and the anime programs from which it was adapted.

This article examines the “Near Universe” vehicles of Galaxy Garrison from the Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE. These episodes were adapted from the anime program ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV (DXV), and VOLTRON‘s “Near Universe” elements of Galaxy Garrison were adapted from DAIRUGGER‘s Galaxy Garrison.

This article examines the more obscure “Near Universe” Galaxy Garrison vehicles. One or more future articles will examine the most prominently featured “Near Universe” Galaxy Garrison vehicles, which are listed below.

From the Voltron Vehicle Team:
- The five Air Team vehicles,
- The five Sea Team vehicles, and
- The five Land Team vehicles; and
The Stellar Ship Explorer.

While researching for this article, I examined all 52 Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON, and I discovered 68 vehicle types that are clearly associated with Galaxy Garrison of the Near Universe.

Vehicle Type Identifiers

Neither VOLTRON nor DAIRUGGER established formal names for Galaxy Garrison vehicle types. To facilitate examination of these vehicle types, I defined a unique identifier for each type. The identifiers follow the format:

{Authority Code}-{Category Code}-{Number}

where:

{Authority Code} identifies the operating authority for vehicles of that type. For each type that is associated with VOLTRON’s Galaxy Garrison of the Near Universe, the Authority Code is “GGN” (for Galaxy Garrison – Near Universe).
{Category Code} identifies the category of the vehicle type. Category codes are defined in the table below.
{Number} is a natural number.

Category Code	Category	Description
MIL-SCAP-A	Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Large	Military capital spacecraft of this category are often used by high-ranking command officers.
MIL-SCAP-B	Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Medium	Military capital spacecraft of this category are generally smaller than MIL-SCAP-A ships and larger than MIL-SCAP-C ships.
MIL-SCAP-C	Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Small	Military capital spacecraft of this category are generally smaller than MIL-SCAP-B ships.
MIL-SCAP-D	Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Other	Military capital spacecraft of this category are seen only partially.
MIL-FTR	Military – Fighter	Military vehicles of this category are small, flying fighter craft.
MIL-TNK	Military – Tank	Military ground tanks.
MIL-MSTRK	Military – Missile Truck	Military ground missile tanks.
MIL-TRK	Military – Truck	Military trucks.
MIL-SHL	Military – Shuttle	Military, flying, small space shuttles.
MIL-CPT	Military – Helicopter	Military helicopters.
MIL-HCAR	Military – Hover Car	Military hover cars.
MIL-HLFT	Military – Hover Lift	Military hover lift craft.
MIL-MOCY	Military – Motorcycle	Military motorcycles.
MIL-REPP	Military – Repair Platform	Military repair platforms.
MIL-RESC	Military – Rescue	Military rescue craft.
MIL-BT	Military – Boat	Military boats.
MIL-SUB	Military – Submersible	Military submersible craft.
MIL-CON-BKT	Military – Construction – Bucket Truck	Military construction bucket trucks.
MIL-CON-CRN	Military – Construction – Crane	Military construction cranes.
MIL-CON-DZR	Military – Construction – Bulldozer	Military construction bulldozers.
MIL-CON-EXR	Military – Construction – Excavator	Military construction excavator vehicles.
MIL-CON-LFT	Military – Construction – Lift	Military construction lifter vehicles.
CIV-GCAR	Civilian – Ground Car	Civilian ground cars.
CIV-HCAR	Civilian – Hover Car	Civilian hover cars.
CIV-BT	Civilian – Boat	Civilian boats.
CIV-FARM	Civilian – Farm	Civilian farm vehicles.

Category Codes for Vehicles of Galaxy Garrison (Near Universe)

Vehicle Types – Summary Information

The table below provides summary information for each vehicle type. Click the type’s ID to view detail information about, and additional images of, the vehicle type.

Vehicle Type ID	First Episode (VDU)	First Episode (DXV)	Last Episode (VDU)	Last Episode (DXV)
GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1 (A, B)	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-2	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”	#151 “The Drules Surrender”	#51 “Fierce Battle in the Underground City”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-3	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”	#152 “The End of Hazar’s World”	#52 “Galactic Dawn”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-1	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”	#129 “Revolt of the Slaves”	#29 “Uprising of the Space Fort”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-2	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-3	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-4	#107 “Help Not Wanted”	#7 “Annihilation of the Reinforcement Fleet”	#152 “The End of Hazar’s World”	#52 “Galactic Dawn”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-1	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-2	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#152 “The End of Hazar’s World”	#52 “Galactic Dawn”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-1	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-2	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-3	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-FTR-1	#102 “Building a New World”	#2 “The Isolated Regiment”	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”
GGN-MIL-FTR-2	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-MIL-TNK-1	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-MIL-TNK-2	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-MIL-TNK-3	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-TNK-4	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”
GGN-MIL-TNK-5	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-MIL-TNK-6	#145 “Coconuts”	#45 “Defend the Third Planet”	#145 “Coconuts”	#45 “Defend the Third Planet”
GGN-MIL-TNK-7	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super-Weapon”	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super-Weapon”
GGN-MIL-MSTRK-1	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-MIL-TRK-1	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#123 “Hazar on the Carpet”	#23 “The Mission to Recapture Planet K”
GGN-MIL-TRK-2	#106 “A Storm of Meteors”	#6 “Fall to the Meteor Shower”	#106 “A Storm of Meteors”	#6 “Fall to the Meteor Shower”
GGN-MIL-TRK-3	#108 “Ghost Fleet from Another Planet”	#8 “Specters of the Binary System”	#108 “Ghost Fleet from Another Planet”	#8 “Specters of the Binary System”
GGN-MIL-TRK-4	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”
GGN-MIL-TRK-5	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”
GGN-MIL-TRK-6	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”
GGN-MIL-TRK-7	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”
GGN-MIL-TRK-8	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”
GGN-MIL-TRK-9	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super-Weapon”	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super-Weapon”
GGN-MIL-TRK-10	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”
GGN-MIL-SHL-1	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#143 “It’s Anybody’s World”	#43 “Teles and Asimov”
GGN-MIL-SHL-2	#117 No, Who’s on Second”	#17 “Orders for Asimov’s Return”	#117 No, Who’s on Second”	#17 “Orders for Asimov’s Return”
GGN-MIL-CPT-1	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”
GGN-MIL-CPT-2	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”	#115 “In the Enemy Camp”	#15 “Breakdown of the Space Talks”
GGN-MIL-CPT-3	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”
GGN-MIL-CPT-4	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-MIL-CPT-5	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-MIL-CPT-6	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-MIL-HCAR-1	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”
GGN-MIL-HLFT-1	#126 “The Planet Trap”	#26 “Snare of the Hell Planet”	#126 “The Planet Trap”	#26 “Snare of the Hell Planet”
GGN-MIL-HLFT-2	#134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire”	#34 “Planet of the Burning Cave”	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”
GGN-MIL-MOCY-1	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”	#101 “In Search of New Worlds”	#1 “Galactic Clash”
GGN-MIL-REPP-1	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	30#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-MIL-RESC-1	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”
GGN-MIL-BT-1	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”
GGN-MIL-SUB-1	#108 “Ghost Fleet from Another Planet”	#8 “Specters of the Binary System”	#108 “Ghost Fleet from Another Planet”	#8 “Specters of the Binary System”
GGN-MIL-CON-BKT-1	#134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire”	#34 “Planet of the Burning Cave”	#134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire”	#34 “Planet of the Burning Cave”
GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-1	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”	#103 “Building a New World”	#3 “Farewell, Achilles”
GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-2	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”
GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-3	#140 “Red Moon Rises Again”	#40 “The Boy Denon and the Elk”	#140 “Red Moon Rises Again”	#40 “The Boy Denon and the Elk”
GGN-MIL-CON-DZR-1	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-CON-EXR-1	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-MIL-CON-EXR-2	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”
GGN-MIL-CON-LFT-1	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-1	#102 “Building a New World”	#2 “The Isolated Regiment”	#121 “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison”	#21 “Arise Galaxy Garrison”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-2	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-3	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-4	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”	#114 “A Curious Comet”	#14 “The Earth Fleet’s Counterattack”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-5	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-6	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-7	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”	#130 “Raid on Galaxy Garrison”	#30 “Earth’s State of Emergency”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-8	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”	#135 “Letters from Home”	#35 “Get Yourself Together, Mutsu”
GGN-CIV-GCAR-9	#152 “The End of Hazar’s World”	#52 “Galactic Dawn”	#152 “The End of Hazar’s World”	#52 “Galactic Dawn”
GGN-CIV-HCAR-1	#102 “Building a New World”	#2 “The Isolated Regiment”	#102 “Building a New World”	#2 “The Isolated Regiment”
GGN-CIV-BT-1	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”
GGN-CIV-FARM-1	#117 No, Who’s on Second”	#17 “Orders for Asimov’s Return”	#117 No, Who’s on Second”	#17 “Orders for Asimov’s Return”

Vehicle Types – Detailed Information

Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Largest (MIL-SCAP-A)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets. One ship of this type is used as a “Meteorbreaker.” Another, under the command of Colonel Carver, saves the Voltron Air Team during an assault on a Drule base.

Two variants of GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1 spacecraft exist.

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A has a prominent vertical fin that projects from the dorsal midship.
GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B has no dorsal midship vertical fin.

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, it’s possible that the two “variants” are animation errors, with line art based on different iterations of what might have been intended to be a single design.)

Each image below contains GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A and GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B spacecraft.

The two variants are not easily distinguishable when it unclear whether a GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1 spacecraft has a dorsal midship vertical fin. The images below are of GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1 spacecraft that cannot be identified as being either GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A or GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A

This variant has a midship dorsal fin, forward of a large vertical fin that is shared by the GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A and GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B variants.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B

This variant does not have the midship dorsal fin of the GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A variant.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-2

Captain Newley commands a GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-2 spacecraft after he is reassigned from his role as pilot of the Stellar Ship Explorer.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-3

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-3 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Large (MIL-SCAP-B)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-1 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-2

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-2 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-3

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-3 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, these ships are seen only from underneath. It’s possible that they were intended to represent ships of other types, but their details don’t closely match those of any other type.)

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-4

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-4 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Medium (MIL-SCAP-C)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-1 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-2

GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-2 spacecraft often serve in Galaxy Garrison support or combat fleets.

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Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Small (MIL-SCAP-D)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-1

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, this design is never seen in full.)

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-2

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, this design is never seen in full.)

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GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-3

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, this design is never seen in full.)

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Military – Fighter (MIL-FTR)

GGN-MIL-FTR-1

This fighter type is ubiquitous across Galaxy Garrison fleets and bases throughout the near universe.

(In ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV, ships of this type have human pilots. In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, these ships are often described as robot ships.)

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GGN-MIL-FTR-2

This fighter type is seen only in defense of Earth.

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Military – Tank (MIL-TNK)

GGN-MIL-TNK-4

(In VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, this design is not seen in full.)

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GGN-MIL-TNK-5

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GGN-MIL-TNK-6

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GGN-MIL-TNK-7

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Military – Missile Truck (MIL-MSTRK)

GGN-MIL-MSTRK-1

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Military – Truck (MIL-TRK)

GGN-MIL-TRK-1

This truck type is used in support of the Stellar Ship Explorer.

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GGN-MIL-TRK-2

This truck type is used in support of the Stellar Ship Explorer.

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GGN-MIL-TRK-3

This truck type is used in support of the Stellar Ship Explorer.

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GGN-MIL-TRK-4

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GGN-MIL-TRK-5

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GGN-MIL-TRK-6

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GGN-MIL-TRK-7

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GGN-MIL-TRK-8

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GGN-MIL-TRK-9

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GGN-MIL-TRK-10

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Military – Shuttle (MIL-SHL)

GGN-MIL-SHL-1

Shuttles of this type are employed by larger, near-universe Galaxy Garrison spacecraft, such as the Stellar Ship Explorer.

