So I’ve had a few messages asking about my opinion on Season 7 and I will be making a bigger post about it within the next couple of days. There is a lot I want to talk about and its gonna take a bit to get it all down.
But I’ll say this… I loved this season. It might even been one of my favorites. Somethings I wasn’t expecting and it made the season so interesting but also shocking in some places!
But I’ll be covering that soon, so look out for that!
I loved this scene so much! Their relationship is so mature and beautiful and I’m crying. Also Shiro’s new arm is awesome and badass I just love it !!!! Might sell this as a print at cons ❤
So in light of the mixed reception of Season 7, I wanted to make a longer post about Shiro and Adam – specifically what kind of role Adam played in Shiro’s life both as his partner and after his death. I think people are understandably hurt at the news of Adam dying, and I think that’s leading to a lot of misplaced anger and hatred. At its extreme, I’m seeing a lot of accusations about queerbaiting and perpetuating the “Bury Your Gays” trope. I want to speak on all of this, but as a quick prologue to this post, I want to say this:
Queer representation does not always equal having a queer relationship on screen. Sometimes the best queer representation can be seeing yourself in a single character and connecting not just to their sexuality, but also to their journey as a queer character. This is what Shiro is for us. Our queer rep – our gay, asian, disabled, mentally ill representation that overcame all of the trials he suffered and thrived as a character this season.
Adam was a part of Shiro’s past, and their relationship helped define Shiro’s experiences in the present. Adam’s death is a huge blow, but to call it a “Bury Your Gays” trope suggests that his death was a useless, pointless plot point that accomplished nothing other than to make Shiro miserable.
I don’t think that could be further from the truth. Adam’s death held purpose, and I also believe Adam’s death served as a sobering moment for Shiro that allowed him to reflect on their time together and come through with a greater understanding of what love and family truly means.
“I think it’s important to remember that Adam and Shiro’s relationship was one that was doomed to fail […] The reason we got a look at their relationship wasn’t just to show us that Shiro was gay and in a relationship. It was to give us a look at Shiro’s motivations and shortcomings, something that we never really had a clear sense of before this moment.”
“The fact that a queer, mentally ill, disabled person of color who has suffered immensely gave that speech to a crowd full of people who have also suffered and experienced loss is so inspiring. Because Shiro, by all calculations, shouldn’t have survived this long. He had so many cards stacked against him. But he’s alive. And he’s a beacon of hope for so many. Despite his loss, he’s here and he’s going to continue surviving.”
That’s an interpretation of what happened but honestly it makes more sense to me that they tried to bring it back to his fight with Sendak in season one. His confidence and bravery jumping into the fight with Sendak inversely parallels his fight in season one, in which he ultimately lost. He technically lost this time too, but Shiro’s whole arc was about struggling with the weight of everything on his shoulders. The point was for him to learn that he doesn’t have to fight his demons alone. He didn’t have to kill Sendak himself to prove that he’s overcome his past, as much as I admittedly expected him to. All he had to do was face him without fear, which is exactly what he did.
Maybe Shiro could’ve gotten up and defeated Sendak, but Keith at this point saw Shiro in danger and rushed to defend him as he’s always done (it’s important to remember that Keith very recently nearly lost Shiro a second time at the beginning of the season and is obviously going to want to make sure he’s safe, but he doesn’t think Shiro can’t handle things on his own). And with the way Shiro fell over as Keith and Hunk moved him, he was exhausted. He might not have been able to keep fighting by himself. In real life, you don’t always get that victory the way you expected to. The writers of the show really like to bring a realistic element in, which I’ve always enjoyed. The whole team showed up, too. It wasn’t just Keith, it was all of the paladins and their lions. I think it may have even been symbolism that he’s still one of them, even without a lion. They’re not gonna let him go through anything alone just because he doesn’t pilot a lion.
As for just being nothing more than an earth commander, do you… understand how important his role is? He literally gave Atlas a soul. Atlas rushed in to defend Voltron when he was overwhelmed the same way Keith and the other paladins rushed to his side when Sendak overwhelmed him. Shiro is now Capt. Shirogane of the Atlas; he commanded the entire Galaxy Garrison for the last couple of episodes. That’s huge, man. Without him, the Atlas couldn’t have transformed. Without him, Voltron wouldn’t have survived that battle with the Altean-powered mecha. If he’d been piloting a lion then, who could’ve come to their rescue? It’s incredible that even without being a paladin anymore, he’s still such an influential figure. The paladins would have failed in defending Earth without Shiro and the Atlas.
I admit at first when we got the news that he isn’t Black’s paladin anymore, I was a bit upset. But honestly? Another huge theme in his arc is finding self worth. For most of the series, he saw himself as only valuable as a paladin of Voltron; possibly as though that was the only way he could attone for the lives he took in the arena. He said it in season six, “I just don’t see what could be more fulfilling than being a paladin”. That’s all he has. In season two, he was the only one who didn’t want to give up defending the universe. Being a paladin has been such a focus for him, he couldn’t see his worth outside of his position. Being able to fight at Voltron’s side as the captain of the Atlas and still be the entire reason they succeeded was a huge thing for him. He doesn’t have to be a paladin to be worth something. That’s a lesson he needed to learn and it became more and more obvious the closer we got to this season. Now he knows he can still contribute to the fight without being a paladin; hell, he’s transcended his role as the black paladin. Literally giving life to Atlas? That was the coolest shit I’ve ever seen. She has quintessence– possibly even Shiro’s quintessence, now. And his bond with the black lion probably poured into that as well.
I’m not saying your interpretation is wrong or bad or anything, but you were the one who came onto my post and seemed to want to correct me in what I said. (Please take into account that I say all of this as someone who has stanned Shiro since season one) My opinion on this isn’t going to change; Shiro couldn’t have defeated Sendak alone. As much as I did expect him to, the fight basically paralleled his battle with Sendak in the first season. The difference was, he was more confident this time. He had a score to settle, and he wasn’t afraid of himself. Having the Galra arm removed really seemed to lift a weight from his shoulders. Unfortunately, Sendak also got stronger, and more difficult to defeat. Last time he fought Sendak alone, he lost and was captured. This time, he fought Sendak alone for a large portion of the fight, but he couldn’t finish it himself, and he didn’t have to. If Keith hadn’t come in, Shiro really could’ve died there.
Shiro being the captain of the Atlas is him transcending his role as the black paladin. He’s practically the commander of an army, he’s the entire reason Atlas can transform into a mecha, and he himself did save the day ultimately. Everything that happened to Shiro this season happened for a damn good reason, and I love how his development went down.
At this point I don’t even know what to say to express my love for Shiro (maybe art is my last option?). This last season was so epic and Shiro keeps being the hero we all need. Thanks Team Voltron!
