sorry, this isnt quite a discussion question! but would you be able to explain quintessence a bit? from what i know, its a form of energy that resides within alteans (or just some alteans? does coran have quintessence?) and it can do cool stuff like energize other ppl, make wormholes, etc. but is it possibly found in humans or galra or any others? because if zarkon was able to receive so much quintessence, could it mean that some non-alteans are naturally receptive to quintessence?
ye!! quintessence is essentially the Force of the vld universe. we know that it’s found in all living creatures because we’ve seen it be extracted from full planets, and allura has stated that “the quintessence of the [voltron] lion is mirrored in its pilot.”
from what we’ve seen so far, alteans seem to have the strongest “outright” relationship to quintessence because it manifests itself in multiple forms (magic, wormholes, balmeran rituals, etc). but we’ve seen multiple other manifestations of species’ relationships with quintessence, such as the olkari’s relationship with nature & technology and the balmerans’ ability to communicate with each other through their connection to their home.
species like humans and the galra, however, from what we’ve seen so far, have very minimal abilities when it comes to the interaction with quintessence. we know that they do possess a connection to it, though, because of the simple fact that they all can be paladins of voltron.
i’ve gotten a few other asks that are similar to this one, so im gonna toss this bit in here as well: quintessence itself can manifest in a multitude of different ways. one, the most common thus far, is within a character themselves. its quite literally in the word: quintessence is the “essence” of a person. its why we see such drastic effects when haggar extracts that planet’s quintessence during the first komar experiment.
another way is in its purest form, which is becomes present when extracted from its source (like from the planet in s1, and from voltron itself in s2). (i can’t remember off the top of my head whether or not the yellow aqueous form we see in s1e10 is referred to as “pure” quintessence.)
and,, tbh thats most of what we know in canon about quintessence thus far. im rly sad that the show hasn’t delved that far into it, because from what they’ve said about it, its one of the most important aspects of the story. especially with the whole “lions’ quintessence is mirrored in its pilot” thing. but then again, it is a kids show, and i often dive so far into these things myself that i forget the show itself cant dedicate that much time to only one thing.
