VOLTRON: Legendary Defenders

[BeastieRunner]

It wasn't a question of whether there would be more episodes next season. I fully expect that there will be. I was addressing the implication that Netflix had somehow failed to release all of the episodes intended for season 1 at once and the specific question of whether there would be more season 1 episodes coming in the short-term.

All the interviews indicate that this isn't a split season.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

Nah, there are clear inspirations from Voltron Force as well as the original GoLion

The original GoLion, sure, but Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim DosSantos have said they haven't seen the other two Voltron shows.

All the interviews indicate that this isn't a split season.

Netflix calls it a "season" too, but production-wise, we're only half-way. They do this with all of their Dreamworks shows.

[ZeroBG82]

It wasn't a question of whether there would be more episodes next season. I fully expect that there will be. I was addressing the implication that Netflix had somehow failed to release all of the episodes intended for season 1 at once and the specific question of whether there would be more season 1 episodes coming in the short-term.

Fair enough. Your answer didn't quite sound like that was the point you were trying to make, at least to me. But yeah, this is it for "season 1". The remainder of the usual full episode order (24-26) will be season 2, which will probably get about the same episode count as season 1 and be released towards the end of the year, if history proves true yet again. I suppose there's no way to be sure that Netflix followed this model again, but considering their other Dreamworks shows use it, I'd be surprised if they didn't.

[Basara]

Ok, I have finished the first season and can definitely say that this is one of the few really good reboots. There is a lot of good in this first season:

1) The animation: It is simply beautiful. Voltron, the individual lions, and the Castle of Lions look amazing. The character designs are very nice, though I did feel that the Alteans were a little generic (Space elves) until later, when Allura revealed some of the secrets of her race. Zarkon is a massively huge improvement on the original character design who actually looks physically imposing enough to rule a galaxy, while Haggar and Sendak are fairly faithful to their original designs (though Sendak has some nice improvements).

2) The Voltron team: The original show was basically all about Keith and Allura with very little time given to the others. Thankfully, the new show actually spreads the wealth in character development. I thought I was going to hate Lance from the trailers that had been shown before, but he actually is one of my favorites. I didn’t like Hunk and Pidge in the original series, but love them here. As expected, Shiro is my favorite, but the others are incredibly likable too. Surprisingly, Keith is my least favorite on the team, but since the entire team is pretty much awesome, I don’t mind. The Avatar team brought their magic of creating great team moments to this show and I love it.

3) Intelligent and extremely powerful enemies: Two of the best episodes of the first season are when Sendak spoilers:

and his lieutenant take control of the Castle of Lions and nearly end the war before it really begins

end of spoilers. I always maintain that heroes are defined by their enemies and going by everything I’ve seen of Zarkon, Sendak, and Haggar, the Voltron team are going to be spectacular heroes. Zarkon is a formidable opponent who was revealed to be spoilers:

the original black paladin

end of spoilers and is capable of holding his own against a lion by himself. His fight with Keith was simply awesome. Haggar and her druids are also a considerable force to be dealt with their formidable magic and ability to spoilers:

completely drain planets of their life energy to create robeasts

end of spoilers. It seems Haggar is even more dangerous than she was in the original series, which is a considerable feat.

4) Voltron isn’t seen every episode. There was very little drama in the original series. Every kid watching it knew how each episode was going to end: the lions would combine in Voltron, form blazing sword, and the robeast is dead (later episodes used the lion head attack, but it was still the same formula). We’ve only seen two robeasts in the series thus far and that is a good thing. The story is about the Paladins themselves, not just Voltron. We really get to see the strengths and weaknesses of the entire team.

5) Blue lion fuzzy slippers. I don’t know where Lance got those, but I want a pair.

The Bad:

1) The over reliance on dues ex machine. Granted, this is a trait the Avatar team brings from the Avatar series and it does lead to some pretty great action sequences, but it does annoy me when the answer is almost always “Wait, my lion is telling me what to do!” before Voltron or a lion gets a new ability.

