'Steven Universe' Announces An Epilogue Limited Series [New York Comic-Con 2019]

By Caroline CaoOct. 5, 2019 1:30 pm EST

Fan of Cartoon Network's critically acclaimed Steven Universe assembled at New York Comic Con 2019 for a musical celebration and a slew of surprises.

Creator Rebecca Sugar, along with voice stars Estelle (Garnet), Michaela Dietz (Amethyst), and Deedee Magno-Hall (Pearl) opened the panel with bangers of fan favorite songs from The Steven Universe Movie, kicking off with "Happily Ever After." Fans roared at the surprise appearance of Sarah Stiles, who voiced the beloved tragic antagonist of the movie, and she reprised her villain song "Other Friends" and the tear-jerking "Drift Away," respectively. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

There's No Season Six, But...

Fans were warmed by the ending of the season five finale of the animated series. Then came the Steven Universe Movie on television, with a two year time skip from the season five finale, where the Diamond-ruled Homeworld has improved. In the movie, Steven comes to realize that his journey hasn't ended that and there's no such thing as happily ever after. That left his journey quite open-ended so fans were waiting on news of a next season.

The crowd was disappointed when Sugar said, "There is no season six." But then fans rejoiced when she added, "There is a limited epilogue series." Then she rolled the 20-second teaser of Steven and friends running and driving off toward the future and what looks like a herd of shadowy enemies in a revamp of the show's opening sequence.

Whipping up fantastical world-building of intergalactic drama and humor and setting precedents for queer depictions in children's animation, Steven Universe never shied away from hard-on topics of mental health, consent, trauma, toxic relationships, and legacy while retaining its buoyant spirit. Through five seasons and a movie, Steven goes on a journey of growth on Earth and across the stars while excavating his late mother's deeds and blossoming into his own entity.

We'll see where else Steven, the Gems, and his human loved ones will go, but a release date has yet to be announced.

Steven Universe Tidbits from the Panel

Rebecca Sugar was asked if the other Diamonds have their own Spinels. Sugar said they don't, but "I would imagine them as a club and an spade."

When auditioning for Spinel, Stiles said the breakdown was "a psychotic Betty Boop."

The fans reacted emotionally to Sugar mentioning how a childhood rediscovery of a lost stuffed animal in the garden inspired Spinel's tragic backstory and the "Everything Stays" number in Adventure Time. She realized that an object could change even in prolonged stillness.

What is in that pink treasure chest in Lion's mane? Sugar darted her head shiftily as she said, "We got to leave some mysteries behind."

Each of the Gem's voice actresses answered what would their Gem do for self-care. Amethyst would eat and make messes and calculate how long it would take Pearl to clean them. Pearl would clean. Garnet would meditate and look into the future.