#return to the balmera

[askmeanjudge]

[hompty]

Season 1 Episode 7: Return to the Balmera

STRUGGLED with this one lol the rocky bits were annoying but I’m overall happy with how it came out I think!

I’ll probably hate it in a few weeks (like I do with the bonding moment one…) but for now I like it!

[honeyspeeches]

What qualities do you think made Keith fall for Lance? And vice versa?

WHAT MADE KEITH AND LANCE FALL FOR EACH OTHER?

Let's start with Keith.

What does Keith seem to like about Lance? From what I can glean from his reactions, he responds best to him when Lance is being a goofball:

[Season 2, Episode 4: Greening the Cube, 02:38]

Lance was being a goofball here, 'cause he's starting a snowball fight, while Shiro was being all serious, like "okay guys. We've trained for this. We're prepared" lol. Clearly, Shiro likes it, too.

[Season 2, Episode 9: Belly of the Weblum, 02:35]

Yes! he is smiling here!

[Season 3, Episode 2: Red Paladin, 05:39]

(responding to Lance saying he isn't a goofball, which we all know that he is, including Keith, but that's what we like about him, including Keith).

And I found more evidence of this here from the later seasons.

He also likes it when Lance is being a capable paladin.

[Season 1, Episode 2: Some Assembly Required, 19:43]

This is after they worked together as a team for the first time.

[Season 1, Episode 2: Some Assembly Required, 21:54]

this is after they formed Voltron for the first time (on purpose).

[Season 1, Episode 7: Return of the Balmera, 07:48]

and this is after Lance comes up with a good idea (that Keith actually admits out loud is a better idea than his was).

[Season 3, Episode 6: Tailing a Comet, 15:09]

Keith also likes it when Lance approaches him and talks to him/teases him. He's spotted multiple times smiling when he talks to/teases Lance first (and mirroring his facial expressions too...).

[Season 1, Episode 2: Some Assembly Required, 21:54]

(Lance was seen multiple times wearing this face with both Keith and Allura while he was flirting in the first episode, and here Keith is the very next episode, wearing the exact same face...)

[Season 1, Episode 6: Taking Flight, 21:48]

(Lance was literally wearing this face the episode before, when he called them a good team....)

[Season 1, Episode 6: Taking Flight, 21:53]

[Season 2, Episode 4: Greening the Cube, 02:34]

[Season 3, Episode 6: Tailing a Comet, 05:30]

Here we have confirmation that Keith likes it when Lance approaches him and confides in him.

Keith also likes it when Lance is being jealous... lol

[Season 2, Episode 6: The Ark of Taujeer, 19:26]

As for Lance, we’ve already established multiple times that Lance admires Keith a lot (here and here). He thinks he’s cool, and calls him such multiple times throughout the series.

[Season 2, Episode 10: Escape From Beta Traz, 13:50]

[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 06:04]

He also finds him attractive, commenting on his appearance more than once throughout the show as well:

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 10:13]

[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 05:05]

[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 06:05]

(and Lance has ONLY commented on Keith’s appearance throughout the whole show… he does call Allura “pretty lady” in the first episode, but he never says anything like that after the first episode, and he hasn’t gone out of his way to comment on her appearance the same way he has with Keith. ever.). So he finds Keith very attractive.

All in all, I think it’s just everything about them that they like about each other. Keith likes all the different facets of Lance and he likes being approached by Lance, and Lance admires Keith, thinks he's cool and finds him attractive.

As for when it really started developing into romantic feelings? well, it was kinda building up from the start, but the point of no return for the both of them is here:

[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 21:25]

[blanceyblance]

A study on Lance's underrated role on the team.

Or, "Yes, there was a Space Mom"

Some time ago, I made a post saying that, the closest thing to a "Space Mom" the paladins ever had was actually Lance and I wanted to make a post elaborating more on why I thought so.

Now this is not me saying that we have to put this Team in neat nuclear family boxes, even Shiro, the one who the fandom collectively agrees to call "Space Dad" doesnt fit perfectly the Team Dad trope, but what I mean is that, this role is one that most of the time it appears naturally in any group of friends/people.

So, lets start with seeing how TVTropes describes what is a Team Mom:

"In an ensemble show, especially of the fighting kind, there needs to be someone to hold this Ragtag Bunch of Misfits together before they kill each other or wander off into the woods like so many Player Characters."

"The Team Mom basically acts as the mother figure for everyone else in the group, regardless of age or family relations."

"Although the role itself is traditionally female, the overprotective dad or older brother can qualify for Team Mom"

"They are by definition never the loner, and will in fact tend to be the one who pulls them into the cast's orbit as a Sixth Ranger. If anyone can break through and bring about a Heel–Face Turn or Cooldown Hug, it's them"

"if any of their surrogate children or siblings are threatened, they can snap into angry Mama Bear mode and kick some ass"

Basically, this role is less about gender and age and more about how the character threats the rest of their peers.

It is hard to imagine resident flirty goofball Lance as fitting in a role like this since, usually, characters that are referred to as the "Team Mom", seem a bit more responsible and mature.

And, admittedly, it is a role that he has to grow into a bit, but even in the first episode he already had some shades of this:

Covering for Pidge and taking the brunt of Iverson's anger, running to aid someone who had fallen from one of the pods (before knowing it was a pretty girl) and protecting Coran from a explosion.

Overall through the show, Lance actually ends up being very caring and protective towards his teammates.

I was unsure on how I wanted to do this analysis since, there is actually quite a lot I want to talk about, so I decided to highlight how Lance acts with every member of the team from this angle.

Keith

The Lion Switch and Keith stepping to pilot Black is what, for a lot of fans, kickstarts Lance's arc of becoming a more mature individual and team player.

But even as early as s1, we do have moments of Lance keeping Keith grounded, like when he stops him from being reckless and hurting the balmera.

In season 3, when Keith is dealing with the loss of Shiro, everyone present decides to turn to Lance to handle it, Lance doesnt even notice what they are doing and instead goes to talk to Keith.

It is interesting that, even Coran and Allura (the adult and the diplomat) also look at him to handle the situation. And it's not a case of just looking at the next person in line, since Pidge is very clearly looking in his direction.

They eventually join to talk to Keith too but not before Lance makes the first approach.

And even when it was clear he really wanted to be chosen, Lance still quickly went to support Black's choice and thus, Keith's new position.

Like Allura tells us later, this is what makes Red, the literal right hand lion to call for Lance.

"You value a strong team"

Because thats what makes Lance really shine. His utter love and care for his team.

Even when he was clearly disappointed about not being chosen he decides to forget his own hurt to instead show to his unsure teammate.

And support he did.

After Keith goes to follow Lotor and makes the team enter a difficult situation while Allura is struggling with Blue, it's Lance the one who manages to make him stop and return.

Keith returns with Lance and shows he is regretful of his actions, one would think that Lance would take this chance to scold his "rival" but instead, he just acknowledges that Keith did mess up but now they are going to fix it. Showing Keith he is not alone in this.

