Everything You Need to Know About 'Voltron' Before Season 2
All the twists and plot developments to remember.
The Voltron Paladins are returning to their cockpits in Season 2 of Voltron Legendary Defender, premiering January 20 on Netflix. After a stellar first season that premiered last summer, there’s now legit excitement for the animated series that reboots the iconic Voltron anime from the ‘80s.
While the convenience of Netflix means there’s certainly a ton of viewers experiencing Voltron Legendary Defender for the first time right now, the last time fans saw the Lions soar through space was a binge-fueled weekend back in June. So what’s there to remember about the series before its second season premiere?
Just a couple things.
The pilots are scattered throughout space.
A handful of Voltron fans saw the first episode at New York Comic Con last October, but for everyone else, the cliffhanger finale of Season 1 ended with the Voltron Force scattered in a wormhole. Separated from Princess Allura, the castle, and each other, the pilots will have to survive whatever danger awaits them in the vastness of the galaxy.
Zarkon’s heroic past was revealed, and Shiro lives!
Zarkon, who is basically a Trump-like war monger who is over 10,000 years old thanks to harvested fuel called Quintessence, actually had a heroic past: He was the original Black Paladin, and still wielded the Black Paladin’s bayard (designated weapon).
In a fateful fight with Shiro, Zarkon won. But Shiro, who in the cliffhanger looked like he might have died, will live through Season 2. “We tried to set up a world where there would be very real consequences,” co-showrunner Lauren Montgomery said in an interview. “These characters, none of them are totally safe. We try to make this a situation where bad things can happen.”
Who is Thace?
There’s a mole in Zarkon’s army: Thace, a mysterious Galra Empire soldier who betrays Zarkon in the finale, allowing the Voltron Force and the Castle to escape. Thace’s motives are still unknown, but expect Season 2 to answer why.
Thace in the Season 1 finale of 'Voltron Legendary Defender'
Pidge is a girl, and she’s looking for her lost family.
In what was one of the coolest surprises in Season 1 of Voltron Legendary Defender, Pidge (Bex Taylor-Klaus) was revealed to actually be a girl, Katie Holt, who posed as a boy in order to enroll in the Galactic Garrison. Katie/Pidge is a departure from the Pidge in the ‘80s original anime, who was just a stereotypical nerd with zero depth or complexity. Pidge is still kind of a nerd, mainly for the show to have a technical genius archetype, but she’s driven to rescue her family, abducted by Zarkon and his Galra Empire.
Voltron Legendary Defender premieres January 20 on Netflix.
