The BEST episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe season 1
Every episode of Voltron: Defender of the Universe season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe season 1!
From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend. The legend of Voltron: Defender of the Universe! A mighty robot. Loved by good, feared by evil. As Voltron's legend grew, peace settled across the galaxy. On planet Earth, a galaxy alliance was formed. Together with the good planets of the solar system, they maintained peace throughout the universe. Until a new horrible menace threatened the galaxy. Voltron was needed once more. This is the story of the super force of space explorers. Specially trained and sent by the Alliance to bring back Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
#1 - Escape to Another Planet
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/11/1984
After escaping from Planet Doom aboard a stolen slave ship, the five space explorers are chased to Planet Arus by Yurak's forces. Crash landing on the worn torn planet, the five youn men find themselves unwelcomed by the citizens, who are afraid of what will happen to them. The slowly make their away across the desert to the ruined castle, in hopes that they will be able to find the secret to the legend of Voltron. There, they are greeted by Coran, the Castle Magistrate, who relates to them, the story of how Arus was once a beautiful planet within the Diamond Galaxy, and thusly destroyed by King Zarkon's forces. He however, looks over the young Princess Allura, the last survivor of the royal family and daughter to King Alfor, the man who created Voltron. The five space explorers vow to help resurrect the fallen robot defender and to help protect Arus against King Zarkon's forces. With Yurak adamant on finding them, Coran tells them of the locations of each Lion robot, in hopes that they will uncover secret to join them together to form Voltron
#2 - Space Explorers Captured
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/10/1984
The Planet Arus has been under attack by the ruthless King Zarkon for many years. Responding to a call for help, Galaxy Garrison sends a team of five young space explorers, Keith, Lance, Sven, Hunk and Pidge, hoping they could reach the devastated planet, in hopes to offer help. However, they are captured by Yurak before they could land on the beautiful planet. Knowing that they would be used as entertainment for the citizens of Doom in Haggar's Robeast arena, they work out an escape plan, to find a way out of the Doom Castle and a way to get back to Arus. Hunk's brute strength and Pidge's agility, they are able to break out of their meager cell and hijack a Doom Slave ship. Pursued by Doom Robot fighters, the five explorers managed to reach Planet Arus. They then recall a legend of a mighty robot, named Voltron that once stood and fought against the forces of Doom. Though defeated, whe King Zarkon's witch, Haggar disguised herself as a beautiful goddess, then split the giant defender into five lion ships, sending the robot lions crashing to Arus' surface. The five explorers then vow to find a way of learning the secret to Voltron, in hopes to resurrect the mighty robot, and save Arus from the forces of King Zarkon.
#3 - A Ghost and Four Keys
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/12/1984
Angered by Yurak's failures, Zarkon tasks his evil witch Haggar to send a robeast to Planet Arus, in hopes of capturing the five space explorers who escaped him and destroy what was left of any hopes to resurrect Voltron. Haggar sends her best robeast to Arus. On Arus, the newly formed Voltron Force watches helplessly as Yuraks forces attack Arus, while Coran reluctantly keeps the secret of the Lion ships to himself. Pidge decides to head out by himself to see exactly how near Yurak's forces are getting to the castle. Coran then reveals that the only way to activate the slumbering machines, is to locate the 5 mystic keys that can operate them. To Allura's surprise, he tells them that the keys were entombed with her father, the late King Alfor. Together, the members along with the Princess, make their way to the where King Alfor is entombed, and upon etnering the crypt, King Alfor's ghost makes his presence known to them. He shares with them his appreciation that five young strangers are willing to devote their lives to the protection of Arus. Unfortunately, to their dismay, only four keys are found with King Alfor, meaning that Voltron can't be formed, since the key to the Black Lion is missing. Reluctantly, the team take the four lions ships; Blue, Red, Yellow and Green , hoping to thwart the forces of Yurak. They are able to take out the many robot fighter ships and troops, but when Haggar's robeast finally lands on the planet, they soon realize that they are not prepared to handle a fight of this magnitude. Coran and the Princess watch in horror, as their new friends were easily defeated by the meanacing robeast.
