Steven Universe Future is an animated series that serves as a continuation of Steven Universe, a five season cartoon that’s exploded into the mainstream since its debut in 2013. The Steven Universe Future season finale was released on March 27, marking the end of this modern hallmark of animation — comparable to the ending of Adventure Time in 2018.
The Steven Universe series began as an endearing slice-of-life that focused on Steven, a child trying to find his way among alien life-forms called gems, each based on a different gemstone. However, its plot soon blossomed into an intergalactic war between planets. Steven had to encounter and overcome increasingly powerful foes until he made peace with the highest powers in control of the universe: the Diamonds. Interweaved among all this was his personal and emotional journey from a young boy to a man, ever in the shadow of his adored mother who was still being mourned by those around him.
Steven Universe Future takes off immediately after the plot of Steven Universe concluded, a time where Earth and gems are rebuilding themselves. The high-stakes space battles have been left behind, and this new series tackles the emotional aftermath of all the destruction and trauma Steven has gone through. This focus on emotions is what fans wanted intermingled into the fast-paced, action-packed episodes of the main series, but having it branch out into Steven Universe Future is the next best thing.
Over the course of the season Steven comes to terms with his saviour complex, his obsession with fixing all the damage his mother caused, and his anger that he’s never learned to express. One episode, “Little Graduation,” focuses on Steven’s inability to let his friends go their separate ways. He wants things to remain the same indefinitely, but others have to move on. This episode comes to embody the Steven Universe fandom as a whole: the show will end and people have to continue living their lives. The memories fans have made engaging with Steven Universe will always remain, and they can rewatch the series any time, but the team creating it will be moving on to other projects, and it’s bittersweet.
The series also does a great job at tying up loose ends, like bringing back characters with a bone to pick with Steven that was never addressed in the main series. These conflicts aren’t necessarily resolved, but they’re succinctly addressed, with the end message being that Steven will never win over everyone — even if he might be in the right. He realizes he has to be okay with that.
Steven Universe Future doesn’t suffer from the same odd pacing as its predecessor (where the plot builds to an epic showdown between Steven and a tyrannical Diamond ruler who’s won over in a single episode). Although there are only 20 episodes, no issue feels rushed or brushed past. The episodes serve as vignettes that open up different aspects of Steven’s emotional turmoil before coming to a satisfying conclusion each time. The series marks a refreshing return to the roots of ***Steven Universe: low-stake, character-developing adventures.
As for the ending of the Steven Universe storyline as a whole, it’s almost not worth mentioning lest it put a damper on the positivity being showered on this series. It’s predictable and safe and not much else. In the end, the power of friendship reigns supreme as always, and it’s tied up neatly in a few episodes. It’s a satisfying ending where Steven moves on from his life as a gem and begins to embrace life as a human.
Steven Universe never gained fans for its battle scenes; it earned them with its loveable characters, intricate world building, and emphasis on compassion and empathy. Steven Universe Future concludes the series well with its dedication to tying up loose ends and exploring Steven’s mental health following the end of an intergalactic war. It’s sad that the series is coming to an end, but Steven Universe Future is the best way it could go out with a bang.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
