TV Show review
June 10, 2016 · TV-Y7 · Ended · Action · Sci-Fi · Animation · Family · Fantasy · Kids · Adventure
Based on 8 seasons, 76 episodes · through December 14, 2018
Voltron: Legendary Defender is a sci-fi cartoon reboot about five teenagers who pilot flying robot lions. They must work together to form the giant robot Voltron and protect the universe. The show features a very diverse team of heroes, including a main character who is revealed to be gay. It also changes a classic male character from the original 1980s show into a girl. The series places a heavy focus on modern themes of gender and identity.
Why 88%? See the score breakdownBreakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Voltron: Legendary Defender.
Woke representation / casting
The show features a highly diverse cast of pilots with different ethnic backgrounds. This includes a major emphasis on queer representation, adding significant weight to this score. The leader of the group, Shiro, is a gay man, and his personal life and relationships are highlighted. Other characters are also coded to fit modern diversity priorities.
75%
Woke political dialogue
The dialogue is mostly focused on standard sci-fi action, space battles, and teamwork. There are no heavy-handed political lectures, but characters occasionally talk about identity, accepting who they are, and breaking social boundaries.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
A key plotline involves Pidge disguising her gender to join the academy, and she continues to reject traditional feminine traits even after her secret is out. Shiro's storyline also heavily features his struggles as a gay man, his grief over losing his partner, and his ultimate romantic happy ending.
60%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The main conflict is a standard sci-fi battle against a cruel alien empire. The show does not actively attack Western culture, Christianity, or traditional family structures, though it does mildly critique imperialist power dynamics and rigid social hierarchies.
5%
Woke character or canon changes
The series makes huge changes to the original 1980s cartoon. Pidge was changed from a boy to a girl. Sven, a straight character from the original show, was replaced by Shiro, who was rewritten as a gay Japanese leader. These changes were explicitly made to align with modern diversity and queer representation standards.
80%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
While most online drama came from shipping wars, traditional viewers and anti-woke commentators criticized the show. They argued that changing classic characters and showing a same-sex wedding in the finale was forced diversity meant to please modern activist audiences.
40%
Creator track record context
Executive producers Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery have a notable history of championing diversity and queer representation in their cartoons. They actively used this show to test the limits of what networks would allow for LGBTQ+ content in kids' media.
58%
Production
