Voltron Season 7 Episode 1 Focuses on the Shiro-Keith Relationship

Spoilers ahead for folks who aren't caught up on Voltron Legendary Defender so far.

It wasn't just the Season 7 trailer for DreamWorks Animation Television's hit Netflix series Voltron Legendary Defender that delighted attendees of the San Diego Comic-Con panel today. Fans also got a chance to check out the Season 7 premiere, "A Little Adventure", well ahead of everyone else who will have to wait until the new season arrives on Netflix August 10th. For folks who love the well-told relationship between Shiro and Keith, I hope you got a chance to attend the panel, because the wait for this one to get to the streaming platform is going to be excruciating.

Because I believe that the best way to experience a show as good as Voltron Legendary Defender is to simply experience it for yourselves before engaging with others in the fan community, I'll be keeping this review spoiler-light, only describing things in the most general of ways. But if you want to stay completely spoiler-free until August 10th, I'd advise skipping it completely. It should suffice to say that the Season 7 premiere picks up just about where the Season 6 finale left off and promises to continue the excellent, progressive, and often-hilarious storytelling that the show has given us so far.

voltron-season-7-review — Image via DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix

At the end of Season 6, the Paladins had managed to defeat Prince Lotor and his villainous machinations, but at a great personal cost. The Castle of Lions was sacrificed to save all known realities from being torn asunder, the Lions themselves were drained of most of their energy, and Shiro's consciousness had to be downloaded from the Black Lion's construct and transferred into a Shiro clone body. Yeah, it was nuts. And as newcomer Romelle mentions relatively early on in this episode, it's kind of crazy that the Paladins just went through all of this and are now off on the next adventure that demands their attention.

The adventure in question concerns two things: recharging the Lions and ensuring that Shiro's consciousness takes hold in its new, one-armed body sporting all-white hair. The first part of this problem is handled by Coran, Romelle, and the bulk of the Paladins, except for Keith, Allura, and Krolia. It's also where the punny nature of the premiere's title comes into play, and it's a very silly little adventure indeed. But like everything else in Voltron, it's an absolute blast to watch the team go to extreme lengths to secure the energy they need to power up the Lions, their only way back home to Earth.

On the serious side of things, however, is an exploration of the relationship between Shiro and Keith. While the younger Paladin keeps a vigil over his mentor, older brother figure, and cherished friend, viewers are treated to a series of flashbacks to when Shiro oversaw Keith's training both before and during his time as a cadet at the academy. We lean a lot about both of them, but quite a bit more about Shiro, including intimate details of his personal life, his affliction, and the events leading up to the tragedy that occurred during the mission to Kerberos. (Head on back to Season 1 if you need a refresher on how that played out.)

While the trailer itself kind of gave away Shiro's state in this season, there are much bigger reveals in this premiere that may come as a surprise. Though if you've been following the careers of Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery from their days at Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, a progressive take on characters, their relationships, and their stories shouldn't surprise you too much. I'm incredibly curious to see how the die-hard fans of Keith and Shiro react to this premiere, especially the Sheith shippers out there. Time will tell how the general audience accepts these events going forward, but they were expertly handled in "A Little Adventure", introducing some personal aspects of both Shiro and Keith simply as they are, and without fanfare. This is the quality of writing we've come to expect from the Voltron team, and I'm happy to say they've delivered once more.

To help get you caught up on Voltron Legendary Defender so far, be sure to check out our write-ups provided at the links below: