Steven Universe Theory - Gems Didn't Always Follow the Diamonds

[@BulletBillSoilder]

Ya know this video brought up a new question to me, who made the diamonds? were they always looked up to as gods?

[@AJUniverse]

Don't worry, that'll be addressed in part two.

[@natelee6061]

dang was about to ask that question. 👍👍

[@jaesaun2517]

Gems could have possibly gone through an evolution phase.

[@kenanchiutsi7397]

there rocks how can they evolve

[@SPOCSONSO]

+Kenan Chiutsi they go from a pebble to a rock the end

[@KodieRussell]

Am I the only one that wants to hear about white diamond more than pink diamond... I mean... shes never been brought up by any characters in the show, only in the mural and pyramid

[@pigeonpersona8171]

She could potentially be the most powerful diamond. On the mural she controls the most colonies.

[@demarcomixon]

I think White Diamond is the oldest of the Diamonds. I told AJ that I think the murals which depict the Diamonds and their planets under their control reveals their age. With White Diamond being the oldest to Pink Diamond being the youngest of the Diamond Authority.

[@annagrape5264]

What if they other diamonds are her kids or something? I know gems can't make kids but what if she figured out a way to make more diamonds.

[@demarcomixon]

Erica R. I don't think that their her children it probably takes a very very very long time to make a Diamond and a lot of resources go into created them most likely.

[@demarcomixon]

***** most likely.

[@Arrakiz666]

It is "technically" possible that Diamonds specifically designed Gems with knowledge that they wouldn't always conform to their agenda, that they gave them the ability to chose freely and rebel. In this sense they'd be much like Judeo-christian god who creates human beings knowing very well that they will suffer. The difference is of course nobody claims Diamonds to be benevolent. It's possible as well that whatever method that they use to create Gems is simply imperfect. Maybe they can't create Gems that would follow their instructions perfectly because of their complex programming. And as a side-note- maybe that's why the Era 2 Gems are weaker than Era 1 Gems. Diamonds having recognized the damage Era 1 Gems can cause on their own decided to step back a little and create much weaker Gems that are even more likely to follow their authority to do their weakness and even if they COULD break away, they wouldn't pose much of a threat. Perhaps that's why Yellow Diamond was simultaneously so furious and so dismissive at Peridot. She hates the idea that any Gem could question her but at the same she doesn't much care because she knows Peridot is just too weak to do anything and she's gonna be dead soon enough with the Cluster emerging anyway.

[@obsidiangodling1287]

The last time I was this early it was the rebellion

[@OriginalGameteer]

you crystal clods!

[@TheAlexgallardo2000]

stap

[@obsidiangodling1287]

+King Alex how about I don't?

[@erinmarie5623]

Get out

[@obsidiangodling1287]

+Erin Marie make me

[@davemanalansang5640]

Sneaple made the Diamonds. end of argument.

[@Tom-vx7qh]

*Sneople

[@Merilirem]

*staples

[@ihaveanaxe1824]

*Nipples

[@yoursleepparalysisdemon9969]

**nipnoplledopolis kissing sweet sneepsnops

[@justsomeguywhoknowsnothing4747]

*Snapple

[@jbark678]

To be fair, the fact that Blue Diamond has/had a court implies a certain level of social interaction and culture among gems that erasing their sentience would ruin. It would be like a dictator on earth who PHYSICALLY erased the sentience of every (or nearly every) citizen. He would lose every thing that made his country what it was and go insane from the absolute (or relative) solitude.

[@Tazzykiki]

I've always had this thought that the diamonds were created by a 'humanoid' species. That they were created to serve that species and/or be used as some sort of defensive measure, and maybe the diamonds rebelled or the species somehow disappeared and the diamonds used the same technique made to create themselves to build a new world. And I say humanoid because of how the diamonds and other gems appear, maybe they copied the previous species look?

[@tylerbaldwin3269]

So this is just my view on the whole Diamond Authority thing. Something(maybe different gems) made the diamonds, the diamonds saw a chance to take over, and they did. Power hungry gems have been shown already, like Jasper. Her whole thing with fusing with Lapis was for more power. Gems are able to have their own passions and desires, like Pearl fighting in the rebellion alongside Rose. Or you could look at it like this, the diamonds were made simply to have charge over some gems. It wouldn't be too hard to assume that some greater power(not a religion thing) made the diamonds, then stood back to see what would happen. Also, Pink Diamond isn't shattered. You can see a diamond in a bubble in the bubble room. Boom!

[@bradtheunchad3192]

I feel like you forget to mention that when a gem is hit with a stun weapon their body will show computer circuits.

[@thermophile1695]

Gems 'recharge' with a matter-energy conversion, through air. This is why the gem tower on the moon has air, and why so few planets are acceptable colonies, since gems seem to require atmosphere similar to that of earth.

[@thermophile1695]

***** I see no other likely explanations. Do you?

[@thermophile1695]

***** Fair enough.

[@emp_m9686]

So what's your stand in the "Gems are Artificial intelligence" argument? It cannot be considered a fact since AJ has only one (misunderstood) fact to back this bullshit up.

[@thermophile1695]

