We Need to Talk About the Diamonds 

I still think that Change Your Mind butchered the pacing of Steven Universe. because, you're right... in the most pedantic sense, the diamonds are not "redeemed" so to speak. but they did all change their minds at once about Steven. prior to Change Your Mind, the diamonds didn't even seem to grasp that Steven wasn't just a different looking reformation of their Pink Diamond that they knew before she was "shattered" and they even treated Steven like they expected him to have the same personality "flaws" that Pink had. it took Pink literally dying for them to see that something was wrong, and even then, the wrong thing was "oh no, Pink is dead!" not "oh man, we really drove her away with our horrible actions!" as one would hope. what I'm saying is that, if the rest of the diamonds see Steven as literally Pink herself, then they're going to treat him the way they would've treated her, which looked as though it hadn't changed at all. OR they're going to see Steven as a totally separate being and have even less reason to value his opinion because, well... who the hell is this? White literally pulled Steven's gem out because she values Pink more than Steven. when Steven changed their minds, he wasn't upturning their values as leaders of the gem species... he was convincing them that listening to him, wanting him around, valuing him, and putting stock in what he would prefer that they do, is worth it. and for a hot minute, none of his attempts to do so were working at all. even White Diamond pulling his gem out in an attempt to get Pink back was just another indication that Steven's values should mean nothing to her. I know it seems like a climactic moment when she realizes that Pink is gone and Steven is all that's left now, but that just means that it's impossible for White to get what she really wants. how is that supposed to result in her listening to Steven? like... listening to Steven more than she ever even listened to Pink when she was alive? more than she was prepared to listen to Pink if she had gotten her back? the writing presents this strangely! and that's not even to speak of the whiplash I got from Blue and Yellow. Blue is the most empathetic out of the three diamonds, and even she should've taken a longer amount of time to convince to change in any way. she was always pleading with Pink to just be a good diamond and do what diamonds are supposed to do... you could appeal to her sense of relief over having found "Pink" to be still alive, but even that should've taken time... and then to flip Yellow almost even quicker is even more jarring! this is not to say that the diamonds shouldn't have ever changed their minds on anything, but it should've taken more time, and more work, and there were so many things that could've been done with them in the meantime. it would've been so good to keep them in this "villainous" role for a while longer as Steven tries to figure out how to get through to them. there's so much wasted writing potential! and so much wasted villain aesthetic potential too, if I'm being totally honest. I will forever lament that White Diamond never got an eerie villain song wherein she possesses a large number of other gems with her brainwashing ability and forces them to become a perfect choir to back her up. that would've been some _top tier_ villainous panache. it could've been so good. but yeah, basically ever since they arrived on homeworld, it felt like they weren't seeing enough of it. and especially because Steven is new there, and I would've thought he'd be curious about it all. as an audience member, I sure was! I've said this in other comments on Steven Universe videos before, but ideally I would've wanted an episode that mirrors Pearl's story in Now We're Only Falling Apart, wherein Pearl showed Pink Diamond around Earth, and Pink decided she wanted to protect it. in this case, it'd probably be Pearl showing Steven around homeworld, and Steven coming to a similar conclusion. but this would highlight the differences between Steven and his mom... Steven would have all the pieces of the puzzle, and he wouldn't be running away. Pink was stepping into a convenient lie, while Steven is embracing a difficult truth. an episode like that, even just one, would give us more of a sense of scale, and a greater understanding of the location that the story is now taking place in. it'd be great for worldbuilding, and introducing new gems as background characters. and then the next thing I'd probably change is how Steven and Connie escape when they're imprisoned for fusing into Stevonnie. again, I've put forth this idea in other comments sections, but I was hoping that Lars and the off colors would come and rescue Steven. it would've been so easy to set up too... once Steven had possessed one of the watermelon Stevens, he could've just gone through Lion's mane to get directly to Lars. that whole crew is already in space and near homeworld in some capacity, so it'd actually make more sense to ask them for help because they'd literally be able to get there sooner, and they're guaranteed to have a functional ship to use, whereas Steven's plan in the show really relied on the Earth crew having repaired at least one of the Diamonds' arm ships... he had no idea how close they were to being able to do that. from there, I think it would've made sense for Steven to start a revolution. Pink didn't even really start a revolution herself, so much as she formed a resistance. resisting the Diamonds' takeover of Earth is totally different than actually trying to revolutionize gem society for the gems she left behind on homeworld. Pink mostly just wanted to carve out a place for herself to feel at home. Steven's goals could be more big picture. and it also just makes sense to try and enact societal change from the bottom up, rather than the top down. those in power will rarely change what they're doing unless they have a reason that benefits them even more than the current system... and that's not only really hard because they're already the most powerful, but it's also pandering to them even more. it doesn't get at the root of the problem. causing social unrest, and having strength in numbers, forces the leader to acknowledge the importance of those that they consider beneath them, and it also makes them aware that what they're doing is fundamentally not working. and the thing is... Steven could totally do that in a nonviolent way! he could simply offer gems a choice between living under homeworld's current system, or having a life free of those restrictions. he is a diamond, so by right, he technically should be able to leverage that power as a leader in his own right, even by the logic of homeworld's current system. all he'd have to do is give gems somewhere to "defect" to, if they feel dissatisfied... and there have been numerous hints that a lot of them do. heck, they could start by recruiting the Amethysts from the human zoo... I'd love to see those characters reintroduced to the narrative. and if Holly Blue then reported it to Blue Diamond, that could draw Blue into direct confrontation with this budding rebel group. this would set the stage for Steven to confront the diamonds individually, and address their flawed leadership one at a time. as I said, I think Blue would definitely be the easiest to sway, and would have to be the first """redeemed""" and I definitely think Yellow should've taken a lot more work, and White should've been a long awaited, final boss level confrontation of some sort. again, not even necessarily a violent one. just climactic, and with narrative weight and long term payoff. what this show needed was another season or two with the diamonds as the main villain... which I know they probably didn't/don't have, but that really shows here. because the pacing really is bad.

