Roaming Eyes are medium-sized capsule-like Homeworld tracking spacecrafts which first appeared in "Barn Mates". The most well-known one was originally used by five Ruby soldiers to search for Jasper, before being commandeered by the Crystal Gems during the events of "Back to the Moon" and "Bubbled". Navy, however, stole the Roaming Eye back in "Room for Ruby".
According to Peridot in "Adventures in Light Distortion", the Roaming Eye was created during Era 2.
Appearance[]
The Roaming Eye is a red and teardrop-shaped craft vaguely similar to the Red Eye. The center of the ship has a yellow triangular indent where eyes are located. The other ship has a pink triangular indent in the center of the ship. Originally, there is only one yellow hexagonal eye from the center, but when the ship locates Steven, Peridot, and Lapis, four more eyes appear, which could be the Rubies inside looking.
When the Roaming Eye is beginning to launch an attack, the central screen turns from yellow to red. At the bottom of the Roaming Eye are three spikes protruding from the ship; two in the front and one in the back, most likely used as landing gear. The main door is located below the triangular screen and opens outward to form a ramp. The top of the ship has a hatch for entering and exiting the ship.
The interior consists of a single room, its size considerably larger than the ship's exterior would suggest. There are five consoles located around the perimeter of the room, each with a chair and window screen displaying a view of the outside. The largest console is located at the front of the room and is used for piloting the vessel.
Abilities[]
While it is not shown, it is implied that the Roaming Eye has some offensive maneuvers.
- Light Speed Travel: The Roaming Eye is capable of traveling at speeds faster than that of light. Due to the advanced technologies of Homeworld, the Roaming Eye can create a gravitational singularity point (similar to a black hole) and use its massive gravitational pull to warp space-time, thus achieving faster-than-light travel. When the Roaming Eye travels this way, the gravitational singularity is constantly created (and, presumably, evaporated in nanoseconds) in front of the ship, which basically causes the ship to "continuously fall" towards the singularity.
- Dimension Manipulation: The Roaming Eye can manipulate its outer dimensions to appear bigger on the inside.
- Anti-Gravity Drive: By using a sort of anti-gravity drive, it can defy Earth's gravitational pull, freely levitating over the surface. This ability appears to be used for the ship to take off.
- Gem Scanners: From the center of the ship, the Roaming Eye can emit light for spotting targets, which can be used to scan and lock onto Gems.
- System Preferences: From the control panel, the pilot has the ability to change different features of the ship.
- Gravity Engine: The gravity engine is a feature on the ship that allows for faster-than-light travel. Peridot describes the gravity engine as "bending reality" and Pearl believes that the engine flattens space-time, which is what allows the ship to travel so quickly.
- Form Calibration: When the gravity engine is activated, the normal laws of physics do not apply on the ship, thus distorting a Gem's physical form. From the control panel, a pilot can calibrate the ship for certain types of Gems so the gravity engine does not distort their bodies. For example, if Rubies are piloting the ship, they can calibrate the ship for Rubies, which turns every Gem inside of the ship Ruby-sized. The ship is able to calibrate Rubies, Topazes, Diamonds, and Pebbles. If the calibration is turned off altogether, a Gem's physical form will not be able to keep up with the ship and will be stuck lagging behind.
- Lighting Alteration: The inside lights of the ship can be changed to whatever color the user wishes. Red and green are currently the only known color options.
- Gravity Engine: The gravity engine is a feature on the ship that allows for faster-than-light travel. Peridot describes the gravity engine as "bending reality" and Pearl believes that the engine flattens space-time, which is what allows the ship to travel so quickly.
- Tractor Beam: The Roaming Eye can emit a beam of light. Any objects that are in this beam of light will move towards the ship and eventually enter it. This ability is used for collecting or capturing things while in space.
- Atmosphere Shield: The Roaming Eye has an atmosphere shield that protects the ship when entering the atmosphere of a planetary body.
- Rear Pulsar Trackers: The Roaming Eye has the ability to track pulsars in space.
- Eject Button: Near the exit of the ship is a yellow ball-shaped button. If one presses it, everyone (except the pilot who is protected by a tube) is sucked out of the ship when the door opens.
History[]
"Barn Mates"[]
The Roaming Eye chases Peridot, Lapis, and Steven into the Barn. It emits light into the barn, which causes the three to flee back outside in panic. When the Roaming Eye clearly sees the three targets, the screen in the center turns red. However, Lapis easily crashes it into the ground with a water hand. After crashing, a white diamond shape is branded into the ground. The hatch on the top opens up, and a Ruby climbs out.