#4 - The Missing Key
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/13/1984
Zarkon is angered that both Yurak and Haggar have failed in their attempts to bring back the escaped space explorers from Planet Arus. Haggar reassures Zarkon, that her robeast will be able to destroy the Voltron Force before they are able to find the missing key to the Black Lion. Pidge, slowly makes his way back to the Castle of Lions, where Coran and Princess Allura are worried that the five young men have just risked their lives in a failed attempt to bring back the legendary defender. On his return, Pidge makes his way back to the control room where Coran delivers the bad news. However, hope returns when Keith, Hunk, Lance and Sven recover from their ordeal and return to the castle. Still, the key to the Black Lion is still missing, so they make one last attempt to find it. Upon returning to King Alfor's tomb, they discover that there was a small mouse hole in the stone coffin. Pidge suggests that they capture the space mice he ran into earlier, in hopes of discovering the location of the missing key. They capture the four mice, and decide to question them about the whereabouts of the key they took. Allura however, interrupts them, asking them to let her friends go, revealing that the mice were the only creatures that gave her comfort in her years of being alone. On their suggestion, Allura questions her friends and learn that they took the key because they thought it was pretty. Making a deal, they release the mice, and they return with the key to the Black Lion. Just in time, the Voltron Force then launch to confront Haggar's robeast. The robeast puts up a great fight, and prevents them from forming Voltron, but on their second attempt, they are able to break free from the robeast attack and form the legendary defender. By forming the Blazing Sword, they are able to destroy the robeast.
#5 - Pidge's Home Planet
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 10/25/1984
Pidge's home planet of Balto is being barraged with nuclear missiles as Coran and Nanny are putting the pressure on Allura to get married. The Voltron Force (minus Allura) goes to Balto despite Coran's attempts to place them under house arrest in a last desperate attempt to save the planet.
#6 - Final Victory
Season 1 - Episode 52 - Aired 11/27/1984
The last episode in season one finds the Lions trying to penetrate Castle Dooms defenses with a little help from Romelle's crew of rebels on the ground. Coran also decides it's time to lend a hand, so he flies the Castle of Lions to Doom to level the playing field.
#7 - The Invisible Robeast
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 10/26/1984
The gist of this one is implied pretty well by the title - Zarkon and Co. send an invisible Robeast to Arus to take care of the Voltron Force. Coming back in a carriage after a day of picking fruit, Allura, Nanny, Lance and Pidge and some space mice are caught offguard when the invisible Robeast attacks. It overturns their carriage into a nearby lake - luckily, all are able to escape a watery fate. But before Allura can climb out of the lake, the Robeast picks her up and carries her away. After a few well placed laser blasts from Pidge's pistol, the Robeast drops Allura. However, it's not done with them. Hiding near a bluff, they're shocked to find a bolder the Robeast threw barreling toward them. Fortunately, the others at the Castle caught an inkling of what was going on and so the boulder harmlessly ends its journey on the back of Black Lion.
#8 - Doom Boycotts the Space Olympics
Season 1 - Episode 35 - Aired 10/29/1984
The Voltron Force men are busy using a huge earth mover to help construct a new stadium where the Space Olympics are to be held on Arus. A few local children are hanging out with them while they work. An amusing scene ensues when the Princess and Nanny burst into the barracks-type lodgings the boys share while Keith is showering.
#9 - Treasure of Planet Tyrus
Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 10/30/1984
To celebrate his birthday, Lotor takes a trip to planet Tyrus. While getting a massage from scantly clad servants, Zarkon informs Lotor that he sent a ship with a present for Lotor ( a big gold statue of the Prince, to be exact). However, the ship ran into some trouble on its way to Tyrus and as luck would have it, the Voltron Force picked up the S.O.S.