2) Pidge is too competent. Pidge can break into heavily guarded military bases long enough to find classified information, create a new identity to fool the military to break back in, reprogram alien probes on the fly, outfight Galran troops and a Galran commando, modify Altean technology to create stealth tech for both their ships and the green lion, and basically becomes Ed (complete with Pidge hacking icons) by the end of the season. We get it: spoilers:

girls rock. Your message would be better served if Pidge stops being a Mary Sue.

end of spoilers Fortunately, Pidge’s character moments are pretty good. Pidge and Shiro have bonded pretty well as they remember Pidge’s brother and father.

3) Juvenile humor. There is a lot of vomit, a fart joke, and a food fight in the first 4 episodes. Also, Coran is over the top in many of his attempts at humor. Thankfully, this is toned down as the season progresses.

Overall: this series is pretty darn good and sets up what looks to be an amazing conflict that affects the entire galaxy. There is still a lot of story to be told and I’m hoping for at least 4 seasons. We still don’t know half of Voltron’s capabilities (three bayards have not been used yet, and it seems the bayards themselves have multiple uses). I think the creators are doing a great job thus far and can’t wait for the next season.

Btw, is anyone else getting the sense that Earth is already allying itself with Zarkon?

[Zero Hunter]

Season 2 dropped today on Netflix.

[Acecool]

Season 2 dropped today on Netflix.

And it was awesome. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was awesome.

[The Big G]

Season 2 was dope

[Basara]

Okay, just finished watching season three! I felt this season was a vast improvement over the second season.

Great things:

1) Prince Lotor and his lieutenants are awesome! One of the things that went missing in season 2 were the skilled and intelligent Galran soldiers we saw in season 1. They’re back now with the introduction of Lotor and his deadly ladies. They match up pretty evenly skill wise with the Voltron Force. It won’t be easy to defeat them.

2) It’s official, Lance is my favorite paladin! He really stepped up this season, becoming Keith’s right hand man in more ways than one. He, more than anyone else, has given the team’s well being his full attention.

3) Keith isn’t a really good leader. Yet. Prince Lotor had Keith’s number most of this season as Keith struggled to first accept the burden placed upon him and then stumble during his first few times out. But then, Keith shows a flash of genius towards the end of the season. It's clear that he will be great, perhaps even better than Shiro, but for now, he’s still pretty green.

4) The classic team is now together! I know we’ve been expecting this and as much as I miss Shiro being the black paladin, it now is the team that long time fans know and love.

5) We get the origin story of Voltron and the Galran Empire.

6) Both sides are achieving victories and suffering setbacks. This truly is a struggle between two groups of skilled warriors.

7) SVEN!

8) Less of the Pidge is awesome and can do no wrong. Mind you, she still doesn’t have any flaws other than being too short to fly the black lion, but at least the writers have somewhat toned down the Mary Sue aspect of Pidge’s character.

9) Voltron continues to only be used when it makes sense in the story. We get plenty of paladin and lion action too. This season didn’t have a single robeast, and that’s a good thing. It shows the Galran Empire can provide the Voltron Force a formidable challenge in other ways too.

10) A severe cutback in the juvenile humor. It’s almost non-existent this season. Yay!

Bad things:

1) Shiro’s spoilers:

escape. It was strongly suggested that the Galra let Shiro escape, but there were a numbers of factors that the Galra just could not control to get Shiro into position to be rescued. He had to survive a crash landing, narrowly escape the pod falling into a large crevice, and almost died in space before the black lion sensed him and came to the rescue. If this was a Galra plan to plant Shiro back amongst his comrades, it relied too much on luck to succeed.

end of spoilers

2) This felt like half a season rather than a full one. It wasn’t just because of the number of episodes was reduced from 13 to 7 episodes either. The team had just started piecing together parts of Lotor’s plan and then the season ended without a resolution to the current season long problem. The audience still doesn’t know exactly what Lotor is up to, or spoilers:

why he attacked one of his own outposts (other than to keep Haggar from knowing what he is doing, that is)

end of spoilers. Of course, maybe it makes sense to do this because of what happened at the very end of the season which might signify a new chapter, but right now, it feels off.