People don't change overnight, the diamonds struggling to change who they are is a good thing since it's more realistic.

I agree, we shouldn't just tear ourselves to shreds

The diamonds' behavior in the movie was solely for the sake of comedy

@@theonetruedonut I doubt that.

I mean...it's a start XD.

Better than them doing it tbf.

I believe that blue's actually trying tbh But you'll never know till later-

A little off topic, but I'm gonna point out something that's been bothering me for a while, and that's the fact that Yellow dissolving her armies might not have been a good idea. I'm all for pacifism guys, but what if Homeworld gets attacked by an unknown enemy? Even Steven has acknowledged that it's okay to fight if there's no other option, and I get the feeling that "a fleet of enemy warships are flying in and they won't back down for any reason!" is a good reason to start fighting.

That's why white is pissed in Steven universe future other gems are gonna try to overthrow the dimonds and white is gonna question Steven about this and be super pissed

Chloe Wade "lower life forms-" "what did we sayy " "UGH 'equal' life forms"

@@nerdychocobo I think what you meant to say was "Yeah, I don't about this"

@@canineclient7006 what?

Everyone could tell that she was being sarcastic at that moment in time :D

Meanwhile, Steven's just like " =_= "

After all, how well do we all really think they would handle Steven's eventual death as an organic lifeform?

*_[... yeah... but would he die from old age, seeing as his age is based on how old he feels?]_*

@@Ruby-Doc Genes have limits: any living thing with DNA will eventually die, and if not the DNA will just keep on degrading until he's a living mummy.

@@vicenteisaaclopezvaldez2450 Theory: As Steven ages, he learns to tap more into his Gem powers (as he's been seen to be doing). As his organic body dies, he learns to create a synthetic body like other Gems do. Immortal Pink Steven is born.

@@fennecwolfox That makes sense. We saw a small glimpse of it in Change your Mind

Honestly, this was my thought on Blue.

Blue is like that one racist aunt or grandma that actually tries to change

@@Fisinocean Like Kowalski from Gran Torino.

Yeah, Blue seems the most likely to change. She’s been miserable and completely depressed for thousands of years. She learns that humans have feelings. So she could make the connection and develop empathy towards others.

Plus, it looks like she gets to spend time with White and Yellow more often, since they've all been asked to change together. I don't Blue _or_ Yellow want to go back to the way things were before.

I actually had a similar thought about him picking that flower, then healing it with his spit. It was at that moment that I realized that healing magic would be utterly _terrifying_ if a sadistic villain were able to use it...

CJCroen1393 why would it be terrifying?

@@josephinamungaray6118 You can painfully cut someone into pieces as long as you please, they aren't even allowed to die until you say so. You can even heal them completely, just to hide your secret pastime. If they fear you they won't talk. Truly horrific.

@@josephinamungaray6118 Imagine a villain doing what Steven did to that flower to a small animal or a human. And then doing it over, and over, and over...

You don’t have to! Pink Diamond existed.

Ironically she had a problem with the earth being destroyed yet homeworld is split in half XD

@@TelikiMouse She probably isn't a fan of that either.

Not gonna lie, she has a point lmao. Earth is a mess atm.