#10 - The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Season 1 - Episode 31 - Aired 10/31/1984
While Haggar works on her latest Robeast, Zarkon and Lotor are settling a 'difference of opinions' (haha) by having Lotor destroy a few beasts in the Arena. Once Lotor easily disposes of the beasts, he challenges his father to a duel. Things seem to go well for the Prince until he realizes his father got in a much better blow than he did (Lotor's helmet splits and his head bleeds while Zarkon merely suffers damage to his cape thingie - oh and did anyone else catch this animation error? When Lotor charges at his father he lacks a helmet, but as he gets closer to strike suddenly the helmet is on. wtf?). What the Doomite royalty will stoop to for power!
#11 - Return of Coran's Son
Season 1 - Episode 48 - Aired 11/1/1984
The team are out practicing in the Lions and decide to race back to the Castle. As they go, Blue Lion flies over a mysterious stranger and just as she does so, her Lion goes haywire and she crashes. Depsite the fact that she called in her distress, the boys are clueless until they get back to the Castle and get chewed out by Coran and Nanny. Luckily, they heard her call and have tracked her to the surface of a moon. They witness the stranger help Princess out of her Lion, and quickly take a ship to go rescue her. Pidge seems to think the stranger is an OK guy, but Lance once again has his suspicions. The stranger is ready to humbly exit the scene but the team as well as Coran and Nanny want to thank him and know his name.
#12 - Coran's Son Runs Amuck
Season 1 - Episode 49 - Aired 11/2/1984
Leaving off from the previous episode, Voltron manages to blast off before the robeast could get a good swipe in but they're not out of the woods yet. They're back in the Robeast-cannon pickle but Keith has a plan. Holding the robeast in the way, Keith hopes Lotor shoots them booth. But when the blast hits the robeast, he orders the team to disengage so that it appears Voltron was also blown to pieces. Lotor indeed thinks he's triumphed. Garrett then calls Lotor from the Castle to remind him that he promised to send 10,000 clones to Arus for Garrett to rule. Lotor dismisses Garrett, thinking the clone has worn out his welcome now that he's defeated Voltron.
#13 - The Sand People
Season 1 - Episode 42 - Aired 11/5/1984
After being alerted to more Doomite mischief, the Voltron Force fly their Lions to a distant sand planet to prevent its friendly creature inhabitants from becoming unwilling pawns in Haggar's plan to make hundreds of them into Robeasts.
#14 - Magnetic Attraction
Season 1 - Episode 29 - Aired 11/6/1984
This one has that amusing sequence where the Voltron Force is honing their hand-to-hand combat skills and Allura lays the smackdown on Lance. Depsite how tough she is, Allura's still no match for Nanny's and Coran's combined anal retention. In yet another instance of same-ish plot recycling, Allura is hauled off to do more Princess-worthy activities.
#15 - Lotor's Clone
Season 1 - Episode 36 - Aired 11/7/1984
Zarkon kicks off the episode by berating Lotor for his failures while all but calling him a coward for sending robots into battle where he should be leading. Lotor promises to deliver a plan that doesn't involve robots and then leaves to consult with Haggar. She took a culture from the Prince and together with her magic, has created a clone of Lotor to lead the troops. Appearance-wise, the clone is an exact duplicate but Haggar claims he'll have twice the strength and unafraid. Basically, the clone with do the dirty work while the real Lotor will get all the glory. After testing the clone's skill on two unsuspecting robot Doomites in the arena, they're off to Arus.
#16 - Attack of the Fierce Frogs
Season 1 - Episode 33 - Aired 11/8/1984
The opening scene here is classic. Zarkon is drinking a glass of wine but decides to hurl the goblet at Lotor, which cracks him squarely in the forehead. The reason for violence? Zarkon is disgusted at his son's efforts to take over Arus. When Lotor whines about Voltron always mucking up his plans, Zarkon advises him to find a weakness in Voltron's armor. Enter Haggar with her latest Robeast which is designed to fight best underwater - where Voltron is weakest. When Lotor wonders how they'll trick Voltron into fighting in water, Haggar produces a tank of 'mini-robeasts' that resemble tadpoles.
