Gem Drill

This article is about the object. You may be looking for the episode or the soundtrack .

Gem Drill
Information
Type	Drill
Owner	Crystal Gems Pearl (co-head of project) Peridot (co-head of project)
Appearances
Debut	"Back to the Barn"
Latest	"Growing Pains" (flashback)

The Gem Drill is a subterranean drill built by the Crystal Gems with the purpose of drilling to the core of the Earth and stopping the Cluster. It first appeared (as several uncombined components) in "Too Far".

Appearance and description

The drill's physical design is rather straightforward. Its main components are an old injector drill head and Peridot's Escape Pod joined together at the drill's shaft. The escape pod serves as the cockpit for the pilot and passengers of the drill.

The drill has three long metal legs, used for moving and climbing. It also has a blast cannon on top of the pod.

History

"Back to the Barn"

The Gems brainstorm and come up with a conclusion that they need to build a drill to dig into the center of the Earth to save the world from the Cluster before it hatches.

"Too Far"

Peridot and the Gems officially start to building the drill. The base for the drill is an Injector drill head from the Prime Kindergarten. Peridot accidentally starts the drill head and almost injures Amethyst, destroying everything that the Gems had worked on so far.

"Steven's Birthday"

Whilst Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl celebrated Steven's birthday, Peridot continued working on the drill.

"It Could've Been Great"

The Gems and Peridot finally finish its construction, and all they needed was the exact coordinates of the Cluster. They travel to an abandoned Gem Moon Base to find them.

"Log Date 7 15 2"

The drill is shown under construction during flashbacks. Peridot is seen programming the escape pod with a computer. Amethyst and Pearl fuse into Opal, who picks up the drill head and sets it on some supports.

"Gem Drill"

Steven and Peridot finally use the drill. It is seen penetrating into the asthenosphere effortlessly, and though some Cluster Gems attack the drill, Steven shoots them with the drill's blast cannon, destroying their physical forms. They finally enter the spatial region inhabited by the cluster, but it is absolutely powerless against piercing even the surface of it and only manages to dislodge a few gem shards.

The drill utilizes three drill bits, two of which detach by accident as it attempts to destroy the cluster. Ultimately, the drill is not needed to destroy it but only to reach it, as Steven talks to and manages to bubble the Cluster with its help. Successful in saving the Earth, the two climb back to the surface with the drill's legs.

Trivia

• It is first mentioned in "Back to the Barn" that the drill will need to withstand up to 360 gigapascals of pressure and temperatures up to 9,800 degrees.
• The gems used parts from some Russian tech when building the drill. In the drill's cockpit, there are buttons in Russian print saying: "БЛ ПОК", "ЦИФРЫ" (numbers), "КОНТР1" (control1), "ПАРАМ2" (parameter2), and "СХЕМА3" (circuit3).
• The drill uses a drill head from an Injector once used at the Kindergarten.
  • Pearl jokes that the technology that started the Cluster crisis is now going to be used to end it.
  • According to Peridot, the drill is composed of mostly carbonate. In real life, carbonite is an explosive mixture used in mining. However, in fiction, it is the metallic substance used to freeze Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise.
• The microwave from the Beach House has components used in the drill, especially its magnetron.
  • Magnetrons are also found in old radar technologies, which may explain the Gems' use for it.
• Tungsten, a component for the drill, is known for having the highest melting point of all the pure metals, this case being 3,695 K (3,422 °C, 6,192 °F).
  • This material also has an elastic modulus (force needed to temporarily deform an object) of 400-410 gigapascals, being one of the highest among any known material.
• Pearl did not approve of a blast cannon to be installed on the drill, but Peridot said she never leaves home without a blaster.
  • The controller for the blaster resembles a Nintendo 64 controller.

Gallery

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