Red and Blue make Purple

About Kova…

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Kova is actually the biggest counter-evidence, I think, to the fact that the dark creatures got in Haggar and Zarkon and made them evil.

Because here is the thing about Kova….. he is a good cat. Kova and Narti both give a creepy vibe- one is a very difficult to read, unnervingly agile opponent working for a faction that’s not friendly to us and who has the power to hijack minds by touching them, and the other is a ten thousand year old immortal cat who achieved that state by experimentation in extradimensional lovecraftian things.

But if you set that aside for a moment, and look at kitty body language:

Kova is a friendly and sociable animal who seeks continuous contact and affection. It’s relatively rare to see him on the ground, he seems to prefer to be held or sit on someone’s shoulders. Honerva brought him to the research lab as a companion and was motivated enough by his sickness to try experimental methods of saving him. Heck, he introduces himself to Zarkon by brushing up against his legs affectionately. Kova basically saw a tall, pointy, intimidating stranger and went “looks like a friend! Hello, I love you!”

Now, post-treatment, the newer, skinnier Kova does hiss at Alfor, and we also see him hiss in s3e1 at Throk.

What I think is going on here isn’t evil, as much as it is empathy. I doubt that Narti could use just anyone as her eyes- Kova is special. He and Narti also seem to strategize together, which suggests he’s far smarter than just a mere pet.

Hmm, now, what’s some animals who seem way too smart for their species and have a telepathic bond with a specific individual?

Heck, Allura even uses the mice as spies to a degree, same as Narti does with Kova.

Kova hasn’t become more aggressive because of exposure to either quintessence or the dark creatures. What he is, is loyal. When he hisses at Alfor, it’s at a point when Honerva does not trust Alfor or like the idea of him coming to her observatory- she greets him with “I hope you’re not here to shut down my work” and Kova appears shortly leading up to an argument.

With Narti, Kova hisses at Throk, someone the generals have surrounded because they know he’s scheming to dethrone Lotor. At their proximity, they probably heard most of Throk’s charming conversation where he and his companion talked about how awful it is Lotor would stoop to using mixed-race soldiers and fighting alongside them. All of the other generals make their scorn of Throk very clear, Acxa and Zethrid more directly, while Ezor just smirks down at him.

Kova is loyal to whoever’s with him- in the past, Honerva, and now, to Narti. In that loyalty, he’s snarly to people who aren’t friendly with his people. However, when people are good to his companion… we see Zethrid playing with and giving Kova a treat, and Narti petting a purring Kova.

Kova hasn’t turned into a monstrous creature driven only by suffering. He hasn’t set out to lash out at everything in his path. He remains a cat. An unusually smart cat with strange powers but ultimately he’s still acting in his original magnitude, as a loyal and affectionate companion.

You might argue in the past, Kova’s hissing at Alfor doesn’t line up with Honerva snapping at him, but consider the way the mice reacted to corrupted Alfor in s1e9:

The mice are all tense and unhappy- they jumped back. But Allura’s happy to see Alfor and sees nothing wrong.

Given Kova was originally just a pet, it’s fair to say he’s kind of a simple creature, and if the dark creatures were exclusively responsible for Zarkon and Honerva becoming the way they did, we’d assume Kova would be a feral monster by now, but… he’s not. He’s still a cat. If anything, Haggar growing cold towards him may have been what motivated Kova to seek new companionship- either Lotor and then through Lotor, Narti, or striking out on his own and meeting Narti by chance.

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

About Kova…