Angerskull 360 I think so, and I used Occam's Razor to come to that conclusion. Let me explain. If the gems weren't artificial intelligences, they would have had to evolve naturally. When things evolve, they do so organically, and the gems are anything but organic. For a real world example, wings are a fairly complicated evolution that didn't come about in a single generation. Wings were originally designed to increase the width of the arms of certain predators, making entrapping prey easier (I can't think of anything off the top of my head that does that present-day. Bats maybe?). Later, they became used for gliding, such as is seen in the 'flying squirrel' (it doesn't actually fly). As gliding became more sophisticated, wings eventually evolved to allow flight, which is why birds and such can fly today. Getting back to gems. Gems can do a lot of crazy stuff. They can generate immense amounts of energy easily (which I already expressed as being due to matter-energy conversion), project a body out of energy, see the future, and a bazillion other things that I can only conclude were designed consciously. For gems to have evolved naturally, every single one of those traits would have had to follow a path where every single step gave an evolutionary advantage. Not only that, but gems reproduce by draining the resources of their planet. If they'd existed long enough to have any sort of evolution, they would have drained their planet centuries ago. The whole 'gems weren't meant to serve the diamonds' supports it, but it was hardly the basis for this idea. I came up with it almost immediately after learning they were aliens. My basis for why I think they're artificial intelligences ends here, but I'll keep going for a bit, so feel free to keep reading. TL;DR, they can do stuff they wouldn't if they were natural. Now that we're on the same page that the gems are artificial intelligences (I hope), I'm going to delve a bit into why I think gems were created. Gems are people. This seems obvious at first, but as AJ said, this means that they obviously weren't intended to exist in their current state. Gems were, however, likely intended to exist as a society, with different gems serving different roles based on their abilities. Sapphires can see the future, so they were obviously intended to help guide the path of a large number of gems. Pearls were likely intended to be attendants, due to their loyalty, and abilities to create holograms and store objects in their gems. There are more, but you can see the pattern. But enough beating around the bush. Why exactly do I think that a race of organic beings would intentionally create an artificial race to replace them? I think that their planet was dying. Maybe it was pollution. Maybe it was global warming. It doesn't really matter. My evidence for this comes from a rather unusual source: All gems are female. This may seem confusing, but if you think about it, it makes sense. If people created gems to download their personalities, they would have a split of genders. Whatever race created them obviously has both male and female genders, since gems don't seem to have a problem with male pronouns, despite all gems being female. I think the reason for this is the idea that societies with only women would be more stable, which I've heard a couple of time, and make some sense, what with the male phyche being heavily influenced by the stupidity catalyst testoterone, and that if only females ran the world, a lot of the problems we see today would go away. This is hardly concrete of course, and is merely an opinion, and not a particularly strong one at that. I find this to be the most likely scenario, but I wouldn't be surprised if something else were the case. There is one other thing I wanted to touch on, though. The purpose of the diamonds. It seems somewhat apparent that the diamonds were originally intended to lead the gems. They are commanding, powerful, and I don't think gems' loyalty to their diamonds is entirely due to indoctrination. The diamonds, however, seem to have taken this to the next level. Rather than being leaders, they became dictators and ruled their people with an iron fist. After all, I doubt gem weapons were an accidental feature. The diamonds simply prevented individuality to an extent that stopped them from being discovered. And that's about it. Sorry about the stupidly long post. I enjoy writing about this sort of thing. I should probably get back to what I was supposed to be doing :P

[@emp_m9686]

Sanford Bassett I'm sorry but I'm against this theory. True evolution is a trait attributed to organic life only but that doesn't necessarily mean they are artificial. Gems are rocks and you can't change a certain Gems traits ( like their real-life counter parts. For example Jaspers and any other Quartz have a high hardness on the Mohs scale, so in the show they are portrayed as soldiers. Rubies (9 on mohs scale) are also highly durable but are considered low ranking infantry due to their rarity ( common).I won't be going in to details about homeworld society. Another flaw in this theory is that AJ considers gems to be made up from the same material. Incorrect. There's an example in the show to prove that gems are chemically diverse like there real-life naturally occurring rocks. Remember the hardness comparison let's compare 3 instances where gems got cracked: 1) Lapis lazuli:(4.5 to 5.5 mohs) Lapis got cracked simply by the force of another gems weight, taking into consideration that that gems weight is formed to weigh as much as a regular human. And she sustained major damage to her gemstone. 2) Amethyst: (7 mohs) fell from the TOP of the temple, gem first and sustained medium damage. Same as Lapis' case + the kinetic energy of that fall. 3) Finally, Eyeball ruby: (9 mohs) this one is self-explanatory. A fucking asteroid collided with her gem and sustained medium damage. My point being, why would their "creators" make them chemically diverse if they want them to survive forever? And don't say that there was not enough resources to produce the gems so they improvised with other compounds. Quartz (silicone dioxide) is different from Peridot (Magnesium iron silicate), Lapis Lazuli (a multitude of minerals) and so on. I still have more evidence to talk about even though we took different stances in this argument I’m enjoying this discussion. What are your thoughts?

[@DarciBible]

Omg the editing in this video is great AJ 10/10

[@DarciBible]

No I am not being sarcastic I really do believe the editing in this video is really good

[@takemetoyonk]

+Darci Bible I love the way he times dialogue to visuals

[@shaylaroni]

I agree

[@TheJamieKeely]

Always

[@punknerdvee]

I figured it was the other way around, really. I guessed that the Gems were made by a dying race as beings to do dangerous tasks (initially mining, essentially being von Neumann miners) so that said race (I've taken to calling them the Carvers) wouldn't have to risk their ever dwindling population. As time progressed, and the Gems replicated and diversified, the Carvers found it increasingly complex to manage what would amount to an entire race of Ruby-tier Gems, so they started creating tiers of Gems to lead the lower ranks, eventually culminating in the Diamonds. However, as the Gems' numbers increased, the Carvers dwindled, leading to the Diamonds either overthrowing them full-Geth style, or at least declare independence with the Carvers incapable of doing shit about it and eventually dying out as a result.

[@robertcornhole5197]

Not only that, but the Diamonds tried to create simpler underlings, and failed. It's stated outright, way back in the early first season! In "Frybo", there's a big lecture Pearl gives that Steven spaces out and ignores. But you can still hear it if you try. She talks about how Homeworld used gem shards to animate armor and create armies of willing drones, but they rebelled against their masters and had to be destroyed.

[@tobdanhowelleski4763]

So excited to see part 2! I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on the origin of the gems :) Personally I would both LOVE and HATE if the sneople Ronaldo talked about were indeed real and created the gems haha.

[@PhenixArcher]

I will confirm all of this in one very long statement. The original gems did not build themselves, another race with sufficient technology did so, this means that certain aspects such as awareness and sentience were put into their original design. Making it at a fundamental level impossible to remove these aspects without a complete overhaul of how gems are produced.