After this incident Lance keeps being very vocally supportive of Keith (when he agrees with his orders).

And will usually follow his orders to a T. For example in "The Journey Within" Keith made a system for the team to sound off every certain period of time, and when Keith stops seeing a point to it, Lance keeps going and the team follows his lead.

It is also interesting to mention, these moments of Lance speaking softly to Keith when he is freaking out.

Another example would be when they get captured and Keith calls the name of his teammates, Lance being the first name he calls and the first to answer.

This ended up being quite long and the 10 pic limit doesnt help either so I will be splitting this in parts.

Keith and Allura's section is, unsurprisingly, quite long but I managed to gather a little evidence to talk about Lance's relationship with all the team.

Hope you guys enjoyed this first part

[Masterpost] [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[kiarst]

Quiet

A Voltron OC x Batfam crossover fic

Quiet was all she knew. Kaia Reyes was only 9 when she was taken under the richest man in all of Gotham's wing shortly after her mother passed from a car accident. Her life, from the moment she had met Alfred in the cold hall of police station, was filled with silence.

Chapters:

Chapter 1: Rise of Voltron 1 Chapter 2: Rise of Voltron 2 Chapter 3: Rise of Voltron 3 Chapter 4: Rise of Voltron 4 Chapter 5: Some Assembly Required Chapter 6: Return of the Gladiator Chapter 7: Fall of the Castle of Lions Chapter 8: The Rescue and Taking Flight Chapter 9: Return to the Balmera Chapter 10: Rebirth Chapter 11: Crystal Venom Chapter 12: Collection and Extraction Chapter 13: The Black Paladin Chapter 14: An Old Stranger and A New Friend

Art of Quiet

PT.1 PT.2

Taglist available if anyone wants to be part of it

[voltronthelostlion]

Voltron: The Lost Lion Timeline | Volume I

Voltron: The Lost Lion Timeline | Volume I

Hello everyone, Steph here! For my sanity, while rewriting this fic, I have decided to make a fun timeline with the events of Voltron including (Y/N) :) I did not come up with this on my own so here are the resources I used! I meshed them together to my liking.

Violethowler An Updated Guide to the Timeline of VLD

Romelluka Voltron Canon Timeline

My Google Doc

Pre VTLL:

13,000 years - The first emperor of the Galra lit the flame at the Kral Zera.

10,650 years (approx.) - Coran is born.

10,600 years - The Castle of Lions is completed.

10,027 years (approx.) - The trans-reality comet appears and Zarkon first meets Honerva.

between - 10,027 and - 10,018 - Zarkon and Honerva get married.

between - 10,025  and - 10,018 - Allura is born.

the same year as Allura’s birth - The rift creatures break out and Voltron is finished.

the Purple Lion (Violet) is created in secret with the remaining ore and an experimental strand of quintessence.

10,000 years - Destruction.

Daibazzal is evacuated and destroyed by King Alfor.

Emperor Zarkon, Empress Honerva, and his royal whore die [quintessence resurrects them].

Altea is obliterated shortly after.

Coran and Princess Allura enter cryostasis.

Many Alteans perish.

Lotor is born.

(Y/N) is born shortly after.

9,990 years (approx.) - Sendak confides in (Y/N) that when he is older, he is going to explore the universe.

(Y/N) is ten.

9,984 years (approx.) - Rez’or fails.

(Y/N) is closer to fifteen than she is to sixteen.

She becomes a prisoner of the Galra Empire.

9,982 years (approx.) - Sendak proposes to (Y/N).

(Y/N) is almost eighteen.

9,981 years (approx.) - (Y/N) is “exiled”

(Y/N) is closer to nineteen than she is to eighteen.

Shown as dead.

Sent with a squadron to be butchered by orders of Emperor Zarkon, but manages to fight her way out and escapes.

Crash lands on Planet Solitaire and is in cryostasis for ~10,000 years.

9,500 years (approx.) - Lotor is exiled.

9,000 years (approx.) - Lotor’s Altean Colony is established.

Timeline (VLD seasons 1&2; VTLL Chapters 1-16):

0 years - CANON START.

Monday, 09/01/2414: Shiro lands on Earth and is rescued from quarantine by Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. This triggers (Y/N)’s pod to open.

Tuesday, 09/02/2414: Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge find the Blue Lion and leave Earth. (Y/N) and Violet arrive on Planet Arus. She meets the Paladins, Princess Allura, and Coran. Sendak attacks Arus. Voltron is formed for the first time. (Y/N) sees her first sunset.

Wednesday, 09/03/2414: The Paladins train to figure out how to form Voltron outside of combat with Coran and (Y/N). Keith + (Y/N) nightmare scene. 

Thursday, 09/04/2414: Nightmare scene continued. Everyone meets the Arusian natives. Myzax Robeast. Sendak attacks the Castle of Lions that night during the celebration with the Arusians in the Castle.

Friday, 09/05/2414: Retake the Castle of Lions from Sendak while Hunk and Coran retrieve a new Balmeran crystal. Lance is placed in a healing pod.

Saturday, 09/06/2414: Lance wakes up. The Castle of Lions takes off from Arus and liberates Shay’s Balmera later that day following an encounter with Rollo and Nyma en route (aka (Y/N) riding with Keith for the first time).

Sunday, 09/07/2414: Hunk takes Shay to watch her first sunrise. 

Tuesday, 09/09/2414: The Paladins begin downloading Sendak's memories; Allura is forced to destroy her father's AI.

Wednesday, 09/10/2414: Season 1, Episode 10

Sunday, 09/28/2414: Season 2, Episode 6; Keith, Allura, and (Y/N) leave the Castle Ship to see if they are the reason they keep getting tracked; Violet’s return.

Thursday, 10/23/2414: Keith turns 19

Saturday, 10/25/2414: The Paladins coordinate with the Blade of Marmora to attack Central Command; Shiro and (Y/N) disappear from their Lions.

Tuesday, 10/28/2414: Chapter 16’s Third Person POV; three days later; (Y/N) turns 19; Prince Lotor is summoned from exile to lead the Empire while Emperor Zarkon recovers.

What does this mean?

Chapters 1-16 of VTLL occur from September 1st, 2414 to October 28th, 2414.

(seasons 1-5 take place ~6 months; seasons 1-6 are over 1 full year)

Fun Notes:

Shiro is born February 29, 2388; he is 25 at the start of Chapter 1

Keith is born October 23, 2395, so he is 18 at the start of Chapter 1

Krolia leaves Earth when Keith is almost half a year old

Hunk is born January 13, 2397, so he is 17 at the start of Chapter 1

Lance is born July 28, 2397, so he is 17 at the start of Chapter 1

Pidge is born April 03, 2399, so she is 15 at the start of Chapter 1

Galra Glossary:

Phrases

Vae pan radyr o vaer se’tar

You are a betrayer of your blood. 