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GGN-MIL-SHL-2

This rarely seen shuttle type is used by the Stellar Ship Explorer. A shuttle of this type transports Captain Newley from the Explorer after he is reassigned.

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Military – Helicopter (MIL-CPT)

GGN-MIL-CPT-1

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GGN-MIL-CPT-2

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GGN-MIL-CPT-3

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GGN-MIL-CPT-4

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GGN-MIL-CPT-5

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GGN-MIL-CPT-6

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Military – Hover Car (MIL-HCAR)

GGN-MIL-HCAR-1

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Military – Hover Lift (MIL-HLFT)

GGN-MIL-HLFT-1

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GGN-MIL-HLFT-2

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Military – Motorcycle (MIL-MOCY)

GGN-MIL-MOCY-1

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Military – Repair Platform (MIL-REPP)

GGN-MIL-REPP-1

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Military – Rescue (MIL-RESC)

GGN-MIL-RESC-1

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Military – Boat (MIL-BT)

GGN-MIL-BT-1

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Military – Submersible (MIL-SUB)

GGN-MIL-SUB-1

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Military – Construction – Bucket Truck (MIL-CON-BKT)

GGN-MIL-CON-BKT-1

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Military – Construction – Crane (MIL-CON-CRN)

GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-1

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GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-2

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GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-3

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Military – Construction – Bulldozer (MIL-CON-DZR)

GGN-MIL-CON-DZR-1

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Military – Construction – Excavator (MIL-CON-EXR)

GGN-MIL-CON-EXR-1

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GGN-MIL-CON-EXR-2

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Military – Construction – Lift (MIL-CON-LFT)

GGN-MIL-CON-LFT-1

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Civilian – Ground Car (CIV-GCAR)

GGN-CIV-GCAR-1

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-2

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-3

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-4

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-5

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-6

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-7

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-8

A car of this type was featured in one of Chip’s dreams.

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GGN-CIV-GCAR-9

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Civilian – Hover Car (CIV-HCAR)

GGN-CIV-HCAR-1

This hover car was seen in a large wall ad within Galaxy Garrison Headquarters.

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Civilian – Boat (CIV-BT)

GGN-CIV-BT-1

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Civilian – Farm (CIV-FARM)

GGN-CIV-FARM-1

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Conclusion

ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV contained over 60 “minor” vehicle designs for Galaxy Garrison alone. The more I study the program, the more I appreciate how much VOLTRON benefited from this variety of impressive artwork.

Future LionsAndPilotsAndBots… Dot Com articles will examine even more designs from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE.

What’s the Story? A Narrative Sequence of VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION Episodes

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Greg Tyler

In the 26 years since the final episode of VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION (“V3D”) television program aired, each episode list that I have seen numbers the episodes out of order with respect to the show’s overarching story. The episode numbers seem to be in production order rather than story order. Even the original air date sequence doesn’t fully align with the story order.

To prepare for my 2015 guest appearance on Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast, to discuss VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION with host Marc Morrell and guest Shannon Muir (Podcasts #40 and #41), I rewatched all 26 V3D episodes and created an episode list that sequences the episodes in story order.

Recently I realized that I had never posted the episode list…until now.

In the table below, The Story Seq # column is my recommended sequence for watching the show in proper story order. The WEP Seq # column is the list of episode numbers from WEP, LLC, the Voltron IP owner and a production company behind V3D.

Story Seq #	WEP Seq #	Original Air Date (Seq #)	Title	Notes
1	1	1998-09-12 (1)	Escape from Bastille-12	Clearly the first episode of the program
2	2	1998-09-12 (2)	Red Lion Breaks Loose	Direct follow-up to “Escape” Lance’s back story revealed
3	3	1998-10-03 (3)	Building the Forces of Doom	Direct follow-up to “Red”
4	4	1998-10-24 (4)	Lost Souls	Direct follow-up to “Building”
5	5	1998-10-31 (5)	A Rift in the Force
6	6	1998-11-07 (6)	Shades of Gray	Over end credits, Hunk teases the premise of “Bride”
7	7	1998-11-14 (7)	Bride of the Monster	Over end credits, Hunk teases the premise of “Dominus”
8	9	1998-11-21 (8)	Dominus	Keith and Allura revisit Geo, which they had visited in “Rift”
9	10	1998-11-28 (9)	Voltron Vs. Dracotron	Voltron Force learns about the dragons for the first time All five dragons combined were more powerful than Arusian Space Knights All Allura’s ancestors were needed to chain Draco, the black dragon
10	8	1999-02-06 (10)	Descent into Madness	Keith learns, but then forgets, that Zarkon is still evil
11	12	1999-02-13 (11)	Pidge Gets Iced	Keith witnesses Zarkon tampering with Amalgamus Zarkon introduces IGOR; Amalgamus does not believe IGOR was a plant by Zarkon
12	11	1999-02-20 (12)	Dark Heart	Coran mentions Ariella Alfor’s ghost tells Allura that, after hearing the voice of a guardian spirit (Ariella), he used his will to tame a black dragon and leave it in chains Allura hears the guardian spirit voice (Ariella) and faces a Robeast using her will
13	13	1999-02-27 (13)	The Big Lie	Lance and Keith have been spying on Zarkon, believing he will commit treason Voltron Force lacks proof that Igor works for Zarkon, or that Zarkon tampered with Amalgamus Amalgamus permanently disbands Voltron Force IGOR rebuilt
14	25	1999-05-01 (14)	The Trial of Voltron	Clip show; clips from “Escape”, “Red”, “Shades”, “Lost”, “Bride”, “Dominus” Voltron Force found not guilty
15	14	1999-05-08 (15)	The Troika Moons	Lions are destroyed Features IGOR
16	15	1999-05-22 (17)	Queen Ariella	Direct follow-up to “Troika” Queen Ariella’s spirit tells Allura about lion spirits Amalgamus finally learns Zarkon is evil IGOR reprograms Amalgamus as video game Zarkon becomes leader of Galaxy Alliance Features Ariella
17	16	1999-10-09 (18)	The Voltron Force Strikes Back	Direct follow-up to “Ariella” Amalgamus is a video game Under Zarkon’s influence, Amalgamus had previously tried to disband Voltron Force five times Ariella tells Allura that Ariella and lion spirits have guided her throughout her life Lion spirits recreate the Voltron Lions Features IGOR
18	18	2000-02-12 (25)	Raid on Galaxy Garrison	Direct follow-up to “Strikes Back” Voltron Force rescues and repairs Amalgamus, now a Voltron Force ally Features IGOR
19	17	2000-02-05 (24)	Mind Games	Recalls Lance’s back story from “Red” Recalls Space Lice from “Rift” Features IGOR
20	19	2000-02-19 (26)	Castle Doom Dead Ahead	Allura voices apology to Ariella (not featured) for destroying the lions Features IGOR
21	21	1999-10-23 (19)	Stealth Voltron	Introduces Stealth Voltron Features the dragons, whom Coran knows to be from an alternate universe Coran was with Alfor when he battled dragons with a sword Dragons were bred by a race of Hunters
22	20	1999-10-30 (20)	Gladiators	Features Stealth Voltron Features IGOR
23	23	1999-11-13 (22)	The Hunter	Kolak’s first encounter with Voltron Force A Hunter, Kolak has control over dragons Features Stealth Voltron
24	22	1999-11-06 (21)	Dominus Goes Home	Hagar’s first encounter with Kolak Features Stealth Voltron
25	24	1999-11-20 (23)	Consider the Alternatives	Features Stealth Voltron
26	26	1999-05-15 (16)	Biography: The Voltron Force	Cheramoya describes Voltron Force as heroic Amalgamus is Voltron Force ally Clip show Cheramoya mentions “current turmoil surrounding Voltron, with clips from “Trial” (Force on trial), “Ariella” (Lance in Bastille-12 prison cell), “Troika” (Lions destroyed) Does not feature Stealth Voltron Other clips from “Escape”, “Red”, “Building”, “Lost”, “Shades”, “Bride”, “Descent”, “Dark Heart”, “Gladiators” (which is after intro to Stealth Voltron)

Greg Tyler’s VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION Episode Listing in Narrative Sequence

Numbers, Shmumbers II: Season, Episode, and Production Numbers in Voltron: Legendary Defender

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Greg Tyler

As of this writing, I do not yet know the production numbers of ten episodes from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER‘s first two seasons. If you have evidence of these episodes’ production numbers, then please contact me (Greg Tyler) by way of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast. Thank you!

Introduction

(This article is a “sequel” to “Numbers, Shmumbers: Season and Episode Numbers in Voltron: Defender of the Universe,” which was published to this website in 2019.)

This article was written in 2026, the tenth-anniversary year of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER. 2026 and ten are momentous numbers for this great show, and to celebrate, I thought I’d share some more numbers – production numbers from episodes of the show.

What Is a Production Number?

A production number is a unique and persistent identifier for a given episode. It allows the production team to refer to an episode in a consistent way.

Episode titles can change throughout preproduction, production, and even postproduction. For example, in the original STAR TREK, the episode “The Corbomite Maneuver” had the working title of “Danger Zone.”

The sequence of episodes can change as well. Returning to the original STAR TREK, the episode “The Man Trap” was the eighth episode to be produced, but it was the first episode to air.

The sequence of episodes’ production numbers doesn’t always correspond with the intended “narrative sequence” of the episodes. The Star Trek franchise provides an example of this phenomenon, too. Actor Leonard Nimoy guest-starred in a two consecutive episodes of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Due to Nimoy’s busy schedule, those episodes — “Unification I” and “Unification II” — were filmed in reverse order. “Unification I” takes place before “Unification II,” but because of the swapped production schedule, the production number of “Unification I” (40275-208) is higher than that of “Unification II” (40275-207).

In general, production numbers aren’t shared outside production offices. They aren’t a secret; they just aren’t that interesting to most people. They are of interest to me, which is I decided to try to learn the production numbers of all episodes of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER. This has not been an easy task, and unfortunately, as of this writing, it is also not a finished task.

Sources

My sources for VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER episodes’ production numbers are listed below.

Form Podcast

The first source of production number information that I found was Form Podcast, produced by Nerdist and hosted by Kyle Anderson. In 2018, Form Podcast reviewed episodes from the first through fourth seasons of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER alongside guests who worked on the show. Podcast episodes that provided VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER production number information are listed below.

Episode 1 featured guests Joaquim Dos Santos and reviewed “The Rise of Voltron.” This podcast episode also revealed that “The Rise of Voltron” had been produced as three episodes: “The New Alliance,” “From Days of Long Ago,” and “Defenders of the Universe.” The production number of “The New Alliance” was revealed to be 101, and it was stated that the three episodes were produced together, suggesting that the production numbers of “From Days of Long Ago” and “Defenders of the Universe” are 102 and 103, respectively. This podcast episode also strongly implied, but did not state outright, that the production number of “Crystal Venom” is 111.
Episode 9 featured guests Eugene Lee, Lauren Montgomery, Christie Tseng, and Anthony Wu, and it reviewed “Crystal Venom.” This podcast episode also revealed the production number of “The Legend Begins” to be 207.
Episode 25 featured guests Joaquim Dos Santos and reviewed “Changing of the Guard.” This podcast episode strongly implied that the production number of “Changing of the Guard” is 201, and it strongly implied that the production number of “A Little Adventure” is 301. The episode also revealed that VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER was produced in three production seasons or blocks, each containing 26 episodes. In general, episodes of the first production season have production numbers 101 through 126, episodes of the second production season have production numbers 201 through 226, and episodes of the third production block have production numbers 301 through 326.
Episode 28 featured guests Joaquim Dos Santos and Chris Palmer, and it reviewed “Hole in the Sky.” This podcast episode once again revealed the production number of “The Legend Begins” to be 207.
Episode 30 featured guests Mitch Iverson and reviewed “Tailing a Comet.” This podcast episode also revealed that the production number of “Changing of the Guard” is 201.
Episode 31 featured guests Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery and reviewed “The Legend Begins.” This podcast episode also revealed that the production number of “The Depths” is 114.
Episode 33 featured guests Lauren Montgomery, Steve Ahn, and Mitch Iverson. This podcast episode also reviewed “Reunion” and revealed its production number to be 205.

