History FridgeBrilliance / StevenUniverse

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!!General
* Why are Gems from Homeworld (or in general) able to fluently communicate with humans, in spite of the clear establishment that Gems have their own language? Because the language SU's humanity have come to know as English '''isn't actually human in origin'''. It's been established since Season 5 that the presence of Gems on Earth has been influencing humanity for thousands of years. It's been heavily implied that humans fought in Rose's rebellion to protect Earth, and even if they didn't, Gems would constantly be interacting with humankind due to their attempts to colonize the planet. It seems that "English" is a language that humanity picked up from Gemkind and passed down through the generations.
* The show has been praised for, among other things, its extremely egalitarian beliefs: no character is depicted as lesser based on their appearance, ethnicity, orientation etc. Steven himself literally won't even hurt a bug! But it isn't so much a positive message for its own sake as it is a reinforcement of the Gems' beliefs: they are the defenders of Earth and "all of its living creatures". And that means all of them! Any kind of intentional prejudice would sully that message.
* Peridot's go-to insult, "clod", makes a lot more sense when you realize that "clod" means a lump of mud, dirt or other useless earth material. It's like calling a human a useless sack of flesh, which is why it makes sense that the Gems would be offended!
* The device Steven uses in the pilot, the one that only works so he can use his ComebackTomorrow, is a Come-back device, as in come back in time.
%%* It may be a coincidence, but [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bd/a2/7e/bda27e5f6141fac67cb93f828e1b1a4c.png this]] might mean something.
* Steven's gem is located in his navel, the place where the umbilical cord is linked between a mother and child. That, and Rose's gem was located in the same area.
* Rose's gem — and later Steven's — [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/steven-universe/images/3/3a/NewRoseGem.png/revision/latest?cb=20150425065852 has a pentagonal center facet]]. Greg's symbol is a five-pointed star — the middle of any five-pointed star ''also'' contains a pentagon. Though it may be coincidental, this small detail makes Greg and Rose seem even more perfect for each other.
* Although some people think the term "kindergarten" sounds like an odd thing to call a place where an alien race grows its population, it's actually a very fitting term; when it is translated from German, it can mean "children's garden (kinder = children, Garten = garden)". In a garden, to grow completely new plants, people plant seeds in the dirt, and the seeds absorb nutrients from the soil to grow until they sprout from the ground — a similar process to how Gems are created. The Kindergartens are "gardens" where the Gem empire grows its "children".
* Steven has, on multiple occasions, been said to look like Greg. Since Gems aren't organic beings, and thus don't have DNA, he's basically a smaller clone of Greg, with any differences coming from his time in Rose's shapeshifted womb and her Gem being in his belly button.
** This is pretty much confirmed in the companion book "Guide to the Crystal Gems", where it is said that Rose gave up her physical form in order to pass on her Gem to Steven — because doing so would allow him to inherit the information about Rose's being stored within.
* Rose's signature dress is made of many different layers... like the petals on a ''real'' rose!
* As noted on the main page, the Crystal Gems are the (likely self-appointed) Protectors of the Universe. What is Steven's last name? ''Universe''!
* Gems are pan-galactic ''conquerors'' and shapeshifting would allow them to blend with the natives of whatever planet they plan on attacking...
* The Gems' [[HeartDrive gem]] locations can be tied to their personalities and habits:
** Pearl's gem is located on her forehead; she's very much the intellectual of the group, and acts with her mind.
** Amethyst's gem is on her chest, and she's very quick to act on instinct or intense emotion (her bout of acting out as Purple Puma, for instance); she acts according to her heart.
** Garnet's gems are in the palms of her hands; while she's also very intelligent, she's more a person of action, and the placement on her hands could be seen as a VisualMetaphor for being willing to get her hands dirty. And having two gems is the first hint to her nature as a fusion.
*** Ruby's and Sapphire's gems are found on their left/right hands respectively, marking them as being [[TheDividual two halves of a whole]].
*** The other two Ruby bodyguards assigned to Sapphire also had their gems located on their arms, signifying their BloodKnight tendencies.
** Steven's inherited rose quartz is located in his stomach; he goes by gut instinct. Rose Quartz's was also in the same place and one could think of the gem being near her womb.
** Lapis' gem is located on her back; her main goal is looking back and wanting to return back home.
*** Or that she had turned her back on Earth long ago ("... But I never believed in this place.")
*** Also, her water wings come from her gem. Having it on her back allows her to pull off the WingedHumanoid look.
*** That it was cracked when she first appeared may symbolize the grudge she carried; She felt she'd been ''stabbed in the back''.
** Peridot's gem is also on her forehead; from what we've seen of her, she seems logical to a nearly robotic level, with little time for things like mercy and kindness.
** Jasper's gem is on her nose. Lapis took her out of commission by pretending to go along with her plans for a fusion; in other words, she was led around by the nose. It might also denote her bloodthirstiness.
*** Her Gem Weapon is a helmet for her to ram people with her head. You can add the metaphor for her being headstrong, dominant and "bullheaded".
*** Alternately, it could symbolize her feelings of superiority to the Crystal Gems. She "looks down her nose at them".
*** Or possibly because her aggressive style could be considered to be "on the nose".
*** Or to combine many of these, she's shrewd, tough, and unsentimental. She's "hard-nosed".
** As for the Ruby Squad's gems:
*** Doc's is on her chest, she's the leader of the Rubies.
*** Navy's is on her stomach like Steven and Rose, and she's a very sweet gem who finds simple joy in everything.
*** Army's is on her arm, and she's very aggressive and always wants to fight others.
*** Leggy's is on her leg; she's absent-minded and always ''lagging'' behind the others.
*** Eyeball's gem covers one of her eyes, she's the war veteran who ''saw'' what Rose Quartz did to Pink Diamond and is ''blinded'' by her anger towards Rose and the Crystal Gems so much that she attacks Steven without thinking of the consequences.
*** Eyeball's weapon is a chisel-like dagger. Given how Gems pull their weapons out, and her angry personality, she is literally glaring daggers at everyone.
*** Eyeball's gem gives the impression of an EyepatchOfPower, symbolizing the damage her time in the Gem War has done to her.
** The Topazes gems are their respective ears because like Sapphire and Ruby because they're two halves of one whole and because even though [[TheQuietOne they don't talk much]] they always hear what people are saying.
** White Diamond has her Gem on her head because [[BigBad she is the "head"]] of [[BigBadEnsemble the Diamond authority.]]
** Holly Blue Agate's gem on the back of her head could be a reference to the phrase "eyes on the back of my head" associated with strong authoritarian overseers, or a reference to how she was so focused on pleasing the Diamonds she always had her head turned from the real problem.
* Steven has a habit of spontaneously bursting into song. While it's mostly an excuse for Rebecca Sugar to flex her very impressive musical muscles there's also an in [[{{Pun}} universe]] justification for it. Greg used to be a professional musician... [[LikeFatherLikeSon Steven ''probably'' picked up that habit from him]].
* Steven possessing a Rose Quartz gem means more than just being inherited from his mom. A Rose Quartz is called the Love gem and Steven is the result of the first love relationship between a human and a Gem.
* It was stated by Pearl that Rose's loving nature was what empowered her healing tears; why don't the other Gems have this power as they share certain powers like shapeshifting? Because Gems are not very empathetic individuals unless it's their own kin, except for Rose, who was loving by nature and learned to see humans and the Earth with compassion and care over time. This also explains why Steven has her powers aside of being inherited; as a half human he's more used to the concept of empathy towards humans and as a child he's caring and compassionate by nature.
* Opal's bow is literally Amethyst and Pearl's weapons combined. The colors of the bow indicate that the body is formed from Pearl's spear while the string is made from Amethyst's whip.
** Ditto Sugilite's mace being made of Amethyst's whip and Garnet's gauntlets.
** And Sardonyx's war hammer being made of Pearl's spear and Garnet's gauntlets.
** Also, Smoky Quartz's yo-yo being made of Amethyst's whip and Steven's shield.
** There's also Rainbow Quartz 2.0's umbrella (with Pearl's spear as the shaft and Steven's shield as the canopy) and Sunstone's suction cup gloves (Garnet's gauntlets with Steven's shield as the suction cups).
