Tears of the Balmera is the fifth episode of Voltron: Legendary Defender. It was released on Netflix along with the rest of Season 1 on June 10, 2016.
Synopsis[]
Hunk and Coran try to retrieve a new crystal from the Balmera while the rest of the team work to prevent Sendak from leaving the castle with Voltron.
Plot Summary[]
While on the Balmera, Hunk and Coran meet local Balmerans, the siblings Shay and Rax, who help them hide from the Galra. Shay admires the two and wants to help them, but Rax is cautious and insists the strangers leave. Hunk and Coran are able to sneak past the Galra to find a battleship-size crystal, but are captured and imprisoned. Shay helps them escape with the crystal, but is captured by the Galra after her brother informs them of Shay's actions. Hunk promises to return and save her and her people before he and Coran return to Arus.
Still trapped outside the castle, Keith and Allura are unable to help Pidge take back the Castle. With Allura's guidance, Pidge is able to continuously sabotage the Castle's systems to further delay Sendak's take off, while Sendak's men follow in hot pursuit.
While this is all going on, Pidge's mind starts to wander. It is revealed that Pidge is actually a female named Katie Holt. In a flashback, Katie watches the news in horror as she learns of her father and brother's apparent demise on the mission to Kerberos. Katie breaks into the Galaxy Garrison and accesses Commander Iverson's files of the mission. When she is caught by Iverson, she presses him about the crash despite not finding anything incriminating in her probe. Iverson reprimands her and bans her from ever entering the Garrison again. Some time later, Katie enrolls in the Garrison, but cuts her hair and wears glasses, passing herself off as a male student named Pidge Gunderson.
Pidge tells Rover that she wasn't usually there for her team, but that this time she will be. She confronts Sendak's henchman, Haxus, but he overpowers Pidge and it is only through Rover's self-sacrifice that Haxus plummets to his death. Pidge then informs Sendak of Haxus' demise, whereupon Sendak tortures Shiro to try and force Pidge to surrender.
The mice are contacted by Allura and are able to eliminate one of Sendak's soldiers and take down the particle barrier, allowing Allura and Keith to enter the Castle. Pidge uses a hologram of herself to lure Sendak away, but she is attacked by the latter, who has not taken the bait. He grabs her in a stranglehold, and pushes a stalemate when Allura and Keith approach. However, Sendak is blasted back by a newly awakened Lance, and the Galran drops Pidge. Shiro, Keith, and Pidge take turns fighting against Sendak while Allura runs to the control panel. At a shout from her, Keith kicks Sendak away, who is then imprisoned behind an energy barrier.
With Lance in recovery and Sendak imprisoned, Shiro tells Pidge that he feels she would be well suited to the team but she can still leave if she chooses to do so. Pidge tells him that she heard her father talk about how his crew was like family, and she decides to remain as a part of Voltron.
Featured Characters[]
Quotes[]
"Hasta la later, Keith!"
— Lance, excited he made it as a fighter pilot
"Hello? Pizza? Girls? Astronauts?!"
— Lance tries to figure out how to bond with Pidge, she just ignores him
Notes[]
- Coran mentions they would have a harder time collecting a crystal from a Weblum's belly, which Hunk and Keith would do in The Belly of the Weblum.