@@summanus4437 it is but the irony XD

Let's be real. The Earth is kind of gross XD.

Basically

Yeah

I can believe it more from Blue since she knows that humans feel hurt and she’s been miserable for years. So if anyone would change it would be her, because she could understand “they think just like I do”, that is, she can start to understand empathy.

HOUND project They are not racist relatives but much worse. They make the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao Zedong to look like choirboys. Species, races and planets are eradicated by their iron-fisted rule. Their servants are slaves that are manufactured for spesific purpose. Diamonds do enforce everyone to regard them as God-Queens of their species...

Yep. I think one of the major themes of the movie is that change is HARD. It’s hard to consciously improve yourself. It’s hard to not grow complacent. It’s hard to not dwell on a negative world view. But it is ultimately worth it.

probably because she's the one that cares the most

Lucas Santos yeah she’s the one who kidnapped Greg

@@cryptidliam8452 She also seemed to be the one to use shattering as a punishment more than the other diamonds did

One Aesthetic Boi yeah to try win over Steven she said ‘I haven’t smashed any gems!’

+Fluff Whiskers Context. She did that because she thought the Earth was still in danger of imploding due to the Cluster.

They never asked you to forgive them did they? You can choose whether or not you want to like them or not.

None of them are redeemed. They are beings that have existed for Eons, if Steven completely changed their mindsets in 2 years that's akin to having someone change their ENTIRE BELIEF SYSTEM because they brushed by someone on the street. Yes, Blue definitely is the most receptive and easily influenced by Steven but you have to remember, her saying "I never shatter gems" is her saying "I don't kill people anymore" and it hasn't been that long since she stopped in the grand scheme of her existence. Believe me, neither I nor Lea are saying that the Diamonds are irredeemable if that's what you are uncomfortable with. We're just saying they aren't close yet. None of them, none of them have truly changed. Steven is their incentive to change and they are still early enough in the process where if he was removed as an incentive or a greater one was placed somewhere else they would revert in a heartbeat.

@The Earth Is Dying Because Of You I think there is something wrong with you. Nobody is saying they can't be forgiven we're just saying that changing superficially to please someone else isn't worthy of forgiveness because they haven't truly changed.

@The Earth Is Dying Because Of You I didn't attack you. I just pointed out a mistake. You're the one that typed in all caps "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU". If that's not an attack I don't know what is.

I would forgive blue over pink... even just a little

Agreed

Then again, what could you possibly do to punish them? They're literal gods who can shut any gem down with a _thought_.

@@reasyrandom If this was MLP or Adventure Time, removing their powers. Someone could have also used the rejuvenator on the diamonds as well....

True, and I also think when people say “redeemed” they mean. “No longer an antagonist.” As well.

@@DrawciaGleam02 What would be the point if what Steven is doing acomplishes the same goal of keeping them from causing any harm?

That's the feeling I got. They've been set in their ways for thousands of years, and the movie takes place only two years after Change Your Mind. Of course it's going to take them a while to fully understand the changes and why they have to be made. But they are trying. Steven couldn't have been there for every time they do something (like disband a colony or say please and thank you), so the fact they continue to do it when he's not around is worth noting. There is a level of autonomy ("Steven said this is bad so I shouldn't do it") in their actions.

Plus they're immortal, so it's not like they have a limited timeframe to change or anything. Unless Greg decides to do his thing again...

They've been conquering entire planets for eons, yet Steven managed to make all 3 diamonds "see the light" in just one day.

@@CJCroen1393 i think that is called:"death by snu snu"

@@alexandrub8786 *tHe OLd uNiVErSe CHArm*

"Ok good were making progress" "Ok good were making progress" "..."

"I've been saying nice things even to those filthy organics!" "White >:(" "(sigh) _Very clean_ organics..."

Progress? I guess

Whites improvising at least, using good manners is much better then mind controlling people

Pink Diamond: DEAD

Lucas Martinez change yo profile pic how you look now

I've no interest in doing so thank you.

Lucas Martinez Wait a minute...YOU HAVEN’T GROWN AT ALL SINCE THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN, HAVE YOU!? *YOU’RE AN IMMORTAL EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL BEING, AREN’T YOU!?*

Whoops. You got me.

that’s what i’ve been saying. the diamonds are thousands(maybe even hundreds of thousands) of years old. the amount of time that passed from cym to the end of the movie is the gem-time equivalent of like an hour. the diamonds won’t truly be changed beings until long after steven’s gone

Giovanni Orellana yeah, so that’s why he seemed a bit impatient. So he had enough. Especially that he had already experienced sooo much in the past.