Radyr se’tar.

Blood traitor.

A'nah Sava Am, Nissin'terai Kana'ya.

Forever with me, don't forget, wherever we are, we are not alone.

Eu a'a eri radyr se’tar.

I am no blood traitor.

Eu gaol vae a'nah, via't pa'eni.

I love you forever, life partner.

Vrepit Sa.

Killing Thrust.

Palen Bol.

Enlightening Pain.

Tei’rah alesul. Vae pal lider. 

Hail the Chosen One. You shall be leader. 

Words

A'a - no

Ales - choose

Alesul - Chosen One

A’nah - forever

Bol - pain

Erai - were

Eri - am

Eu - I

Gaol - love

Ga’oki - darling

Lider - leader

O - of

Pa'enii - partners

Pa'eni - partner

Palen - enlightening

Pal - shall

Pan - are

Radyr - betrayer; traitor

Sa - kill

Se’tar - blood

Tei’rah - hail

Vaer - your

Vae - you

Via't - life

Via't pa'enii - Life partners

Via't pa'eni - Life partner

Vrepit - thrust

Altean Glossary:

Units of Time (same for Altea and Daibazzal)

Quintant = 1 day

Deca-Phoeb = 1 year

Phoeb = 1 month

Dobosh = minute

Varga = hour

Tick = a tad longer than a second

movement = week

[vldunchartedregions]

Have you found anything relating to Lotor’s generals plot lines in season 8? If Ezor was meant to be dead, and Zethrid redeemed, how would Acxa and her react to Lotor’s return? I wonder if it was ever something they wanted to explore or were they going to cap it off with Acxa and Zethrid’s talk.

Firstly, thank you for the question! I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Do you know what's funny about this?! We were literally just talking about this today.

We are sure that any remnants of the generals having a subplot would've been lost in the mix unfortunately, considering Lotor was cut out of Season 8 (allegedly - Dreamworks & WEP, don't come for me please lol) so subsequently, if there was a subplot involving the generals and Lotor, that would've been scrapped too.

That being said, usually we've been able to find remnants of a missing plot line somewhere amongst the edited mess. That's how we found out Allura & Keith were allegedly beefing in the love triangle. More on that later; not the time.

With them unfortunately, we believe after many, many rewatches with the generals in particular, it does and did unfortunately cap off at the Zethrid & Acxa discussion. Ezor wasn't meant to be back; she was meant to be dead, and thus the whole motivation for the Grudge episode. She was added in very last minute (as also pointed out by Team Purple Lion) due to backlash with Adam's Robotech/Macross inspired death, and the backlash of how they introduced Adashi in general.

---

✨ Theory Time ✨

Maybe there would've been a scene between Acxa & Lotor in Uncharted Regions (fits the theme of the episode title; they haven't spoken since... y'know) to make amends and provide closure on their relationship.

Acxa's motivation was to follow Lotor as she's grateful to him in ways we can't even imagine as the viewer. There's one important theme that flows throughout Voltron: Legendary Defender... The importance of found family. They were Lotor's found family. Rejected by the world for being half-breeds, they came together to dismantle the empire.

Her motivation to follow Keith was (at least in our humble opinion) to always find Lotor at the end of the day... Keith & Allura lead to Lotor. If you think about it, Acxa was his most trusted general, faked a betrayal + knew plans that Ezor & Zethrid did not.

Lotor took her in and treated her equally in a world where nobody else did as a half Galran, and that is SO important. It would make sense that she's joined the coalition not just for Keith per say, but to ultimately find Lotor again, whilst also finding a much greater purpose within this universe.

(Coran talking about how Allura may have known Keith was the key to the Galra's future... cough, cough).

Realistically speaking - As soon as Lotor wakes up, they would've began the preparation for the climax of his redemption arc. The writers wouldn't have much time before the final battle to provide closure to a lot of plot lines before Hunk & Coran go to get the Balmera, Honerva brings her EVA and breaks down reality, and it all goes to absolute chaos.

Positively speaking, I'd like to think there was at least a scene storyboarded where Acxa & Lotor reunite one last time before the final battle on the Atlas. Maybe a hug scene with Lotor mentioning how grateful he is to her and the generals... Especially with the loss of Ezor, we believe they all needed some closure there before everything goes to chaos.

This is just a selfish want of mine, but I would've also loved to have seen how Lotor met all of his generals, their backstories as to how they found Lotor, and vice versa in greater detail... maybe in another reality.

Thank you for the question. Vrepit Sa.

[kismetconstellations]

What is Keith's problem with Allura?

Consensus among certain flavors of Keith fans seems to be that Allura never outgrew her "racist" opinions of the Galra, and remained cold, rude, and stand-offish to Keith, never apologizing for the handful of glares she shot his way, and the icy inflection she used when addressing him.

This is, of course, patently, provably untrue. In Season Two, Episode Twelve, Best Laid Plans, as Keith is preparing to head for Zarkon's base in what Kolivan had declared a "suicide mission", Allura approaches Keith in the hangar to tell him:

"I... just wanted to say... The Galra... They've done terrible things. Destroyed entire civilizations. They took my family. But, in time, I've grown to consider you and the Paladins my family. So when I learned you were Galra, I... I didn't know what to think. I wanted to hate you!

"But, it's not you. It's me. My anger has blinded me for too long. I'm so sorry I misjudged you. You've proven it's not what's in your blood. It's who you are that counts.

Please come back to us."

I couldn't come up with a more sincere, heartfelt apology if I tried.

Allura took it upon herself to, unprompted, own up to her less than stellar behavior toward Keith, admit that she was wrong, and express that Keith is important to her and she wants him to return to her, Coran, and the other Paladins alive and in one piece, because he is her family.

You would think this would be more than enough to bury the hatchet and resolve all tension between them. Or, at the very least, that any issue Keith may have with Allura in future episodes could be traced back to her (and Coran) withholding the fact that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin from the rest of the team, and to the handful of glares that Allura directed at Keith after finding out that he's half-Galra.

But, this is not the case. As early as Season One, Episode Twelve, Collection and Extraction, well before either of these potentially inciting incidents, Keith's attitude with Allura was showing signs of being less than friendly.

Keith is the first to object, rather snidely, to the prospect of Allura accompanying the Paladins on an infiltration mission to gather intelligence from a Galra transportation hub.

"I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?"

Despite Allura being instrumental in restoring the Balmera and helping the Paladins liberate the Balmeran people from Galra control.

And, it only worsens from here.

The very next episode, after Allura had allowed herself to be captured by the Galra, sacrificing herself to save Shiro, the man who Keith claims to love, Keith puts forth the idea of leaving Allura in the hands of the monster who betrayed and murdered her father and mercilessly annihilated her entire home world and all of the people living on it.

"Or, maybe we shouldn't go on this mission [to rescue Allura] at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy."

Which prompts an understandably galled Hunk to respond, "Keith, that's cold even for you."

