A new space-themed series derived from the popular Cartoon Network show Steven Universe is set to launch on Prime Video, as announced by creator Rebecca Sugar at the Annecy Animation Film Festival this month.
Titled Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars, the series will center on Lars Barriga, a teenage human character who, in the original show, was taken to the Gem Homeworld, died, and was brought back to life. This resurrection leaves Lars with a pink complexion and special magical abilities, which he employs as the captain of a pirate spacecraft.
The spinoff, which Sugar refers to as a sequel, will focus on Lars and his unconventional crew of space outlaws, the Off Colors, as they aim to undermine the authoritarian and structured Gem Empire. Unlike the original series, this spinoff will not air on Cartoon Network but will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Sugar will serve as the executive producer along with her husband Ian Jones-Quartey, who played a key role in the development of the original Peabody-award-winning series.Â
Steven Universe debuted in 2013 and ran for five seasons, or 160 episodes, until 2019. It was succeeded by both a movie (Steven Universe: The Movie) in 2019 and a limited series (Steven Universe Future) that aired in 2019 and 2020.Â
Sugar, a nonbinary, bisexual woman herself, wrote diverse and queer characters and themes into the show at a time when most children’s television wouldnât, confirming that the “Gems” are nonbinary, female-presenting beings. Season 5 includes a wedding between Ruby and Sapphire, from whom stems Garnet, a fusion of themselves and canonical embodiment of their love. Garnet later describes herself and other Gems as neither boys nor girls, but âexperiences.â The showâs representation of queerness earned adoration and praise from the LGBTQ+ community.
A premiere date has not yet been set, but with the original creators on the job, the sequel series is sure to capture the hearts and attention of the show’s dedicated fanbase.
