N.B: I use “human” as a comparison unit in terms of anatomy.
Also, I drew Haxus and he’s beautiful. *flutters eyelashes*
(second “drawing” under the cut)
(I promise, I have an explanation. Check under the cut. TT)
Galran distinctive features
The built
We’ve seen Galras are pretty different from each other and understanding the full spectrum of the race is going to be pretty difficult. Fortunately, there is one constant that can help us distinguish them from any other alien specie we met until now: it’s their lanky long built.
This is actually the sole common point for all sub-groups.
In term of human anatomy, when you’re standing properly (back straight with your arms resting on your sides), elbows reach around the last ribs and your fingers reach around mid-tights. Galra’s elbows are reaching to their waist and the fingers to the knees, which makes it notably longer than either humans’ or Alteans’ (who have nearly the same features anyway).
I double checked and all Galras seen until now are the same. Yes, even Morvok. Only Sal and Varkon, who are drawn with lots of inconsistencies, sometimes have their arms human sized but it’s pretty safe to assume they are the same as other Galras. Some Galras are looking more elongated than others due an optical illusion accentuated by their skinny silhouette (yes, you Throk). Also, the armors designs can be very tricky on the eyes.
The crest
Another recurring feature in most sub-groups is the crest: 50% of the Galra cast has it.
Varkon, Haxus, Throk, Thace, Prorok and Sendak all have the same crest. It the most common and seems to be some kind of bony outgrowth covered in skin; much like the Punched Warden’s head but more protruding. Not 100% sure, but it doesn’t seem to be hair.
The commander from Olkarion is a difficult one. All lizard-type2 have hair, so it’s nearly impossible to tell if it’s a haircut or a regular crest. I honestly have no answer.
Kolivan and Commander Sideburns have the same spiky crest: it’s a succession of tiny spikes on middle-top of the skull supporting the theory regarding bony outgrowths.
The commander from Kerberos has the most unique: it’s literally a horned mohawk.
Ulaz has no crest but a splendid mohawk. Maybe there is a crest under the hair, but it’s very unlikely since even Sendak (who’s covered in fur) has a regular hairless crest.
I’m not sure whether Zarkon’s shell-like skin should be considered a crest or not and I don’t think we’ll ever know what’s under Sal’s wild bangs.
The eyes
This is an interesting point because Galra yellow eyes might very well be unnatural.
At this point in the serie, only 2 Galras have normal eyes : Commander Kerberos and Sal. Commander Kerberos’ still have a faint yellowish tone but it’s clearly not the same as others (more like the white of his eyes is yellow). Sal’s is completely white.
Also, note that they don’t have the dark lining around their eyes like their yellow-eyed fellows do.
We learned from the Beta-Traz episode that having purple eyes is the result of doping from refined quintessence, so basically it means that Zarkon is doing drug. :I
Zarkon’s eyes were yellow in the past and thanks to the Astral plane flashes, we also know that yellow-eyed Galra still have pupils.
If I have to reach to a conclusion, I’d say that yellow eyes are the result of raw quintessence consumption. This.is.but.a.theory.
Sub-groups
I’m going to develop on the main sub-groups here. Characters belonging to their own sub (like Antok, Sendak, Zarkon, etc..) will get their own post in another part.
Lizard-type 1 & 2
This sub-group is very interesting because it shares a lot of common points with Zarkon.
Most notable are the ears, the bi-colored skin and facial outgrowths. They’re all blue-skinned and have hair and beards (or at least the galra equivalent), but no eyebrows. Outgrowths are scaly spots on their face or horned/spiky crests so far. Variants of those are likely to exist.
Hair are trimmed and/or shaved.The Beta-Traz Warden is displaying facial markings; it’s unclear whether this is a skin peculiarity or simple paint/tatoo. At first, I thought it was the second option because he’s the only one having some and his design screams 80’s cyber-punk fashion so, if that’s the real inspiration, paint is mandatory. BUT, and I nearly missed it, Commander Olkarion’s body is red! Meaning he has a body marking! So those patches of colors may very well be just like Kolivan’s: “plain” colored skin.
Ears: 2 parts
1b. Check the change: he ended with “fin” ears
Outgrowths: scales et spikes
Hair(s): still don’t know about Commander Olkarion
Patches of colored skin: turns out they both have 2 different colors
Manta-Ray type
Why manta-ray? Because of Haxus’ head: it looks like a swimming Manta-ray. :l
Don’t believe me? Check this.
