Paladin

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The Paladins are an order of warriors who serve as the pilots of Voltron. The lions choose their pilots, seeking warriors that embody their spirit. In ages past, the Paladins were Alteans, Galras and lived in the Castle of Lions. Ten thousand years after King Alfor hid the lions on planets all across the universe, the lions chose new Paladins: five humans from planet Earth.

The motif of the five Paladins is that they embody the five classical elements: water (ice), earth, fire, air, and plant life or "forest." Each has a specific trait that the lion looks for in a pilot.

Current Paladins

• Shiro
  • Leader of the Paladins
  • Guardian Spirit of Sky
  • Pilot of Black Lion
  • Torso and head of Voltron.
• Keith
  • Guardian Spirit of Fire
  • Pilot of Red Lion
  • Right arm of Voltron.
• Pidge
  • Guardian Spirit of Forest
  • Pilot of Green Lion
  • Left arm of Voltron.
• Lance
  • Guardian Spirit of Water
  • Pilot of Blue Lion
  • Right leg of Voltron.
• Hunk
  • Guardian Spirit of Earth
  • Pilot of Yellow Lion
  • Left leg of Voltron.

Former Paladins

• Zarkon
  • Leader of the Paladins
  • Guardian Spirit of Sky
  • Pilot of Black Lion
  • Torso and head of Voltron.

Equipment

Uniform

The Paladins are equipped with high tech armor that responds to thoughts like an extension of their wearer's body. The armor has a built-in oxygen mask that can be activated mentally, as well as a jetpack, gauntlet-mounted energy shields, and is heavily protected against radiation, temperature extremes, and impact forces, as well as the degradation of bodily functions due to extensive time in zero gravity environments, likely by simulating gravity to a degree within the armor. The armor's communication systems also protect the Paladins from harmful noises that could damage or cripple their hearing, as they have no trouble with hearing quiet sounds, but are simultaneously unaffected by the loud roars of the lions and blaster. They also allow the Paladins instant access to their Bayards. The armor seems to be capable of channeling energy from within its protective layers, as Shiro is able to use his prosthetic hand's energy projection capabilities without rupturing the armor, as well as still being able to plug into Galra technology without needing to uncover the paneling to it.

The helmets also include multiple scanners that can be fed input straight from the Castle's sensors, and communications systems that allow the team direct contact with one another whether piloting their lions or mobile on foot. The visors can be completely blacked out to blind the wearers as a training tool or for protection. Though tough, the armor has been penetrated before. Haggar and her Druids' magic seems to be particularly effective at rupturing the armor's defenses.

The armor's boots seem to be magnetic, allowing the Paladins to adhere to metal surfaces, which they often use to gain traction in zero gravity environments. Whether or not the adherence mechanism is magnetic in nature is still subject to speculation as the technology produced by Alteans is very advanced, and may instead be based in gravitational manipulation.

The jetpacks used by the Paladins appear to have limits to how long they can be run in standard gravity, as while stranded on a hostile planet after escaping the destabilized wormhole, Keith required an alternate means of leaping over a vast canyon on his own.

The armor also comes equipped with small wrist-mounted blasters, grappling devices that can operate in space, multi-spectrum search lights, and even a 3D camera capable of taking scans so detailed that a three-dimensional rendering can fool facial recognition-based security systems. The armor is also equipped with holographic displays for hacking systems as well as projecting images both two and three dimensional.

The armor also appears to adjust to the size of the wearer (being able to shrink down to fit Pidge's small size or expand to accommodate Hunk's sheer girth).

The armor's design consists primarily of a dark grey/light black full-body undersuit, and is topped by stiffer segments of white armor, accented in places with the Paladins' respective signature color. The body suit provides a strong, flexible base for the armor, while the white armor segments provide a sturdier defensive layer, similar to the design sensibilities in chain mail armor being covered by steel plate armor worn by medieval knights.

Bayard

Main article: Bayard

A Bayard is a Paladin's multi-function weapon, capable of taking on a unique form suited to the specific Paladin who wields it. When integrated with the cockpit control system of a lion, the Bayard can also be used to deploy a colossal variant of the Paladin's personal weapon as armament for Voltron.

Speeder

Main article: Lion Speeder

Each Voltron Paladin has access to a small, high speed hovercraft housed in their lion. While rarely used, these speeders do afford an added element of mobility away from the lions in confined areas if speed is required and the brute firepower of a Voltron lion is not.

Notes

• The Paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. They first appear in the early chansons de geste such as The Song of Roland, where they represent Christian valour against the Saracen hordes inside Europe.

Gallery

Shiro in his Paladin Armor, weaponizing his cybernetic arm

Keith in his Paladin Armor, wielding his sword

Pidge in her Paladin Armor, wielding her katar-grappler

Lance in his Paladin Armor, wielding his energy rifle

Hunk in his Paladin Armor, wielding his energy cannon

Shiro's Paladin Armor with Helmet

Keith's Paladin Armor with Helmet

Pidge's Paladin Armor with Helmet

Lance's Paladin Armor with Helmet

Hunk's Paladin Armor with Helmet

HUD display as seen through Keith's helmet.