The Centipeetle Mother, also known as the Centipeetle or just Centi, is a Corrupted Gem that debuted in "Gem Glow". Before her corruption, she was the captain of a squadron that was sent to Earth 5,750 years ago in a ship to colonize Earth, and later was trapped on Earth during the Rebellion. She currently resides in her old ship after being reunited with her crew mates in "Monster Reunion".
Appearance
Corrupted
The Centipeetle Mother's corrupted form is that of a giant centipede-like creature. She is composed of roughly thirteen (visible) dark-green segments (excluding the head and the rear) that each bear one pair of similarly colored legs. The final segment bears no legs, but what appears to be a pair of mandibles. Each of these segments is covered on the top side with a solid crystal covering. Her head is composed primarily of a large pair of jaws/mandibles with a gem in the back of the "mouth". This gem is circular in shape and colored light green with dark green contour lines surrounding the circumference of the gem, connecting to a circular shape. Her gem seems to act as her iris, being in the middle of what would rationally be a sclera. It also features a green crystal protuberance on the base of the head that forms a broken horn-like structure. She has a flowing, light-cream colored mane immediately behind her head.
Monster Buddies
After being released from the bubble in "Monster Buddies" and regenerating, she appears in an all-around reduced form. Her body is reduced to only two segments, and her mane, head, and secondary mandibles have been reduced in size as well probably indicating that she has to grow over time. This can be seen as the Centipeetle Mother grows throughout the episode. Her gem now comprises the entirety of her whole eyeball instead of just the iris, and the gem on her head is now gone.
Semi-Corrupted
While her mind is still damaged by the Diamonds, her form takes on a more humanoid appearance thanks to Steven's healing. Her body appears more humanoid, and her head is slightly different from her fully corrupted form, her eye is no longer inside of her mouth. She also has what appears to be a sort of pincer on her rear. She wore torn-up light gray clothing, and what appears to be a bodysuit similar to Pearl's in "Space Race".
History
Pre-Corruption
Centipeetle and her squadron were ordered to travel to Earth on an Ancient Gem Colony Ship with the plans of colonizing the planet. Once the Rebellion had begun, Centipeetle and her crew fought in the war, but Centipeetle eventually got split up and was on her own. Centipeetle's commander ordered all the Gems to retreat either through the ships or Warp Pads, but she had been left behind, unable to escape. She was then corrupted, along with nearly every other Gem that remained on Earth, by a weapon activated by the Diamonds.
Corruption
In "Gem Glow", Centipeetle attacks the Temple along with a bunch of little Centipeetles that she summons. Once the infestation appears to be over, Centipeetle returns, and to prove himself worthy, and to protect his loved ones, Steven throws his Cookie Cat refrigerator at Centipeetle, electrocuting her, and Centipeetle is poofed and bubbled.
In "Monster Buddies", Steven accidentally pops Centipeetle's bubble, and she transforms into a smaller, less menacing version of herself. When the other Gems come to protect Steven from the apparent threat, Steven defends Centipeetle, and the Gems let him try to train her. Steven eats Chaaaaps, which attracts the Centipeetle, and Centipeetle displays enjoyment for Chaaaaps. When a seagull comes to try and take the chips away, Centipeetle comes to Steven's rescue and attacks it. Later, Garnet explains that Centipeetle could be used on a mission to retrieve the Shooting Star. Traveling through the ice caves, Centipeetle easily uses her corrosive liquid to erode the cave walls and get to the Shooting Star. When the cave is about to collapse, Centipeetle pushes Steven out of the way of a falling icicle and sacrifices herself. She is bubbled once more.
In "Monster Reunion", Steven's healing spit is back and he convinces the Gems to let him try and heal Centipeetle with his power. He does so, but Centipeetle transforms into a semi-corrupt form, gaining humanoid arms and legs but the inability to speak properly. Steven convinces the Gems to let Centipeetle stay, and later, Centipeetle and Steven communicate through art. Centipeetle tells Steven her backstory, and then begins to revert to her corrupted form. Steven tries to heal her again, but to no avail. Centipeetle attempts to use the warp pad but cannot, so she reveals to Steven that she wants to go to her ship. Steven takes her there, and on the way, Centipeetle reverts to her corrupted form completely. Inside the ship are other Centipeetle that look exactly like herself, and it is revealed through Centipeetle's writing (which is in the Gem language) that it was her crew members that were waiting for her to return home. Centipeetle is currently living inside of the ship with her crew.
Abilities
The Centipeetle Mother is capable of eating with her mouth despite her eye being located in her jaw and blocking her throat, thus making it so that there are no visible means of having the ingested food reach any stomach.
Skillset
- Piloting: It was revealed in "Monster Reunion" that she was a space captain. She shares the ability to pilot Homeworld ships with Peridot, Pearl, and Doc.
Unique Abilities
- Hybrid Arthropod Physiology: Due to having the appearance of two arthropods, specifically a centipede and a beetle, the Centipeetle Mother has the innate abilities of both organisms.
- Chilopodan Physiology: Like a centipede, the Mother uses her jaws to attack enemies or prey. Both employ deadly substances in their attacks. The centipede uses venom while the Mother uses a corrosive liquid.
- Coleopteran Physiology: Like a beetle, the Mother's defenses are increased due to the hard gem-like covering each segment possesses.
- Climbing Skills: She can climb vertical walls and sheer cliff faces.
- Creature Creation: The Centipeetle Mother can produce and command Centipeetles that aid her in battle.
- Corrosive Acid Generation: She can produce an extremely corrosive substance that can easily erode various materials, ranging from wood to stone to ice. She can use this corrosive substance as a projectile to attack from afar or assault enemies with a constant torrent of the substance to easily break down their defenses.
- Rotative Spitting: In "Monster Buddies", the small Centipeetle Mother is seen to be able to rotate her head many times. She utilized this in that she spun her head rapidly and sprayed her corrosive substance, showering the immediate area in a manner extremely similar to that of a sprinkler.
Relationships
Steven Universe
“ |
You love chips, and I love chips! We love chips from Chaaaps! |
” |
—Monster Reunion |
Initially, the Centipeetle Mother is presented as an antagonist to Steven, with she and her underlings attacking the Crystal Temple and the Crystal Gems. When she saw the Crystal Gems, she was more terrified because she was being "attacked" by them. The Centipeetle Mother was a Corrupted Gem, and as such, she had animalistic behavior, and so the Crystal Gems were not close to terms with her. Such behavior causes Steven to electrocute and poof her to protect the Crystal Gems.
However, when Steven accidentally releases her from her bubble and decides to train her, she is enticed by the aroma of Chaaaaps which allows her to trust and form a bond with Steven.
The Centipeetle Mother is seen to be protective and motherly towards Steven, as When Steven Universe is harmed by any threat the Centipeetle Mother sees, such as the Seagulls biting him, she spits acid at them to save her "friend" and even willingly sacrifice herself for him by getting crushed by anything, no matter the risk.
After being healed by Steven and entering her semi-corrupted form, the Centipeetle Mother, at first, does not appear to remember him. However, after Steven opens a bag of Chaaaaps, her memories begin to return, and she starts remembering him, and her memories of before she was corrupted. Steven can help her reunite with her crew, showing the bond between them. The Centipeetle Mother appears to be very friendly towards Steven, retaining this feeling even after reverting to her fully corrupted form.
Crystal Gems
The Centipeetle Mother's relationship with the gems was antagonistic at first. They did not have a clear interaction because of the Centipeetle's hostility. At some point, she gained fear to Garnet's gauntlets even when she summoned them for other purposes. After being healed by Steven, the Centipeetle made enough draws regarding the events of the war on gem language that only the Crystal Gems decoded, one of them being the whereabouts of her crew.
The Centipeetle's current relationship with the gems is unknown, but it is likely she is on good terms with them, just as she is with Steven.
Centipeetle's Crew
The former but non-forgotten comrades were with the Centipeetles. They were with the Centipeetle Mother when they came to the Earth. So their bond with her was "Eternal". As soldiers during the war, they supported her tactics and what she believed in.