* Steven said the Gems' bodies "are an illusion". Their bodies can shape-shift, and regenerate inside their gem, all implying that a Crystal Gem's body is a projection of the Gem itself — which contains the Gem's actual personality. This explains why an anthropomorphic species would be called "Crystal Gems", as well as why they don't age. Gemstones don't deteriorate over time, right?!
* Want to know why Amethyst is a little hesitant to fuse with Pearl to form Opal, but goes {{Squee}} at the thought of merging with Garnet to form Sugilite? Think about it: despite the fusion being a perfect fusion, there's always a dominant personality. Opal's is Pearl's as denoted by her grace and poise, which means that Amethyst has to take a backseat, something she's not very comfortable with. As Sugilite, not only does she not have to put up with Pearl, but it's also very clear that Amethyst is the dominant personality, due to her wild and destructive nature (something Amethyst is very fond of already.)
** Alternatively, given recent episodes, it could be that since Garnet is really Ruby + Sapphire, Amethyst knows that in Sugilite, her and the hot-headed Ruby will collectively have more influence than Sapphire while in Opal both halves have equal influence.
*** And when Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl fuse into Alexandrite, their personalities would be balanced out with Pearl and calm and collected Sapphire.
** Alternatively, information in even more recent episodes (specifically, [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E18FriendShip "Friend Ship"]]) says that each of the Gems in the fusion can feel what it's like to be the other. Pearl and Amethyst, who are each rather self-loathing, enjoy fusing with the self-loving Garnet, but not with each other.
*** And with them working through a lot of their issues (with themselves and with each other) since Opal's first appearance, [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E29LogDate7152 "Log Date 7 15 2"]] shows Amethyst and Pearl fusing into Opal willingly, easily, and happily, no life-or-death situation required.
* Concerning the difference in Opal and Sugilite: Pearl and Amethyst were able to fuse smoothly into Opal because Steven's life was in danger. However, Sugilite was summoned to get a job done quickly rather than carefully, and as noted above, Amethyst was very eager to fuse into her. Not only does Sugilite's first line imply she isn't summoned much, but these circumstances probably increased her recklessness and made her more desperate to keep her form.
** Also, the qualities of the Gems that make up each fusion. Pearl is thoughtful and Amethyst goes by her feelings, so they can sort of balance each other out in a crisis. But Garnet is hands-on and active (not to mention she's less controlling of Amethyst than Pearl), so Sugilite isn't much of a reasoner and only cares about indulging herself.
** Alternatively, Pearl and Amethyst have personalities on complete opposite ends of the spectrum while Garnet is grounded somewhere in the middle. Combining opposites would result in a fairly perfect balance, while combining one extreme with the middle would result in that extreme being the dominant personality. Throw in Garnet's immense physical strength and you have a fusion that's much more difficult to deal with than Opal.
*** In light of the reveal that Garnet herself is a fusion, it could also be broken down mathematically. Normally each Gem would be half of a fusion, but since Ruby and Sapphire are already half of Garnet, they're only a quarter or a third each of Sugilite.
*** Likely a third each; the majority rules (Ruby, Amethyst) and it’s not too heavily imbalanced (after all, Sugilite is 3 Gems!).
* Bordering between brilliance and horror, but why is Pearl the gem most desperate to leave Earth? Amethyst was born/created on Earth and knows no other life, Garnet is, literally, never alone, but Pearl lost the most important person in her life when Rose Quartz gave up her form. Pearl's been essentially alone ever since.
* A sad mix between this and FridgeHorror: even if Rose/Steven's abilities could heal the corrupted Gems — not just the broken ones like Lapis Lazuli — it's more likely that the ones sealed in the temple were sympathizers with the Homeworld Gems rather than allies. They can't risk letting them go and creating more of a threat to the people of Earth.
** I don't know about that. They have been abandoned by the Homeworld Gems. Rose and her tiny ragtag army drove off the Homeworlders, but the Homeworlders don't seem to have much care for their walking wounded. That being the case, it's entirely possible that they would feel gratitude for being helped by the Crystal Gems, rather than left corrupted and uncared for by Homeworld.
* Why does LargeAndInCharge seem to be a theme with Gems? Given how Amethyst's larger and more muscular form started failing in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E8Reformed "Reformed"]], more powerful Gems are simply able to project a larger body than weaker Gems are.
* Rose's personality, as well as her healing powers, makes a lot of sense if you're knowledgeable in gemology, where the crystal rose-quartz is known as the "Love" stone (Rose is depicted constantly as a loving person) and associated with kindness (able to see the beauty in everything), as well as bringing peace and calm. Rose-quartz is also known to be used for crystal healing, hence why it makes sense that Rose and, by inheritance, Steven possess healing powers.
* The show's tagline, "Believe in Steven", might have more to it than once thought. Steven's powers only seem to activate [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve whenever he believes in himself]], either by being encouraged by others or through his own doing; believing in Steven, or rather Steven believing in himself, might be a prerequisite for his own powers to function properly.
** It also makes sense with the fact Steven has come the closest of anyone to healing corrupted Gems, something the Gems seemed to not think possible. Steven restored their hope that it was possible to save more of their kind.
* Garnet's designs:
** Her first design was probably based on the Almadine Garnet; it has red hues with sightly tones of brown. The prevalence of red most likely indicates Ruby as the dominant in the fusion, while Sapphire takes a more passive role.
** Her second design has a more purple hue, probably to emulate the Pyrope Garnet, that can reach scarlet, violet and even indigo hues. Thanks to the experience of being separate, Ruby and Sapphire appreciate their fusion and are more balanced. Red + blue = violet.
** Her original form — "Cotton Candy Garnet" — is pastel pink and blue. She's a color change garnet, which is either pink or blue depending on the light. Which makes sense, because this is the first time she's ever formed, and she's still working out what she is. Her disjointed color scheme reflects this.
* Steven truly is [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E22StevenAndTheStevens not like the other guys]]. He's not like ''anybody''.
* Each season (including Season 1A and Season 1B) focuses on a different plot and sub-plot.
** Season 1A is about the hunt and origins of the Gem Monsters with Steven's development of his powers as sub-plot.
** Season 1B is about Homeworld and the imminent return of Homeworld Gems; the Crystal Gems' origins and the Gem War for Earth being the sub-plot.
** Season 2, so far, is focusing in Gem Fusion and all related to it (especially in the emotional department). The sub-plot is about chasing after the Homeworld Gems and stopping them from individually causing an oncoming catastrophe.
* Pearl's love for Gem history, seen on all the times Pearl right out jumps to explain everything to Steven, is apparent. Rose might have tried to make her step out of the Rebellion against Homeworld because she knew how much Pearl loved their home and didn't want her to get exiled from it because of her, but when Pearl's devotion towards her was proved bigger, she couldn't say no to her; that's why Rose's chuckle sounded a little sad and she said "''My'' Pearl" now that Pearl proved she loved her more than home.
** And because of this, when Steven hugged Pearl and said "I think you're pretty great", I bet Rose also had a part in that sentence since Pearl, despite all, still protects Earth out of loyalty to her and most likely feels guilty.
* The ending credit's lyrical version has Rebecca Sugar singing a song, which seems to be directed towards Steven. The song implies that the singer gets high respect from Steven. Obviously one of the gems is singing it (because of Steven's immense respect for the gems), but who? Well, Sugar has stated that the Crystal Gems are representations of how she acts around her little brother. Her little brother's name is Steven. So, all three of the gems are singing to Steven, because Rebecca HERSELF is singing to her little brother!
** Making Rebecca Sugar... Alexandrite?!
** On the topic of the girls being different sides of Rebecca — They can be said to be different facets of the same gem.
* [[http://shada-was-in-the-area-and.tumblr.com/post/121648207135/you-know-what-i-noticed-about-the-crystal-gems This post]] points out that each of the Crystal Gems (sans Steven) has a different time set: Pearl is still in the past, Amethyst stays in the present, and Garnet looks towards the future.
* There is plenty of fan speculation that Rose Quartz is recuperating in her gem and that when Steven dies, she will regenerate. If this is the case, then FromACertainPointOfView, [[TheCuckoolanderWasRight Steven really IS pregnant]]! With his own mom!
