Rose Quartz/History

Rose Quartz was a Quartz-type Gem created with the natural abilities to be a soldier. Her origins are largely unknown aside from being made on Earth. She disagreed with the Gem Homeworld's strict standards for Gems and its decision to colonize a planet with life already inhabiting it. As Homeworld would not change its mind, she and Pearl defected and started the Crystal Gem Rebellion. While her group of rebels started small, it eventually amassed into a large army and freed the planet from Gem-rule, though not without cost. Thousands of years later, she developed a romantic relationship with Greg Universe and gave up her physical form to give birth to their son, Steven Quartz Universe, the first and only known half-human, half-Gem being.

"Laser Light Cannon"
A Homeworld tracking vessel is approaching Earth, and the Crystal Gems determine the only way to stop it is to use Rose's light cannon. Steven locates the cannon in Greg's U-Stor and delivers it to the Gems. As the Red Eye approaches, the gems struggle to activate the cannon before Steven activates it using his dad's mantra "If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." The light cannon shoots a beam that resembles Rose Quartz herself, destroying the Red Eye.

"Bubble Buddies"
Steven tells Connie that he is "half-magic" on his mom's side.

"So Many Birthdays"
Rose Quartz is pointed out by Steven in a picture frame inside of Amethyst's room, wearing colonial clothing with the Crystal Gems and other colonial humans on a boat.

"Lars and the Cool Kids"
The Crystal Gems show Steven the moss Rose grew at Dead Man's Mouth. Pearl explains to Steven that Rose used to climb the hill every spring to tend the moss that she grew. Since Rose is gone, however, the moss "is on the move". When Amethyst points out that the moss is gross, Pearl says that Rose saw beauty in everything, even if it was gross. Later, the Cool Kids come to check out the moss. They disregard Steven's warnings and are sucked up. At the top of the hill, Steven and Lars get sucked up, but the sun comes out which causes the moss to blossom into pink flower petals, freeing everyone. Lars goes as far to call Rose weird, and Steven yells at him for it.

"Rose's Room"
Steven wanted a place to himself and his gem activated the door to her room.

"Monster Buddies"
Steven accidentally releases a gem creature from her bubble and attempts to tame her wild, violent instincts, after failing to do so, Garnet explained that Rose once used her powers to try to heal the monsters, but was unable to do so.

"An Indirect Kiss"


Amethyst cracks her gemstone, and it is revealed by Garnet that Rose had healing tears, and so the gems ventured to Rose's healing spring. It was then found to be clogged up, and Pearl alongside Garnet went to find the cause of it, while they were gone, Steven and Amethyst were attacked by overgrown brambles and thorns, which caused them to hide inside the empty spring. A matter of moments later, the spring began to work, and Steven underwater looked up to see a figure resembling Rose lending a hand to him.

"Secret Team"
Amethyst asks Pearl what she is doing with Rose Quartz's bubble full of Gem Shards, and Pearl says she wanted to see how they reacted to one of Rose's bubbles. Once all of the shards that escaped are found, Pearl tells Steven they need to use Rose's bubble to bubble them.

"Watermelon Steven"
Steven unintentionally grows a ton of watermelons that resemble himself. Pearl says that Rose had the power to grow sentient plant life to act as her defenders. Later on, when the watermelons are hostile, Garnet says "Rose's plants live to fight".

"Lion 3: Straight to Video"
Steven enters Lion's mane and discovers a lot of Rose's belongings inside. Steven takes a VHS tape from inside titled "For Steven" and watches it with Sadie inside of the Big Donut. The video depicts Rose and Greg at the beach and them having fun. Rose asks Greg to "tell us about yourself" and Greg proudly announces that he is Mr. Universe. The remainder of the video is Rose talking directly to Steven. She tells him that every living thing has its own experiences and complicated lives. She announces that they can't both exist and that she will become half of Steven. Rose happily tells Steven that every moment he loves being himself, that's Rose loving him. Rose is happy to announce that Steven will be something extraordinary; a human being. The video ends with Rose and Greg leaning in to kiss.

"The Test"
Pearl comments how much Steven has grown, being able to use Rose's bubbles and how he summoned Rose's Shield twice. But since he lost her healing powers, the Crystal Gems want to give Steven a confidence boost. Amethyst says that Pearl can't control Steven, he shouldn't be taking advice from herself, and Rose isn't around to tell them what to do.

"On the Run"
Pearl explains to Steven that Gems tried to do something very bad to the Earth. Rose, Garnet, and herself what they were doing was unfair to the existing life so they rebelled and did not care if they could go back to Homeworld or not. Amethyst later tells Steven that she lived in the Kindergarten until she met Rose and the others.

