Off Colors

Lore & Background

The Off-Colors are Gems who are seen as defective by Gem Homeworld standards due to their differences, unusual formation, or aberrant behavior. If caught, they would be shattered. They live in hiding in an enormous abandoned Kindergarten on Homeworld, led by the Rutile Twins to a place "where those who don't belong... belong." The group includes the Rutile Twins (a Gem with two conjoined bodies from the waist up), a fusion named Rhodonite who is fearful of being followed, an orange Sapphire called Padparadscha who can only predict the "future" after it has already occurred, and a large fusion called Fluorite. They are dubbed "Off-Colors" for their imperfections.

In Their Own Story

Continuing immediately after "The Trial", Steven Universe and Lars Barriga escape the Diamonds via the abandoned lower area of Homeworld. They are spotted by Shattering Robonoids, Gem-hunting robots that attack them. The Rutile Twins help save them and lead them to the Off-Colors' hideout. Three Robonoids appear as everyone scrambles to hide. Since Lars is not a Gem, the Robonoids cannot detect him, and he risks himself to protect the others, throwing rocks at the Robonoids and blocking their scanners with his body. Steven destroys two of the Robonoids by reflecting their beams with his shield, and Lars jumps onto the third, hitting it with a broken stalactite. Lars thrusts the stalactite into the Robonoid, causing it to explode. The explosion results in Lars' body being flung against a rock column, killing him. Devastated, Steven tearfully cradles Lars' body to his chest, his tears falling onto Lars' face. As Steven's tears are absorbed into his skin, Lars' body starts to glow bright pink. As the glowing fades, Lars comes back to life, now with a scar through one eye, as well as pink skin and hair.

Reader's Guide

The Off-Colors are a group of Gems living in hiding in an abandoned Kindergarten on Homeworld. They are rejected by other Gems for being "Off-Colors"—Gems with differences, unusual formation, or aberrant behavior. The group consists of the Rutile Twins (a conjoined Gem), Rhodonite (a fearful fusion), Padparadscha (an orange Sapphire who predicts the past), and Fluorite (a large fusion). They are led by the Rutile Twins, who guide Steven and Lars to their hideout. The Off-Colors are not affiliated with the Crystal Gems or Homeworld; they are simply survivors trying to avoid being shattered. Their existence is precarious, as they must constantly hide from Shattering Robonoids and the Diamonds' forces. The episode's events lead to Lars' death and revival, which had been a planned story element from the very beginning of the series; creator Rebecca Sugar had conceived of the character before the show itself, and this development had been considered to appear as early as the show's second episode.

Did You Know?

• The episode was viewed by 1.524 million viewers on its initial American broadcast.
• The episode was written and storyboarded by Lamar Abrams and Jeff Liu.
• Padparadscha can only predict the 'future' after it has already occurred.
• The episode was part of the four-episode 'Wanted' special that premiered on May 29, 2017.