** And seeing as she "became part of him", he is, in a way, a fusion.
** As the Crystal Gems were able to use Lapis' power when she was poofed, Steven could be drawing power from his mother's gem in the same way
* Thinking about some details from over the series results in some interesting conclusions. To wit, the Gems are alien warriors that originally came to earth to steal its life force to create more warriors, and have little regard for sapient live forms, even being willing to use members of their own species as resources for their tools and weapons. In addition to being able to summon a weapon, they can transform when things go south. In other words, they're MagicalGirl villains, and Amethyst was basically created like a MonsterOfTheWeek. The Crystal Gems themselves have reformed, but they still think like bad guys on occasion.
* Meta: Quartz is one of the most common minerals on Earth. It makes much sense that two varieties of Quartz (Rose Quartz/Steven and Amethyst) are cast as the defenders of Earth.
* All the Gems' outfits after regenerating show a change that seems to give a clue of the cause for regeneration:
** Pearl's outfit is now — for the first time for all we know — ''not symmetrical''. It may hint at her becoming more relaxed and okay with herself in contrary to being overly stuck-up.
** Look at her design as well as the designs of all other Pearls closely. All costumes of Pearl as well as those of the other Pearls have some part of the costumes that is partially see-through which might be considered pretty (similar to glass decoration). Her new costume has ''no'' see-through part which might be indicating that Pearl finally starts to fully put her past as a "decorative slave" behind herself and embraces being different.
** Garnet's suit had a color change with a split of color down the middle from the chest down, indicating how she was split in half by the destabilizer in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E48TheReturn "The Return"]]. It also represents Ruby and Sapphire finally appreciating fusion as "do everything by yourself while your partner takes a backseat", so they now work as equals in their relationship.
** Amethyst's outfit is neater and symmetrical, something that Pearl notices and appreciates almost immediately. Possibly pointing to the emotional cause of the regeneration rather than the physical. Instead of aloofly ignoring other's opinions or desperately grasping at them, she picks something that's both suited to herself while still making others happy.
** Amethyst's ''next'' outfit visually echoes the colour arrangement of Jasper, the one who poofed her.
* Fusions made of radically different personalities are shown to be stoic, as with Opal and Garnet. This makes sense because their constituent personalities are so disparate, the only way to achieve common ground is to purge themselves of emotion!
** Alternately: they're so stoic because their extreme differences cancel each other out, leaving only the emotions they have in common. This also would explain why Sugilite and Sardonyx and so much like Amethyst and Pearl respectively, Garnet's already balanced so the only real influence she offers is her pride and confidence, which cancels out her companions emotion issues, leaving a distilled and amplified version of her friend's personalities.
* In ''VideoGame/AttackTheLight'', Steven is never directly attacked, other than chameleon monsters stealing from his inventory. From a gameplay standpoint, this is because he's only a support party member, only having healing or buffing abilities, and he has no HP count of his own. But from a story standpoint, the light monsters see Steven as their master. Whether or not they [[PoorCommunicationKills think he's testing them in combat, they would never harm their master]].
** Following this mindset, Steven gains full playability of his own HP count and offensive abilities in the sequel, ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'', when the prism is in the hands of an enemy who ''does'' make the light monsters attack him.
* Steven's ukulele — the ukulele is an instrument that is popularly associated with Hawaii, a place known for its beaches, food, surfing spots, and overall laid-back nature. Besides the fact that Steven inherited his father's musical talent, the ukulele represents Steven's childlike, happy-go-lucky, and friendly personality.
** [[{{UsefulNotes/Hawaii}} Hawaii's history]] as a state is also known for being a particularly brutal part of the United States colonization, with its current reputation of being a laid-back tourist attraction existing at the expense of the indigenous peoples. Just as many people only know the bright and sunny parts of Hawaii, through a good part of the show the tone is light and cheery as we're drip-fed information about the true brutality of the colonization. And the primary colonizer was, unbeknownst to everyone but Pearl, Steven's mother/past life. The association between him and Hawaii is that much more appropriate than anyone would have realized early on.
* Regarding Gem Fusions, the way they are portrayed throughout the show is rather HoYay in context, since the Fusion dances are very intimate to the point where Pearl tried to cover Steven's eyes when a Fusion dance is performed in front of him. From a realistic standpoint, a Fusion is akin to what happens when two people trust each other enough to form a relationship and take it to the next step as shown with Ruby and Sapphire. Since this is a kid's show, a Fusion dance is Steven Universe's kid-friendly way of showing two people "[[GRatedSex make love]]".
** It's really hard to see Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst in a sexual relationship with each other, especially since Garnet instantly shuts down the idea of being part of any sort of romantic relationship other than the one she embodies. Yes, fusion is sometimes suggestive, but the love it expresses between the Crystal Gems is clearly not romantic in nature.
*** Most tellingly, Garnet expresses an intention to explore and develop Steven's fusion abilities, ''before they know fusion with humans is possible'', and ''before they realize contact with other gems is possible''. The only people he would ever have an opportunity to fuse with, as far as they knew, were Pearl, Garnet, or Amethyst. Obviously, given their motherly / sisterly relationship, she wouldn't have suggested the possibility of fusing with Steven if fusion was always seen as sexual in nature.
*** [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind "Change Your Mind"]] has Steven fusing with all the Crystal Gems' inactive gemstones one (two in Garnet's case) at a time, which would have [[UnfortunateImplications horrifying rape implications]] if fusions were strictly an allegory for sex, which further reminds us this is '''not''' the case.
* Pearl has consistently shown apathy towards the Earth and its inhabitants, and she admits in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E45RosesScabbard "Rose's Scabbard"]] that Rose Quartz was the only reason she stayed. The one time we hear her say something positive is in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E8SeriousSteven "Serious Steven"]], when discussing the wild strawberries: "Oh, that's what I love about the Earth!" We can assume that she admires the Earth's ability to cover over places of destruction with nature and wildlife. Why would she like this aspect over all others? It reminds her of [[GreenThumb Rose Quartz!]] Rose may have even sown those plants, another reason why Pearl is fond of them. Finally, Pearl is happy and excitable when talking about the Gem war itself. Like the strawberries, Rose Quartz grew over the pain and horrible memories until that was all she could see.
* Fusions tend to have multiple limbs, such as Opal and Sugilite having four arms and towering over most small buildings, and Alexandrite having ''three'' sets of arms and ''two faces''. However, Garnet and Stevonnie don't. They're both normal human sized, or at least compared to the others, and have the proper amount of limbs to be construed as "normal". Why is that? Could it be that fusion, ultimately, is an emotional response? We've seen Amethyst and Pearl fuse, but ultimately that was to save Steven, which could be construed as a necessity. The same goes for Sugilite, who was formed only to complete a mission. But when you look at Garnet and Stevonnie, what was the conditions for their fusing? Two people who obviously feel stronger together than they ever did apart, sharing each others weaknesses and helping through them, where they truly feel one with each other, rather than a necessary by-product. Other Gem-Fusions seem to have multiple limbs to have a constant sign that there are TWO people there. This is not one person, this is two/three people who are carrying out a duty, and nothing more. Whereas Stevonnie and Garnet feel stronger, more natural, being fused together, to the point they want to BE their own person, not because they have to, but because they WANT to.
** In light of this information/idea, it is interesting to note Rainbow Quartz's only extra body part is an extra pair of eyes. Rose and Pearl must have been close.
** The appearance of fusions depends on the nature of the relationship of the components. Super close relationships get ExtraEyes, but look otherwise normal. If they're less close but still goods friends, they end up MultiArmedAndDangerous. This obviously looks wrong, but in a cool way. Toxic relationships result in grotesque BodyHorror. The less the relationship should be, the less the fusion looks like it should be.
** Smoky Quartz's appearance looks rather unusual, even compared to some of the other fusions — no extra eyes, but three arms, with the left arm splitting into two arms between the elbow and the shoulder. This might be a reflection of Steven and Amethyst's closeness, with the more unusual trait of three arms coming from the unusual fusion of a half-gem half-human with a full gem.
* The more stable a fusion is, the smaller they are and the fewer extra body parts they have. This could be seen as their bodies "overlapping more" — the more two shapes overlap, the less space they take up and the fewer parts of either shape stick out.
* Maybe coincidence, accident or not, but Steven is shaping into becoming a [[MessianicArchetype Jesus-like]] character. He was born from a [[HalfHumanHybrid human dad and a genderless but female-coded rock alien]], who was LovedByAll, [[AllLovingHero loved everyone equally]] and was very powerful. He lives up his mother's legacy and pretty much keeps the Crystal Gems together.