Shamus Kelley

The second source of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER production numbers was not a podcast, but rather a person: writer Shamus Kelley. Shamus is perhaps best known for his writing for Den of Geek. He also hosts RoboSkullCast: A Robotech Podcast with his friend Nick. I met Shamus in person at WonderCon 2017, and Shamus has been a guest in mulitple episodes of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast. Shamus is kind, insightful, and witty, and under circumstances that have to be read to be believed, Shamus acquired a collection of VOLTRON production art and related materials from some episodes of the show’s first two seasons. Shamus generously mailed some of the production art to me, and more recently he has begun to list pieces from his own collection for sale on Ebay. Shamus shared photos of some of his VOLTRON production art and materials, and analysis of those photos has revealed the production numbers of several episodes. Over time I’ll analyze more photos from his collection, as well as art from my own collection, in hopes of learning even more episodes’ production numbers.

Thanks to Shamus’ photos of his art collection, production numbers of the following episodes were revealed or confirmed:

“The New Alliance” (Production #101)

“From Days of Long Ago” (Production #102)

“Defenders of the Universe” (Production #103)

“Some Assembly Required” (Production #104)

“Return of the Gladiator” (Production #105)

“The Fall of the Castle of Lions” (Production #106)

“Return to the Balmera” (Production #109)

“Crystal Venom” (Production #111)

“Space Mall” (Production #120)

“The Blade of Marmora” (Production #121)

Benjamin Kaltenecker

The third source of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER production numbers was line producer Benjamin Kaltenecker. In 2017, Marc Morrell and I interviewed Benjamin on Let’s Voltron: The Official Podcast in Episode #97. At VoltCon 2021, Marc and I met Benjamin in person, and interviewed him once more. Benjamin is incredibly kind and generous, and in 2026, he was kind enough to send me screen shots of spreadsheets that contained the production numbers (201-226 and 301-326) of every episode from VOLTRON’s third through eighth seasons. Thank you, Benjamin!

Emily Eiden

Emily Eiden, who lent her vocal talents and acting artistry to VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER as Shay, kindly shared the production numbers of the four episodes in which she played the character:

“Tears of the Balmera” – Production #107
“Return to the Balmera” – Production #109
“Rebirth” – Production #110
“Stayin’ Alive” – Production #124

Thank you, Emily!

Ronan Sinbad

Ronan Sinbad graciously shared photos of some of her VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER production art collection. The photos enabled me to identify the production numbers of two more episodes. Thank you, Ronan Sinbad, and thank you once again to Shamus Kelley for discovering Ronan Sinbad’s collection photos and gaining Ronan Sinbad’s permission to share them here.

“Across the Universe” (Production #115)

“The Ark of Taujeer” (Production #119)

The Numbers

This table contains VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER episodes and their production numbers, if known. I will update this article with new information if it becomes available.

The abbreviated column headers are as follows:

Prod #: Production number
Prod Seas: “Production season” number
Ep #: Episode number according to non-Netflix sources such as Amazon and DVDs, which treat “The Rise of Voltron” as three episodes instead of one
Nf Ep #: Episode number according to Netflix (which treats “The Rise of Voltron” as one episode instead of three)
Seas #: Season number
Ep # in Seas: Episode number within a season, according to non-Netflix sources
Nf Ep # in Seas: Episode number within a season, according to Netflix
Title: Episode title
OAD: Original air date

Prod #	Prod Seas	Ep #	Nf Ep #	Seas #	Ep # in Seas	Nf Ep # in Seas	Title	OAD
101-103	1	N/A	1	1	N/A	1	The Rise of Voltron	2016-06-10
101	1	1	N/A	1	1	N/A	The New Alliance	2016-06-10 (as part of “Rise”)
102	1	2	N/A	1	2	N/A	From Days of Long Ago	2016-06-10 (as part of “Rise”)
103	1	3	N/A	1	3	N/A	Defenders of the Universe	2016-06-10 (as part of “Rise”)
104	1	4	2	1	4	2	Some Assembly Required	2016-06-10
105	1	5	3	1	5	3	Return of the Gladiator	2016-06-10
106	1	6	4	1	6	4	The Fall of the Castle of Lions	2016-06-10
107	1	7	5	1	7	5	Tears of the Balmera	2016-06-10
?	1	8	6	1	8	6	Taking Flight	2016-06-10
109	1	9	7	1	9	7	Return to the Balmera	2016-06-10
110	1	10	8	1	10	8	Rebirth	2016-06-10
111	1	11	9	1	11	9	Crystal Venom	2016-06-10
?	1	12	10	1	12	10	Collection and Extraction	2016-06-10
?	1	13	11	1	13	11	The Black Paladin	2016-06-10
115	1	14	12	2	1	1	Across the Universe	2017-01-20
114	1	15	13	2	2	2	The Depths	2017-01-20
?	1	16	14	2	3	3	Shiro’s Escape	2017-01-20
?	1	17	15	2	4	4	Greening the Cube	2017-01-20
?	1	18	16	2	5	5	Eye of the Storm	2017-01-20
119	1	19	17	2	6	6	The Ark of Taujeer	2017-01-20
120	1	20	18	2	7	7	Space Mall	2017-01-20
121	1	21	19	2	8	8	The Blade of Marmora	2017-01-20
?	1	22	20	2	9	9	The Belly of the Weblum	2017-01-20
?	1	23	21	2	10	10	Escape from Beta Traz	2017-01-20
124	1	24	22	2	11	11	Stayin’ Alive	2017-01-20
?	1	25	23	2	12	12	Best Laid Plans	2017-01-20
?	1	26	24	2	13	13	Blackout	2017-01-20
201	2	27	25	3	1	1	Changing of the Guard	2017-08-04
202	2	28	26	3	2	2	Red Paladin	2017-08-04
203	2	29	27	3	3	3	The Hunted	2017-08-04
204	2	30	28	3	4	4	Hole in the Sky	2017-08-04
206	2	31	29	3	5	5	The Journey	2017-08-04
208	2	32	30	3	6	6	Tailing a Comet	2017-08-04
207	2	33	31	3	7	7	The Legend Begins	2017-08-04
209	2	34	32	4	1	2	Code of Honor	2017-10-13
205	2	35	33	4	2	2	Reunion	2017-10-13
210	2	36	34	4	3	3	Black Site	2017-10-13
211	2	37	35	4	4	4	The Voltron Show!	2017-10-13
212	2	38	36	4	5	5	Begin the Blitz	2017-10-13
213	2	39	37	4	6	6	A New Defender	2017-10-13
214	2	40	38	5	1	1	The Prisoner	2018-03-02
215	2	41	39	5	2	2	Blood Duel	2018-03-02
216	2	42	40	5	3	3	Postmortem	2018-03-02
217	2	43	41	5	4	4	Kral Zera	2018-03-02
218	2	44	42	5	5	5	Bloodlines	2018-03-02
219	2	45	43	5	6	6	White Lion	2018-03-02
220	2	46	44	6	1	1	Omega Shield	2018-06-15
221	2	47	45	6	2	2	Razor’s Edge	2018-06-15
222	2	48	46	6	3	3	Monsters & Mana	2018-06-15
223	2	49	47	6	4	4	The Colony	2018-06-15
224	2	50	48	6	5	5	The Black Paladins	2018-06-15
225	2	51	49	6	6	6	All Good Things	2018-06-15
226	2	52	50	6	7	7	Defender of All Universes	2018-06-15
301	3	53	51	7	1	1	A Little Adventure	2018-08-10
302	3	54	52	7	2	2	The Road Home	2018-08-10
303	3	55	53	7	3	3	The Way Forward	2018-08-10
307	3	56	54	7	4	4	The Feud!	2018-08-10
305	3	57	55	7	5	5	The Ruins	2018-08-10
304	3	58	56	7	6	6	The Journey Within	2018-08-10
306	3	59	57	7	7	7	The Last Stand, Part 1	2018-08-10
308	3	60	58	7	8	8	The Last Stand, Part 2	2018-08-10
309	3	61	59	7	9	9	Know Your Enemy	2018-08-10
310	3	62	60	7	10	10	Heart of the Lion	2018-08-10
311	3	63	61	7	11	11	Trial by Fire	2018-08-10
312	3	64	62	7	12	12	Lions’ Pride, Part 1	2018-08-10
313	3	65	63	7	13	13	Lions’ Pride, Part 2	2018-08-10
314	3	66	64	8	1	1	Launch Date	2018-12-14
315	3	67	65	8	2	2	Shadows	2018-12-14
316	3	68	66	8	3	3	The Prisoner’s Dilemma	2018-12-14
317	3	69	67	8	4	4	Battle Scars	2018-12-14
318	3	70	68	8	5	5	The Grudge	2018-12-14
319	3	71	69	8	6	6	Genesis	2018-12-14
320	3	72	70	8	7	7	Day Forty-Seven	2018-12-14
321	3	73	71	8	8	8	Clear Day	2018-12-14
322	3	74	72	8	9	9	Knights of Light, Part 1	2018-12-14
323	3	75	73	8	10	10	Knights of Light, Part 2	2018-12-14
324	3	76	74	8	11	11	Uncharted Regions	2018-12-14
325	3	77	75	8	12	12	The Zenith	2018-12-14
326	3	78	76	8	13	13	The End is the Beginning	2018-12-14

Conclusion

VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER is a great show. I loved it as it was being released on Netflix between 2016 and 2018, and I love it now. Production numbers are a geeky peek behind the scenes into an aspect of how the show was made.

This article was updated June 9, 2026, with information provided by Emily Eiden.

Drule Empire Bases of the Near Universe: An Appreciation of 1980s Voltron Art

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Greg Tyler

Introduction

This article is part of a series of articles that examines some of the artwork from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and the anime programs from which it was adapted.

This article examines the military installations, or bases, of the “Near Universe” Drule Empire from the Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE. These episodes were adapted from the anime program ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV (DXV), and VOLTRON‘s “Near Universe” Drule Empire was adapted from DAIRUGGER‘s Galveston Empire.

This article does not examine the home planet of the “Near Universe” Drule Empire, the planet Drule.

While researching for this article, I examined all 52 Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON, and I discovered 10 base types that are clearly associated with the Drule Empire of the Near Universe.

Base Type Identifiers

Neither VOLTRON nor DAIRUGGER established formal names for Drule or Galveston base types, respectively. To facilitate examination of these base types, I defined a unique identifier for each type. The identifiers follow the format:

{Authority Code}-{Category Code}-{Number}

where:

{Authority Code} identifies the operating authority for bases of that type. For each type that is associated with VOLTRON’s Drule Empire of the Near Universe, the Authority Code is “DEN” (for Drule Empire – Near Universe).
{Category Code} is “I” for installation – that is, a base.
{Number} is a natural number.

Base Types – Summary Information

The table below provides summary information for each base type. Click the type’s ID to view detail information about, and additional images of, the base type.

Base Types – Detailed Information

DEN-MI-1

DEN-MI-1 military installations are large space stations that are not built on the surface of any planet. A prominent feature of these bases is a long, forward-protruding command tower at the top, flanked by twin hangar bay hatches.

