When the “Steven Universe movie” premiered on Cartoon Network this summer, fans of the critically-acclaimed show felt themselves satisfied, however many turned off their TVs with questions still unanswered. This is where Steven Universe Future came in, which was announced very shortly after the movie’s premiere. This limited series acts as an epilogue to the movie and series, tying up some of the most apparent loose ends.
Steven Universe first premiered in 2013. The show centers around a half-alien-half-human boy named Steven and his three alien guardians: Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. These aliens, or “gems”, have bodies that originate from a gemstone and were rebels from their monarchical space-faring society. They are tasked with defending the Earth from evil or mutant gems. While there is plenty of action, the show is known for its focus on normalizing grief and social issues.
After the show’s fifth season, the main storyline came to a close. The diamonds, who were considered the Big Bads for most of the show, had been reconciled with and defeat. Steven’s mom’s true identity had been revealed. All of the characters had gone through countless episodes of development. This made it only natural for there to be a two-year time jump for the upcoming movie, which features a new villain with new problems to solve. This left the avenue open for even more Steven Universe content.
The series premiered with an hour-long special consisting of the first four episodes: Little Homeschool, Guidance, Rose Buds and Volleyball. Picking up almost right where the show left off, the titular character, Steven, is shown uncorrupting a new character, Cherry Quartz, and introducing her to all the changes in the town. From there, the show immediately gives viewers a look at an issue that had not presented itself before: Steven, whose primary role was to help people solve their problems, is running out of problems to solve and starts to be faced with his own.
The show seems to be every fan’s dream. What could be better than having all of your headcanons and burning questions finally answered? With fresh takes on elements of the show that fans have come to love, this feels like a natural continuation instead of giving off the “forced” feeling that many epilogue series present. This combined with new sharpened animation provides viewers with a generally impressive piece of work that exceeds many expectations.
With questions answered and new, well-developed plot points arising, it seems that the future is bright for Steven Universe Future.
