When Netflix launched its English-language reboot of the 1980s anime series Voltron, fans had a lot of obvious questions, most of which boiled down to "How closely will this new series follow the old one?" So far, the answer has been "Closely enough to satisfy old-school fans, but not so closely that it feels dated or rigid." The new series is big, bright, and modern, with slick animation and a lot of up-to-date humor. But the central characters — the five pilots of the lion-ships that form the giant robot Voltron — are taken directly from the original series, right down to their names, personalities, and visual designs.
And judging from the trailer for the second season, there may be some big changes coming up that fans will remember from the first time around. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, with the pilots defeated and scattered after a disastrous battle with their enemies. The second season seems like it's going to follow through on all the ways their situation could get worse before it gets better. (No spoilers, but for people who saw the first Voltron when they were young, the show's willingness to go dark and heavy was a big surprise. Brace yourself, younger fans.) But the trailer also focuses on huge, splashy cosmic-sized catastrophes and new revelations for the lion pilots. There's a lot of shock and awe in this first teaser.
Netflix's first round of episodes for Voltron: Legendary Defender debuted on June 10th, 2016, and the second batch is reportedly due later this year. An episode premiere and creator panel at New York Comic Con this weekend may include the expected reveal about the launch date for the next season.