Voltron Season 7: Back to Earth

Ok, I’m no longer sure if anything can be considered a season by Netflix, or if Voltron is special in its inconsistency. It’s only been slightly less than two months since the last season came out, which isn’t a season break so much as a hiatus. But, this time there are 13 episodes, and, more importantly, on single coherent arc. Season 7 is definitely a season.

If you’ve never watched Voltron, or read any of my Voltron reviews, well, season 7 is an odd place to jump in but you do you. If you want recaps, here are links for seasons 1-2, seasons 3-5, and season 6. From here on out, we are in spoiler territory.

Characters

Last time, I complained that Hunk was the only character to get basically zero development, and now he gets some. Not a ton, but getting past the comic relief and into the bravery of the only character who hates adventuring was really sweet, as were the bits about him and his family.

And Lance continued to be less annoying and more sympathetic than the earlier seasons so yay!

Beyond that, as always, I love Pidge, who had a lot less to do this season, but I’m ok with that. Shiro and Keith remain my other two favorites, especially since their relationship is great. I especially liked how much Keith has stepped up to help Shiro, and the amount of faith the two have in each other.

Shipping

We can’t talk about Voltron shipping without dealing with the giant pre-season reveal, namely the announcement that Shiro had a fiance, Adam, before the series started and the space adventure began. And that Adam was going to be in season 7. Which he was … for like half a second. Seriously, I think it was maybe a minute, maybe, that he was in. There absolutely should have been more Adam. Even if only from a narrative perspective - more Adam would have heightened the emotional impact of everything for both Shiro and the audience.

I'm not going into the discussion of queerbaiting - aka hinting at an LGBTQ relationship without showing it in an effort to draw in fans - that is currently surrounding Shiro/Adam. That's a post in it of itself and requires a larger discussion on corporate promotion vs the work itself and how those things shape a narrative and audience expectations and I'm not going down that rabbit hole today.

That said, despite what the internet thinks, it is abundantly clear that romantic relationships are a low priority for Voltron. And I respect that. Personally, as a woman, I really hate that the media seems to assume that without relationships, I won’t be interested in something. I love shipping and soap opera-y TV shows, but that’s not the only thing I love. Not everything has to be about romantic relationships.

Delightful Bits

Shiro gets his own giant fighting robot! So cool. Granted, I thought given the size, the Atlas-robot was a little underpowered, but it was its first time out and he was acting on instinct so its fine. But I’m excited and expect a more epic fight scene next season.

Season 6 had the Dungeons and Dragons silly episode, so this season had a gameshow episode. Which was just as delightful. And necessary given how dark the series get. Also, it was great to see Keith’s former bully, be all soldier/team-leader guy. I applaud both the worldbuilding and the signal that people on Earth have changed too while the mechanical lions were off saving the universe.

Conclusion

It’s always hard in shows to keep the drama and tension going when you’ve already upped the stakes in previous seasons. They had plenty of epic battles in the first six seasons, so how do you make a threat fresh? Make it personal – make it about Earth. It really was a brilliant move, because even though it’s the fate of just one planet, unlike previous seasons, it’s Earth and their families this time. That makes it more serious.

Big picture wise, this is actually the most coherent season I’ve seen in Voltron, and I really enjoyed it. And honestly, I feel like most of my questions or issues I’ve brought up over the course of my reviews keep getting dealt with by the writers. There has even payoff for some of what seemed like odd pacing or character choices, like Lance suddenly having siblings and Pidge’s father being rescued and sent back to Earth so quickly. It makes me trust the writers more. They know what they are doing, story-wise, and I greatly appreciate that. This is the first season of Voltron that I’ve wanted to rewatch.

There is only one more season of Voltron left. I’m pretty confident that it’s going to go out with a bang, and I’m excited to see that happen.