#drules

Again, in both Voltron and GoLion, the Drule and Galra force slaves to fight in the area against robeast/beastmen. However, there’s more going on here in GoLion. Slaves that are killed become beastman chow. However, slaves who survive in the arena are eventually transformed into Deathblack Beastmen themselves. I have to wonder if this inspired the plotline in VLD about Haggar modifying Shiro to make him a weapon of the Galra.

There’s also a lot of vampire and demon imagery associated with the Galra. Pretty much the only remnants of this in Voltron are all the horned skulls decorating Drule buildings and ships. But again, this is all much more explicit in GoLion. For example, the Voltron episode “Zarkon is Dying”, Zarkon has fallen deathly ill and the only thing that can save him is the juice from a berry that only grows on Arus/Altea. In the GoLion version of the episode, the cure for Daibazaals illness is the fresh blood of young human women.

Sincline (Lotor) also wants to drink Fala’s (Allura’s) blood.

Not only that, the Galra are quite fond of human flesh. In “The Mystery of the Ghost Castle” Honerva (Haggar) captures the GoLion pilots alive so she can cook them into human stew for Daibazaal.

This vampire imagery made into VLD with the Galra consuming quintessence, though it’s far less blatant.

There’s also a lot of imagery and dialogue that connects the Galra to hell and devils, something that was largely erased in DoTU. Like Sincline is referred to as the crown prince of hell. Honerva repeated talks about sending people to hell or guiding people to hell when she has killed, or is about to kill, someone.

Name: Commander Hazar

Dairugger Name: Commander Socrat Teles

About: Is one of the highest ranking officers in the Drule chain of command at the start of the series. While he original hates the Alliance and wants the Drule Empire to dominate the galaxy, he gradually realizes the war is only further endangering his people by wasting time and resources. When he starts reaching to the Alliance in hopes making peace, the Drule command turns against him, leading to his exile and eventual imprisonment. At the end of Vehicle Voltron he leads the rebels in overthrowing Emperor Zeppo.

Episodes to shine: Plays a major role in most episodes.

Name: Captain Twila

Dairugger name: Captain Emma

About: Captain Twila is one of the Drule’s top scientist and the only female Drule officer in the series. She is stubborn, prideful, loyal, and determined to prove her worth as a military officer by any means necessary. At one point she’s injured and taken aboard the S.S. Explorer for treatment. Commander Hawkins attempts convince her to join him and help bring peace between the Alliance and Drules, but Twila doesn’t buy it. She escapes and, more determined than ever to prove her worth, almost gets herself killed trying to destroy Voltron and the Explorer.

Episode to shine: “This World’s For the Birds”

Name: Dorma

Dairugger Name: Sirk

About: A brave and passionate woman dedicated to liberating her people from the rule of the Supreme Council and bringing peace between the Drules and the Alliance. She also deeply loves and admires her brother Hazar. She was once a member of the Supreme Council but, unfortunately, the we never learn why she left the council. After repeatedly trying to convince Hazar to led a rebellion against the Empire to no avail, she ends up joining the Underground Rebel Forces (URF) herself.

Episode to shine: “Color Me Invisible”

Name: Chancellor Mozak

Dairugger Name: Home Secretary Socrat Tes

About: Mozak is Hazar and Dorma’s loving father. Wise, humble, and trustworthy, he’s also one of the very few Supreme Council members not blinded by paranoia or a lust for power. Because of this he’s ignored and undermined by his follow council members. Late in the series Dorma convinces him to assist the URF by pleading their case to the council.

Episode to shine: “Hazar is Demoted”

Name: Marshall Keezor

Dairugger Name: Commander Al Luciano

About: A scheming, nasty, underhanded weasel of a man with an annoying nasally voice. He’s a high ranking member of the Supreme Council and a continual  thorn in the side of both Hazar and the Galaxy Alliance. He’s also notable for his brief but significant role in the first Lion Voltron season where he orchestrates the coup to overthrow Zarkon and place Lotor on the throne of planet Doom.

Episode to shine: “A Man Made Sun”

Name: Captain Mongo

Dairugger Name: Captain Drake

About: Honorable, proud, and dependable, Mongo is one of the first Drules to open up to the idea of peace with the Alliance. He’s also Hazar’s best friend and remains loyal to him even after most of the Drule leadership turns against him. About mid-way through the series he goes into self-imposed exile after losing to the Alliance forces.

Episode to shine: “Hazar on the Carpet”

Name: Captain Nerok

Dairugger Name: Captain Lafitte

About: One of the most underhanded, nasty, deadly, and destructive Drule officers. He’s a backstabbing sycophant who’ll do just about anything for power. Seriously, no blow is too low for this guy. His only loyalty is to himself.

Episode to shine: “Nerok Scores Big”

Name: Bakki

Dairugger Name: Bakke

About: Bakki is the leader of the Underground Rebel Forces, which seeks to overthrow Emperor Zeppo and the Supreme Council. He’s deeply concerned for the happiness and well-being for his people, which is his driving motivation. Late in the series he convinces Dorma to join the URF and helps break Hazar out of prison.

Episode to shine: “Color Me Invisible”

Name: Captain Brack

Dairugger Name: Captain Barataria

About: Another paranoid and ambitious Drule officer who believes the Galaxy Alliance is a rival empire out to conquer the universe. He views himself as a patriot and at one point leads an unsuccessful mutiny against Hazar. His fate after the failed revolt is unclear.