#17 - Voltron vs. Voltron
Season 1 - Episode 44 - Aired 11/9/1984
Yadle, an unattended colony-planet of Zarkon's, declares itself independent and prepares to celebrate along with its allies, the Voltron Force. Haggar creates a Voltron look-alike to subdue its people with Lotor's guards before it will be used to attack the real robot. A young friend named Bobby goes to guide the Voltron Force to Yadle to get through Zarkon's magnetic field. However, they have yet to be warned that they are awaited by a robot that has all their powers and the ability to know what maneuvers they will perform even before they carry them out.
#18 - Voltron Frees the Slaves
Season 1 - Episode 43 - Aired 11/12/1984
Lotor once again is up to no good. First he conquers a new planet and dubs it Zarkonia. The people of Zarkonia are promptly enslaved and treated poorly, which Lotor hopes will draw Voltron...for he and Haggar have a little trap for their loathed arch enemy when he arrives.
#19 - The Mighty Space Mouse
Season 1 - Episode 46 - Aired 11/13/1984
Cheesy and his mousy cohorts are training to become warriors - you know, one of the team! Oh brother.While out training with pans on their heads as pseudo-helmets, they run across Haggar's blue cat and run to tell the Voltron Force of that little presence of Doom. Amid the excitement, the team unveils the Mouse Plane for the rodents, which is a tiny robotic mouse for them all to pilot. Heck, they even get mini-uniforms not unlike the Voltron Force's own. Cute, in that gag-me saccharine kind of way.
#20 - Lotor's New Hit Man
Season 1 - Episode 37 - Aired 11/14/1984
Lotor, Zarkon and Morgill are watching some of the up and coming pilots in the Academy practice when a stand-out performance from one catches their eye. The pilot, Carp, does a bold fly-by at the trio before landing. Morgill wants to kill him for his wreckless endagerment of the King, but Lotor sees the potential in his skill as a pilot and has him spared after Zarkon seconds that notion. Carp is willing to pilot a robeast for Doom but insists it be built to his specs and, when he defeats Voltron, demands to be made Governor General of Arus. Morgill has never been more infuriated but must hold his tongue and his sword.
#21 - A Transplant for the Blue Lion
Season 1 - Episode 32 - Aired 11/15/1984
This is a sequel to the previous episode. Both sides it seems are licking their wounds, so to speak, and preparing to do better next time. Princess is nursing her shoulder injury and worried about her Lion, when her father appears on the Castle monitor to impart some wisdom. He tells her and the rest of the team that the Lions are like 5 parts of a stream flowing into a river.
#22 - Raid of the Red Berets
Season 1 - Episode 38 - Aired 11/16/1984
Instead of your typical Robeast, this time Haggar and Lotor have cooked up an elite fighting force of robots they call the Red Berets. Even Zarkon is impressed with their fighting style when he sees them in action at the Arena. The force of about 5 Berets is launched to Arus with a Robeast overnight.
#23 - My Brother is a Robeast
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 11/19/1984
The Royal family from Planet Pollux has made a visit to planet doom. Lotor seems to have a particular thing against the planet's prince, Avok. So Avok is sent to the arena where he successfully beats a hiddeous beast. Infuriated, Lotor challenges the man himself and they get into a heated sword fight. But then Lotor spies Avok's sister and little brother standing on the sidelines the sister, Romelle, bears a striking resemblance to Allura. While he's busy gawking at the look-alike, Avok disarms Lotor.
#24 - One Princess to Another
Season 1 - Episode 45 - Aired 11/20/1984
Bandor gets a memo bearing some bad news - Zarkon and his cohorts are planning to fuel some 500 robeasts on a satellite called Nuklon. Something has to be done, and Sven and Romelle ( in a kickin' new 60's go-go girl outfit and cape - meow! ) elect to do the doing.
#25 - It'll Be a Cold Day
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 11/21/1984
This one starts with Princess Romelle of Pollux being tossed into a dungeon cell on Doom by Prince Lotor. Due to her resemblance to her cousin Allura, Lotor figures he might as well live vicariously through her and snag a smooch. Of course, he is seriously denied when she sends him packing with a hefty slap to the face. She even tries to stab him with a sharp rock. Poor Lotor, he gets no respect.