This type has a smooth, hairless complexion. Morvok and Throk are displaying some kind of bangs and ponytails, it hardly seems to be hair but some kind of weird equivalent. Could very well be the same as their ears, if those are really ears and not hair actually (we have no clue and this is pretty tricky). Throk is displaying facial markings unlike the others, no clue if it’s paint or a racial feature (it’s the same color as his skin though). 3 on 4 of them have a crest, but only Haxus has eyebrows and Morvok’s ears are really curly.
Ears: floppy and, in Morvok’s case, curly
Crest: only Morvok is lacking one
Skin: Face is another color from the body.
3bis. Haxus and Throk have a third darker shade for their hand, Morvok’s hands are the same color as his face and Varkon’s are the same as his ears.
Hair?: whatever this is only Throk and Morvok have those and since Varkon shares traits with lizard-type, he’s got a beard
Hairy-Type
It’s still unclear to me whether they should be linked to the manta-ray type or not, they got a lot in common and -as said earlier- basically the manta-ray type could just be them but hairless.
Eyebrows can be fused with hair, but it’s not mandatory. Their faces varies a lot more than other sub-groups: Thace is very human-like, Prorok got orc-like features and Sal is kind of a furry-but-no. Other sub-groups members are closer in terms of design.
They’re obviously linked to the furry type, especially Prorok who has traits a lil bit alike Sendak’s (connection of ears and skull and somewhat defined ears) and Sal who is fluffy as hell with same defined ears.
Ears: covered in hair (or hairy in Sal’s case), various attach to the skull
Beard: I have no clue if Prorok shave or if this is, in fact, facial marking
Hair: well, those are definitely hair, they all stop around mid-neck (Prorok too)
Eyebrows: either well defined (Thace) or merged in hair (Sal) or over hair (Prorok)
And this closes part 2.
Any review and feedback welcomed!
Next part focuses on the BoM. <3
@candyfoxdraws glad you like it!
On Shiro’s and Sendak’s similarities (or maybe I’m just seeing double)
(art by me)
************this is S3 spoiler free*************
I haven’t even watched the last trailer yet.
warning: long post
It always pains me to see how most of the fandom is depicting Sendak as a bossy motherfucker with a short temper acting like a brutal fighter and enjoying non-con relationships. Seriously, have we seen the same show? Ok, Sendak is a villain (with a high potential for a redemption arc, please Dreamworks don’t let me down on this), but that doesn’t automatically make him an horrid asshole.
Yes, Sendak is a nasty opponent but he still has a lot of common points with Shiro and both stand on an equal foot in terms of leadership and fighting abilities (though I think that if Sendak had a less heavy and bothersome prosthetic he’d move better and thus maybe the result wouldn’t be the same, but I have nothing to support this theory). Actually, they have so many similarities they are literally mirroring each other.
First, let’s make a list of things we know about their shared past :
Shiro was detained on Sendak’s ship (along with the Red Lion)
=> Sendak is Zarkon’s first Commander, the emperor trained him personally. Sendak is loyal to death to the Galras (not to Zarkon, let’s double check this*) and trusted. He was given the responsibility to watch over a lion and the should-have-been-their-greatest-weapon-dude (I guess his name was Shiro or something).
They both had the Druids experimenting on them (although Sendak was willing)
=> We know (from his official bio) that Sendak lost his eye and his arm during his time on the frontlines (meaning quite some time ago, since that was before he was promoted in the hierarchy - only low ranks soldiers fight on the frontlines -, it also means Sendak rose up from the very bottom and earned his title through merit just like Shiro who started out as a cadet in the garrison) and volunteered to get a bionic prosthetic. Shiro stated that the Druids took his hand (yeah, hand, makes you wonder how much is actually missing).
Shiro has hallucinations about Sendak
=> Crystal venom is probably my favorite episode so far and it drops so many bombs about them, it’s impossible to think they never talked to each other before. The way Shiro provokes Sendak and the fact he’s getting a reaction from it tends to hint they had this conversation once, but reversed.
So far nobody got under Shiro’s skin like Sendak did (not even Zarkon)
=> Seriously no one else did. This is (flashbacks aside) the only time Shiro panicked for real, like he completely lost his shit. Not Zarkon, not Haggar impersonating him or being stranded on a foreign planet wounded with angry animal on his tracks got him desperate like Sendak did. I know Shiro was hallucinating, but to him it was real and it was probably just a replay of past events (though I can’t prove this yet).