I don't blame him, he deserves a nap. :)

Starry Animations & more! I agree

Just let the kid breathe for a bit

Rightfully so! Like jeez the kid's been through enough! Now he's gotta go all the way back, start from scratch, after literally _just_ singing a song on how they've all come so far, after feeling accomplished with himself that he brought peace to the galaxy... LIKE OMG! I agree with all of you, he just doesn't get a break! He's barely come to terms with his own problems, now he's gotta deal with fixing his friends, himself and the earth because of this demented pink Betty Boop ._. How has not broken after all this pressure and struggles? Omg I just want my baby to be happy ;~;

Point number three is the one I'm surprised so few people seem to understand. Like, how do SU Crits _think_ such a scenario is gonna play out? The Crystal Gems: (kill the Diamonds) Steven: We did it! We freed you all from your servitude! No need to thank us! Homeworld Gems: ... Steven: ...What? Homeworld Agate: THOSE MONSTERS SHATTERED OUR BELOVED LEADERS! Homeworld Aquamarine: GET THEM! When indoctrination runs this deep, it's hard to unlearn. The Homeworld Gems aren't gonna magically switch alliances just because their oppressors are dead because in their eyes, they _weren't_ oppressed.

Good point, it’s best to as befriend the evil gods if you can’t defeat them, it’s the best thing that could’ve been done honestly

this is such a cop out. if you are right, it’s a failing on the writers end to construct a story with these themes and have the resolution be so thematically questionable. they wrote themselves into a corner, every facet of the story ran away from them due to abysmal planning

Tbh at best blue and yellow seem like the best candidates for 'redeeming', white is a toxic gem who literally FORCES her control on her gems and others + was willing to rip out Stevens gem all to just bring pink back, i think they should've bubbled her and locked her far away in some isolated galaxy or smth.

Same, or only blue

Maybe she can be only redeemed

If the Diamonds actually become antagonists again in Season 6, I'll stop watching. I'm just fed up with them, I think we should focus on other villains.

@@reasyrandom Yeah. They can provide some good episodes dealing with letting go of personal demons and dysfunctional behavior, but their time as villains has past, even if it was rushed.

Well looks like you’ll get your wish in the Steven Universe future theme song they show all the villains and white is there .

I actually more agree with what an analysis said concerning White Diamond being in the Future opening and here's my take on it: I'd imagine we're going to get an episode concerning her trying to further overcome her prejudice even a bit. Maybe Steven invites her to Earth to meet people, but the giant worm thing (which is the same shade of pink-red as her) somehow is able to over take her and control her and when she arrives, she and Steven fight. Possibly at the end of the episode she has a very empathetic moment that hey, being controlled against your will and forced under another's heel is really shit.

Fennec Wolfox that sounds... dumb

I think she's being controlled given she looks like she is in agony in the villain shot (plus she looks like she is forced fused with Jasper or something

@@Direwolf181 she's not fused with Jasper. I think that she probably got corrupted

I want yellow and blue to fuse to stop white.

@@fanta6285 Yea, I mean early on in the show Amethyst and Pearl couldn't even stay as opal for more than half a second, but when it came to saving Steven they were on the same page. And Garnet's first fusion was completely by accident.

Thinking White split off a chunk of her personality into a Dark Diamond, Jekyll/Hyde style.

If the three diamonds do fuse they better become the hope diamond (the most expensive gem ever)

I'd rather have a bigger/badder villian, the diamonds have destroyed planets for eons even if there was life there they must have a lot of enemies that they thought they'd wiped out that want revenge and they've mentioned the diamonds being at war with another alien race for seasons it'd be cool if this came to play

EXACTLY OMG

THANK YOU.

The diamonds might be dictators but Pink is a race traitor who caused more harm than good and her selfish actions lead to countless gems being shattered or corrupted. Most of the non crystal Gem gems are fine with following their inter purposes.

Sayo Toshimoto Ahah...no. She decided she wasn’t cool with the Diamonds killing a planet of beings. She realized what all their bullshit entailed. That is, murdering countless just to use the planet for spare parts. They chose to go to war over *one* planet. They could’ve just decided it was too much of a hassle but no, they went to war, their choice, over one planet that they weren’t going to use. They were basically just going to hollow it out and reduce it to rubble, barely functioning even as a planet. Going to war over the thing they were going to trash was their idea. They’re the war criminals who corrupted innocents because they couldn’t handle being told no. And of course they’re happy, if they show that they aren’t they die.

@@dr.altoclef9255 yes and also it wasn't like pink never tried to talk to diamonds we we're shown over and over in the show that pink did everything to save earth. Even after starting the rebellion she still pleaded as pink diamond to just leave the earth alone. It was only her shattering that finally did something.