"Maximum Capacity"
Greg tells Steven that he hasn't cleaned out the storage since Rose... and he didn't finish his sentence. Amethyst later arrives, shapeshifts into Purple Puma, and wrestles Steven, accidentally knocking down a picture frame of Greg and Rose. Amethyst later shapeshifts into Rose, to Greg's disapproval, because Amethyst was mad that Greg took Rose away from her. Later, the picture of Rose and Greg is seen to be in a fixed picture frame.

"Rose's Scabbard"
Lion finds the scabbard to Rose's Sword at the Strawberry Battlefield. Steven asks if Rose fought at the Strawberry Battlefield, and Pearl says yes, saying she fought alongside her. Pearl later proudly states that Rose led the Crystal Gems to victory and says how they made their stance against Homeworld. Later at the Temple, Pearl remarks how it's been ages since she has seen the scabbard. Steven asks what Rose was like, and Pearl replies "she was courageous, and brilliant... and beautiful... Sometimes, you look so much like her."

Pearl then gives Steven the scabbard, saying that "nothing [but Rose's Sword] could fit so perfectly inside". When Steven asks for the sword, Pearl brings him to Rose's Secret Armory. Steven explains that he already was there and shows that he knows how to summon the weapons. Pearl asks where the sword is and shows Steven, in a hologram, Rose's Sword.

Steven says that it is inside of Lion, and Pearl becomes confused. When they return to the Temple, Steven shows her the sword, and Pearl says that Rose never had a Lion. Garnet tries to calm Pearl down by saying Rose kept secrets from everyone and this enraged Pearl. She accidentally knocks Rose's portrait and warps to the Strawberry Battlefield. Steven and Lion chase after her, and when Pearl tells Steven to get Lion away from her, he continues to follow Pearl solo.

Once Steven reaches the rock Pearl is sitting on, Pearl wonders if Rose can see Steven through his eyes. Pearl summons a hologram of Rose and has Rose say that she is going to stay and fight for the Earth. Pearl says she wants to also, but Rose declines her offer saying that she doesn't have to. Pearl and the hologram Rose hold hands and Rose disappears. Pearl explains that everything she did was for Rose, and she wonders what Rose would think of her now. Steven says that he thinks Pearl is pretty great. Later on, Steven gives Pearl the Crystal Gems' battle flag and Pearl waves it around.

"Story for Steven"


In a flashback, Rose was the only attendee at Greg's concert, she marveled at his antics, and when he went to get a shirt for her in a bigger size, she disappeared. Greg went to look for her after his encounter with Amethyst and Pearl shushed Amethyst when she tried to mention her name. Garnet appeared moments after in an attempt to throw him back to the other side of the fence when Rose appeared from her room and stopped them. Greg handed her a shirt to which she happily accepted, and was about to play a song when he said he had to part because he would be late for his next concert. Coming back shortly after, he ran inside the temple and pounded rapidly on her door saying he could play for her now. He begins to play the song when she emerges from her room telling him to go away. He apologizes, and she replies that his life is short and that he has dreams and he should not give up on them. Greg then states that she's everything he wants.

"The Return"
Steven deflects the Gem Warship's blast with his shield, causing Jasper to recognize the logo as Rose Quartz's. Jasper, thinking Steven is Rose, asks Steven why he looks like that. She tells Steven and tells that she fought in the first war and respected Rose's tactics. Jasper picks up Steven and says that he failed, his base is taken, and his armies are ruined.

"Jail Break"
Jasper tells Peridot that Rose Quartz, thinking Steven is Rose, takes priority.

"Joy Ride"
Steven talks to the Cool Kids about the recent events of "The Return" and "Jail Break". He says that the Homeworld Gems took him hostage because they think he's Rose. Steven also explains that he thinks the Crystal Gems blame him for Rose not being around anymore.

"Sworn to the Sword"


During "Do It For Her", Pearl projects a scene supposedly during the war. It shows Rose fighting a gem somewhat the same mass as her. Pearl got in the way of Rose and the warrior and got herself poofed in the process. It is revealed by Garnet that Pearl sacrificed herself for Rose on the battlefield constantly, igniting conflicts between the two.

"Keeping it Together"
Sapphire (as Garnet) explains to Ruby that Rose couldn't of known about the forced Gem fusion experiments.

"We Need to Talk"


In a flashback, Greg and Rose sing "What Can I Do". Rose leaves shortly after singing, having errands to run. Returning later, Greg approaches Rose dancing to an unknown tune ending with Greg dipping Rose and capturing her in a kiss. Greg then states "We didn't fuse." after their little dance was over and Rose replies dumbfounded that humans can't fuse. The two of them share a heartfelt talk with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl spying on them behind one of the rocks resembling a hand.