Episode Appearances
Season 1 | ||||||||||||
Season 1A | ||||||||||||
1. "Gem Glow": | Debut | 14. "Lars and the Cool Kids": | Absent | |||||||||
2. "Laser Light Cannon": | Absent | 15. "Onion Trade": | Absent | |||||||||
3. "Cheeseburger Backpack": | Absent | 16. "Steven the Sword Fighter": | Absent | |||||||||
4. "Together Breakfast": | Absent | 17. "Lion 2: The Movie": | Absent | |||||||||
5. "Frybo": | Absent | 18. "Beach Party": | Absent | |||||||||
6. "Cat Fingers": | Absent | 19. "Rose's Room": | Absent | |||||||||
7. "Bubble Buddies": | Absent | 20. "Coach Steven": | Absent | |||||||||
8. "Serious Steven": | Absent | 21. "Joking Victim": | Absent | |||||||||
9. "Tiger Millionaire": | Absent | 22. "Steven and the Stevens": | Absent | |||||||||
10. "Steven's Lion": | Absent | 23. "Monster Buddies": | Appears | |||||||||
11. "Arcade Mania": | Absent | 24. "An Indirect Kiss": | Absent | |||||||||
12. "Giant Woman": | Absent | 25. "Mirror Gem": | Absent | |||||||||
13. "So Many Birthdays": | Absent | 26. "Ocean Gem": | Flashback | |||||||||
Season 1B | ||||||||||||
27. "House Guest": | Absent | 40. "On the Run": | Absent | |||||||||
28. "Space Race": | Absent | 41. "Horror Club": | Absent | |||||||||
29. "Secret Team": | Absent | 42. "Winter Forecast": | Absent | |||||||||
30. "Island Adventure": | Absent | 43. "Maximum Capacity": | Absent | |||||||||
31. "Keep Beach City Weird": | Absent | 44. "Marble Madness": | Absent | |||||||||
32. "Fusion Cuisine": | Absent | 45. "Rose's Scabbard": | Absent | |||||||||
33. "Garnet's Universe": | Absent | 46. "Open Book": | Absent | |||||||||
34. "Watermelon Steven": | Absent | 47. "Shirt Club": | Absent | |||||||||
35. "Lion 3: Straight to Video": | Absent | 48. "Story for Steven": | Absent | |||||||||
36. "Warp Tour": | Absent | 49. "The Message": | Absent | |||||||||
37. "Alone Together": | Absent | 50. "Political Power": | Absent | |||||||||
38. "The Test": | Absent | 51. "The Return": | Absent | |||||||||
39. "Future Vision": | Absent | 52. "Jail Break": | Absent |
Season 3 | |||||
1. "Super Watermelon Island": | Absent | 13. "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service": | Absent | ||
2. "Gem Drill": | Absent | 14. "Monster Reunion": | Appears | ||
3. "Same Old World": | Absent | 15. "Alone at Sea": | Absent | ||
4. "Barn Mates": | Absent | 16. "Greg the Babysitter": | Absent | ||
5. "Hit the Diamond": | Absent | 17. "Gem Hunt": | Absent | ||
6. "Steven Floats": | Absent | 18. "Crack the Whip": | Absent | ||
7. "Drop Beat Dad": | Absent | 19. "Steven vs. Amethyst": | Absent | ||
8. "Mr. Greg": | Absent | 20/21. "Bismuth": | Absent | ||
9. "Too Short to Ride": | Absent | 22. "Beta": | Absent | ||
10. "The New Lars": | Absent | 23. "Earthlings": | Absent | ||
11. "Beach City Drift": | Absent | 24. "Back to the Moon": | Absent | ||
12. "Restaurant Wars": | Absent | 25. "Bubbled": | Absent |
Trivia
- Her confirmed instrument that plays in her themes is the Synth Gamelan.[1]
- When the Centipeetle Mother was reforming herself after she escaped from the bubble, she briefly took a humanoid-like form before taking her latest form.
- It was revealed in "Ocean Gem" that the Centipeetle Mother, along with most of the monsters previously fought, used to be humanoid Gems. Unfortunately, the Gems became corrupted, turning them into the monsters they are now.
- The Centipeetle Mother is the first corrupted Gem to be shown and the first that Steven defeats. She is also the first to be released from her bubble, be (temporarily) healed and to display some level of higher intelligence.
- Her gemstone bears a resemblance to a Pokéball from the video game franchise Pokémon.
- Her name is a portmanteau of the words centipede and beetle.
- When semi-corrupted, her gemstone's design slightly differs than when she is corrupted.
- The Centipeetle Mother serves as the antagonist of the iOS game, Crystal Gem Smash.
- The Centipeetle is the only Corrupted Gem so far ever to reform onscreen.
- As shown in "Monster Reunion", Centipeetle is fluent in the Gem language.
- The Centipeetle's semi-corrupted form bares resemblance to the villain "Zorak" from the Space Ghost metaseries.
- The Centipeetle's fully-corrupted form bares resemblance to a Magtail, a type of monster from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, including a centipede-like body shape with a single eye in the center of the mouth. However, unlike Centipeetle, the Magtail's jaws open horizontally.
- The Centipeetle, although unable to communicate properly through speech, was able to state where her crew was in Gem legibly.
- Centipeetle shares the same voice with a mouth part available in "Spore" that appears with three other members during the Tribal stage.[2]
- Although stated by the Crewniverse that a Gem cannot change the location of their gemstone, Centipeetle's gem has moved from her mouth, in her Corrupted form, to her eye, in her semi-Corrupted form. This means that through Corruption a Gem may be able to change their gem's location.
Gemstone
Image | Description |
---|---|
The Centipeetle Mother's gemstone is located on her face and functions as her singular eye. When corrupted, this function remains, however the location moves to her oropharynx. |
Galleries
References
- ↑ "We're aivi & surasshu, the music composers of Steven Universe. Ask us anything ♫" – r/stevenuniverse on Reddit
- ↑ "Steven Universe to Spore Comparison. Centipeetle Voice." – via YouTube
v • e Corrupted Gems | |||
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