DEN-MI-1 bases can contain multiple MSX-1 and smaller ships, and they can launch long-range missiles.

Commander Hazar commands multiple fleets from a DEN-MI-1 base. Long after Hazar is reassigned elsewhere, Vehicle Team Voltron leads a successful attack that destroys Hazar’s old base.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-2

DEN-MI-2 bases are large structures that are built on the surface of a moon or planet, incorporated into geological structures such as a mountain. Like DEN-MI-1 bases, DEN-MI-2 bases have a long, forward-protruding command tower at the top, flanked by twin hangar bay hatches.

A DEN-MI-2 base is located on a battered moon that is constantly pelted by meteorites.

Another DEN-MI-2 base is located on a planet that resembles the moon of the other DEN-MI-2 base. The Stellar Ship Explorer and Voltron Force journey to the planet to meet the newly defeated ex-leaders of the Drule Empire.

(In ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV, only one DEN-MI-2 base is shown. For one DAIRUGGER-turned-VOLTRON episode that features the base [DAIRUGGER #46 “The Fall of the Survey Base”, adapted as VOLTRON #146 “It Could Be a Long War”], the VOLTRON writers treat the base as if were a second base of the same type, located on a similar-looking world.)

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-3

DEN-MI-3 bases are built on the surface of a moon or planet. They consist of an arrangement of buildings interconnected by a network of streets. Many of the buildings have weapons that can fire at overhead aircraft or spacecraft.

DEN-MI-2 bases can contain multiple MSX-2 and smaller ships, and they can launch long-range missiles.

The Voltron Vehicle Team encounters a DEN-MI-3 base on a Drule outpost planet.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-4

DEN-MI-4 bases are built on the surface of a moon or planet. They consist of a grouping of domes.

The Voltron Vehicle Team encountered an unmanned DEN-MI-4 base on an Earth-like planet with a low-oxygen atmosphere.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-5

DEN-MI-5 bases are constructed beneath the surface of a planet or moon. Such bases have subsurface-to-air/space missiles that can be launched from underground silos that have ports scattered about the surface of the planet or moon.

Commander Flazon commands a DEN-MI-5 base on the planet Veema.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-6

DEN-MI-6 bases can serve as supply bases for the Drule Empire. DEN-MI-6 bases include a large building that, when viewed from above, resembles an uppercase T, and has a dome-like tower at the intersection of the T.

After a DEN-MI-6 base is destroyed on the planet Erbee, the Voltron Vehicle Team befriends an abandoned group of Drule soldiers such as Lieutenant Antor.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-7

DEN-MI-7 bases are temporary installations that can be set up on the surface of a planet or moon.

Captain Garo’s expeditionary force sets up a temporary DEN-MI-7 base. When the Stellar Ship Explorer reaches the planet, the ill-equipped Drule force abandons the base.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-8

DEN-MI-8 fortresses are built on the surface of a planet or moon. The DEN-MI-8 base is an enormous, elaborate, castle-like structure with multiple towers. DEN-MI-8 bases can be equipped with DEN-MSB-8 ship launchers. The base can be surrounded by manned missile launchers that can emerge from concealed locations below ground or in the sides of hills.

The Voltron Vehicle Team discovers a seemingly abandoned DEN-MI-8 base on the arctic frost planet Altéus. The base is secretly manned, and leveraging the size of the base and the planet’s icy conditions, the Drules conceal a Robeast behind that stands with its back against one side of the base.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-9

DEN-MI-9 bases are angular structures that are built on the surface of a planet or moon. DEN-MI-9 bases can launch magnetic mines into space. The bases are protected by snake-like laser blasters that emerge from the below ground from areas surrounding the base.

Captain Laro commands a DEN-MI-9 base on an arctic planet as the Voltron Vehicle Team approaches.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

DEN-MI-10

DEN-MI-10 bases can be built into a network of interconnected asteroids. They contain hangars from which a stinger attack force of DEN-MF-2 fighters can be launched. The base can fire lasers and a solar fire ray, as well as missiles from launchers that emerge from within the asteroid.

In an asteroid field near planet Drule, the Voltron Vehicle Team encounters and destroys a DEN-MI-10 base commanded by Captain Holtes.

Return to Vehicle Types – Summary Information

Conclusion

The 52 Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE feature ten notably different types of “Near Universe” Drule bases. These designs demonstrate the imagination and creativity of the artists of ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV.

Future LionsAndPilotsAndBots… Dot Com articles will examine even more designs from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE.

Drule Empire Vehicles of the Near Universe: An Appreciation of 1980s Voltron Art

Posted on January 17, 2026 by Greg Tyler

Introduction

This article is the first in what will be a series of articles that examines some of the artwork from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and the anime programs from which it was adapted.

Like ROBOTECH, VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (VDU) was adapted from episodes of multiple anime programs. To date, unlike ROBOTECH, VOLTRON never had tie-in art books that featured art from the TV show or the anime programs from which it was adapted.

To appreciate the visual designs of VOLTRON, fans must take a closer look at the show itself. This article begins to do so by examining the vehicles of the “Near Universe” Drule Empire from the Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE. These episodes were adapted from the anime program ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV (DXV), and VOLTRON‘s “Near Universe” Drule Empire was adapted from DAIRUGGER‘s Galveston Empire.

It is somewhat challenging to identify distinct designs from VOLTRON episodes, because:

The line art is hand-drawn and inked, so shapes, proportions, and details can vary from episode to episode, shot to shot, and even frame to frame.
The art is hand-painted, so there can be a lot of color variation from episode to episode, shot to shot, and even frame to frame.
The episodes are available only in standard definition.
Some vehicles are shown in a small number of shots, and many don’t have great “beauty shots.”

While researching for this article, I examined all 52 Vehicle Team episodes of VOLTRON, and I discovered 35 vehicle types that are clearly associated with the Drule Empire of the Near Universe.

Vehicle Type Identifiers

Neither VOLTRON nor DAIRUGGER established formal names for Drule or Galveston vehicle types, respectively. To facilitate examination of these vehicle types, I defined a unique identifier for each type. The identifiers follow the format:

{Authority Code}-{Category Code}-{Number}

where:

{Authority Code} identifies the operating authority for vehicles of that type. For each type that is associated with VOLTRON’s Drule Empire of the Near Universe, the Authority Code is “DEN” (for Drule Empire – Near Universe).
{Category Code} identifies the category of the vehicle type. Category codes are defined in the table below.
{Number} is a natural number.

Category Code	Category	Description
MSX	Military Spacecraft – Carrier/Command	Military spacecraft of this category are large enough to accommodate at least one standing Robeast within the forward hull. The Robeast can exit the craft through a large hatch at the bow.
MSA	Military Spacecraft – Battleship	Military spacecraft of this category are presumably smaller than MSX ships, and they seemingly cannot transport or launch Robeasts.
MSB	Military Spacecraft – Small	Military spacecraft of this category are presumably smaller than MSX and MSA ships. They seem to operate mainly as personnel transports or ground vehicle carriers.
MF	Military Fighter	Military vehicles of this category are small, flying fighter craft.
MG	Military Ground Vehicle	Military ground vehicles, such as tanks.
N	Non-Military Vehicle	Any type of seemingly non-military craft, such as cars.

Category Codes for Vehicles of the Drule Empire (Near Universe)

Vehicle Types – Summary Information

The table below provides summary information for each vehicle type. Click the type’s ID to view detail information about, and additional images of, the vehicle type.

Vehicle Types – Detailed Information

Military Spacecraft – Carrier/Command (MSX)

DEN-MSX-1

DEN-MSX-1 Robeast-launching carriers generally serve as command ships for officers such as Quork and Mongo.

DEN-MSX-1 ships seem to be used primarily on the front lines.

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DEN-MSX-2

DEN-MSX-2 Robeast-launching carriers generally serve as command ships for officers such as Borgum and Twyla.

DEN-MSX-2 ships first appear in #124 “Hazar is Demoted,” as Hazar and Dorma depart Planet Drule in an DEN-MSX-2 ship. The ship appears again in recap footage in #125 “Just Like Earth.” After that, DEN-MSX-2 ships are not seen until #134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire,” and from this point onward, DEN-MSX-2 ships seem to have replaced DEN-MSX-1 ships entirely.

DEN-MSX-2 ships look like scarier versions of DEN-MSX-1 ships. Compared to DEN-MSX-1 ships, DEN-MSX-2 ships have additional spires and “hooks” that extend from various points along the fuselage.

DEN-MSX-2 ships can “land” on a planetary surface. When landed, a hatch on either side of the fuselage can be lowered to the ground, enabling DEN-MG-2 tanks to enter or exit storage bays within the ship.

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Military Spacecraft – Battleship (MSA)

DEN-MSA-1

DEN-MSA-1 ships are presumably smaller than the DEN-MSX-1 ships that they typically accompany. These ships’ first and last appearances are the same episodes as those of DEN-MSX-1 ships.

DEN-MSA-1 ships have blunt noses, twin large, ventral pods, and a single, hook-like bridge stalk that extends dorsally from the dorsal rear hull.

DEN-MSA-1 ships seem to be used primarily on the front lines.

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DEN-MSA-2

DEN-MSA-2 ships are presumably smaller than the DEN-MSX-1 ships that they typically accompany. These ships’ last appearance is the same episode as those of DEN-MSX-1 and DEN-MSA-1 ships.

DEN-MSA-2 ships have twin spikes that protrude forward from the bow. They also have a large wedge that protrudes ventrally from the fuselage.

DEN-MSA-2 ships seem to be used primarily on the front lines.

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DEN-MSA-3

DEN-MSA-3 ships are presumably smaller than the DEN-MSX-2 ships that they typically accompany.
Whether by deliberate intent or coincidence, DEN-MSA-3 ships look like scarier versions of DEN-MSA-1 ships.

DEN-MSA-3 ships have a vertical spire that protrudes to dorsal from the bow, and a barbed spire that protrudes to ventral from the bow.

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Military Spacecraft – Small (MSB)

DEN-MSB-1

DEN-MSB-1 ships appear in only two episodes.

When viewed from the side, DEN-MSB-1 ships are relatively sleek “space planes.” They seem to be similar in size to a 20th-century passenger airliner of Earth. They have a port-side hatch through which passengers can enter and exit the ship.

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DEN-MSB-2

DEN-MSB-2 ships appear in just one episode.

Much like the vehicles of the Voltron Sea Team, and the Aqua Fighter, DEN-MSB-2 ships can operate underwater, and they can rise to the surface of a body of water. DEN-MSB-2 ships are smaller than the Aqua Fighter.

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DEN-MSB-3

DEN-MSB-3 ships are small, sleek spacecraft. They have a set of laterally arranged front windows, and a single spire that protrudes dorsally from the aft dorsal hull. DEN-MSB-3 ships can land on a planet’s surface. The ships can be launched from the Robeast-launching bow hatch of DEN-MSX-2 ships.

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DEN-MSB-4

DEN-MSB-4 ships consist of a forward fuselage connected by spindly struts to large twin pods. The ships can land on a ski beneath each of the twin pods. DEN-MSB-4 ships can carry multiple DEN-MG-2 tanks in the fuselage.

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DEN-MSB-5

DEN-MSB-5 ships appear in a single episode.

DEN-MSB-5 ships have twin ventral pods, four rocket-like propulsion engines, a pointy nose, and twin dual-laser emitters on the dorsal hull.

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DEN-MSB-6

DEN-MSB-6 ships are flying submersible vehicles that are equipped for combat underwater. The ships are sleeker than DEN-MSB-2 ships.

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DEN-MSB-7

DEN-MSB-7 ships are small personnel transport craft. They have chunky proportions, twin side pods, and an access hatch and circular portholes on either side of the fuselage.

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DEN-MSB-8

DEN-MSB-8 ships are secret attack ships that can be rendered invisible.