Keith snaps back, "I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking like a Paladin."

Arguably, being willing to allow even one life to slip through the cracks is the exact opposite of the mindset of a Paladin. And, Keith is aware of that, come the top of Season Four, when his saving Regris lands him in hot water with Kolivan.

Kolivan: "Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn't Voltron."

Keith: "I understand that. In Voltron, we would have gone back in to save Regris. I went back to save the mission. Regris had the intel. Getting him and it back on the ship was worth the risk."

He never apologizes, however, for even attempting to argue that saving Allura wasn't worth the risk.

In the third episode of Season Three, The Hunted, he actually scolds Hunk for going back to assist Allura after she took a hit on a hopeless folly of a mission to pursue and attack Lotor that Keith, acting as their new leader, pushed the team into long before they were ready. When rightfully chastised by Lance for acting so rashly and showing no regard for the input and welfare of his team, Keith justifies his actions by arguing, "It's not about the team. We have a mission that's more important than any one of us."

Even after Lance confronts him, again, once the team has been split up and all of their lives needlessly endangered, and Keith at last acknowledges how badly he messed up, he doesn't offer a single apology to Allura, or anyone else.

In the following episode, Hole in the Sky, Keith approaches a disconsolate Allura, presumably with the intention to offer her some form of comfort and encouragement after the emotional turmoil she endured in the alternate reality.

Instead of making the effort to put himself on a level field with her, and look her in the eye, as one would typically do when attempting to extend emotional support, Keith speaks at Allura's back and remains standing on a platform above her, forcing her to have to look back and up at him.

Perhaps this scene was blocked this way because, like so many other creative decisions in this series, it "looked cool". Unfortunately, this staging with all of its visual subtext establishes a precedent for Keith and Allura's dynamic going forward.

In contrast to being Allura's equal, as Shiro was, and sharing the position of leadership with her, the two of them valuing one another's insight and trusting each other implicitly, Keith is Allura's superior. As she now ranks under him in both age and position on the team, he's become her commander; shutting down any input he didn't authorize as a "lecture", even when that input is coming from a place of earnestness and compassion. See their conversation in Season Four, Episode One, where Allura is there to meet Keith as he arrives back at the Castle from another mission with the Blades that resulted in the death of Regris, and delayed Keith getting to the team he's meant to be leading when they needed him.

Keith: "Allura, I know you're mad at me, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

Allura: "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I heard what happened on your mission."

Keith: (after a long, tense pause) "...Thanks."

Allura: (after another drawn-out silence) "I know how important the work you've been doing with the Blades is. They are incredible allies, and have been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And, while the news of a new quintessence supply-line is deeply troubling, I cannot help but feel that--

Keith: (cutting her off) "I said I didn't want a lecture."

Rather than rise to Keith's bait, Allura continues on, "Keith... Since our battle with Zarkon, we've been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol-- Voltron. It's so much more than a weapon. It's become a symbol of freedom, and, hope for the oppressed to rally around.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is, the Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot. We cannot."

Allura's candid and entreating speech appears to fall on deaf ears. Keith continues to go on missions with the Blades, running from his position as the new Black Paladin and "decisive head" of Voltron.

It can be argued in his defense that he only ever saw himself as a temporary Black Paladin, holding the position in Shiro's stead until Shiro's return. And, with the cloned version of Shiro in proper form, acting as a key strategist and, to some extent, undermining Keith's calls in the field, Keith's concerns that he's unfit for the role have once more reared their head, and he feels that he is no longer needed. This is, of course, despite the obvious inconsistencies in "Kuron"'s temperament, behavior, appearance, and even wardrobe choices when compared to the original Shiro's. Inconsistencies that, as Shiro's closest friend, Keith should have been aware of and more than a bit perturbed by. And, despite the fact that, at this current point in the show, the Black Lion is not responding to "Kuron".

Keith has knowingly left the Paladins down a Lion and without a means of forming Voltron, several times repeatedly. Allura, "Kuron", and everyone else on the team would be well within their rights to be absolutely furious with him. Yet, the next time Keith happens upon Allura, while she and the other Paladins are handing out supplies to rebels and refugees on Olkarion, he's the one glaring at her.

By the end of this episode, "Kuron" has managed to connect with the Black Lion, further enforcing in Keith's mind that he is no longer needed as a Paladin, and Keith announces to the group that he's officially abandoning his post and leaving to work with the Blades full-time.

Allura is right there with the others, enveloping Keith in a group hug and expressing, like everyone else, that she will miss him as he embarks on a new journey down a path divergent from the rest of their family.

That new journey brings Keith face-to-face with his long-lost mother, and the two of them find themselves stranded on a space whale inside of a "quantum abyss" that has a convenient time distortion that only affects them and the space wolf they adopt.

This highly selective time-skip was done, presumably, to accelerate Keith's character development and make him a better fit for his "destined" role as the ultimate leader of Voltron. And, while his two years in the Quantum Abyss with his mother made Keith older, and ostensibly more mature, they did nothing to abate his underlying resentment for? Grudge against? Bitterness toward? Allura. Upon his return in Season Six, Episode Four, The Colony, Keith is ready to launch an attack on Lotor, while Allura is a passenger in Lotor's ship.

Keith: "I promise I'll explain everything once we get to Lotor."

Pidge: "We can't get to him. He just entered the quintessence field with Allura."

Keith: (unfazed) "We traveled through realities, before. Can't we fly in there and attack?"

Lance: (apparently the only one with any sense) "She said Allura is with him.

We can't risk hurting her."

Note the change in Keith's expression when Lance interjects.

"Kuron" attempts to diffuse the situation, instructing everyone to calm down, and assuring that, when Allura and Lotor return, "we'll get this all sorted out".

Judging by his reaction, this is not what Keith wanted to hear.

I'll concede that Keith has been made aware that Lotor is, indeed, dangerous, having manipulated and deceived them all. And, in spite of the Real Shiro's teachings about the virtue of patience, it's Keith's nature to want to eliminate a threat as soon as possible, attacking first and asking questions later. If at all.

Yet, his willingness to rally the troops and open fire or swing fists and/or a sword at Lotor without any regard for Allura's safety is deeply concerning.

Three episodes later, Allura uses her newfound powers and knowledge of quintessence alchemy to extract the Real Shiro's essence from the Black Lion, as the Black Lion had preserved what she could of him when his body was destroyed in the team's final fight with Zarkon back in the finale of Season Two, and transfer it into "Kuron"'s dying body. Which is its own can of worms.

You would think that Keith, having professed his love for Shiro (albeit to "Kuron"), would be forever indebted to Allura; singing her praises and all-but worshipping the ground that she walks on after she brought Shiro back to him.

