#voltron interstellar uprising

[voltron-interstellar-uprising]

Reject modernity embrace tradition

[jellyfax]

Voltron: Legendary [Deeply Flawed] Defender

To be honest, I’ve never been much of a fan of Voltron. I’ve probably seen more parodies of the franchise than I have episodes of the original show or any of its adaptations and spin-offs. Not too long ago, I had regret my lack of fanaticism for the cartoon because, since its release, Netflix’s 2016 remake, Voltron: Legendary Defender (VLD), has received plenty of good press. According to numerous critics and fans, the animated series is a stellar revamp of the original 1984 production. This praise sparked my interest, so I watched seasons one and two (a grand total of 24 episodes) to see what the fuss is all about.

PREMISE

The premise of the series is simple and the 1-hour pilot episode skillfully establishes the world the characters of VLD inhabit. Five young Earthlings (Shiro, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Keith) unwitting stumble upon an ancient mech in the shape of a lion and they are jettisoned into a cosmic battle against the Galra Empire, an oppressive alien regime which has colonized much of the universe. After a 10,000-year slumber, two survivors of the Galra’s genocidal onslaught of the planet Altea, Princess Allura and her guardian Coran, are awakened. Now the last remaining Alteans must teach the five Earthlings how to pilot five color-coded mech lions. These lions can combine to form the most powerful weapon in the universe: the giant humanoid mech, Voltron. With Voltron, our heroes are the only ones who stand a chance against the imposing Galra threat.

Given this synopsis, my first concern is: how can Voltron be the greatest weapon in the universe? Now before I tackle this issue, I must say that I’m aware that this claim originates from the 80′s series (it’s titled Voltron: Defender of the Universe for a reason). While this proclamation is a staple in the 1984 Voltron, in the 2016 remake the assertion comes off as outdated and out of place. Let me examine. What may have been an acceptable in-universe motto in the 80′s when general audiences were likely less familiar with the mindboggling scope of space, doesn’t work for viewers nowadays. Audiences of the 21st century are more acquainted with the implications of the universe through three decades of fictional media and scientific discovery. That being said, in the universe of VLD where space is filled with scores of intelligent alien lifeforms, it’s difficult to believe that only the Alteans and Galra have the capability to wield unfathomable interstellar power. The cosmos is immense, and due to its vastness, it can be sensibly assumed that there are people who have designed weapons that are far more advanced than anything either the Alteans or the Galra have produced. After 10,000 years, it’s astonishing that even the Galra are unable to match the supremacy of Voltron. Throughout the series, aliens are represented almost exclusively as peaceful or, more accurately, as people so downtrodden they can’t hope to oppose the Galra Empire. It can be expected that millenniums of subjugation by the Galra Empire would cause many civilizations to become too hesitant to cause an uprising. However, as previously stated, the universe is beyond enormous and there would more than enough people to prevent the Galra from gaining such a tight hold on most of the universe.

Aside from “because the original plot says so,” the series gives us no real justification for why team Voltron and the Galra are the most powerful forces in the entire universe. This assault on the viewer’s suspension of disbelief and deeply contrived storytelling reflects VLD’s inability to truly revive the Voltron franchise. Voltron received a remake not only to appeal to lifelong fans, but also to introduce new viewers to the franchise. The only problem is that the writers of the new series aren’t adjusting aspects of the story’s original premise to the new world they created in VLD; it isn’t enough to add glitzy CGI fight scenes, snarky characters, and edgy redesigns, the original plotline should have been retooled a bit more too. Maybe the whole “strongest in the universe” thing made sense within the context of Voltron 1984, but in Voltron 2016 it makes very little sense in an established universe that’s populated with legions of complex alien life.  Overall, VLD doesn’t fully transform, reimagine, or contest Voltron’s status as the greatest weapon in the universe. Thus, making for a somewhat stale rebooted premise which simply copies the original premise instead of refining it.