The nose of an DEN-MSB-8 ship resembles the tip of a harpoon, with a pointy tip and vanes that protrude to dorsal and to ventral. The stern has spires that also protrude to dorsal and to ventral.

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Military Fighters (MF)

DEN-MF-1

DEN-MF-1 fighters are chariot-like vehicles with an exposed platform for a standing pilot, who operates the fighter by gripping twin control spires. DEN-MF-1 fighters can fly in space or in planetary atmospheres.

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DEN-MF-2

DEN-MF-2 fighters vaguely resemble a bee stinger. They have a pilot compartment with a single seat. The compartment has an open top, offering no protection from outside elements. DEN-MF-1 fighters can fly in space or in planetary atmospheres.

The DEN-MF-2 fighter is most prominently featured in “A Temporary Truce,” when it is flown and crashed by Sandu, repaired by the Voltron Vehicle Team and technicians from the Stellar Ship Explorer, and then shot down by Drule captain Zabor.

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Military Ground Vehicles (MG)

DEN-MG-1

DEN-MG-1 tanks can be dropped from ventral launch bays of planet-orbiting DEN-MSX-1 and DEN-MSA-1 ships. The tanks can descend from orbit in single file. DEN-MG-1 tanks have dual, downward pointing thrusters on either side of the body. The most prominent feature of the tank is a dome-like turret with a long twin barrels.

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DEN-MG-2

DEN-MG-2 tanks can be dropped from ventral launch bays of larger, planet-orbiting ships. The tanks can descend from orbit in single file. DEN-MSB-4 and DEN-MSX-2 ships can carry multiple DEN-MG-2 tanks in the fuselage.

DEN-MG-2 tanks can hover over a planetary surface for extended periods, whether fully upright or pitched downward slightly. DEN-MG-2 tanks have an upper body, which is armed with multiple cannons and is connected by an underside strut to the lower body, which drives the tank treads. Tank operators occupy a compartment in the upper body, which is accessible through a topside hatch.

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DEN-MG-3

A single DEN-MG-3 “attack car” is featured briefly in a single episode. It moves along the ground and fires weapons at Krik and Cinda.

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DEN-MG-4

DEN-MG-4 armed transports are open-top hovering craft with a forward-pointing cannon and front and rear bench seats that, in total, can comfortably accommodate at least four occupants. The cannon can be aimed and fired manually.

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DEN-MG-5

DEN-MG-5 transports are open-top hovering craft that can accommodate at least three occupants.

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Non-Military Vehicles (N)

DEN-N-1

DEN-N-1 hover cars are sleek vehicles that transport up to two occupants. DEN-N-1 hover cars resemble a catamaran, with two large side assemblies, one on either side of the passenger compartment. DEN-N-1 hover cars have small wings near the rear. DEN-N-1 cars have retractable, transparent tops.
On Planet Drule, Dorma frequently drives a DEN-N-1 hover car.

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DEN-N-2

DEN-N-2 hover cabs are used on Planet Drule to transport a small number of passengers. The single-occupant seats of the DEN-N-2 are arranged front-to-back, facing forward. DEN-N-2 hover cabs have a pointy nose, a streamlined fuselage, twin engine nacelles at the top of the fuselage, and an engine nacelle on either side of the fuselage.

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DEN-N-3

Seen in just one shot of one episode, the DEN-N-3 hover cab is presumably similiar in function to the DEN-N-2 hover cab. The DEN-N-3 has two engine nacelles at the top.

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DEN-N-4

DEN-N-4 hover trains are street vehicles on Planet Drule. They consist of a small cab with a pointed nose, windows on the front and sides, three cylindrical nacelles on top, and a door on either side. The cab can pull at least two boxy cars.

Drule rebel Bakki uses a DEN-N-4 hover train to capture Dorma and convince her to join the Underground Resistance Force.

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DEN-N-5

DEN-N-5 hover cabs are used on Planet Drule to transport a single passenger. Superficially similar to DEN-N-1 hover cars, the DEN-N-5 hover cab’s passenger compartment contains two single-occupant seats arranged front-to-back, facing forward. The passenger comparment is accessible by a large, transparent roof hatch that opens upward about a hinge at the rear. The DEN-N-5 resembles a catamaran, with two large side assemblies, one on either side of the passenger compartment. DEN-N-5 hover cabs have small wings near the rear.

In the DEN-N-5’s single appearance, a Drule robot drives a hover cab to transport Mozak to his home.

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DEN-N-6

DEN-N-6 hover sedans are used on Planet Drule. The hover sedan has a boxy body with a pointed nose, large windows on the front, back, and sides, small wings on the sides, and a left-side hatch that hinges upward.

On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-6 hover sedan is seen parked among other hover cars. Dorma and Hazar use the sedan to flee from pursuing Drule robots.

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DEN-N-7

DEN-N-7 hover cars are used on Planet Drule. They have wide but sleekbodies, a topside fin at the rear, and single front driver seat, and a single rear seat. Each seat has an open top.
Dorma and Hazar use an DEN-N-7 hover car on Drule.

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DEN-N-8

DEN-N-8 hover cars have a large fin on the back of the body, and they have at least two spikes that protrude forward from the front of the vehicle. On Planet Drule, multiple, identical DEN-N-8 hover cars are seen traveling on a busy street.

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DEN-N-9

DEN-N-9 hover cars are adorned with numerous forward-pointing and rearward-pointing pointed protrusions, giving the vehicle a Gothic aesthetic.

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DEN-N-10

DEN-N-10 hover cars appear to have a cylindrical structure that protrudes from the top of the vehicle body, behind the passenger compartment. On Planet Drule, multiple, identical DEN-N-10 hover cars are seen traveling on a busy street.

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DEN-N-11

With stubby, chunky proportions, an DEN-N-11 hover car resembles a toy jet. On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-11 hover car is seen parked among other hover cars.

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DEN-N-12

In the DEN-N-12’s only appearance, only the front of the vehicle is seen. Its passenger compartment has highly stylized windows. On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-12 hover car is seen parked among other hover cars.

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DEN-N-13

DEN-N-13 hover cars have side pods with pointed front ends and, at the rear, topside and outboard fins. On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-13 hover car is seen parked among other hover cars.

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DEN-N-14

DEN-N-14 hover cars resemble highly stylized small planes. On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-14 hover car is seen parked among other hover cars.

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DEN-N-15

In the DEN-N-15’s only appearance, only the front of the vehicle is seen. The vehicle’s passenger compartment has a bulbous overhead window, and the vehicle body has an underlung pod. On Planet Drule, an DEN-N-15 hover car is seen parked among other hover cars.

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Conclusion

It is somewhat surprising that, in an anime program that was produced to air one episode per week for 52 consecutive weeks, ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV contained so many vehicle designs – 35 for the Galveston Empire alone. VOLTRON benefited from this variety of impressive artwork, and fans of both programs have as well.

Future LionsAndPilotsAndBots… Dot Com articles will examine even more designs from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE.

Big Robots in the 25th Century

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Greg Tyler

Voltron in the 25th Century

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE takes place in Earth’s future, during a time when Earth is an integral part of an interstellar union known as the Galaxy Alliance, and spaceflight between star systems is commonplace.

No aired episode of the program establishes when the VOLTRON story takes place.

On the other hand, VOLTRON’s century was revealed on the packaging of some VOLTRON videocassettes. In the images below, some 1980s home video releases of VOLTRON, specifically those sold by CBS FOX, include copy on the backs of the boxes, stating that “it is the 25th century.”

Released in the mid-2000s, the Media Blasters DVD releases of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE include all three unaired pilot episodes of the show. The first pilot features the Vehicle Team, and the second and third pilots feature the Lion Force. The first pilot also includes voiceover narration by Commander Hawkins, who, like the CBS FOX videocassette boxes, states “it’s the 25th century.”

Some other marketing materials also establish VOLTRON’s time period as the 25th century. These materials might be the focus of a future article.

Unlike VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, the anime programs from which VOLTRON was adapted, 1981’s BEAST KING GOLION and 1982’s ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV were set in entirely different time periods.

BEAST KING GOLION was set in 1999, and ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV was set 2200. The two anime programs had entirely unrelated stories. VOLTRON recontextualized both programs’ stories as taking place in a single continuity.

Why did VOLTRON’s writers establish the show’s setting as the 25th century? Jameson Brewer, VOLTRON’s original head writer, likely made that decision. Unfortunately, Brewer died in 2003, so we can only speculate. I’ve done just that, and I’m reasonably certain that VOLTRON’s 25th-century setting was inspired by a far older science-fiction phenomenon: Buck Rogers.

The Buck Rogers comic strip ran in US newspapers from January 7, 1929, until 1967. In the comic strip, the character of Buck Rogers falls into a cave and succumbs to a strange gas that places him in suspended animation until he awakens in the 25th century — specifically in the year 2429.

A Buck Rogers radio adaptation premiered in 1932. Universal Pictures released a film serial adaptation in 1939. In 1979, just five years before VOLTRON’s 1984 television debut, the made-for-television movie BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY was released theatrically, followed later that year by a weekly television series of the same name and cast on the NBC television network. In the BUCK ROGERS movie and TV series, Buck Rogers emerges from suspended animation in the year 2491.

Jameson Brewer was born in 1916. He would have been 12 or 13 when the Buck Rogers comic strip was published, roughly 16 when the radio program first aired, and in his early twenties when the film serial first ran. Even if Brewer had never been exposed to Buck Rogers media during his younger years, he would almost certainly have known of its existence from its enormous popularity.

At a minimum, Brewer would likely have been aware of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY.

The first pilot episode of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE was adapted from the ARMORED FLEET DAIRUGGER XV episode “Galactic Clash.” The imagery of the first VOLTRON pilot is somewhat reminiscent of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY. Maybe Jameson Brewer was inspired by a memory of Buck Rogers, whether recent or from days of long ago, when he presumably made the decision to set VOLTRON in the 25th century.

Tall Tales: How Big Are the Big Bots?

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Greg Tyler

Introduction

How tall is Voltron? The answer depends on which Voltron is being referenced.

Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER (2016-2018)
Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON FORCE (2011-2012)
Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION (1998-2000)
Stealth Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION (1998-2000)
Lion Force Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (1984-1985) and VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986)
Vehicle Team Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (1984-1985) and VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986)

Let’s do some analysis to figure out how big each of these big bots “really” is.

I apologize for the low quality of some of the images that are featured in this article. I chose to focus on data rather than “pretty pictures.”

Voltron from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER

During the Netflix run of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, the height of that program’s Voltron robot was established, fairly clearly, in at least two references.

Voltron Website

By May 26, 2016, but by this writing, no longer online, the official Voltron website (at http://www.voltron.com/legendary) contained a page of basic information about VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFNDER‘s characters and technology, including Voltron. As shown in this screen capture from the website, the Voltron page described Voltron as “a mighty warrior standing at over 100 meters tall.”

Official Voltron Facebook Page

A May 7, 2016 post on the Voltron Facebook page, still online as of this writing (link), includes a low-resolution diagram of Voltron, the Statue of Liberty, and the Taj Mahal, with dimensions and dimension lines to show how tall each object is. The diagram establishes Voltron’s standing height as 100.584 meters. Since 2.54 centimeters equals exactly one inch, 100.584 meters is exactly 330 feet. Likely for artistic reasons, the diagram uses a perspective rendering of Voltron, rather than an orthographic rendering. (A perspective rendering represents what an object would look like through an eye or camera lens. An orthographic rendering is like a blueprint drawing.)

A quirk about the image is that the dimension line makes it appear as if Voltron’s height is measured from the bottoms of Voltron’s feet to the tips of its wings in some arbitrarily extended position. A standing height would be more realistically measured from the bottoms of the feet to the top of the head.