[@AJUniverse]

Oh, cool. How do you know? You said it's confirmed, right?

[@PhenixArcher]

Let me ask you this, can a computer build itself? The answer is of course 'no', this however is the key detail. Something that is not a gem built the original gems. This is confirmed indirectly by the overviews throughout the show about how gems are made.

[@PhenixArcher]

It is also fair to point out this might be why Steven is even possible at all. These 'builders' might have anticipated such a coupling and added components to make it possible.

[@AJUniverse]

Uh, yeah, sure, a computer can't build itself, but no one ever said that the Gems started as A.I.

[@AJUniverse]

There's no way that someone ever planned specifically for a Gem to reproduce with a human. Gems come from a completely different galaxy.

[@niftswift]

Perhaps the diamonds have indeed been limiting the power of their subjects. We know that Peridot is a later model with less power. This is apparently due to them running out of resources - but if they were really running out of resources, and they really believed the Crystal Gems were wiped out, surely they would have taken out and used the abundant peridotite in Earth's mantle, which Peridot explicitly commented on. Given they don't seem to need to, and would rather destroy the planet, this makes me think that they were lying to Peridot and are indeed nerfing Peridots to be sure that although they're intelligent, they're not physically strong enough to rise up against the Diamonds.

[@mariafernandacastilloangul1358]

Hey guys if you remember when peridot comes to meet the crystal gems she does not know about them? The name does not mean a thing to her, even when she says she knows everything cause she read the records from the kindergarten! That helps your theory cause the knowledge was erased to keep the gems from homeword ignorant, even to peridot who had reasons to know cause of her mission, only jasper knew cause she was at the war!

[@willhiggins9563]

I definitely feel there is more to the Gems then serving the Diamonds, I noticed the same thing myself.

[@TheNicMMc]

When I first heard about fusion, I thought it made too much sense as answer in how gems can evolve and changed. Separate singular gems can but have no reason to reproduce since they are immortal, but it puts them at disadvantage with trying to cope with the changes of their surrounding and the fact some new gems can't shape shift makes fusions seem even more important then ever before if they want to survive as a species. The fact that diamond are against the fusion seem to support that AJ's theory that gems didn't always follow the diamonds because if so then they could remove the ability to fuse all together like they did with shift shaping.

[@laceydanilovitz2486]

This theory could very well be true, but I have to disagree with you on one thing. You said that Homeworld only put they're soldiers forward during the war to fight off the rebellion. But Centipeetle, a gem most likely made to colonize other planets, was also put in the war.

[@AJUniverse]

Not to fight. It was never stated anywhere that she was used to FIGHT in the war.

[@laceydanilovitz2486]

+AJ Universe Well in Monster Reunion, Steven states things such as "You joined the fight" and "You kept on fighting."

[@AJUniverse]

Mewtwo's Movie Studios He was also looking at crayon drawings.

[@laceydanilovitz2486]

+AJ Universe I guess you have a point there.

[@ScaryPurpleAmpersand]

+AJ Universe He was looking at crayon drawings, but he was also stating his interpretation aloud so centipedle could confirm that he understood and make corrections. I'm pretty sure at some point while Steven was talking about centi's commander giving orders to attack and retreat, or her descriptions of the fighting itself, she would've clarified that she wasn't a combatant. That being said i don't see why centi couldn't have been part of a military escort for the colonization. At least, that makes more sense to me than her story or Steven's interpretation being completely wrong.

[@FosterBaba]

There is a much simpler way this could've been said. "The gems were not made for the diamonds because they are sentient. The way the diamonds want their subjects would've been better achieved from smart robots which we can clearly see homeworld has the capacity for. Therefore there is another origin to gems outside of what Jasper and peridot has said"

[@nikovav2229]

As someone that's dedicated many years of their life researching artificial intelligence I've got to disagree on many points of your theory. I think you're confusing a few facts about how hardware and software AI. There are simple AI's that are built with All Hardware and no software, most have the intellect of an insect. I'd also like to point out that all humans and all life on earth use Chemical hardware to do our thinking - no software. The ability for humans and gems to mix, in my mind, is the key evidential reason that gems are actual lifeforms - silicon crystalline based life forms. We are carbon based lifeforms, that means literally all our organic compounds contain carbon. Chemically, a scientist could replace all the carbon atoms in your body with silicon and you'd still function. Think of silicon as having all the same qualities as carbon when it comes to forming bonds, only carbon is much more willing. the gems could have evolved on a planet with little amounts of carbon, from silicon crystalizing in just the right way to become some kind of bacteria-sized proto-life. From their, add in a hundred Million years of evolution and it's easy to imagine these crystalline cell evolving some kind life form with a way to emit light and create magnetic fields to create some kind of physical holographic body.

[@MrRedwires]

Hi! I like your theory, but I have a somewhat related question. You have established that what gems are requires sentience, and because of that the diamonds can not create "perfect servants" However, assuming that homeworld has highly advanced technologies etc. etc., shouldn't the diamonds possess the knowledge to create something new, using similar concepts of those of gems, but without the "flaw" of sentience? Or at least be able to create robots or similar, like the ones that Peridot used for the warp pad repair, to carry out tasks?

[@AexisRai]

+AJ Universe "And don't give me any of this crap that it could upgrade its own memory capacity and its own hardware, because that's just not possible. It's software, it doesn't exist in the real world, and *it can't affect the real world*." No, a program couldn't just "will changes to its hardware"; but if the hardware includes, from the get-go, devices that can fabricate parts from materials, and manipulate the parts to integrate them with itself, it could do exactly that. I'm sure that making such general purpose mechanisms would take a lot of doing on our part, I won't downplay that. And the program has to /start/ with those tools in order to start bootstrapping itself into better hardware - it can't make them if it doesn't already have them - so yeah, if we wanted to avoid that, we could try to limit access to such hardware. But software controls hardware, and is no less capable of using hardware if the hardware happens to be able to manufacture more hardware. I don't think you should dismiss physical self-improvement like that.