Thank you! Someone said it clearly

That's the problem, SU even had to end prematurely. It's why fan content benefits from this.

I think they're going to make it a big focus in the new season.

I thought Volleyball Pearl was unconscious when she was controlled.

@@greenamber9827 She was. Pink Pearl said herself that "8,000 just *blimp* gone".

The irony is hitler was seen to have a lot of potential to be a great and influential statesman by everyone he met, american, english, german, etc. But then he got mixed in with political extremism and scapegoating.

@@robertharris6092 no "Mein Kampf" was already written as he became chancelor, he only was good at rethoric - but yes, he was such a good guy, he only learned the best things from Mussolini - also the same could be said about Stalin, he could be really funny in privat, but does this redeem him of anything he had done? but ok, for a "democratic nation" that redeems itself time and time again for every war it started in middle east, no wonder where you get such views

Ironically Vegeta has a higher body count then Hitler and people were find with him getting a redemption arc.

How? The show makes all the Diamonds seem like they're trying to change. I think the only reason you say that is because Blue seems softer than the others. She did just as many horrible things as White and Yellow and is only changing to Appease to Steven.

@@rat-dog7357 -Shattered Gems -Imprisons Humans in a Zoo -Didnt try to understand Pink -Shattered gems -Conqered many planets Yup

@@huwutao8726 The shattering and conquering gems is something they all did as a group, so of course. Imprisoning humans in a zoo. This was mainly done to protect them from the earth so they could still destroy it for resources. Is it wrong? Yes. But we help endangered animals in the same way (which is how the diamonds saw us, Connie being called Steven's pet is a good example of that). She also didn't get the chance to understand Pink due to a line of thinking. Once Steven made her aware that what was happening wasn't normal, you could tell she felt terrible for all she did to Pink. That's why she proudly declares that she hasn't shattered any gems when Steven visits (compared to Yellow being annoyed and White just trying to get brownie points but screwing up by calling other gems lower life forms). As of right now, she's doing it because of Steven and for Steven, but she is generally trying to be better. Compare that to Yellow who's annoyed she has to do all this, and White who's just doing this so Steven can come back and be with them. Did she do wrong? Yes. Is it redeemable? Eeehhhh.... Hard to even try to say with them just starting their journey to being better people.

I think--just my opinion-some in audience think the Diamonds were not punished adequately for their wrongdoing, so they FEEL redeemed. Basically who in our real world would treat the Diamonds how Steven did. It's idealistic but is it fair? The show sometimes is teaching about serious topics and treats it seriously. But treats genocidal dictators cartoonishly--like G. I. Joe and He-man. It's fascinating, because Steven Universe's writers treated cartoons seriously so did some of it's fans--the treated everything seriously.

@The adult Tina was here yep, agreed.

I mean no one's really in a position to punish them. They're kind of the strongest beings in the universe with the highest authority and have been for eons. Who's gonna punish them? I think having to change their ways and their society is enough of a punishment for them for now. Maybe more stuff happens in the next season and the future series.

@@lucasmartinez5703 You are right. I've been struggling the think of a punishment/lesson for the Diamonds. My idea is for them to willing give up their thrones and live wherever there is life most affected by their rule, wherever there is the most damage--while of course helping to fix their former empire (they're already doing the last part).

I think there's another factor to the lack of punishment: any amount of punishment inflicted on the Diamonds (at least at this stage) would only cause friction and hamper their ability to reform society. Sure, they deserve more punishment than they got. But A) they're kind of too powerful to punish, and B) they're too *useful* to shut down. Right now, they're *gods* who can use their social control to reform society and normalize new standards for behavior. Even if they only follow the letter of these social reforms, and not the spirit, they're still affecting widespread positive change with almost no friction. There's no point in punishing or imprisoning the Diamonds right now, because they're just too useful as willing pawns in the liberation of Gem society. Maybe when everyone is settled into a better version of the Gempire, we can talk about consequences.

Rom, I think White is the only one that really can’t be redeemed, everything seems so fake about her...

I think while what Steven is doing is better for the Diamonds, they will likely go through some hardship as they change. Even now they've gone through a lot of grief after Pink left them which is something none of them have really experienced prior to that. That's something for them to work off of.

That's a really great point! It's been interesting to observe where people determine that violence is the only solution. Revenge vs. Justice is an age old trope, literally. Go back to myths thousands of years old and you'll find people making commentary over the same problem: where does the violence end? And now here comes Steven Universe putting theory into practice and finally saying "hey look, I know they don't deserve to be forgiven but this is the only way to make everyone else's lives better." And people still can't fathom it. Revenge and justice are so deeply tied and engrained into our culture that "violence isn't the answer" sounds corny when it *should* sound radically profound.

