When we get the flashback of Keith outside of the garrison office after the fight scene we get this dialogue:
It’s interesting because Keith isn’t inherently referring to his home (as in “you can just take me back home already” suspension) he referres to it as THE home, as in “you can just take me back to the orphanage” because as we know Texas (that’s what I’m calling Keith’s dad) died, Krolia left and Keith had no one else to take care of him.
Child protective services might have showed up at Keith’s home and might have taken him (if he didn’t decided to do it himself) to an orphanage where he might have met Shiro.
Now the next thing I want to address is this:
The context for me is unclear but I believe the woman is referring to Keith being within the garrison, I was a bit perplexed at the use of the word “vouch” though so I decided to search the meaning
Now it might be weird because it doesn’t seem to link within the meaning of the sentence but I believe the script writers were aming to use a synonym of the word and I believe what best goes with it are the synonyms: support, validate and stick up for.
I believe Shiro went into an orphanage saw Keith and thought “I want to support that kid and watch him grow, he has potential” so what was the next move?
Adopting him
Shiro adopted Keith and took him under his wing, he was the only father figure left to Keith after his father died and his mother left, that’s why Keith is so smitten towards Shiro, he is his sibling, not by blood but by law. And by heart.
With this I strongly believe broganes or dad Shiro is canon.
Also, I did a minuscule amount of digging and would like to add. You only have to be 18 to adopt, and assuming that the Garrison acts like a high school (then college) deal, and Keith is 14 in this scene, Shiro would be 21, which is also the minimum age to become a foster parent. So basically this scene, along with Krolia thanking him for RAISING Keith, we can pretty much confirm that Shiro was Keith’s legal guardian. You can pry the Broganes from my cold dead hands!
(Also, if Shiro really did adopt him, wouldn’t that make his last name Shirogane? Do they have the same last name? I am genuinely curios.)
Slight addition: Actually, I think the first thing we see is Shiro going to do what looks like some kind of presentation at a school and Keith is looking out the window all sullen and I think?
This is probably where they actually first met. I don’t think Shiro would have really had any personal connection to the group home Keith was in but when he was here doing something for the Garrison he saw this kid in the back looking really troubled and unhappy and went to talk to him or something. Maybe gave him his contact, said “If you need anything, even just someone to talk to, you can always call me.” Something like that. And maybe it went from there.
For Shiro to vouch for Keith when it came to getting him into the Garrison meant he said “I know this kid, I know he’s got what it takes to make it here" and what might have gone unsaid for the sake of politics and playing the game is “I know this is something he needs. If you trust me, trust that I know this is a good thing.” It just means he pulled some strings to get him enrolled.
But he absolutely took Keith under his wing and got him out of his situation, and is more than likely his legal guardian, yep. I just wanted to add this bit because I think distinguishing how they even got into this situation could be explained by the very first flashback bit we actually get of them! Since I’m assuming it went chronologically and whatnot.
Cadet-For-Your-SpaceRescue 