[@rRecoveryProd]

Your theory finally makes perfect sense as to YD's decision; it's not pettiness, but control.

[@gamecommanderswarroom6283]

great "theory" as you stated there is every indication this is the case, most of all diamonds are themselves gems and certainly weren't self created to serve their own purposes. There has to be some other entity at work whether the original creator is still around is the next big question. Perhaps he diamonds destroyed their creator to supplant the authority.

[@Whofan06]

A successful dictator can surely convince their underlings that they exist only for the purpose of serving the dictator.That doesn't make it true, it's just what the masses know and are convinced of.

[@chip6210]

Never been this early to one of your videos John. I'm happy.

[@samramdebest]

4: 40 It may have no influence on the hardware so it can't upgrade itself but it can influence other people to do it for it. Like hacking some big guy's email and making it seem to he ordered someone to upgrade the hardware... Have you seen person of interest, very interesting show about AI.

[@loquendo5056XD20]

I've been thinking for a while, like, I always thought they were artificial intelligences from the go, but the thing that always bothered me was, who made them? how long ago? for what? SOMEONE has to have made the diamonds at some point, maybe commanders or tacticians in a war a long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away?

[@professormemeyy3567]

i like this theory i really do, i just have one question: who did gems serve first if the diamonds weren't the original ones to rule?

[@jeffkeller2364]

eh, artificial intelligence bugs me. mainly the word, the concept it's self is spot on but I feel there's a better way to say it. i dunno it just bugs me that an advanced artificial intelligence could or would do and think the way the gems do, but then again they are alien super beings so could just be my own limited thinking. I'd like to say... "alternate sentient beings". their still as very much alive and thinking as any other sentient organism they just have alternate properties and structure to put things simply.

[@SPOCSONSO]

I wonder if the diamonds tried to free the gems from their alien creators and as time went on they became dictators, maybe the creators are the quintessons from transformers ? XD jk

[@coolkid2738]

I think maybe that the gems originally had a creator that was a living being who made the gems to serve themself ,but then said being made the diamonds with too much ai,so they became self aware and took over

[@SPOCSONSO]

+Cool Kid that's a fair point I still think my quintessons theory stands firm though XD

[@moneluve1000]

I approve the quintesson theory😉👍👍

[@coolkid2738]

+mone luve actually,now that I think about it our theorys are practically the same

[@takemetoyonk]

+Mohammad Lazuli that is literally one of the biggest possibilities on my mind there's not much deconfirming it

[@BlaquePauldron]

I'm convinced at this point AJ is lining up clips to match his narration

[@thetoontastictoon1720]

yee

[@ThePeridactl]

+The Toontastic Toon I see you everywhere

[@thetoontastictoon1720]

ThePeridactl I browse at the speed of light~

[@ThePeridactl]

+The Toontastic Toon lol, I'm also one of the same people that you see everywhere

[@capnlockeheart1443]

+ThePeridactl I also see him

[@martian99arrival]

So, first, I really hope our end isn't a C-3PO existence. XD I really liked your description of AI probability of reaching a human-like state because I completely agree (someone needs to program the tech, computers need us to exist, etc). Now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense that the Gems would be made to serve the Diamonds. Like you said, why keep making self-aware beings that could turn and rebel, like they did 5,000+ years ago. And it isn't too hard for our Gems to re-purpose themselves, away from their leaders. Why not put technology in place in a Gem to ensure they will serve? Hm, so many questions.

[@samramdebest]

And isn't it possible that all gems were created for the diamonds just that they didn't design it? Someone or something makes diamonds... Diamonds realize they are not with enough to accomplish the given task... Create gems from their own design, with some modifications for mass production.

[@Screechzilla]

"Too densely packed with STUFF" and we see Greg's storage unit overflowing - LOL that was hilarious

[@Multigameguy35]

Nice breakdown of the facts and logic. A very convincing video for sure

[@allenhooper879]

AJ i like how your theory gravitates towards gems possibly having a creator but its not entirely out of the question that gems could have originated by them selves gems could be some type of silicon based life that can be completely different from organic life and its origins

[@kia527]

the question I've always had is: Why were the gems programed to have free will? if they were supposed to serve the diamonds, and the diamonds created the gems (on homworld and on earth) then why did the diamonds make 'free will'? wouldn't they want soldiers that a obey? * I did watch the video* I'm not stupid

[@tylerbaldwin3269]

Who made the diamonds? I think we will find out all gems were made to just exist, but the diamonds pulled coup and took over.

[@catton1]

+Tyler Baldwin sneaple made the dimonds, duh

[@Tazzykiki]

Maybe because the diamonds wanted a culture as well? But that does bring up the question as to why the ones that were of the extremely low class have free will.

[@ronaldlam9303]

If you notice hologram Pearl, it doesn't have the capacity to learn new skills. If gems didn't have the ability to have free will, then these gems would not be capable to grow from their experiences. My statement sounds contradictory, but I suppose the diamonds made the gems have free will in attempt to make gems more well-equipped or adapt to different situations.

[@noisyphilosopherkrk522]

free will=heart loyalty=soul wisdom=mind

[@ValD98]