Rom Sometimes i feel that bad people deserve the cruelest punishments because of what they did. But yet there are moments that i do think some need help in order to become better when they do feel some regret. Your points about rehabilitating others sounds so interesting, especially about the scientific part about how cruel punishments can effect a bad person in a very negative bad way.

I disagree. Without a legal system, people will think there's no bounds to their actions and therefore, instead of slowly becoming worse and worse, they destroy and be at their worst from day 1 This is why I believe punishment should be set HOWEVER, ineffective punishments is what leads to this "becoming worse and worse" effect. The legal system should put severe punishments that will immediately stop criminals, instead of giving a few pulses every now and then (just putting them in jail then setting them free, then they do something so they go to jail again then set free, and so on)

Hope Diamond Sasa-GAY-o 😍 Yesssss!

@@DreamDis *HYPE*

I actually quite like it, to be honest. Because everything White Diamond did was based on the belief that she was perfect and flawless in every way, always right about everything. The fact that she was wrong about Steven being just Pink pretending to be a human was the main game changer. Steven's little remark only added salt to that wound, causing White to blush slightly. This proved, and showed to everyone, that she is in fact capable of being "off-color". After this she couldn't deny it any longer, and had to open her mind to reconsider her worldview. No one says that the change will happen fast, though.

U guys love missing the point on purpose dont you? HER FUCKING WORLD VIEW WAS CHANGED IN THAT MOMENT

@@yonsetv5223 I get that her whole world view was to be changed, but the phrase being aglorified version of "no u" seemed a bit weak, considering how she didn't pay no heed to any words until then, you would expect her reaction wouldn't be embarrassment, but to zap Steven some more to shut him up. If you are so rooted in your own beliefs for that long of a time, a simple single rebuttal will not make you suddenly crumble.

I personally loved how Blue Diamond decided to help Steven because she wanted to, how Yellow realized that fighting Blue wasn't worth it and how Steven practically said "fuck you" to White. If anything, I would've left Blue and Yellow controlled by White for a bit longer, having them float around the palace like her Pearl and actually providing foreshadowing for White's defeat. It would've ruined the pacing of Change Your Mind, but I would've preferred that episode to be two 30-minute episodes back-to-back rather than a 40-minute special.

Agree

@@unicornbunny5439 I was just throwing some shades to what humanity as done throughout history because I like to complain about human beings, lol. But it's irrelevant to the discussion about the Diamonds.

But to be fair, we are only destroying our own planet. Soooo humans 1, Diamonds 0

Sounds like Vegeta from Dragon ball as well.

Kaleysia That’s not better you do realize that 😂 But yeah this is off topic

@@m0m055 yeah, I know. It was a joke. ;)

Who gonna punish the diamonds? you think they wouldn't just curb stomp steven if he tried. The reason why they are never punished is because they are too powerful to be defeated. And remember the diamond empire has already been dismantled as they said at the start of the movie.

@@swiper1753 He'd find a way. Or the writers would come up with a way if they weren't too busy rushing everything for the end.

@@swiper1753 Hello are we forgetting that Pink Steven exist, and also clap white diamond in a matter of seconds. If you wanted to say that Blue, Yellow, White diamond are so op, then think again about how the smol pink boi did.

@@GeneralKenobi75 you realize innocent gems that were oppressed would simply fall under management from high class gems you would need to destroy homeworld completely and start from scratch and ain't no body got time for dat

@@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821 Empires fall all the time. And if the majority of the lower class gems rebel, the upper class are basically powerless. They'd have no army or work force to support them if most of the under caste rebelled. It was mainly fear of the Diamonds that kept the other gems in line. Without them they'd start thinking for themselves and going "hey, things are much better when we make our own choices."

I see where you're coming from, but to me they didn't really seem sweet. The way they tried to get Steven's sympathy and convince him to stay with them, mostly because they still see Pink Diamond in him, for their own selfish reasons sounded really manipulative if anything.

Idk I think they sounded creepy

@@Humanman480 Sounds like an exaggerated version of the racist grandparents who still want to be part of the family reunions.

because HE IS PINK DUMMY...gems might have a projection but he is still the same gem at the core. you can't revert millenia in a year.

I was thinking more along the lines of them being That Racist Grandma/pa everyone has and is kind of ashamed of but what can you do, they're family. You'll never approve of who they are as people but you can't just kill them. This isn't that kind of show and even Avatar did the same thing. Though, admittedly, Zuko was fully on board with the idea of killing his father it was a kid's show so we knew that wasn't going to happen (At least not on screen... Jet) because the lesson is "compromise", not "solve all your problems with violence".