** It's not a coincidence. [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E9ThreeGemsAndABaby "Three Gems and a Baby"]] had the titular three gems bring gifts to Steven, same as the three wise men. [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E26OceanGem "Ocean Gem"]] had Steven walking on water and Lapis saying she doesn't have faith in the Earth; similar to the biblical story where Jesus walks on water had Peter not having enough faith.
** Also, healing powers.
** And it turns out that Steven's mother was a ''Diamond'', who are worshipped as gods in all but name by all other Gems.
* Lapis's prominent [[DoesNotLikeShoes bare feet]] make an awful lot of sense if you consider that before her gem was cracked, she could fly anywhere. Why would you need shoes if you don't need to walk to get from place to place?
** Also, between Gem toughness and healing, cutting her feet isn't really an issue.
* When you think of pearls you think of perfectly round ones, maybe on a really expensive necklace, right? Well most pearls that come out of oysters have highly irregular or "flawed" shapes. Similarly, Pearl does her very best to appear organized and strong, and at first she seems the most mature and responsible of the Crystal Gems. In actuality, she has flaws she desperately keeps hidden in case they make her seem "less valuable". Jasper calling her "defective" could have caused her insecurities to reawaken, even after making a bit of progress with Steven's help.
* Corrupt gems are attracted to the Crystal Gems, apparently putting Beach City in danger — but the Crystal Gems are there to protect them. Whenever they warp, it's always somewhere desolate and overgrown with wildlife. Never have we seen another human settlement of any form. By having the enemies come to them, it's actually easier for them to do their job! Then again, doubles as Fridge Horror. Did rampant corrupted gems prevent humans from settling in the places they warped to, or ''''destroy'''' them?
* Ever since Season 2 of the show took off, Pearl has been earning a reputation of being [[ClingyJealousGirl salty]] by the fanbase. Intentional or not, it would make sense that Pearl is the salty one — pearls are found in oysters, which mostly reside in '''salt'''water habitats. [[IncrediblyLamePun Get it?]]
* Peridot has been growing [[SanitySlippage increasingly unhinged]] the longer she's trapped on Earth. In real life, pure peridot gems are extremely rare due to something in Earth's atmosphere often causing them to break apart.
* As pointed out [[http://lumosnox934.tumblr.com/post/124620461122/miraisfandomtrash-ok-so-i-love-stevens here]], no one is depicted as ugly in the series and are treated in some capacity as beautiful. The characters are ''also'' all given some degree of depth. Remember what was said about Rose Quartz? That she saw the beauty in ''everything''?
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1w18Kkg16c the extended version of the theme song shown at SDCC 2015]], in the segment in which the Gems state what they will fight for, they each make a fist. Garnet makes two as she summons her gauntlets. Why? Cause she's made up of two Gems, of course!
** In the extended theme song, Sapphire is gracefully holding her hands together, interlocking her fingers; this shows that she is calm, graceful and passionate, while Ruby is shown to be cracking or holding her knuckles, a sign of toughness, or that she is ready to fight. On the other hand, Ruby seems calmer than expected from her, like she is meditating (think martial arts), and Sapphire more upbeat than usual, indicating that being Garnet brings balance to both of their personalities.
* Why does Garnet hardly ever use her [[ShockAndAwe electric powers]]? Because most gems/minerals are good conductors, which means [[NoSell electricity passes right through them]].
* Greg's sunburns are the result of working/spending long hours at a place that's surrounding a beach (Beach City, anyone?), as well as going without sunscreen lotion for long periods of time. If anything, those sunburns don't really look healthy...
** As another possible explanation, the tan lines don't match Greg's usual outfit, but they exactly match the outfit he's wearing in flashbacks. Maybe it's not a sunburn at all, but something more permanent he got when he was younger. He did get a sunburn while shirtless in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E16GregTheBabysitter "Greg the Babysitter"]].
* One of Pearl's coping methods is projection, and her power set [[StealthPun literally]] projects images.
* Why is Garnet not such a good conversationalist? Because she herself ''is'' a conversation.
* If sentient Pearls are anything like their Earth counterparts, they were originally formed in an ocean. Pearl's color scheme — coral orange hair, sand-white skin — would camouflage perfectly into such an environment.
* The Crystal Gems have round gemstones, and the Homeworld Gems have pointed gems with straight edges. Lapis' tear-shaped gem is both rounded and pointed, marking her ties to both factions — the Crystal Gems through Steven, and the Homeworld Gems through Peridot/Jasper. Peridot has a triangular gem with flat sides and rounded corners, and later episodes show her to be slowly warming up to the Crystal Gems, particularly Steven.
* Buck is considered the "human counterpart" to Garnet because of their similar clothing colors, wearing glasses, mouth shape, and cool headed attitudes. One other aspect is that they both are connected to lightning: Garnet can produce/redirect lightning and Buck wears a lightning t-shirt.
** Arguably, Sour Cream can be seen as a "human counterpart" to Pearl. Both have light skin complexions, and pointy hairstyles and faces. Both also came from different "families" — Pearl was originally a Homeworld Gem who was adopted by Rose, while Sour Cream is Marty's son through a one-night stand with Vidalia who now lives with Yellowtail as his stepfather.
** Jenny is Amethyst's "human counterpart", in that both are fun-loving and wild, and prefer to goof off instead of taking responsibility, which sometimes grates with their parental figures (Amethyst and Garnet/Pearl, Jenny and her father Kofi). They also both have curvy bodies and similar mouth shapes.
* Some people have pointed out that Peridot has a fear of weapons (eg: flinching when Jasper pulls something out, recoiling when Steven wraps up the towel, asking if such and such is a weapon), as if she's used to getting beat up by them. This makes sense when you realize that she and the other Peridots are probably the equivalent of tech support, and who the heck treats tech support well (especially when you know that they're not your species)? But because she knows more than many gems, she's still pretty cocky.
* Looking at all of the Crystal Gems (minus Amethyst, though to a degree her too), a trend appears that makes it clear ''why'' Rose got a massive Rebellion going, with her son Steven following in her footsteps. Bismuth was only taught to build things the Diamonds wanted and not what ''she'' wanted, Pearls are a SlaveRace who exist to being treated as window dressing, Sapphire was disgraced when during a time of crisis she accidentally fused with her lower-class Gem bodyguard Ruby, who also nearly got ''killed'' by Sapphire's boss Blue Diamond for ''doing her job'' but in a way Blue Diamond didn't approve of, and Peridot was mistreated by Yellow Diamond. Homeworld doesn't care about Gems and saw them as expendable... but not Rose and Steven. It's likely her compassion and loyalty was the first compassion that the Gems under her care ever got.
* This is probably more coincidence than anything else but with the exception of Rose Quartz, all the Crystal Gems (not counting fusions even though some fusions, such as Opal, are) have been birthstone gems. Garnet is January, Amethyst is February, Pearl is June (so is Alexandrite), Ruby is the birthstone for July, Sapphire is September and Peridot is August.
** Quite conspicuous is the fact that Rose Quartz is the only one that ''isn't'' a birthstone gem. Rose Quartz's gem is [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter actually Pink Diamond]], and Diamond is the birthstone for April.
* Amethyst's whip has amethysts in a rose thorn pattern. This is both because of her connection to Rose Quartz as a person and a proof of her being a Quartz as well.
* Throughout the series a variety of Gems have some sort of sacrifice complex — Pearl with Rose (which was explored in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E9SwornToTheSword "Sworn to the Sword"]]), Lapis with Steven (in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E13ChilleTid "Chille Tid"]]), and Ruby with Sapphire (in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E25TheAnswer "The Answer"]]). In fact, when Steven brings up this self-destructive complex that Pearl is teaching Connie in "Sworn to the Sword", both Garnet and Amethyst don't seem too disturbed. Why? Because (sans Amethyst) all of them were conditioned to live for the Great Diamond Authority, a mindset that causes to not be concerned about their own wellbeing. This unhealthy mindset can also be transferred onto others (i.e., Pearl's dedication to Rose, Lapis' "sacrifice" for Steven).
** It also doesn't hurt that DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist for them provided their gem is intact. When the Diamonds are implied to have sacrificed some of their own soldiers permanently (by corrupting them), this is treated as serious business in a way that eg. Pearl's repeated sacrifices of her physical form aren't, since, well, Pearl will just regenerate as often as necessary, right?
