I don't see why Lance can't just go back in the blue lion and let Allura pilot Red
okay first off, thanks @allura-of-altea for helping me sort this out bc i wasn’t able to really think about this all the way and hd really pulled through for me here
anyway, switching allura and lance’s lions would be bad for both of their characters.
for lance, it takes away a lot of important development he’s made throughout seasons 3 and 4. he’s opened up a lot and taken on a lot more responsibility by becoming voltron’s right hand. he’s more comfortable questioning the leader (both keith and shiro), and he’s taken on a very supportive role at the same time. while he was in the blue lion, he didn’t really have that chance. no one took him seriously, and when he tried to question people’s authority, they ignored him. but now, he’s in a position where his opinions are heard, and he’s more confident in saying them! his entire speech about allura as the heart of voltron really shows how much he’s grown as a character by becoming the red paladin.
and for allura, putting her in the red lion wouldn’t lead to her growth at all. her character arc is all about becoming vulnerable, and by keeping her in a position with a lot of responsibilities, she’d never let herself open up and be vulnerable.
allura’s biggest flaw is in the way she carries everyone’s burdens on her shoulders. and she does this with a smile, without letting anyone know what’s going on. when alfor tells her in s1e1 that she has to be willing to sacrifice everything, she internalizes that. she starts off the series completely unwilling to show weakness in front of anyone. even now, the only times we see her break down are in private. and when she comes back? she pretends everything is fine.
her arc starts as “princess allura” and as “the daughter of alfor.” she’s not just allura. she feels like she has to honor her father and continue her father’s legacy by fighting against zarkon. this is the reason she wants to pilot the red lion. she wants to follow in alfor’s footsteps. and this is exactly why piloting the red lion would have been bad for her.
because if she continues following alfor, then she never grows or develops. so instead, she goes in the blue lion, and she’s immediately placed out of her comfort zone. blue shuts down and won’t communicate with her until she admits her own weakness and her own vulnerability. until she lets down her walls for blue. if allura’s greatest flaw is that she refuses to be vulnerable, then blue takes that flaw and crushes it in her maw.
the blue lion is a nurturer, who is meant to foster greatness in her paladin. allura can’t achieve her potential until she stops clinging to her father and his legacy. and by piloting the blue lion, she’s able to start doing that.
also, being in the blue lion puts her in a more supportive position, rather than a commanding position, which is the role of red paladin (as the right hand). allura as the blue paladin takes away responsibility from her, which she desperately needs in order for her to loosen up. it lets her be a kid instead of a soldier, and she’s able to let actual adults (coran and shiro) take on the more daunting command tasks.
and by contrast, what lance needed was more responsibility. by putting him in red, he gets more power and more command, which gives him the confidence he needs for his own growth. we all saw how much he wanted to pilot the black lion; he craves responsibility. so putting him in the red lion is a huge step in that direction. it also opens the door for him getting even more responsibility, like possibly becoming the black paladin?
for now, allura and lance are exactly where they need to be for their character arcs. they’re growing and developing and coming into the heroes they were meant to be. allura’s learning that she doesn’t have to control everything herself. lance is learning that his opinions are valuable and important.
the lions know what they’re doing :^)
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