Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)

Name: Voltron: Defender of the Universe
Rating: 7.9

Rating: 7.9

IMDb

Voltron: Defender of the Universe Poster

Synopsis

Five lion robots and their pilots defend the planet Arus and the galaxy from evil King Zarkon.

First Air Date: 1984-09-10

Last Air Date: 1985-11-18

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 72

Networks: Syndication

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Neil Ross as Keith / Pidge (voice)
B.J. Ward as Princess Allura / Haggar (voice)
Lennie Weinrib as Hunk / Prince Lotor (voice)
Michael Bell as Lance / Sven (voice)
Jack Angel as King Zarkon (voice)
Peter Cullen as Coran / Narrator (voice)
Tress MacNeille as Queen Merla (voice)

Seasons

Lion Force: Part 1 (1984)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Space Explorers Captured (1984-09-10)

A crack team of pilots is selected by the Galaxy Alliance to travel to Planet Arus and uncover the secret of a weapon from ancient times, Voltron!
Ep. 2: Escape to Another Planet (1984-09-11)

Keith and the space explorers take the first steps on their journey to revive Voltron. They find the legendary Royal Castle on the surface of Planet Arus.
Ep. 3: A Ghost and Four Keys (1984-09-12)

Keith, Lance, Sven, Hunk and Pidge ask for help from the Princess Allura to find Voltron.
Ep. 4: The Missing Key (1984-09-13)

Keith and the team uncover the key to the Black Lion, just as King Zarkon's Robeast is about to rain havoc on Planet Arus.
Ep. 5: Princess Joins Up (1984-09-14)

Keith, Sven, Pidge, Hunk and Lance scour the surface of Planet Arus, looking for brave citizens willing to help them fight Zarkon.
Ep. 6: The Right Arm of Voltron (1984-09-17)

Yurak's attack fleet is soundly defeated by Voltron. Hagar comes up with an evil plan to get Voltron out of King Zarkon's hair for good.
Ep. 7: The Lion Has New Claws (1984-09-18)

After watching Keith and his team defend her kingdom again and again, Allura is determined to help. However, her Nanny has returned to the Castle of Lions, and is equally determined to keep her out of trouble.
Ep. 8: The Stolen Lion (1984-09-26)

The mysterious Prince Bocar appears and saves Princess Allura. He seems to be the perfect replacement for Sven as a new pilot for the Blue Lion.
Ep. 9: A Pretty Spy (1984-09-27)

Yurak's fleet shoots down a space ship over planet Aurs. Hunk manages to rescue the pilot, a pretty young slave who escaped from Planet Doom.
Ep. 10: Secret of the White Lion (1984-09-28)

Princess Allura, unsure of her ability to lead the planet, is visited in her dreams by the ghosts of her parents.
Ep. 11: Surrender (1984-10-01)

When Yurak takes a village of Allura's people captive, the Voltron Force is forced to surrender.
Ep. 12: Bad Birthday Party (1984-10-08)

Escaping from Planet Nemon, Jai seeks out Princes Allura and the Voltron Force to help save his home. Nemon is under the thumb of Tabor, a nephew of King Zarkon.
Ep. 13: The Witch Gets a Facelift (1984-10-12)

Princess Allura's aunt Orla comes to visit her at the Castle of Lions. Allura's loyal space mice seem to hate Orla, but maybe they sense something about her that the other's can't.
Ep. 14: Yurak Gets His Pink Slip (1984-10-02)

The Voltron Force successfully ground Yurak's fleet for the last time. King Zarkon is ready to banish Yurak, but then his son, Prince Lotor, returns from his journey of conquest.
Ep. 15: Give Me Your Princess (1984-10-03)

Princess Allura puts the whole team in jeopardy when she tries to pilot the Black Lion without permission.
Ep. 16: Bridge on the River Chozzerai (1984-10-04)

There is a fairy tale on planet Arus of star-crossed lovers who united their kingdoms when they met on a bridge between the two lands. As the Princess of Arus, Allura takes part in a ceremony where the famous meeting must be recreated.
Ep. 17: My Brother Is a Robeast (1984-11-19)