By examining the diagram in Adobe Illustrator, if Voltron’s height is 100.584 from feet to wing tips, then I estimate the robot’s height from feet to the top of the head — the crown, so to speak — to be 84.1 meters (276 feet), and I estimate the robot’s height from feet to the tips of the horns on the robot’s head to be 85.4 meters (280 feet). With all that said, are we really meant to believe that Voltron’s height was measured from the robot’s feet to the tips of arbitrary posed wings?

One thing to keep in mind that is that this image was released over one month before the June 16, 2016, release of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER. Height measurements and dimension lines aside, this image is less an “engineering drawing” than an artistic composition that offers a preview of the robot itself. For this reason, despite the dimension line on the image, we might surmise that the robot’s height is “really” measured to the top of the head. Let’s examine another image and see if that might indeed be true.

A July 14, 2016 post on the Voltron Facebook page, still online as of this writing (link), includes a color rendering of Voltron striking a pose, wings down, next to Big Ben. According to the Big Ben page on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben), Big Ben’s tower stands 96 meters (316 feet) tall. Voltron is not standing at attention, but the robot, from feet to top-of-head, or feet to tops-of horns, appears to be slightly shorter than Big Ben — but not as short as the 84.1 to 85.4 meters that the May 16, 2016, Facebook diagram suggests. The July 14, 2016 image is also an artistic composition, and like the May 16, 2016, it almost certainly wasn’t meant to be a precise reference. The choice to make Voltron slightly shorter than Big Ben might have been a purely aesthetic decision.

It’s probably safe to assume that Voltron’s 100.584-meter (330-foot) standing height is “really” measured from the bottoms of the robot’s feet to the top of its head – which might or might be the tips of its horns.

Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Before I began researching for this article, I had encountered numerous online claims that Lion Force Voltron’s standing height is 60 meters (197 feet). I wanted to see if there was evidence to support these claims.

The 2014 book VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, by Brian Smith, Marc Morrell, Joshua Bernard, and Jacob Chabot, establishes that Lion Force Voltron stands “at an awe-inspiring 300 feet tall.” 300 feet is 91.4 meters. This measurement is over 50% taller than the oft-claimed 60-meter figure. What is the origin of the 60-meter claim?

Before we investigate where the 60-meter claim might have originated, I should point out that the very book from which the 300-foot height is established also offers some evidence for Voltron being 60 meters tall.

FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO contains a section that I have described as a “Robeast Rolodex” — a short description of many of the Robeasts that Lion Force Voltron and Vehicle Team Voltron encounters in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, and that Voltron encounters in VOLTRON FORCE. Far Universe Entry #60, “Drule Voltron 1,” describes the Haggar-created Voltron lookalike Robeast that Lion Force Voltron battles in the VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE episode “Voltron Vs. Voltron” (Production Number 244). This entry describes the Voltron lookalike as being 200 feet tall, or 61.0 meters. In the episode, Voltron and its lookalike are clearly intended to be the same size.

In 1997, toy company Trendmasters released a plastic and die cast metal toy of Lion Force Voltron that, despite minor changes, was basically a re-release of Matchbox’s 1985 Voltron III, or Lion Force Voltron toy, which in turn was basically a re-release of the 1981 Popy / Bandai GB-36 Golion toy in Japan. One panel of the Trendmasters toy’s box contains size information about, not Voltron, but rather each of the five lions that combine to form Voltron.

The panel specifies each lion’s height, in meters.

Black Lion: 40 meters (131 feet)
Red and Green Lions: 20 meters (98 feet)
Blue and Yellow Lions: 30 meters (66 feet)

Based on how the lions are reconfigured to form Voltron, Voltron’s height can be estimated by adding the length of Black Lion to the length of Blue or Yellow Lion. Each lion is much longer than it is tall, so if these metrics are accurate, then Lion Force Voltron would be significantly taller than even the 300-foot (91.4-meter) claim in FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO.

In search of more information about Lion Force Voltron’s height, let’s go back further — waaaaaay back, to the instructions of the Popy/Bandai Golion GB-36 toy. As a reminder, most Lion Force Voltron episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE were adapted from the 1981 anime program BEAST KING GOLION. Thanks to Voltron collector Brad Schneider for providing these photos.

Because the Golion instructions are in Japanese, I used Google Translate and my smartphone’s camera to translate the Japanese text.

The translated instructions reveal the height of Golion and the lengths of each lion.

Golion height: 60 meters (197 feet)
Black Lion length: 40 meters (131 feet)
Red and Green Lion lengths: 20 meters (98 feet)
Blue and Yellow Lion lengths: 30 meters (66 feet)

The lion length values do match the “height” values that Trendmasters printed on their Voltron toy box.

The instructions of Bandai’s 2017 Soul of Chogokin GX-71 Golion also contain the same metrics, as shown in the translated photos below.

What do we conclude from this evidence? Unlike VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, the evidence is somewhat contradictory, but my conclusion is that Lion Force Voltron, like Golion, has a standing height of 60 meters (197 feet).

Vehicle Team Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Before I began researching for this article, I had encountered numerous online claims that Vehicle Team Voltron’s standing height is 60 meters (197 feet). I wanted to see if there was evidence to support these claims.

The 2014 book VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, by Brian Smith, Marc Morrell, Joshua Bernard, and Jacob Chabot, establishes that Vehicle Team Voltron stands “at over 300 feet tall.” On the other hand, since the book uses the 300-foot height for Lion Force Vfoltron, and a 200-foot height for the Voltron lookalike Robeast, its claim about Vehicle Team Voltron’s height is similarly suspicious.

In VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986), Vehicle Team Voltron and Lion Force Voltron are shown to be roughly the same size. This, coupled with my conclusion about Lion Force Voltron being 60 meters (197 feet) tall, suggests to me that Vehicle Team Voltron also has a standing height of about 60 meters.

I own a Popy/Bandai Dairugger DX toy — the toy that corresponds most closely to the Popy/Bandai Golion GB-36 toy from which I posted photos of the instructions. Unfortunately, my Dairugger toy does not include its original instructions. I will update this page with Dairugger DX instructions if I should find someone who owns them and is willing to share photos.

The instructions of Bandai’s 2019 Soul of Chogokin GX-88 Dairugger reveal Dairugger’s height to be, like Golion, 60 meters.

Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION

Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION is of the same “classic-style” design as Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, except for minor, stylistic changes. Having seen no evidence to the contrary, I assume that Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION is of the same standing height as Lion Force Voltron from the 1980s program. As previously mentioned, that height is 60 meters (197 feet).

Stealth Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION

In the VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION episode “Consider the Alternatives,” Stealth Voltron encounters a classic-style Voltron from an alternate universe. The robots appear to be of similar size. Having seen no evidence to the contrary, I assume that Stealth Voltron is of similar standing height as that of classic-style Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: approximately 60 meters (197 feet).

Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE

One thing that I didn’t mention about VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION is that the book’s “in-universe” sections treat VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, VOLTRON FORCE, and the six VOLTRON FORCE comics by VIZ Media as having a shared continuity. The book suggests that the visual differences between Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and VOLTRON FORCE are the result of upgrades that were performed by the Voltron Force: Keith, Lance, Pidge, Princess Allura, and Hunk. Arguing whether that makes sense is outside the scope of this article. What is in scope is that the book’s mention of Lion Force Voltron being “an awe-inspiring 300 feet tall” — that is, 91.4 meters tall — applies to Voltron regardless of its visual appearance. This means that Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE, like Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, is 300 feet (91.4 meters). That said, as previously mentioned, the Voltron lookalike Robeast iss said to be 200 feet — 61.0 meters — tall.

The height of Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE is the most ambiguous of all the Voltron robots, because I have been unable to find any references that are more definitive than the contradictory figures in FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO. In the VOLTRON FORCE cartoon itself, and likely also in every Voltron production, the sizes of the lions and Voltron can vary from shot to shot or scene to scene. Simply for its relevance to the plot, if we choose this image from the episode “Clash of the Lions,” we can see that Voltron’s head is large enough, with Voltron’s face retracted, to allow Sky Marshall Wade to stand inside Black Lion’s open mouth. This is consistent with many other episodes, which show Voltron Force pilots and cadets entering and exiting the individual lions by way of the lions’ mouths.

Based on visual evidence that I will provide in a future article, an adult human could stand inside the mouth of a lion that forms a 60-meter-tall Voltron. For that reason, unless any future contradictory information, I’ll assume that Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE, like all other Voltron robots except the version from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, is about 60 meters (197 feet) tall.

Conclusion

To summarize, based on as much evidence as I have found, and with conclusions and assumptions that I drew from sometimes conflicting sources, the Voltron robots have the following heights:

Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE: 60 meters (197 feet)
Vehicle Team Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE: 60 meters (197 feet)
“Classic-style” Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: 60 meters (197 feet)
Stealth Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: 60 meters (197 feet)
Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE: 60 meters (197 feet) (barring evidence to the contrary)
Voltron from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER: 100.584 meters (330 feet)

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.

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!

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.

The Power Systems of Vehicle Team Voltron: A Technical Primer (Voltron: Defender of the Universe)

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Greg Tyler

Vehicle TEam Voltron with Blazing Sword — Vehicle Team Voltron

This article is a conjectural early history of Vehicle Team Voltron, as well as a conjectural “technical primer” to the power systems of Vehicle Team Voltron and its constituent Rugger vehicles, based on sometimes conflicting evidence from the Voltron: Defender of the Universe television program.

Many years before Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Sven reached Planet Arus, Doctor Loring, the Galaxy Alliance’s eccentric but pre-eminent expert in robotics engineering, traveled in secret on an unauthorized, solo mission to Arus to learn as much as he could about Voltron, Defender of the Universe. To many, Voltron was only a legend, but Doctor Loring believed Voltron was real, and that the mighty robot now resided on Arus.

King Alfor reluctantly allowed Loring to study the Lions in secret, as long as he did not activate them, and as long as his methods were non-destructive. Loring’s presence was kept a secret from the Arusian public, the Galaxy Alliance, and the many factions of the Drule Empire.

For five short months, Loring studied the dormant Lions in their Dens. Were it not for his genius-level intellect, his decades of experience in robotics, and what little of his personal knowledge King Alfor was willing to share, Loring would have learned nothing about Voltron’s technology. By the end of the fifth month, Loring had discovered that each Voltron Lion was powered by a distinct element of nature, but there was much about this that Loring did not understand. When Loring asked King Alfor for more information about how a Lion harnessed a natural element and transformed it into usable power, Alfor, fearing that such knowledge could fall into the wrong hands, told Loring that his time on Arus had ended.

Loring returned to Earth, where he began to work in secrecy on the design of his own modular super robot – his own Voltron. A particular focus was to power the robot using an element of nature — an ancient secret of the legendary robot that, if reproduced, would provide Loring’s super robot with equal power.

Original plans for Doctor Loring's Voltron — The original plans for Doctor Loring’s Voltron

Several years after departing Arus, Loring finally completed much of the daunting but plausible design for his Voltron. Loring presented his design before the Galaxy Alliance council and the Galaxy Garrison’s top officers, requesting funding to construct his Voltron. Aware of growing threats from the Drule Empire, and a need to explore the universe to find new habitable worlds, the Alliance, by way of the Galaxy Garrison, agreed to fund the construction of Loring’s Voltron.

Galaxy Garrison top officers standing around a briefing room table — Top leadership of the Galaxy Garrison

Unlike the Voltron of legends from days of long ago – a robot comprised of five robot Lions – Loring’s Voltron was to be comprised of a larger number of modules, each an independent space cruiser. A major reason for this design choice was to support the Galaxy Alliance’s effort to find new planets for the people of overcrowded worlds to colonize. Based on anticipated mission needs, the number of vehicles was set to 15 – five Air Team vehicles that were specialized for aerial operations, five Sea Team vehicles for underwater operations, and five Land Team vehicles for ground-based operations. Loring was not especially fond of designing the modules with a vehicular form factor, as it seemed too mundane to him, but with his project’s funding coming from the Galaxy Alliance, compromises were a necessity.