3) Minor gripe: the opening sequence still shows the old team. Hopefully next season we’ll get an opening sequence showing everyone in their new roles.

Overall:

I was really impressed with this season. We now have the classic Voltron team together, great new characters and concepts were introduced, and the creative team proved once more that Voltron Legendary Defender is far more than just a giant robot that fights giant monster of the day show. There is an actual story here and I can’t wait for the next chapter in October.

[Minerboh]

It is a question that i always making in a Netflx production but...When do they intend to release the first two season in dvd?

[Zero Hunter]

Yeah the way they set this season up is kinda of confusing. They have season 3 in the beginning of August and then season 4 drops in October. Really it is just one season split in two.

[BeastieRunner]

It is a question that i always making in a Netflx production but...When do they intend to release the first two season in dvd?

It has to be a really popular show or have been an old show they saved.

Then it takes about 3 years.

Netflix has said they don't plan to release DVDs anymore, just Blu Rays. And stop physical in 2020.

[Sacred Knight]

Shiro's escape was anti-climactic, not to mention his reunion with the other paladins done completely off-screen, because Shiro hasn't escaped and he hasn't reunited with his friends.

This Shiro is a clone. That's the "Kuron" experiment the Galra are speaking of during the escape scene (which in of itself is a huge hint as its a gairaigo Japanese word for clone) . The real Shiro is likely the one that was seen, still with short hair, being experimented on while the other Shiro was escaping. The way it was framed, happening right after and under similar circumstances as his hallucination of Ulaz, is intended to make this look like a hallucination too but it will turn out not to be. This Phase 3 of the project is the clone getting free and infiltrating Voltron. The clone just doesn't know any of this yet. It will probably have a trigger, and might be part of why he's complaining of a lingering headache. That's why the Black Lion won't respond to him anymore. It helped Keith find him but the Lion was probably just briefly fooled itself and with more time realizes this isn't really Shiro.

This theory is everywhere, not like I'm the first to think of it, but all the pieces are there.

[Minerboh]

It has to be a really popular show or have been an old show they saved.

Then it takes about 3 years.

Netflix has said they don't plan to release DVDs anymore, just Blu Rays. And stop physical in 2020.

Regading ratings, i do not know but from what i gathered here, YT and FB, this new version of Voltron has gathered quite a positive feedback.
Too bad, though, that they will focus only in BR until 2020.
Netflx doesn't consider their customers that much.

Thanks for your insight, though.

[Basara]

Yeah the way they set this season up is kinda of confusing. They have season 3 in the beginning of August and then season 4 drops in October. Really it is just one season split in two.

That's how it feels right now. Maybe it will make more sense in October when season 4 hits. If I didn't already know that Netflix had committed to 78 episodes (revealed at WonderCon), I'd be worrying right now about the show ending early.

Shiro's escape was anti-climactic, not to mention his reunion with the other paladins done completely off-screen, because Shiro hasn't escaped and he hasn't reunited with his friends.

This Shiro is a clone.

Yeah, it was pretty obvious that the Galra were doing everything they could to point Shiro in the right direction and provide just enough danger to convince him he had escaped for real. I wasn't sure why they were putting so much on chance, but it makes more sense with clone. Who cares if the clone dies trying to make it back to the enemy? Just make another one and try again.

[5Eyes]

I just started watching this new incarnation for Voltron, my initial hesitance is because I thought the reboot would just be bad, and those giving it praise was doubt on their opinion .. but a lot good word on this and I had to see it myself but I went in not expecting much but I gotta admit this was really good.. I dare say it may be even better then the original