The Diamonds are wonderful paragons of kindness and love compared to the Imperium of Man, who will torture and kill you for *reading the wrong book.*

Warhammer 40k Space Marines in a nutshell. For the emperor and Purge the heretics!

.

i heard somewhere ( so obvi dont take my word for it xd ) that the episode peridot mouthed off yellow wasnt even written by sugar,, so that kinda explains a lot for me

Yeah I agree. Everyone is whining about how the Diamonds haven't redeemed themselves but why should they? They could wipe out Steven and co on a whim but they don't because they just want him to like them. They need a real reason to change where their rigidity threatens their existence somehow, that is why most people change.

Huh, never thought about that. I could totally see now how Pink became a fan of humans if they were the only intelligent species they found.

Now that i think about it, there's no proof that in the show's universe there is any intelligent life besides humans and gems.

This has actually been confirmed. Ian Tweeted out that sapient life is extremely rare, humans are the first they've come across. So they literally have never committed genocide. That's an assumption that's been made from people who want to prove the point of them being Nazi's. Dictators are still bad, but it's important to get our definitions on things correct.

^

Oooo...that'd be a hard-hitting revelation for them...

Yellow Diamond : ... Cant he just change his age by emotions? Blue Diamond : And thats why im here! White Diamond : That sounds very delightful! Lets do it! Steven : You guys know im here right?

They will get an *EMOTIONAL DAMAGE*

"Holy shit, you f*ckin destroyed her, dude!"

Not really. I've seen the video multiple times and everything in it is true. Yea its 2 hours long but it's really well thought out and has fair criticism. I suggest everyone watch it.

@@genieglasslamp5028 We know it's you, Lily. Get lost, you're not fooling anyone.

@@reasyrandom I can confirm I am not Lily, and I've watched her video multiple times, and I agree with a lot of it. I will also admit she is wrong in a lot of areas, but she has a lot of well thought out points that actually are correct. It isn't entirely accurate, but it is a very honest analysis.

@@Hey-Its-Dingo At least some of her fans are actually thinking for themselves. Above commenter is either her trying to shill herself, a troll or just some kid who can't form it's own opinions.

You mean Lily Orchard?

@@nalathelioness338 yeah

Thank you.

There is no proof of genocide, nor is it mentioned anywhere in the show.

@@kaitlynclarke7651 You mean the systematic oppression of off colors and the Cluster plot wasn't evidence enough?

@@almondjoy4938 Actually one of the creators straight up said humans were more or less the first sentient life the Gems encountered. Of course Pink was the only one to stop and notice it, but the general implication is that the Gems wouldn't terraform a planet with sentient lifeforms on it. The other Diamonds only realised when they visited the world personally. Their general conversion of planets inhabited by non-sentient or semi-sentient life isn't really any different from how humans treat nature on our world. I'm not really a fan of them but the roundtable, specifically AweStruckVox, did a good video on it.

@@kaitlynclarke7651 I know Steven Universe tends to ignore the Cluster until it's convenient to the plot, but may I please direct to the Billion gems shattered and forced into Fusion for the sole purpose of destroying the planet and committing mass planetary genocide. Shattering, mind you, is essentially the same thing as killing a Gem. Considering how large the Cluster is and the Billion of gem shards needed to create it, how is that Not genocide?

Not like anyone would actually charge them being the highest authority in space. Or would even want to.

With others he was like "eh I'll deal with it." but with the diamonds he looked immediately done. He's done with them especially.

More like straight up Klansman grandmas, considering all the shit they did. They don't deserve forgiveness, but Steven forgave them anyway and gave them the chance to be better - that says more about his kindness than them.

Imagine if we got a whole season of 'Beach City episodes' with occasional gem stuff on earth. I'd still watch it. That reminds me: we haven't seen a lot of Steven's Earth. I kinda want to see more.

Although now that the new opening has dropped, the Diamonds do seem to be a little too happy, but who knows, change is one of the biggest themes in this show after all.

uhhhhh eeeeef mmmmm wellllllll

You're totally right. Realistically, there's no one really questioning the Diamonds or opposing their rule and even the revolution failed to provoke any real change in gem society. So really how the Diamond redemption is being handled works because punishment can't come right away for them. It's unique with the Diamonds. It has to happen slowly and gradually.