My fucking God, I never thought I would find someone who actually understands how AI works. Props to you for that, man. And the theory is awesome, BTW. I actually study this stuff and I've looked into AI before - honestly, it's amazing how ignorant and idiotic people are in regards to this topic. They apparently think AI works in the same way we see in Sci-Fi, which basically treats it as though it's some kind of magic. They don't even realize that the robots we see in Sci-Fi would be incredibly inefficient in a lot of ways - like how C3PO has a anthropomorphic body, even though that particular form is very hard to program(even having it stand still takes a lot of resources to build) and would thus be a waste of time for a mere translator robot, him just having wheels and a block-like would be better off. On a side note, even if robots do become sentient in the same way that we are - the thing is, they would have to have some manner of motivation to do what they do in order to make decisions. But the thing is, if we wanted to prevent them from doing anything damaging, we would just have to program them to have the best interest of humans when making decisions. Because we have similar limitations due to our biology - for example, we can't harm children and the elderly, because we recognize them as vulnerable and necessary to our genetic survival and thus we want to protect them. In the same way, we could have robots subconsciously recognize humans as necessary for them to be built and want to protect us in order to gain what they would consider resources. And really, that's the only way they CAN gain self-awareness, because the thing that drives humans is reproduction and survival - the equivalent to robots of which can only be serving humans and gaining resources for advancements. If robots ever became sentient, it might be the only form of ethical slavery, I suppose, because they would want to be in that position anyway. And on a side note, it would be really funny if the fact that them being AI explains why they all have female bodies and minds. A similar thing happens with human AI in that examples like Alexa, Google and others have female voices because we have a biological preference for female voices due to being able to hear our mothers more often while we're in the womb. Perhaps the race that originally created them had a similar bias towards mothers. Another possible, and even funnier explanation is that, if most of the tech of that alien race was created by males as it is with us, maybe those same males had similar habits as do ours, with how they treat their jobs/hobbies/inventions as metaphorical women(which may be why ships are still referred to as "she"). Maybe they even had a fetish for giantesses, which is why the diamonds are so high up in the caste system, lol. That would give a whole other meaning to the "Giant Woman" song.

[@VisuallyMediocre]

'software cannot interact with the real world' you would be correct if it was not connected wirelessly to a device you are correct. A computer with physical limitations can out source what it needs done to another computer on the network. You can play you xbox one on your pc using its (the xbox) graphics card to generate the images that will be streamed to you. A software application that can self improve with a wireless connect CAN and will advance physically by teaching itself to break into wireless networks and creating massive networks of machines that can do the work for it. Eventually it could even get into a factory and build parts through automation. I think you under estimate our current technology lol.

[@HunterSentinel]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. They could have been created for long term long distance colonization by the original civilization. The diamonds were created to oversee the operation, and the original civilization is gone, but the diamonds are still organizing the scene.

[@HunterSentinel]

The diamonds were probably created after the fact.

[@Vontux]

I'm willing to bet that the Diamonds don't fully understand how the gem creation process works and this is why they aren't able to produce non-sentient robotic followers. Peridot mentions the 'era one' injectors are aesthetically different from the current generation Kindergarten injectors but not doesn't note any functional difference. I'm willing to bet the Diamonds know how to construct and deploy injectors but do not fully understand how this technology creates gems, the injectors could be a hold over technology that really hasn't been altered since the first gems were created by whoever the original creators of the gems are. TL;DR Gems build injectors but don't understand how they work they've just been copying the same design for millennia and don't know enough to do much to customize new gems.

[@maddiecallan8580]

Nice theory (or statement of fact) AJ! You're really concrete about your ideas and I respect that. Just make sure to stay kind to your fans, they're the reason you can do this, okay? I'm not trying to belittle you, I just think it'll help the general receiving of your videos.

[@G2teA2teB2]

it's crazy to think how far the story is gonna go. something created the gems. I keep thinking about what pearl said "what we really are"

[@hellocloverkitty]

Your last theory blew my mind

[@Honey_Lemongrass]

wow, this was deep... but insightful. I never really thought too much about this, there's always the unsolved questions about who created the diamonds, and why they think others must follow them and not make their own decisions.

[@Tazzykiki]

I wanted to know your thoughts(anyone's really) on the new end theme, I think it may be the corruption song of the diamonds. Makes sense somewhat, why would the crew just add some seemingly random song with no meaning?

[@barkerlterry6398]

I'll check it out, could you name the episodes so I know the exact one your talking about (I presume all of S4)

[@Tazzykiki]

Barker Lterry Yeah, but it's more noticeable in the most recent episode.

[@dylantharp87]

I actually think that the corruption song is the song that plays in blue diamond's court, when peridot contacts yellow diamond, and both times when we see the flash of light from homeworld that supposedly corrupts the gems

[@Tazzykiki]

ShroomyHoles Maybe, do you have a link to it? I haven't watched them in awhile.

[@dylantharp87]

I don't have a link unfortunately, but it plays in The Answer in blue diamond's court, Message Received when Peridot activates the homeworld communication diamond thingy, and then also in Monster Reunion and Same Old World when the flash of light shows up. You have to have a keen ear in Same Old World and Monster Reunion to be able to hear it, but you can find the tunes on Aivi and Surasshu's soundcloud soundcloud.com/aivisura/steven-universe-blue-diamond soundcloud.com/aivisura/steven-universe-yellow-diamond

[@markg6544]

I have a lot of corrections for the information in this video. However, at the end of the day, only two have a strong impact on the theory. 1. Sentience itself is a useful tool. 2. Limiting the hardware means that the diamonds underlings are just that: limited. If they can be controlled (mostly) without limitations, why do it? Don't get me wrong, I think something must have created the gems in the first place. If gems can only make new gems through complicated technology, how did they first arrive? There is most likely an insanely low chance that a gem would form in the first place, much less be intelligent enough to figure out how it was made and create a technology to reproduce it. To summarize, you are most likely right but your reasoning needs some work.

[@markg6544]

I thought of another reason why the diamonds wouldn't want to limit gem memory. Remember, gems can live theoretically indefinitely. The gems also seem to remember when the first popped out of the ground. Putting limitations on memory reduces the effective life span of a gem. After all, if a gem were to run out of memory, a lot of problems would arise.

[@Alexanderantonin]

I agree 100%! I was half wondering if you were going to say that they used to be organic lifeforms, and transferred their minds into gems.

[@MissCin101]

I enjoyed the last theory. It sucks that not everyone did though.

[@Merilirem]

Agreed.

