Space Race

"Space Race" is the 28th episode of season 1 of Steven Universe.

Synopsis
Steven attempts to build a spaceship to let Pearl revisit the wonders of the cosmos.

Plot
The Crystal Gems and Steven arrive at a location covered with several damaged warp pads. With each gem stepping on a Warp, they all say they are inactive. Steven asks Pearl where all the Warp pads lead to, Pearl explains that they used to be used for inner-dimensional space travel. All of them unfortunately have been deemed inactive for the past 1000 years. Pearl as she explains this, seems to lament the fact that she's stuck on earth forever, but is comforted that she's there with Steven.

The next day, Steven watches cartoons with his dad. Realizing that Pearl really misses space, Steven convinces his dad to help him build a spaceship for Pearl. To help him out, Greg shows Steven his Aunt and Uncle's shed, as the couple were fairly invested in flight, and the fact that they kept every single one of their belongings in the shed. Using the things in the shed, Greg and Steven are able to build a small, measly, car-looking "space ship". Before testing it out, Greg tells Steven that it's alright to bail, and that there's no shame in knowing when to bail. The ship then fails to actually launch once they've shown it to Pearl. Disappointed, Pearl lectures the two on proper aerodynamics of space shuttles and ends up inspiring herself into building one of her own.

Through several montages, the trio uses leftover parts from the shed to build a prototype out of an upgraded engine and a hang-glider. Once Steven tests it out and lands it (and it purposefully falls apart), Greg discovers that Pearl really is serious about taking Steven up into space. Refusing to let him go, Greg claims that he's "grounding" Steven, "grounding" as in he's not able to leave earth. Angry, Pearl desides that she'll just do it herself, and angrily shuts herself into the shed.

While Steven and Greg are sleeping, Pearl wakes Steven up to show him the ship. Amazed, Steven climbs up into the ship while Pearl asks him to do an engine test with her. Agreeing, Pearl and Steven excitedly start up the ship and launch into the sky. Greg, who awoke due to the sound and blast of the engine, tries to convince Pearl to land. Pearl tells Greg not to worry, as she's only going to take Steven to the nearest star system and return him in 50 years, surprising Greg and Steven alike.

Up in the Earth's atmosphere, Steven witnesses continual damage to the ship, and realizes that if they continue flying, the ship will be destroyed. Ignorant and yearning to visit space again, Pearl continues to push the limits of the ship, and doesn't realize their fate until Steven releases the emergency hatch on the window. Steven tries to convice Pearl to abandon the ship, but as Pearl won't listen, he tells her it's alright, and that you just gotta know when to bail. Finally listening, Pearl ejects the two of them out of the ship last minute, and sadly watches it explode. Apologizing, Pearl regrets nearly killing Steven, but Steven reassures Pearl that she'll get back into space one day.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Greg
 * Pearl
 * Amethyst
 * Greg's uncle (pictured and mentioned)
 * Greg's aunt (pictured and mentioned)

Songs
TBA

Trivia

 * The Crystal gems annually test a defunct warp pad station in hopes of them working again.
 * The reason why the Crystal Gems are unable to get off planet is because the warp pads used for space travel have been inactive for thousands of years.
 * This episode marks the second time Steven gets "grounded", but this time by Greg. The first time was Ocean Gem.
 * Though, Greg's version of "grounding" meant that Steven was not allowed to leave earth.
 * This marks the second time that Steven had been put in mortal danger by a gem, the first being when Lapis Lazuli tried to drown him and Connie.
 * This is the first episode where the Galaxy Warp is shown, as mentioned in "Ocean Gem".
 * This is the first episode where more of Steven's relatives are mentioned, besides his Father and Mother.
 * It's pointed out that the Universe family might have a hoarding problem.
 * It's revealed that there's a Gem Homeworld, and the Gems aren't only based on Earth.
 * This the first episode in while that ended in a star shaped iris.

Transcript
Click here for the transcript.

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