* Pearl displays the many traits of a NobleBigot and SmugSuper attitude towards humans. It isn't until season 2 that it's revealed that Homeworld has a strict caste system, with Pearls being the on the lowest spectrum, being made to "stand around and look pretty". Given the fact she was treated this way for most of her life, she could be putting on an arrogant attitude towards humans since the species can't do the things Gems can do as an unhealthy way to strengthen her confidence.
** And besides the feeling of superiority, another reason for Pearl's attitude towards humans also comes from how Rose would begin romances with them.
* It's revealed that Lapis Lazulis had a connection to water and flying. This might seem like an awkward combination until one realizes two things. First, the atmosphere of Earth is filled with water molecules. Second, in Fluid Dynamics, water and air are considered the same for the purposes of studying potential flow.
** In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E14ThatWillBeAll "That Will Be All"]], Yellow Diamond mentions the role of Lapis Lazuli gems is for terraforming, which ties in to Lapis' hydrokinesis and flying powers. Water has high dissolving properties and can exert a lot of pressure making it ideal for reshaping landscapes while flight would allow a Lapis to gain a wider a view of the landscape while changing it
* I realized why the Diamonds are depicted as huge: they ''look down'' on other lifeforms and lesser Gems.
* Peridot's recent emotional development comes from the fact that peridots are healing stones believed to promote growth and renewal, while protecting against negative feelings such as apathy. When Peridot was still allied with Homeworld, she was cold, calculating, and ruthless. But after her HeelFaceTurn, she starts feeling new emotions that she never experienced before. It also helps that green, a color strongly associated with peridots, symbolizes rebirth.
* According to Peridot, the Gem Homeworld is facing a crisis due to the inability to create new Gems without consuming vast amounts of resources. This, combined with the inability to repair gems that get damaged past a certain point, leads to inexorable population decline if they don't constantly conquer and consume worlds, and was almost certainly the reason they attacked earth in the first place. This implies that Rose Quartz was looking for a long-term solution to this; that's part of the reason she focused on trying to repair damaged gems, and it ''may'' have been part of the reason she decided to sacrifice her physical form to create a half-human child in hopes that Steven's hybrid abilities could find a solution to the population crisis that she couldn't.
** Alternatively, the timing of Era 2 isn't just because of the Gem War draining resources, it's because of the "death" of Pink Diamond. We see in "Familiar" that a key resource in creating new Gems is essences drawn from the Diamonds themselves, and Yellow says that, with "Pink" back, they could now begin Era 3. Blue and Yellow further explain that their combined attack was not meant to corrupt Gems but shatter them; we can assume the difference in this attack's outcome was the lack of Pink Diamond, which further indicates that their combined powers are more limited without all four of them available. Collectively this implies that the main resource Homeworld was short on was drawn from Pink Diamond, which makes Yellow's callous disregard of Earth's unique resources a bit more understandable: no amount of natural Earth resources could replace Pink Diamond.
** It also explains why Peridot began to develop powers after coming to Earth despite claiming Era 2 Gems don't have powers because of a lack of resources during their creation: she'd had lots of exposure to the resource that was missing from her creation through Steven, who cried on her during their attempt to reach the Cluster.
* Steven has one major thing in common with each of the Crystal Gems so far, concerning their secrets, insecurities, and relationship to Rose.
** He's similar to Garnet because they're both fusions made of love. On a more subtle note, they're both partially defined by the pressure to lead and take Rose's place.
** Amethyst and Steven are both from Earth, while the other Crystal Gems are from Homeworld. They both also lost a mother figure in Rose (though admittedly, that's slightly WMG).
** Pearl and Steven share the burden of a role that was forced upon them that may not "fit" — Steven's role as leader and Pearl's as a servant — but that they cannot escape. Both of them also have very complex emotions about Rose that cannot be pinned down easily.
** Both Peridot and Steven have major physical and psychological differences from other Gems due to the circumstances in which they were made. Neither of them ever had a chance to know Rose Quartz.
** While little is known about Bismuth, she and Steven have similar body builds and both of them lack a lot of knowledge of the last 5,000 years. They're also both connected to Lion.
** Steven is often noted to have similar traits from his mother (AllLovingHero, FriendToAllLivingThings, LivingEmotionalCrutch, MagneticHero, etc). Both are Quartz Gems with a color motif of pink.
* For all that they dismiss him as "kind of a mess", Greg seems to have coped with Rose's "death" better than all the gems except Garnet (who, aside from being the most mature, was the least dependent on her to begin with). This makes sense when you realize that humans age and die as a matter of course; Greg has known his entire life that he would see loved ones die sometimes, and is psychologically wired for it in a way that the ageless Gems are not.
* Pearl's obsession with being Sardonyx is a lot more heartbreaking when you realize that, prior to Rose's death, she would have frequently merged into Rainbow Quartz; to her, Sardonyx (another merger with a powerful, confident gem) is a way to recapture at least some of the feelings she got when merged with Rose.
* Music, especially the gems' leitmotifs, are a very big thing in the series and there is plenty of fridge brilliance in it. To summarize, the instruments dedicated to each main character currently are as follows: Pearl = Piano, Amethyst = Beat, Garnet = Bass, Rose = Strings, Steven = "Game Boy sounds", Peridot = Techno, Greg = Guitar, Jasper = Drone noise. Lapis has a piano, but with a minor key which makes it more sad than Pearl's. Connie doesn't seem to have a clear motif for now.
** When Pearl is fusing with Amethyst to make Opal or Garnet is fusing with Amethyst to make Sugilite, you'll notice that the {{Leitmotif}} each character contributes to the fusion's leitmotif is different from the song that is used for the actual fusion dance. For example, take Amethyst and Pearl's fusion into Opal; you hear both Amethyst's and Pearl's leitmotifs but if you separated them from each other they would still sound like the respective Gem's leitmotifs. Now, when they actually have fuse into Opal, their Leitmotifs have actually fused as well, and this is where you see their "influence" on each other; Pearl's piano is wilder, while Amethyst's beats are more straight, which in turn gives Opal a completely unique leitmotif. The music that plays for the fusion dance kind of symbolizes the fact that the two Gems' are trying to get into the same mindset but they are still separate beings, while the music that plays for the fusion symbolizes that they have succeeded in achieving that mindset. That clever Rebecca Sugar...
** Why is it easier for Garnet to fuse with Amethyst and Pearl than between Pearl and Amethyst? Garnet is a bass that is usually a support in songs anyway while the piano is a classic instrument and beats are more modern and thus need to actually be tuned together more carefully.
** Steven and Amethyst manage to befriend Peridot very easily. Which makes sense, because they are all quite young with a modern mindset and equally modern instruments. Especially Steven and Peridot get along well since they are both interested in technology (Steven consumes a lot of TV and video games). Garnet needs a bit longer but is also able to sync up with Peridot after a while. Pearl and Lapis (piano) take the longest to get along with Peridot (techno).
** A piano (Pearl) is related to violins (Rose) and thus they have a good harmony together. But pianos are keyboard instruments while Rose's violins are string instruments and thus are very different. Guitars (Greg) on the other hand...
** Amethyst and Garnet accepted Greg pretty fast. Which makes sense, since his rock guitar is perfect for bass and beats.
** Jasper may or may not be able to have a positive fusion with anyone. Her instrument is very disturbed and can probably not properly harmonize with anyone.
* One thing I realized: the main four Crystal Gems (Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven) represent the four stages of human life:
** Steven, as the youngest of the Crystal Gems, represents the child stage. While he's definitely a smart kid, there are still things he doesn't fully understand yet, which is where mature people like Pearl and Garnet come in. He is also more innocent and kindhearted, which is what most young children are, and also the only person of the Crystal Gems with the least emotional/mental baggage.
** Amethyst represents the teenager stage. Wild, hedonistic, and very indulgent in anything that looks fun and exciting. Also suffers from angst over self-identity (constantly changes appearance to please others, while wondering if she'll be of worth to anyone at all), refuses to abide with authority figures like Pearl and occasionally Garnet, and is generally impulsive and emotional - all of them traits that many teenagers have. Part of the reason why Amethyst lets Steven do childish things that would've earned disapproval is because the teenager yearns for their childhood days and wants to cling onto their dwindling freedom.