CHARACTERIZATION

As the saying goes, a story is only as good as its villain, and if that saying is accurate then VLD is a very flawed story. Emperor Zarkon, the ruler of the Garla, serves as the main antagonist and it’s his motives that genuinely drive the plot. In season two, it’s revealed that he had collaborated with the Alteans to create Voltron and that he manned the lead lion, the Black Lion. In Zarkon’s eyes, Voltron is rightfully his and he is on a mission to reclaim his weapon. And while that may sound exciting, it all plays out as if Zarkon is a jilted lover who can’t stand rejection. Every time we’re confronted with Zarkon, he’s never terrorizing his dominion like a horrible tyrant, because he’s always fixated on acquiring his precious Voltron. He’s not spurred on by xenophobic hate, he’s not a well-intended extremist, or even a demented power-hungry dictator; he’s just motivated by a grudge and he wants revenge. How captivating. Granted, he states that he can unlock Voltron’s potential and conquer the universe, but conquering the universe never seems to be his main goal. After 10,000 years, you’d think Zarkon would move on to bigger and better weapons. Or even want to destroy Voltron more than anything to prove his might, but no he’s just a petty, pathetic, and uninteresting nincompoop. In the finale of season two, Zarkon has the opportunity to kill Princess Allura and effectively destroy Voltron’s headquarters, but he ignores this opening, attacks Voltron instead, and ultimately fails to defeat his enemies. In the end, it’s his singular interest in Voltron that spells his demise. While that might seem like cliché yet reasonable writing, his tactless actions are just an easy way to have the heroes win the battle. In short, Zarkon is yet another case of a villain who’s comedically inept, because the writers can’t be bothered to challenge the protagonists of their story.

Flimsy, out-of-focus characterization is the norm in VLD; characters are bland, one-note, and they don’t really develop over the course of the series. The writers never try to disguise the fact that each character is simply a plot device and nothing more. Although, the characters can be enjoyable at times and some are even quite likable, that’s likely due to the expressive voice acting. The voice performances of the cast are truly excellent with the valiant Allura (Kimberly Brooks) and funnyman Lance (Jeremy Shada) being among the most memorable. The actors do well with what they’re given, but even their fantastic acting can’t save the show.

PACING

The pacing of the narrative is also poor. Generally, a program with episodes that progress naturally, without interruption are fine and VLD is intended to be binge-watched, so it’s only appropriate that it flow so well. Even so, they flow to the point that episodes become indistinguishable and indistinct from another. This isn’t helped by how the writers choose to reveal information about the setting and its characters. Certain reveals overstay their welcome and when this happens the narrative is clearly stalling for time. Oftentimes, the stagnation of revelations only serves to make the protagonists seem like their sabotaging their own mission due to incompetence. For instance, it takes the first several episodes of season two for the characters to accept that Zarkon can sense their coordinates via his mental connection to the Black Lion, a connection they learned about in the finale of season one. Despite knowing this very relevant information, they denied the possibility that Zarkon could track their whereabouts for six, whole episodes! Even without filler episodes, the series still manages to somewhat derail itself.

FINAL VERDICT

It feels as if the experienced writers of VLD are just going through the motions and are simply writing the cartoon in their sleep. All that said, Voltron: Legendary Defender isn’t a bad series, but isn’t exactly good either; frankly it’s mediocre. Although it has highlights, it’s stunted premise, lackluster characterization, and pacing issues prevent it from being anything more than serviceable. Let’s hope that season three amends the follies of its predecessors.

[voltron-interstellar-uprising]

an arm and a leg in these trying times. an actual question tho: Where does everyone's relationships lie in this AU? like in VLD hunk and lance were besties and Shiro and Keith brothers,, but in DOTU they all just kinda coexisted. who's everyone's preferred hangout buddy?

Okay first of all I blasted my vocal chords finding this message

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FANART I LOVE IT!!

And to answer your question, Hunk Pidge and Lance tend to gravitate towards each other the most, and the same applies to Keith and Sven, but Allura tends to be closest to Lance and Pidge for casual conversations.

Sven and Pidge are both technical in terms of thought process, so they also tend to bond pretty effortlessly.

And Keith hangs out with Hunk often because they're the most normal ones around!

They're all still very new to the whole team dynamic that they have to foster, since they've all known each other for less than a year. It's all very new and very nervewracking but they already know that together they can create wonderful things.

I'll elaborate more on a future post, so keep your eyes peeled!

[voltron-interstellar-uprising]

Mr. Hotshot Pilot 

Although arrogant and reckless to a fault, the only thing Lance McClain is confident in is in his ability to fly above the rest, with any junk piece of metal you throw at him. However, becoming the second-in-command of the Voltron Force might prove to be more than just a challenge that hinders him…if he catches on fast enough. 

[voltron-interstellar-uprising]

It’s about high time I actually shared the formal designs of each of the members of the Voltron Force! I’ll be posting each of them in their separate entries, and perhaps I’ll also draw more characters that will appear in the story. (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Lance, Hunk, Allura, Pidge, Sven, Keith)