But, in the sixth episode of Season Seven, The Journey Within, when Keith, Allura, and the other Paladins find themselves cast adrift and floating aimlessly through space for an untold length of time, older and supposedly wiser Keith is the first to snap under the stress of the situation. He reverts to his abrasive, anti-social behavior from the first season, times ten, and decides to use his position of power over the still teenaged Paladins to lash out and make petty, intentionally hurtful digs, with Allura and Hunk as his targets.

Allura: "My father... Had something he always said in dire situations."

Keith: "'Give up'?"

Allura: (diplomatically giving him a chance to retract the deeply offensive words that just came out of his mouth) "Sorry?"

Keith: (doubling-down) "It just doesn't seem like he was a real fighter when the chips were down."

I've had many a conversation with a friend (hi, @sockdooe!) about Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos rather transparently being Altean-hating Galra-supremacists who used Keith as their mouthpiece to spout off Pro-Galra propaganda. This is especially obvious in the series finale, when Keith effectively runs postmortem defense for Zarkon and Honerva-- something I will cover in-depth, a bit later.

"MonSantos", as the fandom has dubbed them, took issue with characters who are innately altruistic, self-sacrificing, upstanding, unwavering in their moral values, and willing to make peace with words, rather than immediately going on the offensive against any perceived threat. This is overwhelmingly obvious in the way that they killed Shiro and mocked him for being "boring", in interviews, only bringing him back to life when their hands were forced, killed Allura to force her to atone for Honerva's sins (one Altean for another, kind of like how Shiro and "Kuron", two disabled gay men with their own distinct traumas, struggles, and personalities, were treated like they were completely interchangeable), and planned to kill Hunk.

They liked "complicated", able-bodied, "morally gray" characters, and characters who needed to grow into their roles, instead of being perfect fits for them right off the bat.

Whether those characters actually achieved any growth under "MonSantos"'s direction is its own topic of discussion.

Shiro's stability and dependability warranted him being belittled and killed, as not only was he "boring", but his mere presence in the narrative somehow, "prevented the other characters", namely, Keith, "MonSantos"'s pet character and Chosen One, "from growing". To Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, people who boast this sort of twisted mentality, a gentle, soft-spoken, space-faring diplomatic king, like Alfor, was, of course, "cowardly" and "weak". While Zarkon, a fierce combatant and military strategist who became a child-abusing, murderous, power-hungry monster, has all of the hallmarks of a "great leader". And, the uncorrupted version of him that Keith and the other Paladins encounter inside of Honerva's mindscape is thus qualified to conclude that Keith has these hallmarks, too. Because they're both Galra.

I guess the contents of your blood are only irrelevant to your character when you're a Galra who perpetrates negative behaviors. Like pitting terrified, inexperienced, and malnourished prisoners against each other in a fight to the death for the entertainment of yourself and your fellow loyal servants of the Empire.

On a micro, character level, Keith's comments are even more repulsive. Alfor sacrificed himself to ensure Allura's safety. Keith's own father, a fireman, put his life on the line for others daily, which is what lead to his dying a hero, and being tragically ripped away from his young son. Of all characters, Keith should have the most empathy and implicit understanding that Allura's father is an emotionally fraught subject for her.

(Or, perhaps not, since he was unable to even look at Allura after she had to shut down Alfor's compromised A.I., losing him for a second time, in Season One's Crystal Venom.

)

This is emblematic of the power imbalance between Keith and the younger Paladins. Keith has his own trauma that he hasn't even begun to work out. Not only has his character regressed, in many ways, his time with the Blades and lengthy exposure to the blasé attitude about death that is standard fare for the majority of Galra seem to have had an adverse effect on his already tenuous mental health. As many without healthy or any coping mechanisms are wont to do when caught in spirals of stress, fear, anger, and despair, Keith is attempting to self-destruct. He's deliberately stomping on proverbial landmines to provoke his teammates into telling him to drift off by himself, as Lance eventually does, so that Keith's (incorrect, based on a cognitive distortion from past trauma) feeling that he is an unwelcome, unneeded outsider will be validated.

This is toxic behavior.

Keith is no longer a surly juvenile delinquent, or anti-social just-turned-legal-adult who is learning to cooperate and cohabitate with others after spending a year in the desert by himself. He's a twenty, perhaps even twenty-one year-old man in a position of power over teenagers who has had two years to do intensive soul-searching with the mother he never would have found had it not been for King Alfor and the Voltron Lions that Alfor built.

And, once again, Keith never would have got Shiro back without the existence of Alfor's Lions, because Ulaz helped Shiro escape his imprisonment on Zarkon's command ship and sent him back to Earth to prevent the Blue Lion being seized by the Empire.

"MonSantos"'s preferred Black Paladin should be beyond grateful for everything that Allura and her father have both directly and indirectly done for him. Instead, the character who is told that he is "the future" (because he's half-Galra), and magically gained the ability to summon the Black Paladin Bayard (which Shiro, the "boring", "broken", former Black Paladin who isn't at all worthy of recognition, given that he's only a measly little human, reclaimed from Zarkon and got to use just once before he died) to him at will, chooses to insult Alfor and hurl verbal abuse at Alfor's daughter.

Who, need I remind you, informed Keith that she considers him to be part of her new family.

Hunk tries to tell Keith to lay off.

Rightfully hurt by Keith baselessly accusing her beloved father of being spineless, Allura verbally retaliates while maintaining a truly impressive level of composure: 'You... have a lot of nerve questioning someone's leadership. Think how you left us."

Hunk, still trying to maintain a semblance of peace, pleads to Allura, this time.

And, Keith, firmly in his self-destructive spiral, decides to accelerate the explosive fall-out of this bone-dry tinderbox of a situation by pouring a bag of salt on Allura's wounds from Lotor, who preyed on her desperation to connect with her lost people and culture.

A desperation that the narrative repeatedly punishes her for simply having at all.

"As I recall, you were the one who got us all cozied up to Lotor."

This leads Lance to again interject, "Keith, you ran away. Maybe you should have just stayed away", and poor sweet Hunk to do his best to put an end to the in-fighting.

"Lance, Keith, everyone, stop. Look, guys, I understand what's happening here-- you're all brave heroes who don't know how to react to being scared, and it's causing you to attack one another. That, or you're all going space-mad. Hopefully you're just scared. I'm-I'm scared all the time. I can talk you through it."

Keith's response to this remarkable wisdom and insight?

"Sorry, Hunk. I guess I just don't know how to be a coward."

Though Hunk is unbothered by Keith's puerile name-calling, Lance, again, interjects on his friend's behalf, telling Keith to drift off by himself; as stated, earlier, and just as Keith wanted. Hunk takes it upon himself to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the team together, grabbing Keith's leg to prevent him leaving them for a second time, and his efforts net him a positively scathing response from his "new and improved" team leader:

"Why, Hunk? Are we really even friends? Is there anything holding us together besides some messed up series of coincidences? I mean, what are we? Some 'chosen saviors'? Do you really believe that? What are we even doing out here?!"