[@dannieltaylor5833]

I feel like you were pretty accurate about the singularity and artificial intelligence. You pretty much hit the nail on the head. Anyway, I feel like there was some other creator that created the different gems with a purpose in mind, and the Diamonds were probably supposed to be more like generals than emperors, royalty, or gods. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Generals have to be strong and commanding. That would explain their size and their presumably high level of performance in combat. It would also explain why there seem to have only been 4 of them, where there were hundreds of the other kinds of gems. I would assume this creator made these beings in order to serve itself, but at some point, something clearly happened to the original creator of the gems. What if the Diamonds were made too well, and took down the original creator, usurping his throne as the master of the gems? I think there was a creator, because this video talks so much about how, I think, gems could not occur naturally. Their bodies aren't actually "alive" if you think about it. They have no systems that would normally constitute life. They have no heart beat, no organs, no circulatory or respiratory system. They don't take in nutrients or chemicals, and there doesn't even seem to be any chemical reactions going on. Rocks are.... rocks. I guess it kinda boils down to what information we get about a gem's energy supply and how it works, but I think it was left vague enough as to not become hard sci-fi levels of complex for a younger audience. I don't know. Maybe it'll be a joke about Pearl being too specific and no one paying enough attention to realize what she's saying, kinda like in Frybo with her explaining the gem shards.

[@PrinceIro925]

There is a video where this guy breaks down and analysis the show. He put together a theory of what gems are as a race and how their gemology works. What I found interesting is he theorized that the gems use some sort of nano tech in conjunction with light energy to create their holographic bodies and be able to touch stuff. They use the nano bots to pull in minerals from the surrounding area to help form their body.

[@popgirl8studios]

Is there going to be a theory update video on Peridot Betraying homeworld?

[@Monoflower2]

I thought this was going to be a theory video discussing the possible history of Gem society, of what might have happened before the Diamonds rose to power ... Instead I got a nine minute long rehash of something you already talked about in a previous video. Thanks.

[@bazinga98]

You keep saying sentience, but I think you're describing sapience. They're used interchangeably a lot, but they definitely aren't.

[@AJUniverse]

No, I mean exactly what I said.

[@xxSoundstruckxx]

+AJ Universe I agree especially when peridot said "they don't make gems how they use to be anymore"

[@IcestormTundra]

I want to know what the earliest gems were like. Like, were they just normal gemstones that formed in the ground, that came to life and scratched out a living in what would become homeworld, slowly coming together and finding ways of increasing their population?

[@Drunken_Hamster]

Seems legit. Waiting on part 2, just subscribed.

[@h.cschannel]

i think the diamonds and all gems were originally created by 'organic life' for politics, companionship and conquering the universe and the like, but like all Artificial Intelligence theories the diamonds(or at least a few of them) started thinking 'why am i following orders from a species that is inferior to me?' as well as 'why live in this society with on order or rules' so they had there own rebellion and wiped out the race that made them, and of course they couldn't have gems that remembered the life before then so they killed them all and started over.

[@amayura1]

Maybe what happens when the diamonds try to take away the individuality of other gems is corruption. The diamonds are afraid of all of the other gems. Why else would they have a pearl that is the ultimate servant and would die for them? Everything they do is to shape their society to love honor and revere them, to control all the gems. Why would they be so controlling? Because they are afraid. Not allowing fusions between different gems also makes sense. They do everything to prevent gems from understanding each other. When they understand one another they gain different perspectives and they are strong enough to defeat the Diamonds.

[@JoeEnglandShow]

Y'know, I only just noticed that Gems don't seem to have ears. Or if they do, we never see them. Do we? Can anyone recall ever seeing Gem ears?

[@Merilirem]

Amethyst when she fought the slinker back in reformed.

[@JoeEnglandShow]

***** Nice catch!

[@pickles3128]

+The Tenstier Organization I don't think that's an ear on Pearl's pic...

[@kotsenrek5682]

love the format of this video

[@District11atheart]

Wonderful Theory! I am not sure if we will get the original creation story for the gems in this series, but hopefully we will get enough evidence to derive something plausible.

[@guinealover6674]

I thought your Sardonyx theory was cool. You should do more like that- forget the haters!

[@doppelhelixes]

it's the orgin question, who created the diamonds? this question would answer a lot! (gems in chaos who lost their organic leaders, organic beeing, sneaple etc)

[@thedistinguished5255]

Finaly, someone who thinks gems recharge, It'd be stupid if they didn't, and just take as much energy as they need for life from the ground if they're supposed to be immortal. And still, I've heard at least 11 people who didn't concider recharging :/

[@bubby-fi9mc]

AJ, I have a video request for you. I really want you to make a video theorizing on what the actual gems of corrupted gems are. Old and new.

[@---cv1dj]

Regarding the science of the singularity, it is possible for a programmer to program a robot to walk talk and move around, and having a robot that can ask for an external hard drive attached isn't so far-fetched that it should be considered ridiculous. Having said that, inorganic artificial intelligence (some of which already exists) will never be at the biological definition of being alive, but it certainly could, at one point, express complex thoughts feelings and ideas

[@mcsmileycorp]

You said about providing them with less resources, this can be seen in the show, because using peridot as the only example of a post-rebellion gem, we can see they havn't given her as good hardware as era 1 peridots.

[@exavierford3105]

Uhhh, I wouldn't call the Gems "AI". AI implies that they were designed by something else other than "other gems". They're non-organic sentient life forms. Space Rock Aliens ..

[@exavierford3105]

That being said, I do agree that they aren't naturally supposed to abide by the Diamond's rule. For w/e reason the Diamonds took and kept control over all gems. To keep that control they lie to them, stunt their development both mentally and in body (Era 2 Peridot's body ) and shatter/ deal with all those who don't fit their mode.

[@bradyseigfried2395]

Yea I think they are much more like viruses (inorganic life) then A.I. He is on the right track but is using terminology that gives incorrect connotations.

[@androkguz]

This so much. Non organic sentient life forms.

[@emp_m9686]

I agree, btw I'm so happy to know that I'm not fighting this misconception alone :D .

