The WORST episodes of Voltron: Defender of the Universe

#1 - 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.

#2 - The Captive Comet

Season 1 - Episode 39 - Aired 10/22/1984

Haggar tells Zarkon the story of the Omega Comet, which is mysterious in that it behaves like a black hole by sucking everything it passes up with its massive gravitational pull. Voltron at one time had stashed the comet away into a far corner of the universe where nobody could find it - until now. With Romelle on deck to witness it, the Doomies send the coment on a course for Arus. Romelle manages to get a warning call out to the Castle of Lions about the Comet and of course Coran knows exactly the danger they face in the path of the comet.

#3 - Summit Meeting

Season 1 - Episode 47 - Aired 11/22/1984

#4 - 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.

#5 - 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.

#6 - 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.

#7 - 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.

#8 - Raid of the Alien Mice

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 10/10/1984

Beastly looking mice (that look more like rats) are in the Castle of Lions wreaking havoc - things are exploding, catching on fire...you name it. After some investigating with the Castle scanners, it's determined that the pests are holed up in the room where most if not all of the Castle's circuitry to its computer controls are located. The men of the Voltron Force head that way to investigate only to end up getting in an exchange of laser fire with the beasts (the alien mice can shoot red beams out of their eyes - scary!).

#9 - 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.

#10 - 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.

#11 - 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.

#12 - 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.

#13 - 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.

#14 - 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.

#15 - 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.

#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 - Short Run of the Centipede Express

Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 10/11/1984

Lotor is daydreaming of Allura once again when Zarkon summons him. Planet Moura has been captured and it's time to have a little arena fun with some slaves. Zarkon also has a new toy he wants Lotor to tend to - it's an Ion Laser Gun that will be powerful enough to obliterate Arus when finished. Meanwhile, Voltron is lurking in an asteroid belt so the VF can keep tabs on the activity on Moura, as well as observe Zarkon's other new toy - the Centipede Express. Upon deciding reconnosence is in order, Keith and Lance use Green Lion's head to fly down to the planet's surface. Armed with explosives, they aim to strategically place them around the giant Ion gun in hopes of destroying it. By knocking out a few Doomite guards, they score the perfect disguises to proceed in.

#18 - 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!

#19 - The Green Medusa

Season 1 - Episode 27 - Aired 10/15/1984

In this installment, Lotor travels to another planet and decides to capture a grieving female Medusan called Anga. She spends some time in the Arena on Doom and the royals are pleased by what they see: when Anga gets angry, she gets tough (just like the story of Medusa, her hair becomes serpants and her glance turns things to stone). Lotor and the old witch think Anga would make a fine Robeast.

#20 - The Sleeping Princess

Season 1 - Episode 30 - Aired 10/18/1984

Zarkon has decided it's time for Lotor to take a suitor and presents him with Princess Koral from Demos. He kisses her (a taste test?), and while she's attractive enough, Lotor just can't shake his dream of having Allura all to himself.

#21 - 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.

#22 - Secret of the White Lion

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/28/1984

Seeing a vision of a white lion, Allura is compelled to follow it. She follows the creature to a waterfall, believing it is her father reincarnated.

#23 - 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.

#24 - Zarkon Becomes a Robeast

Season 1 - Episode 50 - Aired 11/23/1984

Lotor is still smarting over his defeat in the last episode, marveling at how such a perfect plan went so wrong (though in the flashback, Lotor got a lot of the details of the last two episodes entirely wrong). Then, armed Doomites show up to arrest the Prince on Zarkon's orders and he's brought before his father. Zarkon orders him, like all that fail in battle, to be punished by going to prison. Haggar, however, is worried that the planets Lotor had conquered would revolt if their conquerer was imprisoned. Instead, she suggests Zarkon invite them to Lotor's court martial so that they would pledge allegiance to Zarkon. So Lotor is locked up pending his court martial.

#25 - 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.