Flashbacks show that while Zarkon and Honerva anticipated Lotor's birth, by the time he was born, Quintessence had corrupted both of them and strained their relationships. Lotor grows up dismissed and put down on by his father and unaware that the cold Haggar is his mother. In adulthood, Lotor clashes with Zarkon over the fact that he worked with a planet's denizens to harvest Quintessence. Zarkon destroys the planet and banishes Lotor from the Empire.
Many millennia later, in the wake of Lotor and Voltron's battle and disappearance, Honerva called for a Kral Zera and murdered Lotor's potential successors, fragmenting the Galra Empire. She uses magic to find what has become of him. Honerva travels to the Altean colony, announces that Voltron killed Lotor, and recruits them to avenge Lotor's death. The colony builds a series of ships to fight Voltron, and Honerva sends the first acolyte, Luca.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Zarkon cared more about training Lotor to be a future warlord of the Empire than raising a son, and Haggar didn't even remember that Lotor was her son in the first place.
- Board to Death: Honerva calls a Kral Zera to select Lotor's successor, then ambushes and kills everyone who shows up to stake a claim.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Haggar/Honerva, showing flashbacks with the Galran royal family, and the Galran side of events following Voltron's disappearance.
- How We Got Here: This episode shows what Haggar/Honevera's been up to, and as to where the Altean mech came from.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Lotor's attempts at cooperating with planets to harvest Quintessence results in Zarkon destroying the planet anyway and banishing him.
- Tell Me About My Father: A young Lotor asks Zarkon about his mother; Zarkon dismisses his questions.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Lotor used to be a sweet young boy before his upbringing turned him into an Anti-Villain.
- Villain Ball: Despite Lotor's methods producing more Quintessence than ever before, Zarkon still banishes Lotor for working with the planet's denizens.
- Villain with Good Publicity: The Altean colonists, who were unaware of what Lotor was doing to them, side with Honerva to avenge the loss of the man they remember as a hero against Voltron.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: In the past, all Lotor really wanted was Zarkon to acknowledge him. As it turns out, the working-with-denizens project yielded the most quintessence ever, even compared to the subjugated planets. Unfortunately, Zarkon had none of it. And in turn destroyed the planet, and banished Lotor.