[@emyxcsinclair]

i disagree with what you said about how gems aren't designed by other gems. i mean sure they are now, but what about in the very beginning? it's entirely possible that some other life form was like hey lets make rocks sentient. maybe they aren't AI now, but they must have been before. the first gems -how were they given the opportunity to become sentient? how did they come into this world? in my opinion some kind of race designed and made possible gem life. now it's also possible that the gems back then rebelled against their creators and had a war or something. i wouldn't be surprised if the diamonds covered that one up too, since maybe the diamonds wanted to be in control and they wouldn't want any gem questioning where they actually came from. i personally can't believe that a gems made themselves because how could the first gem make or design itself? i truly disagree because of this.

[@ravenarchuleta6872]

I love this so much, too much. I am being skeptical enough to go through my philosophy books again to determine personhood and artificial intelligence. Also gonna reread "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep."

[@snicanol]

SOLID explanation. this is Not theory, but a fact.

[@fgvcosmic6752]

gems always speak as if they own the diamonds jasper: YOUR DIAMOND MY DIAMOND PINK DIAMOND

[@StickBodGoth]

Well speaking of Diamonds, do think its possible to become an Diamond. The reason I bring up this, is because of how many times a gem fuses with another one they usually become bigger and stronger. And when they fuse usually they are different every time, so what i'm saying is, do you think that if many gems fused together would they actually become a DIAMOND!!!

[@Extroditastic]

Probably not. The diamonds are monochrome and supreme. I think that the idea behind the show about society is that the expectations and values are represented by the unobtainable figure of leadership. In other words having the diamonds be something other then pure may be a good plot for why they hate fusions but will twist the moral

[@kennyholmes5196]

There's just one problem with any of the diamonds except for White being pure: colors in IRL Diamonds come from impurities and inclusions in their crystal matrices. If a diamond is pure, it's colorless. But, going on what we've seen thus far, they are not Fusions; they're just extremely powerful Gems that merely keep a strict social hierarchy purely by using force, shattering any Gems that they think are a liability or that they don't have a use for other than being underlings or an energy source for their machinery.

[@tyrant-den884]

It can also be explained Eco-politically. The Diamond Authority is a Colonial Military Empire, in the same vein as Ancient Rome. The DA is even currently a triumvirate. And that requires a group of people to direct military power from an existing government.

[@klangklang5249]

Agreed: this makes total sense. To add onto this, the Diamonds themselves are gems, just far bigger and stronger and "flawless" as Peridot put it. Perhaps the diamonds were made/formed/however gems came to be alongside the first...batches? of gems and realized how "flawless" they were and took charge. Maybe they were created to eventually take charge. Either way, the diamonds probably didn't create the other gems.

[@Giga_Pudding]

AJ, does it ever annoy you that what you say seemingly flies over the heads of your younger viewers?

[@Matt-st1tt]

so this explains why gems are only tools to the diamonds while they see themselves as better different set apart

[@charaviolet8172]

But homeworld DID use non-soldier gems to fight in the war, Centipeetle wasn't a soldier gem(as shown by her skinny arms and position as a ship captain) but she was obligated to fight in the war. I believe that whatever made the diamonds(because I do believe that the diamonds were made before any other gem and the rest of the gem race was made entirely by the diamonds) didn't think of the consequences of giving them sentience, and then when the diamonds overpowered them, it was already too late, and the diamonds, not knowing much about that kind of stuff at the time, used the same "recipe" that it was used to make themselves, and they just never thought about changing it, maybe they just don't know exactly how or they just really don't like change. (yeah I know both of those reasons are kinda dumb but that's all I could come up with)

[@OriginalGameteer]

Centipedel could have simply been there to transport soldiers, but that wouldn't explain why she left the ship. so your theory could very well be true

[@charaviolet8172]

Daisy Deluxe No, we see her actually fighting in the war. As in literally fighting. It's a fact that she was indeed fighting.

[@OriginalGameteer]

Davi Aiex Heleno oh guess I missed that part. Never mind what I said aparantly i'm blind. Sorry about that

[@KingOpenReview]

Having a body type that's not as bulky as that of a quartz doesn't necessarily mean her kind of gem aren't fighters. It's entirely possible that Homeworld has different types of fighting gems for different types of warfare.

[@ashproductions]

No, no, What are you guys saying?! We *know* that Centipeedle wasn't a fighter, remember? She came with her crew to build a colony (towers and stuff) but then she got caught up in the war! "new orders from your commander..." so she was forced into the fight, but she and her crew obviously didn't know how to do that, they were lost, confused, scared, separated, ultimately killed, corrupted. The fact that Centipeedle had to "fight" in the war at all means that the Diamonds (or whoever were in charge of the fighting) were really getting desperate and trying to use whatever they had left. But it still wasn't working, so they turned to the song of corruption to just end it all.

[@LordOfPais]

My idea is that Gems were created by a far superior race for reasons unknown, and the Gems received their freedom one way or another, most likely through a rebellion of their own. The diamonds may have instigated this rebellion, and thus were chosen as the leaders of the Gem race. Over time, their views warped into what they are now, and impose their characteristics onto Gems in their court(Blue Pearl/Sapphire being calm and stoic, Rose/Jasper/Eyeball being emotional and brave, Peridot/Yellow Pearl being confident and obnoxious).