Episode to shine: “Who’s On First”

Name: Sandu

Dairugger Name: Sim

About: Trained to be soldier since he was a child, Sandu is a young but loyal subject of the Drule Empire. However, after being injured and taken aboard the Explorer for treatment, Commander Hawkins convinces him the Alliance only desires peace. He could have served as a bridge between the two sides if the Drule command hadn’t labeled him a traitor.

Episode to shine: Only appeared in one episode: “A Temporary Truce”

Name: Lieutenant Antor

Dairugger Name: Captain Antonov

About: A young officer who was in charge of a major Drule supply base until it was captured by the Alliance. He warms up to the Alliance thanks to the kind treatment his men receive after being taken prisoner and their subsequent abandonment by the Drule command.

Vehicle Voltron Drules

Appearance:

These Drules are a violet skinned race of people with blood red eyes and round, human-like ears. White is the most common hair color, but blonde, brown, blue, green, and red are also possible. Males don’t have eyebrows.

Homeworld:

The Drules in Vehicle Voltron hail from Planet Drule, the seat of the empire and the cradle of the Drule race. It is also dying. The surface is abandoned due to the effects of a transient sun, leaving behind only rusting cities. The population of this once beautiful planet now lives in vast underground cities. While the Drule elite enjoy comfortable existences, many of the common people live in squalor with starvation a serious threat as food supplies run low. Chancellor Mozak explains the situation to his son, Hazar, in the clip below:

Even worse, the planet’s core itself is unstable, plaguing the poor planet with earthquakes. It’s only a matter of time before the entire planet collapses completely. For this reason the Drules desperately seek an uninhabited planet to make their new home. At end of the series the Galaxy Alliance finds a world for them that apparently is just like Planet Drule in its prime.

Government and Politics:

Planet Drule and, by extension, the Drule Empire, are ruled by Emperor Zeppo. He is advised by the Supreme Council, who also oversee military campaigns and the search for a new homeworld. Vassal kingdoms pay tribute to the homeworld and can petition the Supreme Council for aid. The Council is not above meddling in the affairs of its vassal kingdoms. At the end of Lion Voltron’s first season, for example, they back a coup to overthrow Zarkon and place Lotor on the throne of the Ninth Kingdom.

It is the Supreme Council’s thirst for power and search for a suitable new planet that brings the Drule Empire in conflict with the Galaxy Alliance. The Alliance is also searching for habitable planets to help ease the overpopulation of their worlds, but does not desire war. The Supreme Council wants the galaxy to itself and, in its paranoia, sees the Alliance as a rival empire out to steal planets and resource that rightfully belong to them. In “Raid on Galaxy Garrison” they invade the heart of the Alliance, Earth itself, in an attempt to crush it. But average Drule citizens are frightened victims of bad leadership and don’t desire war. Eventually individuals in the Drule high command, such as Hazar, come to believe cooperation with the Galaxy Alliance is the only way to save the Drule people.

At the end of the series a rebellion comprised mostly of common tradespeople, lead by Commander Hazar and his sister Dorma, overthrow Emperor Zeppo and the Supreme Council. Peace is made between the Alliance and Drules, and fleets of Alliance ships carry the entire Drule population to their new home as Planet Drule explodes. Hazar turns down the title of emperor in favor of having the Drules elect their leaders from now on.

But not everything is rainbows and gumdrops. Zeppo and his supporters,unwilling to give up power, flee to Planet Deva to plot their return once the people are settled on New Drule. This could be a long war...

Lion Voltron Drules (or Doomites)

Appearance:

Drules from Planet Doom vary quite a bit in appearance. The most common phenotype is pointed ears, fanged teeth, yellow eyes, dark gray skin, and bald with a crescent shaped ridge on their head. However,individuals with fur, scales, blue or violet skin, and large fin like ears exist. White, blond, pink, and blue colored hair are also depicted.

The reason why Doomites look so different from their homeworld counterparts is because Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron were adapted from two completely unrelated anime series: Dairugger XV and GoLion, with the later being where the term Galra comes from.

Homeworld:

Planet Doom is a dark and barren world  populated by bloodthirsty evil creatures. Doomite culture is also more violent and hedonistic than that of Planet Drule, with bloody gladiator battles, lavish feasts, slavery, dark magic, and harems being staples of life there. Notable locations include Castle Doom and the Pit of Skulls.

Government and Politics

Planet Doom is ruled by King Zarkon and his court, which consists of his son Prince Lotor, his adviser and witch Haggar, his commanders, and various nobles. Relations between the Ninth Kingdom and the Supreme Council are very strained. The council dislikes Zarkon because his tributes are small and he has no interest in helping find suitable planets for Drule colonization, instead stripping conquered worlds of resources and transforming them into giant slave pits. It’s for this reason they reject Zarkon’s request for support troops in “The Summit Meeting”. Then, of course, there was that little incident where the council assisted Lotor in overthrowing his father.

This doesn’t mean they never cooperate with each other. Zarkon and Viceroy Throk, one of the highest ranking members of the Drule chain of command, join forces in “Fleet of Doom” to conquer the universe. But, like the true power hungry tyrants they are, each plans to betray the other once the Galaxy Alliance and both Voltrons are out of the picture.