It takes Hunk almost sacrificing himself to ward off a giant monster, and Lance, Pidge, and Allura reminding Hunk that they are, indeed, a team, and would never leave him to die, for Keith to offer an, in my opinion, vague, flimsy apology for "those hurtful things" he said. Of course, because this is a TV Y7 cartoon made to sell toys to children, Keith gives a little speech about how that "series of coincidences" mattered because it brought them all together as Paladins and, "more importantly", "friends", and that brings the Lions to their rescue, allowing them to form Voltron and travel through space at hyperspeed to end up just outside of the Milky Way.

Once on Earth, Keith dons his Diet Shiro persona and gives Hunk a more in-depth and sincere apology, informing Hunk that he is most definitely not a coward. Allura, however, gets nothing, despite her, once again, coming through for Shiro (her platonic soulmate) in a major way.

After Keith was the one who left Shiro to inhabit a body with only one arm.

At long last, we reach the deservedly widely reviled finale, where the executive producers made their most morally bankrupt, inexcusable, and unforgivable creative decision. Which is saying a lot. Allura commits suicide to undo the damage that Honerva, an utterly irredeemable monster, had done to multiple realities, just so Honerva can get exactly what she wanted.

Before she willingly steps into the void with a brave smile on her face, Allura says a personal farewell to every member of the team. Except Coran, because this show was helmed by people who wanted you to feel miserable and angry at the world and yourself for watching it. Unless you have the privilege of being a Keith and/or Pidge fan. The fourth trauma survivor to be cruelly killed off, and the third member of a marginalized community to meet their end for the sole purpose of elevating "MonSantos"'s pet, Allura's final words for that pet are, "There is greatness in your heart, and your actions."

And, in response, said pet stands there, silent and stiff as a board in Allura's embrace, and showing less emotion than Shiro, who had, at this point in the series, been reduced to a distant military figure and side-character who has no meaningful relationships with anyone.

A year later, Keith stands on Daibazaal, the Galra home world that Allura's sacrifice revived and renewed. And, with all eyes on him, and while being broadcasted on multiple screens, he delivers a big, "epic" speech.

"With the return of Planet Daibazaal, the Galra Empire is at a crossroads. For too long, the people of this extraordinary civilization have been manipulated by a dictatorship that placed a misguided sense of self-preservation above all else. "It was a tragic, unfortunate series of events that lead us down this dark, never-ending path of power and greed. But, now... we... the citizens of the Galra Empire... have an opportunity to make right all of the injustices set into motion by our forefathers. Because of the sacrifice made by Princess Aurora (yes, that's seriously what he calls her), we have been given a second chance-- to come together in rebuilding the Galra Empire."

That's right. "Rebuilding" the Empire responsible for the destruction of Altea and the genocide of its people-- Allura and Coran's people. For the abduction and imprisonment of Shiro, Matt, and Sam Holt. For Shiro's extensive trauma and further torture via his body being subjected to nonconsensual experimentation, his innately altruistic and self-sacrificing nature challenged over and over again by forcing him to kill or be killed, and implied sexual violation at the hands of Sendak.

The Empire that enslaved the Balmerans, making them prisoners on their own home planet forced so far underground that entire generations had never seen the sky and had no concept of freedom. And, the Empire that mercilessly ravaged and nearly killed that planet, which is a living creature.

The Empire that enslaved the Olkari, left the Taujeerians to die, and inflicted untold acts of unmitigated barbarism all across the universe for ten thousand years.

That Galra Empire.

Now, I'll extend Keith, and "MonSantos", the benefit of the doubt that maybe he (and they) didn't mean the "Empire" as it was under Zarkon's command. Though the usage of that word, considering its unignorable connotations, is profoundly dubious. Maybe, he really means to upheave the entire concept of a Galra Empire, and rework it from the ground up, perhaps with the implementation of a parliament and a democratic voting system. Though, that hardly makes an "empire", as "empires" are by definition:

"A major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority, especially : one having an emperor as chief of state".

Keith (and "MonSantos") could have phrased his rousing speech as, "rebuild this planet and its great civilization, foster peaceful relations with the planets around us, and work together to undo the evil that was done by a tyrant, whose insatiable lust for power has left an indelible stain on the Galra name". Rather than attempting to humanize and absolve Zarkon and his one-dimensional, cartoonishly evil men, many of whom are still very much alive and attempting to make their own grabs for power in the vacuum left by their Emperor and his heir's demise, of culpability, and pledging to help the "citizens of the empire" resume conquering and colonizing surrounding planets, as that is how an empire is formed and maintained.

There's a later throwaway exchange between Shiro, Keith, and Lance inserted in what I can only assume was an effort to present Keith as humble, and offer a "humorous" commentary on his penchant for dodging any and all unwanted responsibility.

Shiro: "Speaking of which, how are things going on Daibazaal?"

Keith: "We're calling for an election to select a Galran representative for the Galactic Coalition. So that's a step in the right direction."

Lance: "Let me guess-- they asked you to be their leader and you said no?"

Keith: (with total nonchalance) "Yeah. Pretty much."

Lance: (like an actor in a sitcom reciting his exasperated straight man character's catchphrase) "Classic Keith."

(Cue laughter from the other guests around the table, like this actually is a sitcom.)

I made that assumption because Coran, the man who was a second father to Allura and loved her deeply, and also would have been absolutely devastated had he heard what Keith had to say about his beloved friend, King Alfor, tells Keith, "Allura would be proud of your decision, Keith. I think she knew that you would always be the key to the Galras' future."

And, yet, Keith was perfectly okay expressing callous and blatant disregard for Allura's life, safety, and emotions on multiple occasions over an extended period of time, and had the audacity to look down on her father for prioritizing making certain that his daughter would live over fighting a futile battle that he knew he had already lost.

Allura came to value Keith and other heroic Galra, regardless of their blood, and made that crystal clear many times. But, outside of the ship tease in Season Two's The Ark of Taujeer, before the franchise staple Keith/Allura romance was dropped in favor of Allura/Lance, when and where did Keith show that he valued Allura? And, that he had any respect at all for her people and their culture?

He scowls at her back over her wanting to personally investigate a trapped ship that is issuing an Altean distress signal in Season Three's Hole in the Sky.

The same episode where he is literally placed above her after the Paladins wind up in an alternate reality that is predicated on a half-baked, "What if the Alteans and the Galra switched roles?" concept, and where Allura is shamed and treated like a foolish, naive little girl for being nearly taken in by pretty painted pictures of a reality where her people thrived, eliminated the "Galra scourge", and set about spreading their "peace" across the entire universe.

I opened this essay by asking, "What is Keith's problem with Allura?" And, I think, all evidence considered, the answer to this question is fairly cut and dry.

Facets of the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom love to characterize Allura as an unapologetic racist. But, perhaps the real racist was the skinny, edgy, half-alien colonizer twink who was appointed the savior of the universe by hateful executive producers who wanted everyone both fictional and otherwise to grovel at their pet Chosen One's feet, all along.