Planet Arus has an evil twin planet, Pollux, that has allied with Zarkon. The Voltron Force travel to Pollux in an attempt to make peace.
Ep. 18: Zarkon Is Dying (1984-10-05)

King Zarkon lies on his death-bed, and Lotor decides to use this opportunity to finish off his father and the Voltron force.
Ep. 19: The Buried Castle (1984-10-16)

An ancient castle appears from the mists on Planet Arus. Pidge and some of the local kids go exploring, but it turns out to be Haggar's trap!
Ep. 20: Pidge's Home Planet (1984-10-25)

The Voltron Force is ready to jump into action when Pidge's home planet of Balto is under attack. However, the planet is very far, and if the team leaves, Arus would be completely defenseless.
Ep. 21: It'll Be a Cold Day (1984-11-21)

After the battle on Planet Pollux, Romelle was taken prisoner by Lotor because of her resemblance to Princess Allura. She survives terrible hardships in the slave dungeons of Planet Doom, but finally escapes, crashing on the ice planet of Neeve.
Ep. 22: The Deadly Flowers (1984-10-09)

Seedlings flutter down from the sky to Arus, leaving beautiful and fragrant blooms. Arusians frolick in the fields of flowers and even Allura dances about with some blossoms the space mice brought her.
Ep. 23: It Takes Real Lions (1984-01-01)

As Lotor prepares to for another attack on Arus, Allura is forced to work harder on the things she'll be expected to do as a ruler instead of spending leisure-time with the friends she trains with. Trouble occurs when the others in the castle put her safety over her role as a Voltron Force member, and send the other four out without her. They are captured and it is forgotten that her door was locked, so Lotor has nothing to fight against when he attacks her through the window.
Ep. 24: Raid of the Alien Mice (1984-10-11)

Haggar sends a group of small robots disguised as rodents to Arus. Almost everybody is ready to blame the chewed electronics-circuitry on Allura's pets before they themselves are attacked and even more of the castle is damaged. The Voltron Force is forced to battle the creatures who have already ruined the defenses, and another robotic Lotor sends in - without being able to ride the elevators to their Lions to fight.
Ep. 25: Short Run of the Centipede Express (1984-01-01)

Zarkon can be seen testing some sort of weapon on Moura, an ally of Arus' now under his control. The Voltron Force set off to investigate. Keith and Lance use the Green Lion's head to approach and disguise themselves as guards. A young man named Haran, who stood against Lotor earlier, reports them. This nearly results in their capture after they find a massive shooting-machine. He is trusted by Lotor for his attempt to see the gun completed in a desperate hope that he will free his people. When the two approach Haran, he reveals that he blames Voltron for their enslavement, since Moura aided them in defense against Zarkon but Voltron was abroad and unable to intervene when Moura was captured. They vainly plead to have him support Voltron in order to see Zarkon's rule overthrown, and are forced to regroup to fight the weapon as well as the powerful Centipede Express Zarkon arrives in.
Ep. 26: The Invisible Robeast (1984-10-26)

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.
Ep. 27: The Green Medusa (1984-01-01)

Lotor goes to the fume-covered Planet Medusa to arouse and take one of its sleeping inhabitants to fight for him. It turns out to be a monster who can attack with snakes as hair and turn things to stone. The Voltron Force are called away from trying to arrange homes for those orphaned by Zarkon's raid against Arus to fight it. Pidge is forced to eject his struck Green Lion, knocked unconscious, and taken underground by the beast. While the others wonder whether they'll see him again, he is horrified to recover near the creature, but finds the being, Anga, is kind to him. Haggar is determined to turn it evil so it will no longer side against its captors and with their enemy, while Lotor takes advantage of the divided protectors of Arus by sending another menace out. It is up to Pidge to see that no one falls under their power.
Ep. 28: Treasure of Planet Tyrus (1984-10-30)

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.
Ep. 29: Magnetic Attraction (1984-11-06)