"Hit the Diamond"[]
Five Ruby soldiers climb out of the device. During the baseball game, the Roaming Eye is used as a pitcher's mound. At the end of the game, when the Rubies lose, they climb back into the device and leave for Neptune where they believe Jasper is.
"Earthlings"[]
The Roaming Eye is briefly seen in the background at the end of the episode when Lapis has contained the Ruby soldiers in separate water bubbles.
"Back to the Moon"[]
The Roaming Eye is used to travel to the Diamond base located on the moon. The inside of the ship and its controls are seen for the first time in this episode. The large interior is revealed, capable of easily fitting all five Rubies and four Crystal Gems (including Amethyst, who shapeshifted herself into Jasper's larger form). It is left behind by the Rubies when Steven opens the moon base's airlock, launching the Rubies into space.
"Bubbled"[]
The Roaming Eye is commandeered by the Crystal Gems to locate and retrieve Steven from the depths of space and return safely to Earth.
"Adventures in Light Distortion"[]
The Roaming Eye was brought to the barn so that Peridot could make sure everything was functioning. Afterward, the Gems, minus Peridot and Lapis, entered space with the ship, heading towards Pink Diamond's Zoo. The ship is able to withstand the damage of multiple asteroids while heading through an asteroid field. Steven turns on the gravity engine so the ship is able to reach the Zoo in a reasonable amount of time. He accidentally shuts off the ship's calibration, causing the Gems' bodies to lag behind the ship as it travels even faster. However, once Steven shuts off the gravity engine, the Gems arrive at the Zoo.
"Gem Heist"[]
The Crystal Gems enter the Zoo inside of the Roaming Eye and park next to several other Roaming Eyes. During their tour of the facility, Ruby creates a diversion by pretending to recall having left the Roaming Eye's gravity engine idling, alluding to its impending explosion. As Holly Blue Agate escorts Sapphire back to the hangar to avert the fictitious crisis, the others attempt unsuccessfully to open the door to the containment area.
"That Will Be All"[]
The Gems use the Roaming Eye to leave the Zoo facility with Greg.
"The New Crystal Gems"[]
The Gems successfully arrive back on Earth with the Roaming Eye.
"Room for Ruby"[]
The Roaming Eye stays at the barn, where it is wrapped in Christmas lights. Navy agrees to show Steven, Peridot, and Lapis how the ship works but instead tricks Steven into pressing the eject button, which sends the three of them out. Navy then flies the ship into space, presumably to get her crew back.
"Change Your Mind"[]
After Steven convinces White Diamond to leave her head, four Roaming Eyes are seen approaching the combined Diamond Ships, investigating the commotion caused earlier.
Steven Universe: The Movie[]
During Steven's verse of "Happily Ever After", there are several Roaming Eyes present.
"Little Homeschool"[]
A Roaming Eye can be seen flying above Little Homeworld.
Trivia[]
- According to Peridot in "Adventures in Light Distortion", the Roaming Eye was created during Era 2.
- The Roaming Eye's interior is large enough to narrowly fit three diamond-sized Gems sitting down.
- The Roaming Eye is similar to the Red Eye; both are round ships sent to Earth to attempt to locate Gems.
- On the episode "Change Your Mind", as what the Roaming Eyes approach the Mega Diamond, since it has pink triangular indent in the center of the ship which means that it was created after the start of Era 3, by Steven Universe, son of Pink Diamond.
- The method by which the Roaming Eye travels across vast distances in space at unimaginable speed is very similar to the real-world "Alcubierre drive", a theoretical method for apparent faster-than-light (FTL) travel. This method involves a spaceship contracting the space in front of it and expanding the space behind it, which is very similar to what the Roaming Eye is shown doing. It also explains why the Roaming Eye appears to stretch; this is an optical illusion caused by light passing through the expanding space behind the ship, similar to the gravitational lensing caused by black holes.
- The concept of this ship being bigger on the inside may be a reference to the TARDIS from the popular sci-fi series, Doctor Who, as both are spaceships which are larger on the inside than they appear to be from the outside.
- According to Holly Blue Agate, these ships are commonly used by Rubies.
- In MultiVersus, the Roaming Eye will sometimes appear in the background on the Ancient Sky Arena stage.
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