Reflection and Analysis

Voltron: Legendary Defender - Season Two

It is now time for season two reflections.

Is Keith Galra?

I'm going to start off by saying as of season two, not only did the Galra theory actually become a legit theory with actual context rather than subtext to support said theory, said theory is also almost definitely canon. I say almost definitely because while the majority of the content for second season as of episode three, the reveal of Haggar as an Altean threw a wrench into things. Keith and the other characters thinking he is Galra, this is not the same as actually knowing, so the confirmation of whether this is really canon or not will come when we find out who Keith's mother was. In the long run, the Galra theory is based off the assumption that one can only operate Gaara technology if one is in fact biologically some way Gaara. However, there are two problems with said theory.

The first comes from the fact a button is still just a button. In season one, Keith simply pushes buttons on a console, something nobody on the team thought to question, yet the fan base did. However, if this were true, then why is the character Slav able to operate the hanger door in season two despite the fact he is not Galra? His species shows up in season one as one of the prisoners they rescue, but is not shown on the poster. Allura is also able to operate one of their guns. In addition to this, once Keith says he'll go in because he can operate Galra tech, he's not just operating a console, but actual hand scanners. Thus, Keith using Gaara tech during season one isn't accurate, even with his statement.

The second problem comes from the fact Alteans have not been precluded from having the ability to operate Galra tech. Since the Alteans are thought to be extinct, and many don't realize that there are a few left within the Galra ranks, nobody would think that an Altean could operate Galra tech. The same goes for the blade Keith carries. Despite the fact the members of Blade of Marmora say it can only be awakened if someone has Galra ancestry, this may not be completely true. There is a chance Alteans also could awaken the blade, but this has become forgotten over the last ten-thousand years due to the Alteans supposedly dying out. With how close the Alteans and Galra used to be, it is completely possible.

The point here is, the theory of Keith being Galra was based on assumptions regarding possible subtext from season one, not actual context. In the show, Keith actually being Galra is also being made based on assumptions, and not anything the characters can confirm. One could argue that Keith could do a DNA test, but as far as he is concerned, he's got his proof. A question he's asked all his life regarding his mother is now answered.

So if Keith is part Galra...

... which is true at this point until proven otherwise, what does this mean?

Here are my two biggest problems with the Galra theory. First, people were theorizing based on subtext, not context, which as I've pointed out may have a second meaning. The second comes from the fact some of the people took things way to far, and weren't actually trying to theorize what was possible, but writing what amounts to personal fan service.

First off, Keith suspect he was part Galra until he saw the symbol on Ulaz' blade. Many theories place him as suspecting something when he fights with the druid, claiming his skin turned purple. According to fans of the Galra theory, Keith's hand wasn't burned, because burns don't look like that. However, in second season we see burn marks on Shiro's suit that are purple in color. Add to this, while first and second degree burns are red, third degree burns are black and purple in color.

What's really bad though is some have Keith suspecting before he even left the planet that he was Galra. The only thing Keith suspected, as was revealed in season two, was that his mother wasn't from planet Earth, which caused some major issues for him. The idea that he was a Galra rebel was also problematic as there was no explanation as to how he disguised himself. Some speculated that seeing the Galra symbol on the ship triggered something, which was why he looked at his blade in the second chapter, but this is problematic in the fact the symbol didn't match, and he'd not removed the cloth. However, it is possible he was looking at the blade due to suspecting his mother was from the stars. It would have been his first time to look at it since arriving at the castle.