Now a list of their common points:
First in command of their respective boss (aka Zarkon and Allura)
Leadership skills (also charisma)
Lost an arm (opposite of each other)
Were Druids’ toys at some point **
Scar on face
Tacticians (have a good look at Sendak’s last sentries, they’re all half-broken and he managed to pull out a working plan with just 2 guys and 5 nearly out-of-order robots)
Composed demeanor (Sendak is more composed than Shiro tbh)
Matched in terms of fighting abilities, twice a draw (epic fist bump + last blow and in both situations they do have exactly the same stance, still the most epic fight to me)
Dedicated to their cause, never giving up even in desperate situations
“Climbing from the bottom to the top” career path (then falling into disgrace)
Both are the strongest around in their own group
(also they like to get lost in space)
(both names starts with an S *ba dum tss!*)
That makes 12 (14), but the core similarity is much more global. It encompasses all of this and is more like the general idea of their characters. Sendak is dark!Shiro in a way. They both have the same role and rank in their respective organisation, the same way of handling stuff coming their way with a seemingly cool and composed attitude, not letting their anger get the best of them.
Sendak broke loose only when Pidge cut his arm off, crushing all hopes of winning and despite this he kept on fighting until he was trapped. Ironically, Sendak was made prisoner and detained on the Castle of Lions just like Shiro had been on his own ship. Reversing position and situation again.
They both are doing the same kind of choices (avoiding a fight if necessary, prioritizing tactics over frontal assault, giving everybody a role and benefiting from other teammate's skills -Sendak is the Commander/fighter/tactician and Haxus is the com tech/hacker/mechanic and their skills don’t overlap- etc..) and handling things in a similar way (they don’t give up, face desperate situation with determination, fight mental battles, etc..). It’s pretty fascinating because they are very different but at the time they’re totally similar.
Another thing that I realized while doing this analysis is that they have exactly the same career path. They started small and proved their worth. Sendak was named first Commander and Shiro is recognized as the best pilot on Earth. Then shit happens (Sendak lose to the Paladins and Shiro is framed for pilot error) and they both fall into disgrace.
Also, I’d like to pinpoint something in order to annihilate brutal-bloodthirsty-fanon-Sendak. During ep.4 (The fall of the Castle of Lions), when Sendak and Haxus are marching on the castle with their damaged sentries and Shiro opposes them, Sendak actually asks Shiro to let them through.
*then fight starts*
(Kinda dubious dialog out of context… Dirty jokes aside, it could have been foreshadowing for Crystal Venom: Sendak actually got into Shiro’s mind.)
What’s important here is that Sendak had no intention to fight Shiro if it could be avoided. He’s no bloodrager on the loose. He fights when it’s needed, avoid unnecessary troubles and is dedicated to accomplish his mission. Just like, guess who? Yeah, Shiro.
The choice of words is also very interesting. Sendak didn’t ask Shiro to get out of his way or to get down or to go away, he asked him to “stand aside” as in to stay out of the matter, to not butt in, to let him do his work. Maybe I’m stretching this but that’s not exactly what you ask an enemy and when Shiro rejects the option, only then, Sendak goes for the kill. What’s funny is that he didn’t kill him when he had the opportunity later. He didn’t even knock him out, he just tied him (while Lance, who wasn’t considered a threat wasn’t even tied). To me it’s more like the way you treat a former ally (maybe ally is a bit too much).
I really really really hope Sendak is going to get some screen time in S3 and that the veil on their common past is going to be lifted. The character has so much potential and also the ability to drive Shiro insane (not the same insane as Slav tho).
I still might update this at some point with the upcoming seasons.
Hope you enjoyed it!
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Notes:
* Actually, the reason I think Sendak’s loyalty is to the Galras rather than to Zarkon comes from his first appearance. His very first quote is : "I fight for the empire. I conquer in the name of Galra. No foe has ever stood in my way and none ever will. Vrepit sa!"
Maybe I'm stretching things too far, but to me it could be some sort of foreshadowing of Sendak turning against Zarkon (most likely Lotor) because he goes against the Galras as people. Remember, Ulaz said to the Paladins that Galras supported the empire because it would bring them stability, there was something genuinely desperate and hopeful there (incidentally hope is exactly what Shiro is to Ulaz). After all, their home planet had been destroyed, thus making them homeless too. Also, in S1e1 Zarkon refers to the Alteans as a foul race and that Voltron is rightfully theirs. We know nothing about the “dark history of the Paladins”. Galras probably have a very different opinion on who’s the bad guy. In S1e3, when Haggar asks Zarkon if Sendak can be trusted he doesn't say "yes, he just said he trained him and that only victory or death would stop him. So, I kinda fancy the idea of Sendak having certain aspirations for the empire and turning against whoever fails to reach said aspirations. Be it a Galra prince or whatnot.