** Pearl represents the young adult stage where a teenager finally enters the adult world, and is given new experiences and responsibilities. More skilled and mature than the teenager, but due to naivety regarding how the world works, she is often easily overwhelmed and has to compensate in order to hide her issues, letting them fester until they start affecting others in the worst possible way. Also has idealistic notions when it comes to love, so when it doesn't work out the way they imagined, they're often left emotional wrecks that takes years to recover from.
** Garnet represents the "true" adult stage, where a person has succeeded in surviving the craziness of being a young adult and has the wisdom and experience to prove it. The adult, now wanting to pass their knowledge onto others, starts marrying (Ruby and Sapphire) and having children, which results in the child (Steven) learning from the parent what it was like to live in the old generation. Having had experienced the worst possible situations, the adult also has enough foresight and resources to deal with them should they appear again.
* The logo and murals of the Diamonds are actually quite telling about the Diamonds themselves.
** The logo of four diamonds (white, yellow, blue and pink) are visible on the old structures on Earth. The same logo, but with an empty spot where pink would be appears on spots that were relevant during the late part of the rebellion (and in Centipeetle Mother's drawings). Afterwards, all logos now have only three diamonds visible, showing that Pink Diamond was probably the victim of {{Unperson}}ing after she became shattered.
** The murals of the Diamonds on the Moon base show show all the Diamonds holding planets in their grasp: Pink Diamond has one planet (with one satellite [Earth and Moon]), Blue Diamond has eight planets (or seven and one satellite), Yellow Diamond has nine planets (with fourteen satellites) and White Diamond has fifteen planets (with twenty satellites). Corresponding with this, the logo always shows White Diamond on top, Pink Diamond on the bottom and Yellow and Blue in the middle. Furthermore, all Diamonds shown look to the right on the murals except for White Diamond who looks straight, possibly hinting at her being TheLeader, though so far she's (for unknown reasons) more a AllPowerfulBystander.
** Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond have their gems on their chest, connecting them with Amethyst's impulsive behavior (as seen in Yellow Diamond's pettiness and outrage in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E28MessageReceived "Message Received"]]). White Diamond has her gem on her forehead, thus possibly hinting on her being logical, a thinker and planner similar to Pearl and Peridot. Pink Diamond has hers on her navel which can either mean that she might have had the potential to be loving (like Rose Quartz) or was childish due to being the youngest (like Steven Universe) — later episodes revealed that she realized that potential, because she ''is'' Rose Quartz, and thus part of Steven.
* So far, gems that stated belonging to a certain Diamond have corresponded with the colour of the respective Diamond, thus possibly proving also in the future who was made for which Diamond.
** Jasper (orange-red), the Ruby vet (red) and Rose Quartz (rose/pink) are explicitly stated to have served under Pink Diamond. Other Rose Quartz gems are seen in bubbles, and are stated to also be of Pink Diamond's court. All Rubies might have originally belonged to her, including Crystal Gem's Ruby (Blue Diamond makes clear that the Rubies are not hers). Amethyst's colour scheme is a mixture of red and blue, possibly personifying how she was on Pink Diamond's planet, but how Blue Diamond took over after Pink Diamond's demise.
** Peridot (yellow-green) and Yellow Pearl belong to Yellow Diamond.
** Sapphire belonged to Blue Diamond. Lapis Lazuli might have belonged to Blue Diamond as well.
* Over the course of the show, fusion has gone from requiring a dance to being just close to one another. Why? Every character involved in fusion (excluding Jasper and Lapis) grew closer towards one another, thus ''getting closer to being in sync with each other''.
* The show actually puts a lot of subtle effort into explaining how the Crystal Gems won the war despite being under-supplied and out-numbered. To whit:
** Unlike Homeworld, their egalitarian ethics allowed Gems from non-warrior castes like Bismuths and Pearls to fight in combat roles, increasing their effective numbers.
** Rose's healing powers allowed for her to heal any injured Crystal Gems instead of having their numbers only diminish. It's possible other Rose Quartzes could have done this for Homeworld, but given the bubble-room seen in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E14ThatWillBeAll "That Will Be All"]], Homeworld may have bubbled them just after Rose's betrayal, meaning Homeworld could ''not'' fix its broken Gems. And since CG!Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond, real Rose Quartz gems may not actually possess healing powers.
** The Crystal Gems were the only faction to use fusions between Gems of different types, a taboo on Homeworld. Mixed gem fusions are shown to be substantially more powerful than single gem ones, and provided a firepower advantage.
** Pink Diamond was actually Rose Quartz, and as such was deliberately sabotaging the Homeworld war effort.
* Likewise, why does Jasper so strongly believe that fusion is why she loses? She has no concept of the underlying teamwork and loyalty behind it. It's due to this that her fusions tend to be so unstable and uncoordinated, she thinks everyone else is also in it just for the power.
* Why is Sardonyx so [[FunPersonified full of jokes]]? One third of her is Pearl, who's [[LargeHam dramatic]] and loves to show off when she can. Also, as mentioned below, Pearl gets a [[AwesomeEgo huge boost in her self-esteem]] when she's fused. The other two thirds of Sardonyx are [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E9SwornToTheSword Garnet, Master of Comedy]].
* Why is Steven's weapon a shield? Not only was it inherited from Rose, but like his mother, he's a lover and not a fighter, and only wants to protect those he loves (though a shield can also become a weapon under different circumstances, like throwing, reflecting, and bashing)
** Rose Quartz, a lover and not a fighter? No, not by a long shot. Which is why she wielded a sword and shield, where Steven only has the shield. The sword, however, is an actual forged material weapon; Rose was a Quartz and a warrior by nature, but she had to literally take up a sword for her cause. This is even extra brilliant because of Connie, who, being fully human and well aware that Homeworld thinks humans are more or less bipedal cockroaches infesting the Earth, has no reason ''not'' to use lethal force against an enemy Gem.
* Right from the start of season one, the Gems are seen making a lot of mistakes and questionable decisions while fighting the MonsterOfTheWeek. This may appear as poor writing at first, but plot and character development gradually show it to be completely intentional on the creators' part: as much as Steven looks up to the Crystal Gems, without Rose Quartz's leadership they simply aren't what they used to be.
** This could also be seen as part of Steven's CharacterDevelopment. At the beginning of the series, Steven is a CheerfulChild who acts like a regular (if a bit sheltered) kid, with little to no control over his powers. Because he's not as involved with the Crystal Gems' fights, he sees them as invincible superheroes who can do no wrong. However, once Steven starts developing his powers and becoming more involved with the Crystal Gems and their missions, he realizes something: [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the Crystal Gems aren't perfect]]. They all have their own issues and insecurities, and sometimes they make mistakes or bad decisions, and sometimes their actions [[InnocentlyInsensitive are harmful to those around them]]. And since the series is mainly from Steven's perspective, that means the audience is finding all this out at the same time. Over the course of the series, it's not just Steven who figures out that even the Crystal Gems have flaws; the fans are realizing it right along with him.
* Steven's love for ''Crying Breakfast Friends'' makes sense when you consider Steven's personality: he's a BadLiar, likes to avoid PoorCommunicationKills, and hates persisting conflict. In ''Crying Breakfast Friends'', all of the problems are solved because the breakfast friends are so open with each other. This contrast is shown most obviously in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E14CryForHelp "Cry for Help"]], where Pearl was hiding her desire to get the fusion power high, causing a rift with Garnet for several episodes. The in-show tears provide "sweet catharsis", as Steven puts it in "Steven Reacts".
* All of the "noncombat" gems (such as Pearl and Holly Blue Agate) that have summoned weapons have had lighter blades/pointed weapons (Pearl's spear, Agate's whip) that can damage gem bodies easily but would have trouble harming gems themselves. Gems made for combat (such as the Rubies and Jasper) have had heavier, often blunt weapons (Ruby's gauntlet, Eyeball's chisel, Jasper's helmet) that could crush or crack gems more easily. The Diamonds made it so that the soldiers (which are likely even more heavily drilled into obedience and loyalty to the Diamonds than the other classes) are the only ones who can easily kill other gems.
** Amethyst could be seen as an exception, but she's technically defective and her weapon was probably affected by that; even so, her whip has a heavy tip and thorns, and her upgraded weapon is a heavy, crushing morningstar.
