Rose Quartz | Pink Diamond

Background

Rose Quartz is Steven's mother who gave up her existence 12 years before the start of the series to give birth to him. As Pink Diamond, she colonized the Earth around 6000 years before the start of the series. After falling in love with Earth's unique capacity for life, she took on the form of a Quartz soldier, led a rebellion, and faked her death to live on Earth forever. She only appears in the series in flashbacks, imagery, and anecdotes.

Steven inherits her powers and her weapon. He progresses through the series not quite sure whether she still exists or whether she is still controlling him from beyond.

Source: Drawendo. 2016

Why Rose?

While Rose Quartz starts as a heroic figure, several major developments occur throughout the series that portray her in a negative light:

  • In "Bismuth", she is revealed to have faked Bismuth's death.

  • In "Bubbled", Ruby discloses that she shattered Pink Diamond.

  • In "A Single Pale Rose", she is revealed to be Pink Diamond and to have faked her shattering.

  • In Steven Universe: The Movie, Spinel returns after Pink Diamond abandoned her for 6000 years.

Rose is interesting because her development occurs reverse chronologically, and she often seems to be regressing in terms of morals, which leads to interesting interactions between the fandom and the character.

Theorization Rose Quartz | Pink Diamond

Until "A Single Pale Rose," fan reception was mixed on the theory of Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond. Although many members of the fandom were supportive of this idea since before the concept of the diamonds was announced, others denied it until the day of the reveal. In fact, most fans joked about the illegitimacy of the theory, and many often belittled people who believed it. Overall, Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond was a controversial theory.

Much before the concept of the Diamond Authority was officially revealed in January 2016, fans predicted that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond. For example, in June 2015, a fan-fiction called "Precious Pearl" describes Pearl being given to Rose Quartz before the rebellion. Even though it was written in the middle of the second season, it completely nails some aspects of Homeworld society and Pink Diamond's personality. In particular, Pearl's role as a servant had not even been mentioned, but this fan-fiction guessed it exactly. Several fan-fictions of this era were spot on similar to this story. (orphan_account 2015).

However, others denied the concept even after season 5 episodes like "The Trial" and "Your Mother and Mine" added irrefutable evidence to the theory. At that point, most of the fandom had accepted that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond. Written only two weeks before a "A Single Pale Rose", "She Is More of a Pink Diamond than I." by BabyPom argues against Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond. Ironically, the author writes, "That Rose Quartz, is more of a Pink Diamond than I am." Fans like BabyPom preferred stuck to the canon until the last possible moment (BabyPom 2018). Whether they wound up aging well or poorly, it is important to look at these stories because they directly display what the fandom was thinking at the time the show was airing.