And last thing but not least; Zarkon didn’t seem really forgiving regarding defeat/failure (that’s the fastest way to be demoted -cf. Morvok and the Kerberos commander- and in the Galra meritocracy that must means something huge), during S1e3 Sendak himself said: “Emperor Zarkon challenged us to rise from the mud”. That’s a cute way to say atone for failing him, but now that the emperor himself failed… what is Sendak going to do? How is he going to react?
** This is what Sendak is implying by saying: “I see you spent some time with the Druids, they do love to experiment.” Meaning they used the first Commander as a pet project and probably not too long before he set foot on Arus since it’s implied Shiro got his prosthetic just a few days before being released by Ulaz. In any case, it’s less than a year ago meaning that Shiro probably met Sendak equipped with a less advanced prosthetic (or maybe no prosthetic at all). Also, and that’s very interesting, Sendak seems to discover Shiro’s prosthetic during the battle, which means the last time Sendak saw Shiro he still had his organic arm.
@ferretfam thank you soooooooooo much for your help
@canadarama here you go!
Pssst! Sendak’s fans, give me your thoughts on this if you’d like @vrepit-sa @deception-and-disgrace @candyfoxdraws @ograndsovereign
Sooooo, I thought I should make an insert in this analysis and treat the S2 poster “problem”.
I made a page for the Galralogy, check it out!
Well, i hate to break dreams and stuff, but… sorry; this poster isn’t accurate at all size-wise. It supposed to be promotional and decorative, not a heights-chart.
So it can’t be used as a reference at all.
I know, I used the 1st one in the size tab and that’s gonna be changed right away. S1 poster was more credible thus I made the mistake to use it as a ref, but with S2 poster out I can only revise my judgment and mend the error.
Very sorry about that too. TT
Also, this is focusing on the Galras (except Zarkon and Haggar since i couldn’t get a rough estimation of their heights on this). If anybody is willing to do that with the other characters… good luck and stay strong. It’s a painful exercise.
So, have your brand new size-tab with mostly Shiro as the measuring unit (or other Galras if they even been near Shiro and can be used as live-sized-rulers as well)!
Also, have the instruction to understand my messy explanations:
Laika and Beta Traz Warden
No. Just no.
Everything is going to be a no anyway but Laika… seriously. No.
The Warden grow for about 40% of his original size under doping but Laika is barely taller than Shiro (about a head => Lance is the measuring unit). Shiro’s height is correct regarding the doped Warden though.
The Marmora
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. NO.
Literally everything is wrong. Whether it’s with Shiro or themselves, nothing match. Like nothing at all. Example: Kolivan is taller than Zarkon compared to Shiro there.
And don’t get me started on Antok. He’s far from being that tall. We’ve seen him during the Marmora trial, fighting with Allura and next to Kolivan and he sure looked big (more like massive) but nowhere near this.
Sal
The least wrong.
Barely half a head is missing but still, that makes a difference and it’s important.
If Pidge was half a head taller, we probably wouldn’t look at her the same way, would we?
Thace and Commander on Olkarion
If Thace stand straight on this he’s nearly Sendak’s size. Fucking Sendak: Mister tall n°2.
And wtf about the Olkarion Commander?! Did this guy do drug too to grow up nearly twice his own size? You can’t see well, but Shiro is about the size of a regular sentry, so that was the measurement unit.
Varkon and Pilot
Varkon is one of the smallest Galra met until now, he's human sized. As tall as Hunk to be on point.
So it’s a bit tricky but, sitting on his scooter there, he’s far too tall. Pilot is about the right size compared to Shiro. About. But it’s difficult to know, it’s not like I can compare them well with just Keith as a ref.
This was such a pain to make. TT
I’m so so glad it’s done. TT
Now I’m going to finish my Sendak’s drawing for next Sunday (FINALLY) and go back to the next part of this analysis.
Also... I really need a beta reader, so if there’s any willing soul out there (ready to take on my messy english and french barbarism), I’d be all merry. TT