Ruby [Doc] NO

@@dreamshade8123 *_[Y E S ! YELLOW DIAMOND 〢❖ FOREVER!]_*

Ruby [Doc] :3

@@dreamshade8123 *_[... yay?]_*

Yes I agree. Blue, Steven and White need to be shattered and locked in the extraction chamber. Their mindless limbed gems shards shall fuel the eternal, PERFECT empire.

Idk... Lily orchard beats her own sister and enjoys it.

Cant tell of this is a joke or not

*The Steven Universe hatedom. Seriously, it's just the same arguments over and over.

@@reasyrandom dont all fan bases have the same problem but to each severity

Do you mean the *rest* of the SU community?

Most of us criticize the show because Change your Mind was apparently the end of Steven Universe, and ending it with the redemption of the main villain in the span of 10 minutes clearly felt rushed

Blue Diamond is the closest one to redemption, she truely feels bad for what she has done.

@@vaati5117 yea

I felt Blue Diamond would have been the first to be redeemed. She didn't seem like a bad gem at all, just misguided and sometimes regretful.

@@angelsartandgaming yea

@@DragoNugget yea

Same :')

*_[yes we do, I'll start... um... uh... okay, I hope everyone knows the lyrics! 🎶"oh, that's right I heard the story over and over again!"🎵]_*

@@Ruby-Doc *GEE ITS SWELL TO FINALLY MEET HER OTHER FREINDS*

@@JackieWest11 *THAT'S RIGHT I HEARD THE STORY DON'T REALLY LIKE HOW IT ENDS!!*

I don't think Rebecca was intentionally trying to make fascists seem alright or anything in that vein. This is definitely a writing flaw, for sure, if you wanted to have a main antagonist be forgiveable and given the chance to redeem themselves, then it's best to not have them be absolutely terrible. But to say that this writing flaw is a sign of a moral flaw of the creator is just.. really a stretch.

Nya McAllister yes. I can see where you are coming from. But the thing is, Rebecca hasn’t stated anything about what lots of people have been saying about the morals of the show. When creators make writing flaws so morally corrupt and don’t say anything to clear the air? It leads people to suspicion. I just hope the she actually has a plan, and that she does something with White is StevenUniverse Future. Because this honestly cannot go unchecked. Everytime you watch a critique video about the show, someone mentions how f***d up the diamonds are. If this goes on for much longer it’s going to leave a huge stain on an otherwise good show. I really don’t want that.

No one is saying that the ending wasn't too fast. I'm in agreement with CYM being rushed. That said, no one if giving the show too much credit. It is EXTREMELY clear in what the intent was, even if they didn't reach it in the best way.

I know it's late but, the crewniverse wanted CYM to be a lot longer, the network was forcing them to wrap it up.

I feel like a lot of the problems with the show would have been fixed if there wasn't executive meddling involved. Sugar and the writers clearly didn't get to write the story they wanted to write.

More like uses his emotions to manipulate a facist regime into not being facists anymore

BAHAHAHHAHA FACTS

Bingo. As far as redemption goes, they're still getting their feet wet so to speak. Not enough time has passed for them to understand the value behind changing and growing out of their old ways of thinking. Right now, their current motivations will have to do but there"s still some show left for this all to work itself out.

Thing is, not everyone can change. You have to try, you have to put an actual effort in. And even then, there are some people who are too far gone to change in any meaningful way. I think it’s a far more important message that you shouldn’t have to put up with bad people doing bad things if you can do something about it (i.e rising up against a fascist oppressor)

That lesson is also important, but I feel it shouldn't undermine the lesson that you should try to help people change before just assuming they can't y'know? Help them change and if they can't, then you'll know.

Sorry bud but not everyone is willing to change or be reasoned with

The problem is the shows naivete

Dubious Consent it’s not a matter of IF someone CAN change. Everyone can. The determining factor is WILLINGNESS.

There is no caste system anymore. According to Unleash The Light, the Diamonds don't even have supreme authority anymore.

There isn't a better path.

*_[it's the best thing to do]_*

“Fake it until you make it” can work on toxic/sociopathic mindsets. If the diamonds spend enough time in a gradually reforming gem society, and see more nuance from organic beings due to spending time with them, and find that once being tolerant and accepting becomes habitual they’re happier for it, they are much more likely to keep it up on their own and develop internal justifications and philosophies that support it, leading to even better behavior.

Then everything would just go all the way back to square one.

@@fanta6285 But that's not what the show is about. It's idealistic and supposed to being out the positive in people. It's true that people in real life don't always change for the better or can change. But again, that's not what this is about.

& yet she still went....

same :3

She's one of my favorites too. Great design, BEAUTIFUL voice, delightfully written...

* When your strolling down the comments and see this *