[seldomscilence16]

When I first entered the Voltron Fandom, Lance had blue eyes. It was a truth throughout all the fics I read. Coming to tumblr @autisticlancemcclain introduced me to a whole new world, where brown eyed Lance was fighting to be the norm. I hadnt questioned it before, a scottish/questionable origin of a last name and the blue theme had me easily convinced.

But with this whole new world I fell into a wonderful exploration of the love of brown and dark eyes. But my original love of Blue was so ingrained that I found myself simply combining them. My rant thing below, not very long, but my addition to the eye color thing. Cause I love both and think they can co-exist, at the very least in my head :]

Lances birth was scary. The doctors had been sure he wouldnt make it, and while his mother put on a brave face, she could feel it too. She prayed to whoever would listen.

The Blue lion, hidden on Earth for such a long time, on reserve power and far too far from a balmera crystal to be fully powered, feels the beginning of a new dawn. She knows shes not supposed to, but this is for the future- and more importantly her beautiful Paladin.

Lance is born with one Bright Blue Eye, and one Lucious Earthy Brown Eye. Lance- once old enough- buys contacts in both colors, switching every few days to confuse people. When asked he gives the most confused look he can manage, looking at whomever asked like they'd grown a second head, its his longest running joke. Students at the Garison have a running pool on which color is true.

Years later, when the Earth is invaded and lost ones return, the people see him again. When in space, one can imagine the difficulty of finding contacts- and the lack of importance of such a thing- so here comes Lance in his heterochromatic glory.

Except this is not the Lance with watery blue eyes or cocoa brown ones either. His Blue eye is like ice, an otherworldly color, a viel, and his Brown eye is deeper than any mudden brown one could dig up from this Earth. But Lance isnt the only one with new eyes.

Beside him, the Hero, the Legend, Shirogane Takashi. People who know his posters like the back of their hands, or had watched him florish in the program, stare in awe as once sun warmed dirt, has turned into a void not unlike those in space. Deep and tired, ageless and old, but oh so kind, a tint of michieviousness remains.

But they do not stop there, these are not the eyes of those they had lost, but ones who had to find themselves over and over again. On rainy days and nights, a blue eye ripples like a clear puddle. A black eye flashes bright and in time with every stroke of lightning. It is otherworldly. It is not of Earth. It speaks of volumes they will never hold.

Because one does not leave this plane and return the same.

[poejemuelgallaza]

Quintessence (Return of the Gladiator)

Galra Sentry : The substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe. Raw quintessence material is transported here from throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements.

Quintessence is a mysterious substance mentioned frequently in the series, said to be life itself and a self-generating power source.[1] Raw quintessence appears to be yellow or white in colour. Quintessence refined by Druids for the Galra Empire appears violet.

Known Properties

Healing : Being a substance described as essentially life itself, the key aspect of quintessence seems to be its ability to heal lifeforms and enable longevity. The transfer of quintessence from Sacred Alteans to Balmera planets after power Crystals are harvested is a feat Allura is able to accomplish with her abilities to absorb and channel quintessence A simple touch or her presence on the planet surface is enough to restore the area she is contact with.

Example : The healing property of the substance extends to small amounts on smaller lifeforms: After Keith is wounded by a Druid and knocked into a canister of raw quintessence, breaking it and spilling it over himself, the quintessence spilled on him heals is wounds shortly after the fact.

The opposite effect, death of a creature or planet, holds true when quintessence is extracted, as seen in Haggar's Komar Experiment, where a planet becomes completely barren when its entire quintessence is sapped from it in a matter of moments.Overexposure to quintessence is damaging to health and potentially fatal.

1). A Planet before It quintessence is extracted

2).The same planet after its quintessence is extracted.

[madefate]

❛ i'm sorry, i had no idea. ❜ allura / @skyguarded

It takes the sound of Shiro's voice to remind Allura that she is not alone. Immediately, instinctually, her spine stiffens and her chin lifts up, as if she can physically fight through the swirl of memory and leaden fog circling her thoughts. She can still see the Balmera as it once was: a glittering oasis, crystals towering towards the sky. She can feel the way it hummed in her bones as she sat in her mother's arms and watched her father repay its kindness with his life --

-- Stop it. Allura's throat burns as she curls her hands into fists and digs her nails into the flesh of her palms. Stop it, stop it -- she cannot afford to live ten thousand years in the past, when the threat is now and real and at their doorstep. When the Black Paladin beside her is not Zarkon -- the Zarkon of her youngest memories, warm and loving and bestower of the most interesting toys a young girl could ask for, nor the Zarkon whose face is burned into her mind as she fell asleep.

Allura waits until she can feel the tremors violently quell under the sheer force of her will before she turns to Shiro. He is steadfast, truly of a Black Paladin caliber, but he is not Zarkon. He is not stuck in the past with her -- she can step away from her memories and join him in the present.

( she will always be the port that her paladins can return to; she hopes they never quite realize how much she needs them, too - how much they guide her home when she is lost. )

❝ -- No, please, there is nothing to apologize for Shiro. ❞ Her voice is firm and steady, and she can't quite smile but she tries to look reassuring all the same as she reaches out and briefly presses her hand against his arm. ❝ I wish you could have seen her when she was -- before all of this. She is a magnificent creature. But please, do not worry over me. Stay with the others and make sure they're ready leave once it's over. -- And, Shiro ... ❞

She turns, then, facing the horizon, bearing the sight of the ravaged Balmera and trying not to think of the bone deep pain it must be living with. ❝ Thank you, for everything that you've done. You have been ... an exemplary Paladin. ❞

[askmeanjudge]

[royalblades-cosmicfates]

Provok seemed amused by her words, contrasting the soldiers looks of disapproval and offense. But Thace gave her a returned glare, mostly out of habit. No one glared at him without a return. Though the stare down was broken when his commander spoke up once again, but this time he sounded more amused,

“I think this one, she has the will to snap back at us. Most wouldn’t.” At least on the balmera. It was a foolish move for them to talk back. Their planet was at stake if they were to do so.

■》 G R A N D G L O R I O U S R E T U R N

《《◇◇ @cyberghost-scout

The time with the Freedom Fighters have proven useful. Allowing then to create a bridge for connections and upperhandfor defense against the occasional galra attack, even if small.

Now things had seemed to settle down, enough so they could begin creating a temporary refuge for their friends, families, those who've lost homes and planets to the empire. As well build more firepower among themselves and their members.

[honeyspeeches]

This is a long post, I'm so sorry. Something I’ve always struggled to wrap my head around is Voltron’s timeline — especially the widespread fan assumption that Keith spent a year in the desert. As far as I can tell, there’s zero canon support for that.

For example:

We know from Sam Holt that it takes two months to reach Kerberos. In Pidge’s flashback, the mission is officially declared a failure five months after launch. That implies the crew was kidnapped at the three-month mark, and the rescue team didn’t find them on arrival.

