The Ark of
Taujeer
This
adventure is a big display of this show’s creativity and has the benefit of
everything that happens coming together to develop characters and answer one of
the biggest questions of the Paladins.
Regarding how Zarkon constantly locks onto the Paladins no matter how
far they go, we already have the possibility that Allura might be giving them away. However, this episode provides
another possibility tying into the past few episodes featuring short scenes of Keith pensively
looking at a blade with a Galra symbol. Although
it’s never outright stated, there are hints that Keith has a bit
of Galra inside him. When everyone talks
about how Zarkon keeps finding them, Keith says that he may be the reason
claiming that Zarkon left a mark on him when they fought.
Later, when he decides to leave to protect
the team with Allura, he advocates that not all of the Galra are evil, even if
his suggestion is shot down by Allura.
From these moments, we get a few sides that make Keith more
interesting. Not only is the idea of him
being of Galra blood a remarkable possible attribute, but him believing there
are good Galra out there shows how despite his tempers, he’s still considerate
and open-minded, which means a lot contrasting to Allura’s biased attitude on
the subject. However, despite good
intentions, it gets concerning that they’re abandoning their posts where they
perform all their vital tasks with Keith helping to form Voltron and Allura
piloting the castle, which the Paladins even bring up, and those tasks are
desperately required in the episode’s mission.
The mission provides the episode’s creativity, taking place on the
Galra-controlled planet of Taujeer. It’s
inhabited by blobby figures with intercoms at their faces and talk with a robot
filter to their voices. The problem they
face is also creative. The outer layer
of Taujeer is decaying like a layer of dry skin, exposing the aliens to deadly
acid, and the Galra forces expect them to survive it, so they cut one of the
engines on the escape ark. This part of
the episode mostly consists of four of the five Paladins doing what they can to
keep Taujeer safe which is difficult without Keith, and a Galra attack, which
proves that he and Allura were not giving the team away, makes it worse.
Speaking of the attack, there’s a lot of time
devoted to the commander in charge, Morvok, one of the more fleshed out members
of the Galra Empire. Rather than just acting
menacingly, there’s an enjoyable edge as he shows a lot of focus on the
possible quirks of fulfilling his mission and how over-the-top he is when
commanding his troops. He stands out
among the villains for being both threatening and somewhat entertaining.
As for the Paladins, following Coran’s
hilarious attempt to pilot the red lion in Keith’s absence, the episode’s
biggest reveal comes when the lion runs off and retrieves Keith and Allura just
as they decide to go back to the team.
This allows Voltron to be formed, spelling Morvok’s defeat and the
Taujeerians’ rescue. The red lion
locating its Paladin might not sound big, but this little moment has a lot of
weight. A lion has a strong connection to its Paladin even when they’re really
far apart. The black lion once belonged
to Zarkon, so his connection with that lion is strong enough to track the
Paladins. It’s impressive that Keith and
Allura thinking they’re endangering everyone and everything to the mission ties
into this huge reveal, allowing the story to really progress.
Along with the interesting character
developments and creative aliens and planet, it’s an ark worth getting on for a
great episode. 9.5/10
The Ranking
- Shiro’s Escape
- Greening the Cube
- The Ark of Taujeer
- Eye of the Storm
- Across the Universe
- The Depths
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next Voltron: Legendary Defender episode where Shiro aiming to get better connected with his Voltron lion is told alongside a trip to a space mall.
If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.
If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment