| Steven Universe | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure Action Comedy-drama Science Fantasy Surreal Musical |
| Created by | Rebecca Sugar |
| Directed by | Supervising Director: Ian Jones-Quartey Art Direction: Kevin Dart (season 1, episodes 1-12 (2013-2014)) Elle Michalka Animation Director: Nick DeMayo |
| Voices of | Zach Callison Estelle Michaela Dietz Deedee Magno Hall Matthew Moy Kate Micucci Tom Scharpling Grace Rolek |
| Opening theme | "We Are the Crystal Gems", written by Rebecca Sugar & arranged by Jeff Liu |
| Ending theme | Ending Theme (Love Like You) written by Rebecca Sugar and composed by Aivi & Surasshu |
| Composers | Aivi Tran Steven "Surasshu" Velema Additional Music: Nick DeMayo Rebecca Sugar |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 160 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Rebecca Sugar |
| Producers | Jackie Buscarino Supervising Producer: Chuck Austen |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | November 4, 2013 – January 21, 2019 |
Steven Universe is an animated series on Cartoon Network. It is about a young boy named Steven Universe, a human boy and half-gem (an alien race who are made of gem crystals), and his story with the Crystal Gems, a rebel group of warriors who fight against the opressive Gem Homeworld.
Steven Universe is primarily set in a world similar to our own. Earth's geography differs from real life but is largely the same, save for the lack of countries such as Russia. Set in the fictional town of Beach City, Steven Universe follows the adventhres of the titular character Steven who, alongside his alien friends Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, go on adventures together while they fight against the evil Gem Homeworld, an intergalactic military of aliens who seek to rule the universe.
Gems are a geological alien race made up of a gem crystal and a "hard light" form that forms their physical appearance. Each type of Gem, such as diamonds, pearls, and so on, have a role in Gem society that they were made for.
Diamonds are the most important of all Gems and are the rulers of the Gem Homeworld. They are served by Pearls, who were made to be obedient to them. There are four known diamonds: Pink Diamond, Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, and White Diamond. Most Gems are assigned to a Diamond and report to them for various tasks. Gems who do not obey the Diamonds are considered either rebels, or "corrupted". Gems who are corrupted were once regular Gems, but now look more monstrous, caused by intense distress, or a special beam of light used by the Diamonds as punishment for rebellion.
From their planet Homeworld, the Diamond Authority colonise other planets so that new Gems can be formed from the materials found in the ground. There, they create large valleys nicknamed "kindergartens" can be found on these planets, including Earth.
When born, a gem emerges from a hole designed to fit their intended height. Some gems are born too small, and are considered "defective" by the Diamonds, and by gem society as a whole.
The Crystal Gems are a rebel group led by the legendary warrior Rose Quartz. They were formed by Rose because she wanted to protect the life on Earth, and stop Homeworld from destroying it. After the Diamonds (Blue, Yellow, and White) ended the war by corrupting all Gems on Earth (aside from the main cast of Crystal Gems, thanks to Rose's shield), the rebel group went into hiding.
It was later revealed that Rose Quartz was actually a Diamond herself. Originally Pink Diamond, she constantly begged the older Diamonds for a colony of her own. After finally being given Earth, she grew to love the people and animals that lived on it, taking on the persona of Rose Quartz in order to fight Homeworld to stop them from destroying the planet.
Rose wanted a child more than anything else. So much so, she decided that with the help of her partner Greg Universe, she would give up her form so that their child could be born. This child would become Steven, who would inherit Rose's gem.
The Crystal Gems are composed of Steven, his friend (later girlfriend) Connie, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot and Bismuth. Before the end of the Gem War, the Crystal Gems were larger in number and key members mentioned by Bismuth include Biggs, Snowflake, and Crazy Lace, characters who would go on to appear in the final episode of the series and the epilogue series.
Fusion is the process in which the "hard light" forms of two gems are mixed together to create a new form, and a new personality. It can only be achieved by perfect synchronisation of two or more Gems. Steven is an exception to this rule - because he possesses Rose Quartz' Diamond Gem, he is capable of fusing with both humans and Gems alike. For example, he often fuses with Connie to form Stevonnie.
Fusion between different Gem classes is strongly discouraged on the Gem Homeworld. Fusing with a gem higher in the social hierarchy is considered a crime punishable by death for a foot soldier gem such as a Ruby, as demonstrated when Sapphire and Ruby fused to form Garnet for the first time, much to the horror of the surrounding Gems and Blue Diamond herself.