Five vehicles of the Air Team — Air Team

Five vehicles of the Sea Team — Sea Team

Five vehicles of the Land Team — Land Team

Because of the nature of its constituent modules, and the likely organization of their future pilots, “Loring’s Voltron” became known as Vehicle Team Voltron, which helped to distinguish it from the legendary “Lion Force Voltron.” Partially as a joke, and partially because of his fondness for rugby, Loring referred to Vehicle Team Voltron’s 15 constituent vehicles as Ruggers.

Loring continued to pursue powering Vehicle Team Voltron using an element of nature. Given the Alliance’s intended mission for Vehicle Team Voltron, which included the discovery and study of new, habitable planets, the super robot would need to be able to operate for long durations without reliable access to planets rich in natural resources, such as those which powered the Voltron Lions: lightning, fire, wind, water, and magma. Loring quickly realized that the only element of nature that could possibly power a super robot that spent much of its time in space was solar energy – electromagnetic radiation, or light, from stars.

As construction began, Loring kept certain aspects of Vehicle Team Voltron’s design known only to himself – particularly details about the adaptations that he had made in order to power the super robot. Loring had grown to appreciate the wisdom of King Alfor for wanting to prevent this secret of Voltron from falling into evil hands.

The greatest challenge to using solar energy to power Vehicle Team Voltron was that the rate at which the super robot consumed power could easily exceed the rate at which it could recharge, especially when operating in interstellar space, where stars, while plentiful, were distant. Loring was on the verge of surmounting this challenge…until he died unexpectedly, and as with many aspects of Voltron’s design, this last major technical hurdle was one of the secrets that Loring took with him to the grave.

For years following Loring’s death, the Galaxy Alliance’s top engineers and scientists pored over the miniscule records that they could decrypt from the few records that Loring kept of his work. Although these great intellects could not ascertain what Loring had in mind to handle Voltron’s recharging challenge, they did devise several workarounds that, in aggregation, made Vehicle Team Voltron a true Defender of the Universe of modern legend — even if it arguably fell short of its full potential.

Numerous workarounds were devised and implemented.

Separate Rugger fuel supply: Each Rugger was be powered by conventional spacecraft fuel, rather than draw power from Voltron’s energy reserves. A side benefit of this workaround was that, should the Ruggers lack sufficient solar energy to combine, the Ruggers could continue to operate independently.
Power Turbos: A critical part of forming Vehicle Team Voltron was connecting the Ruggers’ diatherms and activating infracells. This sequence boosted the structural strength of the Rugger-to-Rugger connections – effectively holding Voltron together. To eliminate the need of the Ruggers to consume Voltron’s limited solar energy reserves for this purpose, each Rugger utilized a Power Turbo – a component that, when sufficiently charged, provided adequate power to connect diatherms and activate infracells. A Rugger’s Power Turbo was charged by the Rugger’s conventional fuel. When a Power Turbo was empty, a full charge could take up to four hours. For this reason, each Rugger’s Power Turbo was normally maintained at a charge level of at least 84%. A Rugger could operate normally while charging its Power Turbo.
Embedded Solar Micropanel Matrices (ESMM): Each Rugger’s hull incorporated an Embedded Solar Micropanel Matrix (ESMM), a grid of tiny, unobtrusive solar energy collectors that fed solar energy directly into a network of batteries that powered Vehicle Team Voltron when the Ruggers were combined.
Team Fighter configuration: To increase the Ruggers’ combat capabilities without consuming Vehicle Team Voltron’s solar energy reserves, the Ruggers of each five-module sub-team– the Air Team, Sea Team, and Land Team – could combine into a large “Team Fighter” fighter craft that drew power from its constituent Ruggers’ conventional fuel supplies.
- The five Ruggers of the Air Team formed the Strato Fighter. When combined, the Strato Fighter tapped most of its operating fuel from a primary enerty storage tank in Rugger 4 (starboard module), and an auxiliary tank in Rugger 3 (port module).
  Strato Fighter (Air Team)
- The five Ruggers of the Sea Team formed the Aqua Fighter. When combined, the Aqua Fighter often increased its energy capacity and speed by igniting its twin Nuclear Power Thrusters (NPT), housed in Rugger 9 (port aft module) and Rugger 10 (starboard aft module). Vehicle Team Voltron could also utilize the NPTs for bursts of acceleration.
  Aqua Fighter (Sea Team)
- The five Ruggers of the Land Team formed the Turbo Terrain Fighter.
  Turbo Terrain Fighter (Land Team)
Mothership: When the Ruggers were not in use, or when Vehicle Team Voltron needed to travel over interstellar distances, the Ruggers were stored in a dedicated hangar within a mothership – the Stellar Ship Explorer.
Stellar Ship Explorer
- By transporting the docked Ruggers, Explorer greatly reduced the need for Voltron to travel through interstellar space, reducing the robot’s power consumption.
- Embedded Solar Micropanel Matrices (ESMM): Like the Ruggers, the hull of the Explorer incorporated an Embedded Solar Micropanel Matrix (ESMM). When the Ruggers were docked, the ESMM delivered solar energy directly to them. When the Ruggers were elsewhere, the ESMM stored solar energy in large batteries like those of the Ruggers themselves, for subsequent delivery to the Ruggers. The Explorer’s large, flat upper hull contained a high-density version of an ESMM that enabled the ship to collect enormous quantities of solar energy when the ship was landed on a planet with an Earth-like atmosphere that scattered light from the planet’s sun(s).
  Stellar Ship Explorer in a body of water during a sunny day on a habitable planet
- Thermonuclear-Powered Artificial Sunlight System (TPASS): When the Explorer was not in line-of-sight of natural solar energy, the Explorer also contained a Thermonuclear-Powered Artificial Sunlight System (TPASS) that continuously flooded the docked Ruggers in concentrated light that simulated starlight. When the hangar was devoid of people, the Voltron vehicles were usually flooded with light at ultraviolet-and-higher frequencies. When people occupied the hangar, the vehicles were bathed with lower-intensity, visible-frequency light. Because the system merely mimicked natural sunlight, its recharging capability was significantly less efficient than when the Explorer or a Rugger’s ESMM could collect natural sunlight.
  Because the Ruggers were sometimes charged using the thermonuclear-based TPASS, and because a star emitted light due to internal thermonuclear reactions, it was a common to colloquially mischaracterize Vehicle Team Voltron’s energy reserves as nuclear or thermonuclear in nature, rather than solar.
  
  Sea Team’s five Ruggers in Rugger hangar aboard the Stellar Ship Explorer
  
  Air Team’s five Ruggers in Rugger hangar aboard the Stellar Ship Explorer
  
  Land Team’s five Ruggers in Rugger hangar aboard the Stellar Ship Explorer
Solar Energy System (SES): As a last-resort backup system to enable Vehicle Team Voltron to recharge more quickly while in interstellar space, the Galaxy Alliance created what it referred to generically as the Solar Energy System (SES). The SES is comprised of a sparse network of space stations and satellites that refracted and reflected light from nearby stars in focused beams to distant locations. The SES was highly inefficient – its focused beams spreading over longer interstellar distances – and the SES provided inadequate coverage in many regions of space, but it could be effective under certain conditions when the Stellar Ship Explorer or the Ruggers themselves were incapable of recharging the Ruggers’ solar energy reserves at a sufficient rate. When conditions were right, the SES transmitted deliver beams of starlight directly to the Ruggers. To be recharged successfully by the SES, the Ruggers had to be in the direct line of sight of an actively transmitting SES component.
Incremental system upgrades: As Vehicle Team Voltron operated in the field, the greatest scientific and engineering minds of the Galaxy Alliance continued to design and implement incremental upgrades to Vehicle Team Voltron, extending the capacity of the robot’s energy reserves and increasing its ability to recharge at greater speed. Upgraded Voltron hardware and software were secretly transported to the Stellar Ship Explorer by various Galaxy Garrison support fleets. Once the upgrades were delivered, an engineering team aboard the Explorer installed and field-tested each upgrade with the help of the Ruggers’ pilots, the Voltron Vehicle Team. When initially launched, Vehicle Team Voltron, with full solar energy reserves, could operate in a Notionally Typical Combat Scenario (NTCS) for only 5.2 minutes. Through multiple system upgrades, Voltron’s NTCS capability had been increased to nearly 20 minutes, which proved to be essential during the liberation of Planet Drule. Despite these upgrades, and the increasing knowledge of the scientists and engineers who have worked on them, to this day the top minds of the Galaxy Alliance have not been able to create another successful Voltron-like super robot, even using Doctor Loring’s original plans.

Notable incidents

On rare occasions, Voltron’s power-related vulnerabilities hindered its mission capability.

After the Explorer had landed on a planet and, with Voltron’s help, thwarted two Drule attacks, engineers aboard the Explorer took advantage of the lull in activity to drain the charge of the Ruggers’ Power Turbos for maintenance. After maintenance had completed, but before the Ruggers’ Power Turbos could be recharged fully, the Drules attacked a third time. The Ruggers could not immediately form Voltron, but they were able to combat the Drules until their Power Turbos finished recharging. Afterward the Ruggers formed Voltron and defeat the Drules and their latest Robeast.
In the hours leading up to a massive Drule invasion of Earth, Drule Captain Durka destroyed a Galaxy Garrison space station that was a critical node in a portion of the Solar Energy System (SES) that lay between the Ruggers’ position and Earth. Because a recent battle against the Drules had already depleted much of Voltron’s energy reserves in both the Ruggers and the Explorer, it was not possible to form Voltron. The localized SES outage and Ruggers’ inability to form Voltron were not the only reasons why Voltron could not come to Earth’s defense. The inconsistent coverage provided by even a fully operational SES would not have enabled Voltron to make the entire trip from its current position to Earth under its own power, and the recent battle with the Drules had damaged the Explorer’s engines, reducing its top speed until repairs could be completed.

On other atypical occasions, Voltron’s compromised mission capability exceeded expectations.

During combat against the Cyberbug Robeast, 0.55 minutes after Voltron was formed, a blast from the Robeast caused Voltron’s right arm to separate into Rugger 3 and Rugger 12. The Ruggers quickly recombined and enabled Voltron to defeat the Robeast.
During combat against the Heavy Blazersect Robeast, Rugger 1 – which forms Voltron’s head and was piloted by team captain Jeff – crash landed and rendered its pilot unconscious. To face the Robeast, Sea Team leader Krik took temporary control of the Vehicle Team and ordered the team to form Voltron minus its head. Although Voltron’s combat capability was greatly diminished, the super robot remained active long enough for Rugger 1’s pilot to regain consciousness, relaunch, and form Voltron’s head. The completed robot then defeated the Robeast.
In the middle of Voltron’s formation sequence, the Steel Spacebug Rattler Robeast blasted Rugger 7 – which forms Voltron’s right thigh and was piloted by Lisa – preventing it, Rugger 9, and Rugger 14 from forming Voltron’s right leg. The Ruggers were later able to attach, and the completed super robot defeated the Robeast.
During combat against the Antropoda Robeast, Voltron became trapped in the Robeast’s Rocket Ropes. To escape, Voltron disassembled, its Ruggers slipped free, and the Ruggers then re-formed Voltron and continued the battle.

Conclusion

Despite its vulnerabilities, Vehicle Team Voltron has proven to be highly effective in the field. It has protected civilians and Galaxy Alliance assets and interests from the Drule Empire, it has destroyed scores of Robeasts, and it was an essential contributor to the liberation and evacuation of the people of Planet Drule. During the Akrah Incident, Vehicle Team Voltron proved to be an equal to the legendary Lion Force Voltron, as the super robots fought side-by-side against the Ultrabeast. Vehicle Team Voltron is a fusion of ancient and modern technologies, and like its Lion Force counterpart, it is a symbol of the ongoing effort to establish and maintain peace and prosperity throughout the universe.

