The Diamonds Are Not Redeemed: Here’s Why
People still think that just because Steven and the Crystal Gems didn't kill The Diamonds, that means they were redeemed. That's not true at all.
The Diamonds couldn't be killed because, without them, all of the corrupted gems would've stayed corrupted, all the colonies they made would've stayed colonized, the armies would still be around, not to mention the massive amounts of damage they caused on Homeworld. Steven and the Gems had convinced them to fix a problem that they had caused.
If the Diamonds were truly redeemed, then they would've abandoned their royal status to live on Earth, and be all buddy-buddy with Steven, the Gems, and all the humans on Earth, but they didn't. They still saw themselves as superior and still thought Earth was some ugly worthless dirtball, with Steven being the only good thing about it. So kept their distance from Steven and the Gems. They have no interest in being anyone's friends. They only cared about getting their sister back, which didn't happen. Even in Future, where the Diamonds seemingly do good things, it's all in service of boosting their ego and impressing Steven. The only reason they took in Spinel was because she was the closest they'll ever get to having Pink Diamond back. They couldn't get Steven, they had too many weird feelings towards the Rose Quartz soldiers, Pink Pearl's minds was too broken, so they settled for Pink's favorite toy (they even marvel at how entertaining Spinel was).
Not killing and redemption are two VERY different things, and it's impressive how many people still don't understand that. What I like about Steven Universe is it's one of the few kids shows that ACTUALLY tackles the subject of pacifism. People misinterpret pacifism as letting evil people get away with doing whatever they want, when that isn't true. Pacifism is using empathy, and some logic, to reason with and fundamentally change a person's viewpoint rather than simply killing them. Batman, when he's written correctly, does the same thing.
Now don't get it twisted. I can name quite a few folks who deserve to die. What Steven Universe is saying, is killing won't solve all of the core issues. If the Diamonds were executed, like I said, several broken things would stay broken forever. Steven and the Gems needed to at least convince the Diamonds to fix their own mistakes for the greater good. Even if their good deeds aren't altruistic, they're still using their power, which no one else has, to improve the quality of life for the gems that don't want to or aren't able to live on Earth or any other planet. Their core personalities also didn't change. They were selfish spoiled queens in the beginning of the series, and they're still selfish spoiled queens by the end of the series. The only change is they stopped abusing their immense power to cause harm. Since they're still in power, they also won't allow someone even worse to swoop in and abuse their power to cause harm. That's why pacifism was the most logical route for the show to take.
So, in conclusion, the Diamonds never have nor will ever be redeemed. If you want to see a 14-year-old boy solve his problems by committing murder, then watch shonen anime.