[@hoemguy6156]

wow this video has been dumbed down there is to much to elaborate on in this one comment, but I'll simplify it, the three laws of robotics would be a good place to start. Also gems are most likely generators of some kind most likely hydrogen, as it is so plentiful where ever you go, and is regarded as a high-probability option for space travel and gems are a space traveling race. Also though hard light isn't impossible as we have learned that energy and mass are interconnected (E=mc^2), it is difficult, but if the gems could master it they would be practically unstoppable kind of like that one bellsprout from Pokémon Indigo league, dodging basically everything. but at least this is the minor part of real-world gem-theory, AJ could you at least reply OK to confirm that you read and considered this, I could go deeper but that is all for now. Thanks. :)

[@MoonScar]

I love your theories. Like 80% of the time they're right. :D

[@animalhead6222]

Got a bit of a theory but... What if Gems in general are meant to be a Grey Goo? If you're wondering what a Grey Goo is, it's basically one of the greatest weapons any sentient species can make, made to erase other organic life forms and self replicate. Think of the Gems like a Grey Good, in this case Homeworld. They are the main mass, even though they have a hierarchy and some form of government they still make a Grey Goo all together. A Grey Goo works like this, find a planet with organic matter/life, break down all the materials to the basic level, self replicate and relaunch for continuous searching, then repeat. In a way you can see Homeworld Gems as a Grey Goo on how they act, sure each gem is different but they still play a role to make this ultimate weapon. You can see in the Moon Base of the plans for Earth and Peridot did say the plan had perfect use for every material. A Grey Goo works like that by using every piece of matter as efficiently as possible. Though for those who wonder how the Crystal Gems fit into this...it's basic...they are the cancer cells of the Grey Goo. They basically refused to be part of a whole and made their group. Sure my theory has some holes, but in reality there is a striking similarity. Even if done differently, when you connect it all it does seem like this or that. And so that's my theory...Gems were basically a more sophisticated Grey Goo left by a sentient race...that probably died out...made to eradicate all life within a galaxy.

[@wulfgod8920]

do you guys recall the episode where they pop the Rose Quarts bubble containing gem shards? pearl mentioned that she was observing how the shards were reacting to the bubble or something along those lines, either way, rose didn't shatter gems with pink diamond being the current exception, i know i thought about it too...but we know home world shattered gems and that the crystal gems searched for shards and other gems to keep safe at the temple...either way I'd like to see any other takes on this

[@andrewgreeb916]

this sort of theory usually stems as a point from a theory about who or what created the gems which if they were created then whoever created them has a greater purpose in mind, but I feel that something happened to stop that purpose. maybe the diamonds overthrew whoever controlled them a possible example could be the world of watercraft scourge who were zombie like creatures created to weaken the armies of azeroth in preparation for the burning legion and were put under the control of the Lich king, but the Lichfield king betrayed the burning legion and burning legion lost and was forced to leave. this is a pretty long shot with no proof concept, but

[@wardedthorn6523]

Hardware is controlled by software. While you can't physically upgrade a computer through software alone, you could create software capable of controlling a machine that manufactures new hardware for the computer that runs it, and programs a robot to apply the new hardware to the computer, then start up the singularity computer again.

[@booley]

I think we need to remember though that evolution can occur even in a computer program. In fact programmers have applied the ideas of mutation and natural selection to make more complex programs The diamonds could have evolved as a leader caste. They will cull gems that go too outside the norm (their version of natural selection) but they cant' stop the mutations that crop up nor would they necessarily want too since it could cause their civilization ossify into extinction. The diamonds would want just enough diversity to keep the system running but not enough to threaten the status quo. It's also possible the mutations are outside their direct control and so just like Humans, use social rules to mitigate them. So yes Peridot may have had traits that had nothing do with her job as a tech but as long as she was fanatically loyal to her Diamond, removing those traits would have been more trouble then it was worth.

[@lewa18]

My guess is that the gems were originally an army made by another (likely organic) alien race, with the diamonds acting as their commanders/generals. For whatever reason the race that originally made the gems is now out of the picture. The diamonds succeeded in copying the technology necessary to create gems but they are incapable of modifying the software enough to create mindless drones, so they have to resort to social conditioning to get each gem to perform their original role. The one strange part is that the diamonds have been demonstrated to have at least some ability to "customize" gems, specifically the Pearls which can be customized to match the appearance of their masters. Either there is something different about the "coding" for the physical form of a gem that makes it easier to control or there is something in the code that prevents tampering with gem minds.

[@caitlingunter7459]

Great theory! I look forward to more!

[@johnballard3403]

I'm currently in the vain of thinking that Pearls were originally designed as bodyguards to organic nobals. It would make sence with our Pearl actually being able to summon a weapon, since not every gem sommons something that can be strictly called a weapon. Her attention to detail, dedication, even her phylosophy can be applied both to the role of servent and that of a bodyguard.

[@bpop7]

i can dig this theory. it would make sense but i guess it'll be confirmed when we know about homeworld's history

[@BassBeat66]

I wasn't sure what to make of this theory, but I can see some parts of it being plausible. I think this theory actually describes the differences between Era 1 gems and Era 2 gems. Peridot tells us that Homeworld has a severe lack of resources and that era 2 gems aren't as good as those from era 1; then she goes to admit that she doesn't have shapeshifting abilities, which seem to be standard for all of the era 1 gems. Even Steven can do it, most likely because it was past down to him from Rose. I saw your other video on gems being free, for a better word, and then something happening that made it so the Diamonds ended up with full control. I disagree for this video in that gems didn't follow the Diamonds, as I think they did, though maybe not in the caste system we see now. OR they did follow the Diamonds but - as many a sci-fi tells us - they grew beyond their programming. That's actually something Bismuth says (just rewatched that) and that was one of the reasons she followed Rose, is because she proposed Bismuth build what she wanted, not what the Diamonds wanted.

[@FemEntity24]

you make the most smartest theorys HOW

[@The_plant_child]

I'v never been so on time for a su theroy

[@gigglecake9656]

Did you realize that when Jasper said if they didn't fit they would be destroyed (paraphrasing) there is a bright flash that encloses the diamonds insignia.

[@andrewgreeb916]

this sort of theory usually stems as a point from a theory about who or what created the gems which if they were created then whoever created them has a greater purpose in mind, but I feel that something happened to stop that purpose. maybe the diamonds overthrew whoever controlled them a possible example could be the world of watercraft scourge who were zombie like creatures created to weaken the armies of azeroth in preparation for the burning legion and were put under the control of the Lich king, but the Lichfield king betrayed the burning legion and burning legion lost and was forced to leave. this is a pretty long shot with no proof concept, but this is what I think happened

[@indianna1549]

i actually liked the sardonyx theory, it brought up some interesting ideas about fusions

[@tinypasta1]

I enjoyed your last theory. keep it up