** Fusions are supposed to only be used for fighting; fittingly, all fusions we've seen have had heavy blunt weapons except for Opal, who is a fusion between a "defective" combat gem and a noncombat gem.
* It seems gems are unable to change their colour scheme too much, even when shapeshifting into different forms. While this may be rooted in science and be a reflection of their gems' colours as well as their bodies being made of hard light, it also means it would be impossible for a low-ranking gem to impersonate anyone from beyond their own caste. And since they're rigidly defined by their castes, any attempt at impersonation would be kinda pointless, as they would end up filling out the exact same role, with maybe some minor variables such as location and which diamond they serve.
* Potentially overlapping with Horror, but Steven consistently displays excitement and awe at the "giant women" that fusions are. This initially just seems to be part of his excitable personality... until we find out that the Diamonds are literally giants. His fascination with giant women may well be the expression of a trait that the Diamonds built into every Gem in order to encourage reverence towards them.
** You may also consider that Rose Quartz was a pretty massive, even for a non-fusion gem.
** Also, [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E5StoryForSteven "Story for Steven"]] shows that Greg also has preferences for large women. Makes sense Steven would inherit it.
* Pearls being depicted as essentially Homeworld ballerina slaves has some real-life context — they're performers, designed specifically for their audience's amusement. And like Homeworld, people misunderstand that it takes a lot of work, time, and patience for a ballerina to dance the way they do.
* This may also be placed in Fridge Horror, but Pearls are essentially slaves, because they are most commonly found inside organic lifeforms such as oysters. Unlike other Gems that grow under immense pressure and heat, a Pearl is usually made whenever the oyster has an irritant inside its digestive system. Essentially, Homeworld raises Pearls in slavery due to their origins!
* There's quite a divisive stance on human-centric episodes in regards to how they contribute to the plot. But, they ''do''. The humans in those episodes show that they all have desires, flaws, insecurities, strengths, and weaknesses that they have to deal with in their life. Human centric episodes reminds the audience of two things: One, the main themes of the story (i.e., talking about feelings, respecting boundaries). And two, humans and Gems are more alike than they really know.
* If Quartzes are soldiers, then how does Rose Quartz fit in? She's the combat medic. It also explains her and Steven's bubble defense since both Rose and the cracked gems she was healing would be vulnerable especially in a battlefield; the shield allowed Rose to use her healing tears unhindered.
* The "Wanted" special was broadcasted on Memorial Day, the day to commemorate those fallen in battle. [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E2TheTrial "The Trial"]] focuses on Pink Diamond's murder, which happened in the middle of the war, while [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E3OffColors "Off Colors"]] and [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E4LarsHead "Lars' Head"]] have Lars making {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s (one even costing his life) and having to be left behind, creating a reason to remember him.
* Gems' bodies are made of light, so there is no problem in changing their forms in Fusion. But what about humans? Humans can't normally Fuse because their physical body would be DESTROYED. But Steven has healing powers — he's essentially using them to break his (and Connie's) body down and creating the Fused body, and then to regenerate the original bodies after de-fusing!
* Who are the leaders of the Homeworld Gems? The Diamonds. And what are the diamonds? ''[[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim The Tallest.]]''
* ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'' introduces Hessonite, who is a non-fusion Garnet. She is a high-ranking general and she is also implied to be Centipeetle's superior. This might add some context to the negative reaction to Garnet, as she was not only a cross-Gem fusion but from the perspective of the other Homeworld Gems it looked like she was trying to impersonate an important military leader. Also, the comparison makes sense considering Ruby and Sapphire's roles: Soldier + Tactician = General.
* Rose Quartz has always seemed very abnormal for a Gem. Unlike the others, she looks almost identical to a human beyond her size and has always displayed an abnormally large number of powers. That’s because "Rose" was an identity crafted to be the person that Pink Diamond desperately wanted to be. She molded the form to mimic humans as she envied their ability to grow and understand others on a deeper level. She chose to pass as a Rose Quartz because they were a new line that nobody would be familiar enough with to see through the disguise.
* With the recent reveal that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond, Pearl's solo lyrics in the Extended theme song take on a new double meaning if you look closely. For example: "If you could only know what we really are" refers to their real identities of Rose Quartz and her renegade Pearl as Pink Diamond and her actual Pearl respectively and the rest that follows is pretty much Pearl's flashback from [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E19NowWereOnlyFallingApart "Now We're Only Falling Apart"]]. The repeating of "we will protect your Earth," seems to hint at a double-meaning; 1) it's "his" Earth as in his home, and 2) it's "his" Earth in that he inherited it from the Diamond who originally colonized it. In addition, Pearl's reason for fighting: she's still fighting in the name of her Diamond.
* Pink Diamond disguising herself as a Rose Quartz makes sense in real-life context. Rhinestones are fake diamonds, originally made using rock crystal(or 'clear quartz') until the 19th century. Switch it around and you've got a Diamond masquerading as a Quartz!
* A minor one, but the Prime Kindergarten turning out only sub-standard quartz soldiers. We see briefly on the map that the Prime Kindergarten is located in North America, near the western end of Lake Superior. What's there in real life? Thunder Bay, Canada, which has one of the largest sources of amethyst on the planet. It's all low-quality amethyst, however, you want to look at South America or Africa for amethyst mines that routinely bring up good gems. It's not unreasonable to believe that Earth was scanned, a massive deposit of amethyst was found by Lake Superior, and so they set up the Prime Kindergarten there to make Pink Diamond's first Quartz soldiers. Once they emerged, it would have been discovered that the amethyst there wasn't the best — and immediately after the Amethysts emerged from the Prime Kindergarten, Pink Diamond saw the Earth and realized she didn't want to colonize it, so she would have been purposefully choosing less than ideal Kindergarten spots after that. No wonder almost every Earth-made gem we see isn't up to Homeworld's standards.
** The Prime Kindergarten is the high quality one, the only Gem that wasn't up to Homeworld's standards is our Amethyst. The others are treated badly because with their Diamond gone they are considered worthless due to their lack of purpose, it has nothing to do with their quality. In fact, Peridot has stated several times the Prime Kindergarten is an excellent job.
* Blue Diamond has several. Aside from the obvious fact that she's often seen crying and sad, that is, ''feeling blue'', her powers over empathy ''(where if she cries, any Gem in her vicinity gets overwhelmed with sadness as well)'' also ties in to her suffering: After all, misery loves company.
** With that said, Blue Diamond being denoted by her misery and being a sign that something bad was going to happen when she appeared has some merit to it: There are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5nNGOI2r7M gems in real life]] that supposedly bring suffering and misfortune to those involved with them, both of them blue diamonds.
* Pink Diamond's life and tendency to create new aliases for herself can be seeing as a reference to Nietzsche's three stages of soul development.
** As Pink Diamond, she was in the Camel stage. She was seen as a mere entertainer at best and as a bratty child as worst, who was always ordered to obey rules that were against her true nature merely because it was "the way things were supposed to be". For Nietzsche, the camel is an individual that just obeys the status quo because it's the easiest thing to do, carrying the believes and values of others because they "must".
** As Rose Quartz, she moved into the Lion stage. She became a fighter and a rebel in order to gain freedom from the values Homeworld placed upon her. But unlike most of those in this stage, she didn't rebel for the sake of rebelling (at first), she did it with the clear purpose of defending Earth and later for the rights of "deviant" Gems to exist. But a Lion, while a predator and hunter, it's also the leader of a pride that commonly hunts for it. With time, Rose, after obtaining a not-so-clean but satisfying victory, had no other reason to continuing neither rebelling nor developing further... until she met Greg.
** Pink's last reinvention of herself as half of Steven is she moving into the final stage of the Child. For Nietzche, the Child is a pure, amoral creative who, with all his playfulness and wanderlust, is capable of creating new vales, believes and new forms of of existence for himself because he's just himself, free of preconceived biases placed upon him. And Steven's whole character arc is about becoming his own Child by moving out of his mom's shadow and recognizing he's just, well, himself.
* The Crystal Gems always have the star pattern on their clothes. However, lately that specific star is tilted or otherwise slightly altered. This could represent the fact that the team has significantly changed over the show's period, but still remembers what it fights to protect and defend. The stars are altered, but they are still stars.
