The Olkari are a species of vaguely insect-like humanoids renowned for their extraordinary engineering skills, which are so advanced that it appears to be magic. Individuals are capable of manipulating both solid metal as well as biological materials like wood and plant life with a simple touch.
They live on the planet Olkarion, and were originally a more technologically oriented race, building vast shape-changing cities until the Galra subjugated their world. Those that escaped being enslaved retreated to their world’s forests and over time adapted their skills to working with materials from the natural world instead.
Their king, Lubos, is thought to be kept prisoner by the Galra Empire until his alliance with the Empire is exposed by Team Voltron. They are currently led by Ryner. After Team Voltron frees the planet, the Olkari go on to serve as a hub for refugees in their quadrant, and later transformed their city into the capital for the Voltron Coalition. Sometime later Olkarion was invaded and destroyed by a Komar Mech which was tasked to secure Olkari Cubes, dozens of Olkari civilians managed to escape into space on ships while the rest stayed behind to fight the white mech, the Defenders were all wiped out after a long battle and the Komar mech left, all of this were witnessed by Pidge and Allura when they arrived to a decimated Olkarion.
Many survivors who made it off-world eventually found their way to earth and served as engineers and technicians with the Galaxy Garrison, working closely with Samuel Holt, they eventually joined the IGF-Atlas as part of its crew when the Galaxy Garrison base was abandoned.