Well, tomorrow’s the big day. Steven Universe will complete its first twenty-six episode batch with a two-part bonanza. It’s going to be spectacular.
We know there are twenty-six more episodes of season one and fifty-two episodes of season two coming. However, Cartoon Network initially ordered only twenty-six episodes. You can bet good money that Mirror Gem and Ocean Gem were written so that fans wouldn’t be left feeling cheated if the network declined to continue the series.
So because of that, expect a lot of “whoa” and a fair amount of “holy crap!” Cartoon Network has been running a lot of commercials for the special event, so we can make some guesses. There has also been a leak to help us too. If you’re a brave sort when it comes to spoilers, check out our expectations for the episode starting a few paragraphs below.
If you want to see the episode yourself before you come to the lore mill, then a word on scheduling: after the episode airs we’ll publish a reaction post which will be completely spoiler-free except for some vagaries (it would say things like “we have enough to start a page on Gem culture now!” or “looks like there’s something else for the Technology page”, and there will probably be a “believe the hype”). As usual Friday will be a day off regarding Mirror Gem and Ocean Gem while we process everything, then Saturday will go more in depth on what we’ve learned and Sunday will speculate about what the still-ambiguous stuff means.
Ready? Spoilers below. Ye be warned. Click “Read More” only if you mean it.
Okay, where to begin? Let’s drop the big bombshell: we are almost certain to see a new Gem in this special. We have a name, and a voice credit: Lapis Lazuli, voiced by Jennifer Paz.
Lapis lazuli, you may know from various building games, is a blue stone. It’s possible that Lapis Lazuli is the Garnet-Pearl fusion, but the most likely way Lapis Lazuli will be introduced is that she was somehow trapped in the mirror Steven is given by Pearl very early in Mirror Gem. We know it has a blue stone on the back, and we know that the mirror can communicate with and befriends Steven.
The only question seems to be if Lapis Lazuli is the villain of the episode or not. That is a much harder question. The commercials seem to imply something sinister about the mirror, but Ms. Paz’s website indicates she can be “currently heard” on Steven Universe as if it’s a long-term role rather than a guest role. It’s entirely possible that Lapis Lazuli is returned to the mirror or somehow becomes good. It’s also possible that the website really is just talking about a two-episode guest role.
Either way, the episode will see the Crystal Gems and Steven facing off against duplicates of themselves made of water, and Steven will intentionally summon his shield for the first time. There will be some really cool fights, and we’ve seen in the ads that Connie isn’t afraid to try to help save the day.
So, what of predictions?
- It’s a fairly safe bet that we’ll learn a bit more about Gem culture. That’s what Pearl gave Steven the mirror for in the first place, so unless what she was saying at the end of the preview was that it was broken as opposed to turned off, Steven will likely befriend the mirror while asking it to show him stuff.
- If Lapis Lazuli turns out to be the eponymous mirror Gem, which she probably is, she is probably not related to the catastrophe. There would not have been very many Gems left after that, so whoever imprisoned her would not be likely to leave her in a known, accessible place where she could be found by any survivors. Rose Quartz, for instance, would have had at least one safe place to store the mirror that no one else knew about and had no warp pad access.
- Steven’s mirror forgets how to talk mid-special, but learns how to again by the end. 😉
- We’ll get to see the Pearl-Garnet fusion to round out what the show creators knew could very well have turned out to be the end of the show. Or would you rather dream big? Steven and the Crystal Gems might just fuse into the temple warrior form.
No matter what though, everyone’s on the hype train for this special. Believe in Steven.
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