* Pearl is the Gem least likely to eat, with her stated reason being that she finds the act itself distasteful, what with the mush that food turns into. But there may be an alternate/additional reason: in order for a Gem to eat, they have to shapeshift a digestive system. And Pearl ''hates'' (well, hate''d'', after recent developments in Future) shapeshifting. So why would she put in the extra effort to do something she hates in order to do something else she doesn't like?
* It seemed weird how "Stevens Birthday" portrayed Steven as struggling with staying shape-shifted into an older form when previously in "Too Many Birthdays" he accidentally changed ages effortlessly. But we've since learned that Diamonds can retain a form for much longer than any other gem and as his self-induced corruption from the latter half of future proved his gem has complete control over his body and shapes it to reflect how he see's himself. When he was born he had the mind of a baby and so he had the body of a baby, then after a while his sheltered upbringing caused him to stop aging, except briefly when the events of "Too Many Birthdays" made him start thinking about his own aging. In "Stevens Birthday" he felt like a small boy desperately trying to make himself older so that's what he became and when it failed he became even more insecure about his lack of aging so his gem turned him into a baby. It was only after that when he started feeling more adult responsibilities that he continued aging at a normal rate. This means if he learned to control this power he could eventually become TheAgeless like all other gems.
* Pink Diamond starting a rebellion under the guise of Rose Quartz was likely the only way for Gems to be truly free; had she started the rebellion as Pink Diamond (her) Gems would have just thought to follow her as a Diamond and not have truly cared about their freedom, by masquerading as Rose Quartz the Gems weren't following a Diamond out of servitude but instead out of their own volition.
* ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'' was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen supposed to have]] a DLC of Lapis as a playable character, but it never came to fruition. From a stoy perspective, however, this was likely for the best, as Lapis was characterized as highly disinterested in the Crystal Gems' activities during the point of the series the game takes place, which can be seen in her appearance as the game currently is. She doesn't become more proactive until the events of "Reunited" and the Diamond Days event, which is why she becomes a playable character in [[VideoGame/UnleashTheLight the game that comes after]].
* You know how Sapphire has only one eye, and before she started fusing with Ruby she only thought the future would be one single path? Or in other words, she lacked depth perception.
* Despite the Great Diamond Authority being the show's main antagonists, it's actually Jasper who is the most important antagonist. Lapis was when the show started to change tone, Peridot was a henchman but ultimately not enough to change the status quo but Jasper in her first appearance alone completes the show's change by establishing that the Diamonds (Yellow Diamond) weren't just ancient history, that some gems are hostile to Rose Quartz, that Homeworld Gems can use their own weapons, that Garnet is actually a fusion, Homeworld is a dictatorship and gave the fans one of the show's most iconic songs.
** In her appearances after that, she establishes (through Malachite) that not all fusions are good or willing, that some gems are addicted to the power rush of fusion, is part of Lapis's character arc and later Amethyst's, reveals that the Diamonds expect Gems to conform to their order, caused Steven and Amethyst to fuse into Smokey Quartz and also answers the question of what happens if a Gem were to fuse with a corrupted Gem. After being beaten, she reveals the existence of Pink Diamond, one of the main focuses of Season 4. She's also one of the few Gems that Steven couldn't redeem and showed that not everyone wanted his help. Had the show stuck to its original plans, she likely would've shown that it was possible to heal a Gem from corruption without the help of the Diamonds.
** She's also a ShadowArchetype to Steven and the Crystal Gems. Like Steven, they both have a philosophy that they strongly stick to though Steven believes in peace and reasoning whereas Jasper believes violence is the best way to solve problems. Like Garnet, she's a powerful character but whereas Garnet is a leader who sees Pearl as an equal and embraces fusion for love, Jasper is stuck escorting Peridot who she couldn't care less about and merely sees fusion as a cheap way to win fights. Like Amethyst, she's a Quartz gem born on Earth and they both have similar appearances; aside from that, their colours are opposite as is their lifestyles and worldviews. Much like Pearl, they devoted themselves to a pink figure who was lost to them and now live on Earth. Whereas Pearl stayed to take care of Steven, considered to be a servant class gem and actually tried to improve her life despite Rose Quartz's death hurting her deeply, Jasper stayed to face her demons, seeing the Earth as a prison, is a high ranked gem made for combat and went down on a path of self-destruction to avenge Pink Diamond.
* Garnet's future vision is frequently referred to with water motifs. In "Future Vision," she compares the possible paths of the future to a stream that flows in different directions, and in two separate scenes where she and Steven talk about the impact of her future vision (both "Future Vision" and "Pool Hopping"), it is raining. Her components have fire and ice powers, and when fire melts ice, what does it make? Water!

* Garnet's future vision is frequently referred to with water motifs. In "Future Vision," she compares her ability to a stream that flows in different directions, and in two separate scenes where she and Steven talk about the impact of her future vision (both "Future Vision" and "Pool Hopping"), it is raining. Her components have fire and ice powers, and when fire melts ice, what does it make? Water!

* Garnet's future vision is frequently referred to with water motifs. In "Future Vision," she compares her ability to a stream that flows in different directions, and in two separate scenes where she and Steven talk about the impact of her future vision (both "Future Vision" and "Pool Hopping"), it is raining. Her components have fire and ice powers, and what does ice make when fire melts it? Water!

* Maybe coincidence, accident or not, but Steven is shaping into becoming a [[MessianicArchetype Jesus-like]] character. He was born from a [[HalfHumanHybrid human dad and a genderless but female-coded rock alien]], who was [[HundredPercentAdorationRating adored by all]], [[AllLovingHero loved everyone equally]] and was very powerful. He lives up his mother's legacy and pretty much keeps the Crystal Gems together.

* Ever since the reveal of [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E18ASinglePaleRose "A Single Pale Rose"]], fans have darkly speculated that Steven's black "Rose Quartz" eyes may, at one important point or another, become exactly like Pink Diamond's (either momentarily or permanently). However, that hasn't ever been touched upon yet in-universe, and it actually seems about as likely as Smoky Quartz becoming Smoky ''Diamond'', because of this one factor: Steven isn't even Pink Diamond; it's been established that he's his own person, his own being.

* Maybe coincidence, accident or not, but Steven is shaping into becoming a [[MessianicArchetype Jesus-like]] character. He was born from a [[InvertedTrope human dad]] [[HumanMomNonhumanDad and a genderless but female-coded rock alien]], who was [[HundredPercentAdorationRating adored by all]], [[AllLovingHero loved everyone equally]] and was very powerful. He lives up his mother's legacy and pretty much keeps the Crystal Gems together.

* There's quite a divisive stance on human-centric episodes in regards to how they contribute to the plot. But, they ''do''. The humans in those episodes show that they all have desires, flaws, insecurities, strengths, and weaknesses that they have to deal with in their life. Human centric episodes reminds the audience of two things: One, the main themes of the story (i.e., talking about feelings, respecting boundaries). And two, humans and Gems [[NotSoDifferent are more alike than they really know]].

** This could also be seen as part of Steven's CharacterDevelopment. At the beginning of the series, Steven is a CheerfulChild who acts like a regular (if a bit sheltered) kid, with little to no control over his powers. Because he's not as involved with the Crystal Gems' fights, he sees them as invincible superheroes who can do no wrong. However, once Steven starts developing his powers and becoming more involved with the Crystal Gems and their missions, he realizes something: [[RealityEnsues the Crystal Gems aren't perfect]]. They all have their own issues and insecurities, and sometimes they make mistakes or bad decisions, and sometimes their actions [[InnocentlyInsensitive are harmful to those around them]]. And since the series is mainly from Steven's perspective, that means the audience is finding all this out at the same time. Over the course of the series, it's not just Steven who figures out that even the Crystal Gems have flaws; the fans are realizing it right along with him.

* Peridot's use of "[[InformedObscenity clod]]" as an insult: not only does it mean "stupid person", but also "lump of dirt". To a sentient gemstone, that's doubly insulting.

* The show has been praised for, among other things, its extremely egalitarian beliefs: no character is depicted as lesser based on their appearance, ethnicity, orientation etc. Steven himself literally won't even hurt a bug! But it isn't so much a positive message for its own sake as it is a reinforcement of the Gems' beliefs: they are the defenders of Earth and "all of its living creatures". And that means AllOfThem! Any kind of intentional prejudice would sully that message.