"Chille Tid"
Pearl dreams about surfing on a slice of pizza with Rose. Pearl tells Rose to forget about Greg and they should travel around the galaxy together. Rose turns around, revealing Greg's face which causes Pearl to wake up in disgust and shock.

"Historical Friction"
Jamie acts as Pearl in his play and claims to be "the messenger of the brilliant Rose Quartz".

"Friend Ship"
Garnet and Pearl are both trapped in a room that is closing in on itself. Garnet tells Pearl that she needs to be strong, and she controls her own destiny, not Rose or Steven.

"Nightmare Hospital"
Steven gives Connie Rose's Sword, which is taken away by Connie's mother. When Connie's mother takes the sword to the hospital she works at, Steven and Connie sneak in to retrieve it. Once they get it, Connie gets caught by her mother. The Cluster Gems arise and attack. After a lot of persuasions, Connie gets the sword to stop the Cluster Gems. When Connie and her mother are hugging, Steven looks down at Rose's Sword and hugs it.

"When It Rains"
Steven explains to Peridot that he was made from his mother and father. Peridot doesn't understand, and Steven tells her that his mom is a Gem. Steven later says that he calls it "The Ballad of Rose and Greg".

"The Answer"


In a flashback, Rose and Pearl arrive at the Cloud Arena to stop Blue Diamond's plans of colonizing the Earth. Three Rubies fuse and Rose easily takes them down, poofing two of them in the process. When Ruby and Sapphire accidentally fuse, the crowd gets angry, and Rose and Pearl escape. Later on, Rose and Pearl meet Garnet again, and Rose explains to her that it's okay if she's fused and that it matters how they feel.

"It Could've Been Great"
Peridot tells the Crystal Gems that they should never have stopped the colonization process, which angers them. Pearl tells her that "Rose Quartz believed all life was precious and worth protecting". Peridot argues that if Rose never formed the Crystal Gems, the Cluster would never have been made and that rebelling only delayed the inevitable.

"Steven Floats"
Steven is trying to picture happy things to make his descent lighter, and he thinks of Rose. He stops and says that he has complicated feelings about her.

"Mr. Greg"
Pearl comments Rose would have loved the Pepe's Burgers Jingle. Rose is later mentioned again when the painting of her is pointed out while Greg and Pearl hesitate to get along, before the two, along with Steven, go on a vacation to Empire City at Le Hotel (after Greg had received a check from Marty). Later on, Pearl starts to sing about how she couldn't move on from her love for Rose after Rose's choice of Greg and her departure before Steven gets the two attempt to reconcile and to be on better terms with each other.

"Greg the Babysitter"
Greg tells Steven another story of how he ended up working at the Car Wash. In flashbacks, it is shown that Greg would often wait near the warp pad for Rose and the Crystal Gems to return from their missions. However, despite the loving relationship he has with Rose, Greg finds himself broke and barely making any money from his musical career.

He ends up crashing at Vidalia's home and is roped into babysitting baby Sour Cream for her as she had to work and her babysitter canceled. Greg ends up taking Sour Cream to the beach, and Rose soon joins them. Rose is shown to be fascinated by baby Sour Cream and tells Greg it took her a while to realize that he and Sour Cream were both human and reveals she is envious at humans' ability to grow up.

Greg briefly leaves Sour Cream with Rose telling her to watch him. However, when he returns to the beach he finds Rose and Sour Cream missing. He runs around the boardwalk searching for them and eventually finds Rose, though Sour Cream is not with her. Rose reveals that she did watch Sour Cream however she misunderstood and literally watched him climb all the way to the top of the Ferris Wheel, oblivious to the danger that Sour Cream was getting himself in.

Greg climbs after him but gets stuck on top of one of the Ferris wheels cars and calls Rose to help them down. Rose tries to use the Ferris wheel controls to get them down but ends up breaking the control level and in anger smashes the controls, causing the Ferris wheel to spin out of control. Using her enhanced strength to stop the Ferris wheel from spinning and rips off one of the cars, using it to catch both Greg and Sour Cream.

Greg tells Rose that she shouldn't let Sour Cream do anything he wants. Rose then asks why it is okay for Greg to do everything he wants and he's fine, Greg replies that he isn't a baby and doesn't need someone to help him. He then notices that he does need someone (Rose) to help him and states that he's a "baby", which helps him to realize how immature he is. As a result, Greg resolves to be a more mature person and after seeing a help wanted sign at the car wash, he gets a job there in order to be more make some money to live on. Thus, Rose is partially responsible for Greg ending up working at the car wash.