Vehicle Team Voltron flying in space — Vehicle Team Voltron, Defender of the Universe

Footnotes

Voltron: Defender of the Universe episodes’ production numbers are given in the episodes’ scripts. They are also listed in this web site’s article “Numbers, Shmumbers: Season and Episode Numbers in Voltron: Defender of the Universe.”
Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Sven reached Arus twice in “Space Explorers Captured” (Production #201).
In “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101), immediately after Voltron is formed, Jeff says, “Voltron assembled! Connect diatherms! Activate infracells!”
Incidents were shown in “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101) and “First Day on a New World” (Production #102).
Robeast names are from Voltron: From Days of Long Ago: A Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration (ISBN-13: 978-1-4215-7540-7). Most Robeasts in Voltron: Defender of the Universe were not named in the episodes themselves.
Commander Hawkins identified Vehicle Team Voltron’s power source as “stored solar energy” in “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101).
Commander Steele identified Vehicle Team Voltron’s power source as “stored nuclear power” in “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101). Professor Page referred to it as “stored thermo-nuclear energy” in “A Temporary Truce” (Production #111). The Explorer‘s conjectural Thermonuclear-Powered Artificial Sunlight System (TPASS) is an attempt to reconcile the apparent contradiction between “solar energy,” “nuclear power,” and “thermo-nuclear energy.”
The three teams’ names were established in “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101).
The Ruggers were first shown to be docked within and launched from the Stellar Ship Explorer in “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101).
In “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison” (Production #133), Doctor Loring is described as having created the “original plans for Voltron,” and for making “certain secret adaptations known only to the doctor, and these he took with him to his grave.”
In “Meanwhile Back at Galaxy Garrison” (Production #133), Commander Steele describes a failed attempt to create another Voltron-like super robot: “Our sci-tech division has been trying to come up with a duplicate Voltron, but up to now there’s been little success. The machine that you see here was assembled by our technicians using Doctor Loring’s original plans for Voltron. Unfortunately there were certain secret adaptations known only to the doctor, and these he took with him to his grave. All of our extensive testing shows that, while this Voltron is superficially similar to the first, it is considerably inferior. It’ll never serve as a replacement for the present Voltron, or even as a backup, I’m sorry to say.”
The term “Rugger” is not used in any Voltron: Defender of the Universe episode; however, it was used in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, and the term “Rugger” is a less generic designation than “vehicle.”
In “In Search of New Worlds” (Production #101), Hawkins states that “our entire team of young Space Explorers is just as determined as ever to find new and livable worlds for the people of our over-crowded galaxy.”
The spirit of King Alfor told the Voltron Lion Force about the power source of each Lion in “Magnetic Attraction” (Production #229).
For more information about Vehicle Team Voltron’s “Five-Minute Rule” and how closely the Voltron: Defender of the Universe television program followed, or did not follow it, see this web site’s article “The Five-Minute Rule: Vehicle Team Voltron (Voltron: Defender of the Universe).”
In “Building a New World” (Production #103), Sparks announces that the already-launched Ruggers will “be able to form Voltron in less than an hour.” Later Sparks replies in the negative when Hawkins asks, “Does the Force have enough stored power to form Voltron?” Finally Jeff announces that, “Our power turbos are finally charged, and not a minute too soon. We’ve got to form Voltron fast!” This scenario does not occur in any other episode.
The liberation of Planet Drule was shown in “The Drules’ World Cracks Up” (Production #150) and “The Drules Surrender” (Production #151).
The evacuation of Planet Drule was shown in “The End of Hazar’s World” (Production #152).
The terms “Lion Force Voltron” and “Vehicle Team Voltron” were used in Voltron: Defender of the Universe promotional materials and licensed merchandise in the 1980s.
The Strato Fighter was first shown in “Help Not Wanted” (Production #107).
The Aqua Fighter was first shown in “Goodbye New World” (Production #104).
The Turbo Terrain Fighter was first shown in “Ghost Fleet from Another Planet” (Production #108).
The “solar energy system” was mentioned and shown only in “Raid on Galaxy Garrison” (Production #130).
- Drule Captain Durka destroys a Galaxy Garrison space station, disabling solar energy refractors and commenting that the Garrison “can’t use Voltron.”
- Captain Newley tells the Galaxy Garrison’s top officers that “they’ve damaged the space station and solar energy system. Until they’re repaired, Voltron is on the disabled list.” Steele hopes “the first thing repair is Voltron’s energy source.”
- A Garrison repair technician states that “without this refractor, Voltron can’t recharge his energy.”
- Voltron’s five Land Team Ruggers are shown flying on patrol.
- Newley informs the Explorer that “as soon as [the solar energy system]’s back up to full power, you’ll have to form Voltron and stop the Drule attack force.”
- Lisa tells Jeff that the Explorer is moving toward “the area from which the Drule attack ships are coming. By the time we get there, the repair crews will have the solar energy system working, and we’ll be able to form Voltron again.”
- In “Earth’s State of Emergency,” the Armored Fleet Dairugger episode from which Voltron‘s “Raid on Galaxy Garrison” was adapted, Dairugger has no energy problems. The Rugger Guard and its fleet is unable to reach Earth in time to be of any help. The fleet is flying at half-speed because it is being repaired following a recent battle against the Galveston Empire. The fleet is also on a mission to find the Galvestons’ front line base.
Shown in “A Curious Comet” (Production #114).
Shown in “Defend the New World” (Production #120).
Shown in “Just Like Earth” (Production #125).
Shown in “A Storm of Meteors” (Production #106).
Shown in “Fleet of Doom.” The term “Ultrabeast” is from the script.
In “Hazar on the Carpet” (Production #123), the Strato Fighter — specifically Chip’s vehicle, Rugger 4 — is impaled by a Drule rocket. Chip says, “We took a direct hit in our energy storage tank!” Jeff replies, “Switch to the auxiliary tank!”
In Voltron: Defender of the Universe, during ten out of the 19 times the Sea Team was ordered to form the Aqua Fighter, they were first ordered to “ignite Nuclear Power Thrusters.”
- The Sea Team was ordered to “ignite Nuclear Power Thrusters” before forming the Aqua Fighter in episodes 104 “Goodbye New World”, 118 “What’s on First”, 122 “Nerok Scores Big”, 128 “Planet of the Amazons”, 132 “A Man-Made Sun”, 134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire”, 136 “Peace! A Fish Story”, 139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”, 141 “Another Solar System”, and 143 “It’s Anybody’s World”.
- The Sea Team was not ordered to “ignite Nuclear Power Thrusters” before forming the Aqua Fighter in episodes 117 “Who’s on Second”, 119 “Great Stone Space Faces”, 123 “Hazar on the Carpet”, 126 “The Planet Trap”, 133 “Captain Newley Returns”, 144 “Frozen Assets”, 146 “It Could Be a Long War”, 147 “Color Me Invisible”, and 150 “The Drules’ World Cracks Up”.

Base Type ID	First Episode (VDU)	First Episode (DXV)	Last Episode (VDU)	Last Episode (DXV)
DEN-MI-1	#101 “In Search of New Worlds” (reusing footage from #102 “First Day on a New World”)	#2 “The Isolated Regiment”	#133 “Captain Newley Returns”	#33 “The New Allied Fleet to the Rescue”
DEN-MI-2	#134 “Hazar Bucks the Empire”	#34 “Planet of the Burning Cave”	#146 “It Could Be a Long War”	#46 “The Fall of the Survey Base”
DEN-MI-3	#123 “Hazar on the Carpet”	#23 “The Mission to Recapture Planet K”	#124 “Hazar is Demoted”	#24 “Riot on Galveston”
DEN-MI-4	#126 “The Planet Trap”	#26 “The Snare of the Hell Planet”	#126 “The Planet Trap”	#26 “The Snare of the Hell Planet”
DEN-MI-5	#129 “Revolt of the Slaves”	#29 “Uprising of the Space Fort”	#129 “Revolt of the Slaves”	#29 “Uprising of the Space Fort”
DEN-MI-6	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”	#139 “That’s the Old Ball Game”	#39 “The Tears of a Rugby Player”
DEN-MI-7	#141 “Another Solar System”	#41 “Discovery of the New World”	#141 “Another Solar System”	#41 “Discovery of the New World”
DEN-MI-8	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super Weapon”	#147 “Color Me Invisible”	#47 “The Invisible Super Weapon”
DEN-MI-9	#148 “Time Is Running Out”	#48 “Get Past the Tenth Planet”	#148 “Time Is Running Out”	#48 “Get Past the Tenth Planet”
DEN-MI-10	#149 “Zero Hour Approaches”	#49 “Entering the Final Zone of Defense”	#149 “Zero Hour Approaches”	#49 “Entering the Final Zone of Defense”

Introduction

Vehicle Type Identifiers

Vehicle Types – Summary Information

Vehicle Types – Detailed Information

Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Largest (MIL-SCAP-A)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1A

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-1B

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-2

GGN-MIL-SCAP-A-3

Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Large (MIL-SCAP-B)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-2

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-3

GGN-MIL-SCAP-B-4

Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Medium (MIL-SCAP-C)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-C-2

Military – Spacecraft – Capital Ship – Small (MIL-SCAP-D)

GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-1

GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-2

GGN-MIL-SCAP-D-3

Military – Fighter (MIL-FTR)

GGN-MIL-FTR-1

GGN-MIL-FTR-2

Military – Tank (MIL-TNK)

GGN-MIL-TNK-1

GGN-MIL-TNK-2

GGN-MIL-TNK-3

GGN-MIL-TNK-4

GGN-MIL-TNK-5

GGN-MIL-TNK-6

GGN-MIL-TNK-7

Military – Missile Truck (MIL-MSTRK)

GGN-MIL-MSTRK-1

Military – Truck (MIL-TRK)

GGN-MIL-TRK-1

GGN-MIL-TRK-2

GGN-MIL-TRK-3

GGN-MIL-TRK-4

GGN-MIL-TRK-5

GGN-MIL-TRK-6

GGN-MIL-TRK-7

GGN-MIL-TRK-8

GGN-MIL-TRK-9

GGN-MIL-TRK-10

Military – Shuttle (MIL-SHL)

GGN-MIL-SHL-1

GGN-MIL-SHL-2

Military – Helicopter (MIL-CPT)

GGN-MIL-CPT-1

GGN-MIL-CPT-2

GGN-MIL-CPT-3

GGN-MIL-CPT-4

GGN-MIL-CPT-5

GGN-MIL-CPT-6

Military – Hover Car (MIL-HCAR)

GGN-MIL-HCAR-1

Military – Hover Lift (MIL-HLFT)

GGN-MIL-HLFT-1

GGN-MIL-HLFT-2

Military – Motorcycle (MIL-MOCY)

GGN-MIL-MOCY-1

Military – Repair Platform (MIL-REPP)

GGN-MIL-REPP-1

Military – Rescue (MIL-RESC)

GGN-MIL-RESC-1

Military – Boat (MIL-BT)

GGN-MIL-BT-1

Military – Submersible (MIL-SUB)

GGN-MIL-SUB-1

Military – Construction – Bucket Truck (MIL-CON-BKT)

GGN-MIL-CON-BKT-1

Military – Construction – Crane (MIL-CON-CRN)

GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-1

GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-2

GGN-MIL-CON-CRN-3

Military – Construction – Bulldozer (MIL-CON-DZR)

GGN-MIL-CON-DZR-1

Military – Construction – Excavator (MIL-CON-EXR)