Lotor's newest Robeast generates an enormous cloud of fire and heat, vaporizing all the water around the Castle of Lions, including the entire moat. The Voltron Force is interrupted from their martial-arts training, and head off to battle. Princess Allura can't seem to activate the Blue Lion. Her father's ghost reveals the secret of the Lions: They are powered by the elements of Arus. Without any water, the Princess has no way of operating the Blue Lion, and the team can't form Voltron.
Ep. 30: The Sleeping Princess (1984-10-18)

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.
Ep. 31: The Sincerest Form of Flattery (1984-10-31)

Unable to contain his ambition, Lotor challenges Zarkon to a duel in the arena. The winner takes the throne of Planet Doom. Witch Haggar takes the opportunity to steal the spotlight and field her anti-Voltron robot, programmed to steal the spotlight and exploit Voltron's weaknesses. Concentrating all its fire on Blue Lion, the robot successfully hands Voltron his first defeat!
Ep. 32: A Transplant for Blue Lion (1984-11-15)

After a serious defeat at the hands of Planet Doom, the Voltron Force desperately trains, hoping to find a new source of strength before Haggar's robot attacks again. With help from the ghost of King Alfor, Keith and the others reach a new level of control over Voltron and unlock a new weapon!
Ep. 33: Attack of the Fierce Frogs (1984-11-08)

Pidge naively helps some local kids collect tadpoles, so they can take them home and watch them grow. However, these tadpoles grow up to be horrible Robeast frogs surprising the kids at home and other innocents all over Planet Arus! The Voltron force splits up in a desperate scramble to save the populace from the deadly frogs.
Ep. 34: Lotor Traps Pidge (1984-10-25)

After a windstorm devastates a large city on Arus, Pidge gets into a fight with a suspected looter, Tommy. Pidge ends up making friends with Tommy, who won't evacuate the ruined city because of his bedridden mother. But when Pidge explores the earthquake zone where the woman was injured, he finds an underground tunnel, leading to the drill machine Lotor snuck onto Arus under the cover of the storm!
Ep. 35: Doom Boycotts the Space Olympics (1984-10-29)

To celebrate the rebirth of Planet Arus, Princess Allura decides to host the Space Olympics. Hunk and the rest of the Voltron Force mobilize an enormous construction machine to build the Grand Stadium in time. Lotor manages to take control of it, but Voltron can't fight back, because three local kids are trapped inside.
Ep. 36: Lotor's Clone (1984-11-07)

Zarkon is furious with Lotor's cowardice, and demands that he lead an attack on Arus from the front lines. Haggar creates a clone of Lotor that has no fear whatsoever, and sends it with a new Robeast that can generate a computer destroying electro-magnetic pulse. The EMP shuts down Voltron, so Keith sneaks out to sabotage the Robeast. Separated from the others, he is locked in a duel with the fearless, relentless Lotor clone!
Ep. 37: Lotor's New Hit Man (1984-11-14)

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.
Ep. 38: Raid of the Red Berets (1984-11-16)

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.
Ep. 39: The Captive Comet (1984-10-22)

Haggar locates and takes control of the Omega Comet, a legendary black-hole-like structure which crushes and destroys anything in its path, and sends it for Arus. Though Voltron redirected it once after a decade of trying, the Voltron Force are forced to race against time to move it themselves after they get Romelle's warning. Seeing Allura's cousin's loyalty to them, Lotor mentions that a certain control-function will help them in front of Romelle, and she relays the information to them. But it was a trap Lotor had her lure them into, and they crash-land and are stranded upon the comet without power. The Galaxy Alliance can send no reinforcements thanks to Zarkon's fighting. But Bandor goes against orders to stop guarding the power-supply he was posted in front of to repay his comrades. The Voltron Force cannot escape, and conclude that Bandor must use his arsenal to strike the comet away from Arus - though they know it means self-sacrifice.
Ep. 40: The Little Prince (1984-10-23)

Trying to protect Planet Arus, Prince Bandor has been forced to bombard the Omega Comet with his fleet, while Voltron was still on it! The comet has been redirected, careening toward the End of the Universe with a seemingly dead Voltron still trapped on it. Violating a command from Galaxy Garrison, Bandor tries one last-ditch plan to save Voltron, and fails as Lotor's surprise attack cuts his fleet to ribbons!
Ep. 41: There'll Be a Royal Wedding (1984-10-24)

