'Voltron' Reveals How 'Defender of the Universe' Fits Into 'Legendary Defender' Continuity

The final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender finally revealed how Voltron: Defender of the Universe fits into the show's continuity.

SPOILERS for Voltron: Legendary Defender Season Eight follow.

For those unfamiliar with Voltron franchise history, Voltron: Defender of the Universe is the name of the original anime series that adapted several different Japanese anime into one show for American audiences.

Voltron: Legendary Defender is a complete reboot of the franchise, taking ideas from the original show and reimagining them to tell a new story. However, the Season Eight episode "Launch Day" reveals that there is a place for Defender of the Universe in the Legendary Defender timeline.

Voltron and the Voltron Force were instrumental in ending the Galra occupation of Earth. In Season Eight, life on Earth is beginning to return to some sense of normalcy. That includes a need for entertainment, and who better to inspire that entertainment than the paladins of Voltron themselves.

In the episode, Katie "Pidge" Holt is seen watching an episode of a new Earth television series based on Voltron. The show is actually Voltron: Defender of the Universe and Pidge is a little put off by the more cartoonish and some would say the outright annoying interpretation of her character.

Of course, Pidge needs entertainment as well, and she isn't above using her newfound celebrity to acquire a hard-to-find video game and other items from the market in exchange for autographs. She even puts on the outfit that Pidge wears in Voltron: Legendary Defender and does her hair in a similar style.

This isn't the first time that Voltron: Legendary Defender has paid tribute to Voltron: Defender of the Universe. In the Season Three episode "Hole in the Sky," the Voltron Force finds itself in an alternate universe where a much darker timeline has taken place. The Altean Empire terrorizes the galaxy and small band of rebels fights against it. Each character has a counterpart in this universe, but Shiro's counterpart is named Sven.

Sven is a reference back to Voltron: Defender of the Universe. The Americanized version of the series combined Takashi Shirogane and his brother Ryou Shirogane into a single composite character Instead of calling him Shiro, they called him Sven.

Season Eight also has a couple of other nods to Voltron: Defender of the Universe, including references to Pidge's twin brother Chip and to the Vehicle Voltron series.

What do you think of this inclusion of Voltron: Defender of the Universe in the new Voltron: Legendary Defender timeline? Let us know in the comments!

Voltron: Legendary Defender is now available to stream on Netflix.