"Bismuth"
Bismuth reveals that Rose changed her life and that she was also created on Earth. Rose told Bismuth that she could live however she wanted to instead of always taking Homeworld's orders. Later on in the basement of The Forge, Bismuth tells Steven that she offered Rose the Breaking Point, which would be used to shatter Gems, but Rose rejected the offer since it would make the Crystal Gems just as bad as Homeworld. Bismuth attacked Rose, and Rose ended up poofing Bismuth, bubbled her and placed her inside Lion and lied to the other Crystal Gems about her whereabouts.

"Back to the Moon"
"Eyeball", a Homeworld Ruby, reveals and confirms that Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond.

"Kindergarten Kid"
Garnet states that having Corrupted Gems being cared for in the stasis of a bubble where they can't hurt anyone is what Rose wanted.

"Buddy's Book"
Rose is seen in The Desert with a pack of seven lions, where they discover Buddy Buddwick falling into unconsciousness there. When Buddy wakes up, he notices the lions surrounding him and pleads not to be eaten. She assures him they all mean no harm. Rose asks why he would venture into the desert, and he hands Rose his journal with his entries. He questions how he cannot find the Sand Castle. Rose notices this and points to the Sand Castle, which resembles a temple in the distance. Buddwick is excited to record it but realizes Rose saw it first and how it doesn't count to him being an exceptional explorer. He wants himself to be eaten by one of the lions, but Rose lets Buddwick know that while these places have been explored before, Buddwick has recorded them so intimately that it makes these explored areas look new and special again. Rose asks if Buddwick wants to become an author, which he has becomes afterward ever since, eventually creating the Buddwick Public Library in Beach City.

"Mindful Education"
Stevonnie witnesses the white butterflies manifest into Rose, indicating that Steven is still disillusioned towards her.

"Last One Out of Beach City"
Steven brings up how Mystery Girl looked like Rose. Amethyst believes that's the reason Pearl was acting so nervous around her, but Pearl denies those accusations, because she is done thinking about the past.

"Gem Harvest"
Greg tells Andy that Rose is no longer alive, to which he expresses his sorrow.

"Three Gems and a Baby"
Fourteen years ago, the Gems bring over gifts for Steven, who Amethyst calls "little Rose". Garnet explains to her that Steven is not Rose. Greg tells the Gems to call him Steven because it's the name him and Rose liked the most. After a few minutes, Steven's Gem begins glowing, causing Garnet to believe it's Rose. Amethyst believes that Rose is trying to shapeshift back into her old self, but Pearl rebuts by stating Rose can't shapeshift because she is trapped inside of a baby. Pearl gets close to Steven's Gem and asks if Rose is in there, telling her to glow twice for yes. Garnet believes that Rose isn't shapeshifted and that she isn't trapped, but could be trying to unfuse. The Gems kidnap Steven in Greg's van, and Amethyst wonders why Rose is still a baby. She tells "Rose" that she has to change back and demonstrates how to shapeshift back. Garnet once again believes that Steven is a fusion. Later, Pearl believes that Rose can't change back because she has a baby around her. She then talks to Steven's Gem, saying that she can let Rose out so they can be together again. She grabs Steven's gemstone and then stops herself because a human baby is what Rose wanted.

"Steven's Dream"
Steven asks Greg if Rose ever told him about Pink Diamond. Greg replies that there were many things that Rose didn't like to talk about, and that he never pressed her for any details. Greg goes on to say that him and Rose talked about many important things, and both made mistakes when they were younger. Rose believed she needed to confess everything to Greg, but he told her "the past is the past. All that matters to me is who you are now". Greg says that Rose was an incredible, loving being. The next day, Steven shows Pearl the drawing of Pink Diamond's Palanquin and says that he knows Rose shattered her, so what else is there to know. Garnet tells him that Rose never wanted him seeing that place, causing Steven to erupt. "Rose wanted- what about what I want? I'm sick of everyone lying to me! Rose is my mom, out of anyone, don't I deserve to know the truth?!" Steven later enlists Greg's help to find the Palanquin by telling him "I know you didn't want to get involved with Mom's past, but I wanna know the truth. Doesn't that matter at all."

"The Zoo"
Steven tells the Zoomans that Greg and Rose spent time to get to know each other before they got into a relationship; they didn't have someone choose for them to be together.

"That Will Be All"
Yellow Diamond expresses her belief that since Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond, every other Rose Quartz in existence (which are all currently bubbled) should be shattered as well.