Let’s assume the Kerberos mission launched around April or May — Pidge is still 14 and in middle school, which supports a mid-year start. That puts the crew’s disappearance around August, with the mission declared a failure around September or October (which is also… peak Keith angst season, if it was October).

Now, Keith is impulsive, sure — but he’s not an idiot. He wouldn’t immediately drop out of the Garrison the second Shiro disappeared. If anything, he’d double down, knowing the Garrison was his best shot at figuring out what happened. It’s likely he held on at least until Shiro’s birthday or the end of the school year before he was either expelled or quit.

Canon says Shiro was held captive for about a year, which would mean he crash-lands back on Earth in July or August of the following year, at the beginning of the month. That lines up with the calendar we see in Keith’s shack.

And based on the U.S. school year (especially in Arizona — which the show seems to suggest based on the Blue Lion’s map trajectory and desert geography), the academic year starts in early August. Also, it wouldn’t make sense for Lance to be promoted mid-year. He’d logically start the Fighter Pilot course at the beginning of the school year. Another key detail that supports this timeline is Iverson’s dig at Lance in the very first episode — comparing him to Keith and saying, “You’re only here because the best pilot dropped out.” That line only lands if Keith’s absence is still fresh. If Lance had held the Fighter Pilot position for a full year, proving himself day in and day out, Iverson’s insult wouldn’t carry the same sting — because clearly, Lance would have earned his place by then, and Iverson's dig would fall flat. The fact that it hits so hard suggests the promotion is still new, the wound is still raw, and Lance is still trying to prove he deserves the spot.

Also, Pidge not recognising Keith further supports this timeline. If she started or transferred into the Garrison at the beginning of the new academic year, it makes total sense that she wouldn’t know who Keith is, especially since he’d already been expelled by then. These small character beats only make sense if we assume the simulation takes place at the start of a new term.

So basically: if we line everything up — the Kerberos launch, Shiro’s disappearance and return, the academic calendar, and Lance’s promotion — the evidence points to the opening simulation in Episode 1 being the first time the Garrison Trio works together. Lance and Hunk are clearly trying to bond with Pidge, which makes sense if they just met her. And the timeline doesn’t leave room for Keith to have been out in the desert for an entire year — more like a few months, max.

What are your thoughts?

hmmm that's very interesting... I'm gonna be honest and say I've never really thought about it before, but reading this made me very curious so I tried to find everything you're talking about here.

How long did Keith live in the shack for?

First,

We know from Sam Holt that it takes two months to reach Kerberos.

Well... Pidge says this in Episode 1:

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 21:32]

and Sam says this in Pidge's flashback:

[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 03:20]

What I find curious though is that what Sam says implies that they will be eating peas for only two months, kind of implying that they'll be back to Earth after that and eat other stuff. Either that, or there is other food on Kerberos, but I don't know. Anyway, yes you're correct.

Next,

In Pidge’s flashback, the mission is officially declared a failure five months after launch.

[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 03:51]

Yup.

That implies the crew was kidnapped at the three-month mark

Well, to be fair, we don't know how long they were on Kerberos for when they were kidnapped. They could have just arrived or they could have been there for longer (not more than five months though). But alright, let's assume that they were kidnapped 3 months after launch.

and the rescue team didn’t find them on arrival.

Well, based on what Lance says here:

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 02:17]

and what Pidge says here:

[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 04:21]

I don't think they actually sent a rescue mission, but rather declared them dead when their probes couldn't find anything. Lance's class training in the simulator for a rescue mission on Kerberos makes me think that they never sent a team, but rather trained the next generation to do it. They were going to send one eventually I think.

Canon says Shiro was held captive for about a year, which would mean he crash-lands back on Earth in July or August of the following year, at the beginning of the month. That lines up with the calendar we see in Keith’s shack.

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 13:02]

Yup.

Also, it wouldn’t make sense for Lance to be promoted mid-year. He’d logically start the Fighter Pilot course at the beginning of the school year.

Yeah, I think you're right about that, because it also makes sense with what Pidge says here:

[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 09:49]

Let’s assume the Kerberos mission launched around April or May — Pidge is still 14 and in middle school, which supports a mid-year start. That puts the crew’s disappearance around August, with the mission declared a failure around September or October (which is also… peak Keith angst season, if it was October).

At first I thought it might have been a bit earlier than that, but yes, if Pidge, Lance and Hunk's training in the simulator is supposed to take place one year after their kidnapping not the declaration of failure, that would make sense.

Now, Keith is impulsive, sure — but he’s not an idiot. He wouldn’t immediately drop out of the Garrison the second Shiro disappeared. If anything, he’d double down, knowing the Garrison was his best shot at figuring out what happened. It’s likely he held on at least until Shiro’s birthday or the end of the school year before he was either expelled or quit.

I'm very sure Keith did not quit, because it is heavily implied that he was expelled due to "disciplinary issues" when Iverson says this:

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 04:58]

and thanks to the flashbacks in season 7, we know that Keith is likely to start fights, because he starts a fight after they call him a "discipline case", implying that his discipline issue is mostly his temper:

[Season 7, Episode 1: A Little Adventure, 03:26]

[Season 7, Episode 1: A Little Adventure, 10:54]

Keith himself also says he was "booted" which means thrown out, and not "left" or anything like that:

[Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron, 13:09]

So, Keith was most likely expelled due to a fight. Whether that was with Iverson or with some kid who was talking shit, I can't say, cause we never saw it. It's also likely he had a large disagreement with Iverson and he was told to leave the Garrison. But again, idk, cause we never get this clarified.

But yes, it is very likely that this didn't happen immediately. I can't say for how long though. Until they declared it after the kidnapping, it's already less than a year (3 months if we take your assumption), so max. if Keith was expelled immediately after they announced it, he would have only lived in the shack for 9 months. I do think it's more like mid-school-year though, since then Lance would have time to apply for the Fighter Pilot position and basically work his way up, but this is a bit unclear.

If Lance had held the Fighter Pilot position for a full year, proving himself day in and day out, Iverson’s insult wouldn’t carry the same sting — because clearly, Lance would have earned his place by then, and Iverson's dig would fall flat. The fact that it hits so hard suggests the promotion is still new, the wound is still raw, and Lance is still trying to prove he deserves the spot.

yes I agree.

Also, Pidge not recognising Keith further supports this timeline. If she started or transferred into the Garrison at the beginning of the new academic year, it makes total sense that she wouldn’t know who Keith is, especially since he’d already been expelled by then.

Keith definitely was expelled by the time Pidge starts at the Garrison.

All in all, your logic is solid, and so is your evidence! Keith most likely only spent a few months at the shack after being booted from the Garrison, not a whole year! I think the reason people say it's a year, is that the show tells us a year has passed since Shiro's kidnapping, and it's sort of the only time-frame we have. But yeah, this was fun!

[ptw30]

Random Pic of Shiro - Day 4

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