Furious at his defeat, Lotor throws Princess Romelle into the Pit of Skulls, from where no one has ever returned. But she is rescued by a wild man, an escaped slave who has been living alone in the caves under Planet Doom. Shocked, she realizes the wild man is Sven, former member of the Voltron Force! Romelle must help Sven reconcile with his painful past and take up the mantle of hero once again!
Ep. 42: The Sand People (1984-11-05)

Lotor sets up his command base on a desert planet, planning to enslave the peaceful Sand People and turn them into Robeasts. A local researcher, Professor Sawa, realizes what's happening and calls in the Voltron Force. Princess Allura meets with the Sand People, and sees that they are innocent and childlike. She gives one her bracelet as a present. But when Lotor attacks with his new Robeast, Allura recognizes the bracelet on the monster's arm.
Ep. 43: Voltron Frees the Slaves (1984-11-12)

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.
Ep. 44: Voltron vs. Voltron (1984-11-09)

A remote planet named Yadil has thrown off the bounds of Zarkon's oppression. They decide to join the Alliance, and invite Voltron to a celebration in honor of this great event. However, Voltron shows up strangely early, and with him a strike force of Doom Soldiers. They take over Yadil and set a trap for when Keith and the rest of the team arrive with the real Voltron.
Ep. 45: One Princess to Another (1984-11-20)

Sick of his son's failures, King Zarkon himself steps in and puts all his resources behind a huge plan to wipe out Planet Arus. Using the power of a hidden Lazon satellite, Zarkon plans to turn all 500 of his remaining gladiators into an army of Super Robeasts! But Sven gets wind of the plan, and infiltrates the armies of Planet Doom at great personal risk. Sven must find the satellite's location so Voltron can destroy it before it's too late!
Ep. 46: The Mighty Space Mouse (1984-11-13)

A series of unnatural earth tremors frightens the Space Mice into action. Rather than running or hiding, they begin to train like soldiers, and fight a pitched battle against the Blue Cat. The back them up, Pidge builds them their very own robot vehicle, a flying mouse. Voltron is trapped by a powerful underground Robeast and it's up to the Space Mice to launch a rescue mission!
Ep. 47: Summit Meeting (1984-11-22)

With Planet Doom's recent defeats, Princess Allura decides the time is right to strike back. She holds a conference for all the neighboring planets to discuss uniting against Zarkon. Lotor attempts to disrupt the meeting, and ends up slashing Keith across the chest. Allura must pilot the Black Lion to protect the conference from an enemy Robeast!
Ep. 48: Return of Coran's Son (1984-11-01)

When Zarkon first ravaged Planet Arus, Coran sent his wife and young son away for their own safety. He never heard from them again. One day, Princess Allura is saved by a mysterious young man named Garrett. He appears to be a natural pilot, and the Voltron Force take him in as a new recruit. Then, Coran notices a scar on Garrett's arm and realizes he's none other than his long lost son!
Ep. 49: Coran's Son Runs Amuck (1984-11-02)

Garrett betrays the Voltron Force, allowing Lotor to fly an enormous Pulsar Cannon within range of the castle. Voltron rushes to stop it, but is attacked by a Robeast. As the two giants grapple, Lotor mercilessly blasts them both! Voltron is split into five parts, each one crashing down to Arus. If the Voltron Force can't get back together by sunrise, the Pulsar Cannon will recharge and vaporize the castle!
Ep. 50: Zarkon Becomes a Robeast (1984-11-23)

Lotor fails to capture Planet Arus and allows the Voltron Force to capture the Pulsar Cannon. For his incompetence, King Zarkon has his son imprisoned! Princess Allura and her alliance of local planets see their chance to launch a counterattack on Planet Doom itself.
Ep. 51: Lotor, the King (1984-11-26)

Lotor has broken out of prison and taken over the throne of Planet Doom, as his father battles Voltron personally in the skies above! Sven and Romelle lead a team of commandos to blow up the Robeast laboratory.
Ep. 52: Final Victory (1984-11-27)

Lotor activates his command center, Dark Doom Castle. Even with all his might, Voltron cannot fight off the entire castle alone.