I remembered watching both Lion Voltron and the very ill-received Vehicle Voltron. Before Power Rangers became Toei's big ticket - I think Toei attempted to do so with the Voltron franchises. I think they wanted ot create the Voltron frnachises with different Voltrons. I heard Albegas was going to be part of it too. What happened was that two unrelated shows Golion and Dairugger XV were given a common link. The original source materials were meant to be separate universes. Golion had it happen where the Earth perished in a nuclear war in 1999 A.D. Dairugger XV takes place in 2200 A.D. where I'd no longer live to see it. Amazingly, Golion was on Combattler V's 5th anniversary and Dairugger XV was on Voltes V's 5th anniversary. That's why I wished Dairugger XV was a follow-up to Voltes V with the robot as Lagour's masterpiece, maybe introduce Kenichi as the mentor to Aki, and have some Boazanians help out in space exploration.
Back then, it was confusing why do the Drules look so different in Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron? It's because, as explained earlier, they're two different races. The Galvestonians are people about to meet a similar fate as the Baam-Sejin had in Daimos. Maybe, one look at Emperor Corsair (Zeppo) as the Generalissimo Olban of the show - both leaders NEVER cared about the national crisis and wanted to use it to their advantage. Olban took advantage of Baam's destruction. Corsair took advantage of Galveston's dying to put people under his control. The Drules from Planet Doom were based on the Galrans. I think Emperor Daibazaal (Zarkon) was pretty much based on Emperor Zambojil - both are cowardly rulers who have absolutely NO REDEEMING quality. Galra doesn't treat its working class well and recycles the slave scenes from Voltes V Up to Eleven!
Watching Lion Voltron which was succeded by Vehicle Voltron - we do have a plot twist. It's revealed that Zarkon was supposedly meant to answer to a great power, namely Zeppo! This is pretty much like Skeletor in He-Man was once a member of the Evil Horde and one can view Zeppo as Horde Prime or Hordak. In this case, Zeppo would be Horde Prime from She-Ra. The Horde Prime occassionally summoned Skeletor. Skeletor would seldom side with Horde Prime to save his skin. Skeletor though did try to get the Velvet Glove for his OWN PURPOSES. Zarkon, like Skeletor, has his own interests that go against the Horde. Skeletor manages to maintain his own evil band while being a renegade of the evil band which he used to be in. Skeletor apparently joined the Horde without a choice then betrayed them when the time is right Didn't Hordak try to leave Skeletor as an inconvenience? That's why Skeletor and Hordak LOATHE EACH OTHER. Both try to be more evil than the other!
Zarkon himself was the king of the ninth vassal kingdom. However, Zarkon became a renegade within the empire when he pursued his own interests. None of the planets conquered by Doom were handed over to the Drule Empire at all! That's why Zarkon was referred to as KING ZARKON while Daibazaal was referred as EMPEROR. A king can be in a lower position IF he's appointed a king by the EMPEROR. An emperor is considered the king of kings. An emperor rules an empire that is made of MANY KINGDOMS. The original Golion made Daibaazal a supreme ruler without answering any Greater-Scope Villain at all.
Fortunately, Toei didn't have any contact with WEP before the 1980s. It would be very funny if the Robot Romance Trilogy were included in the Voltron series. It would be funny if the people of Campbellites, Boazanias, and Baamites were all turned into Drules as well. Those shows were from 1976-1978 and the Voltron series came in during the 1980s. Also, the artworks of Golion and Dairugger XV are a lot more vibrant than what was initially offered. Sadly, none of the vibrant artworsk ever did much to boost ratings. Both shows only get Vindicated by History because of the Voltron series.
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