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Voltron is a shape-changing giant robot first featured in the 1980s television series "Voltron, Defender of the Universe". There has since been a second series, made in the 1990s using CGI techniques. Recently, Voltron reached a wider popular culture audience after being featured in the satirical web-based cartoon strip "Get Your War On".
The 1980s Voltron series was based on two vaguely-related Japanese anime series (both originally produced by Toei Animation), dubbed and strung together by American TV production and distribution company World Events. The series was not a straight dub, however, as much of the violence of the original Japanese series was removed (among other things).
Lion Voltron
 Picture of the Lion Voltron after it was fully assembled. The first episodes, usually the best remembered, were based on Hyakujū ō Go Lion, and featured a team of five young pilots commanding 5 robot lions, which could be combined to form Voltron. In this era, the Voltron force was in charge of protecting the planet Arus (ruled by Princess Allura) from the evil King Zarkon, his son Lotor, and the witch Hagar, who would create huge Robeasts to terrorise the people of Arus. (This storyline is similar to those of the Toei Super Sentai shows, which formed the basis for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.)
Vehicle Voltron
Later episodes were based on Kantai Dairugger XV, and changed the storyline considerably. In this iteration of Voltron, the Galaxy Alliance's home planets have been overcrowded, and a fleet of Explorers have been sent to look for new planets to colonise. Along the way, they attract the attention of the evil Drule, who proceed to interfere with the explorers and the colonists. Since the Voltron of Planet Arus was too far away to help the explorers, a new Voltron is constructed using three teams (Land, Sea and Air) composed of 5 vehicles each, to battle the Drule threat.
There were plans for yet another Voltron, which would have been based on the series Albegas. This one would have been three smaller humanoid robots that combined to form one larger robot. Due to the strong popularity of the Lion Voltron and the unenthusiastic response to the Vehicle Voltron, World Events Productions, the St. Louis, Missouri-based company who owns the rights for both Voltron series, ultimately decided against another alternate Voltron. It did see a limited toy release as Voltron II (Voltron I being the Vehicle Voltron and Voltron III being the Lion version).
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