Who Shattered Pink Diamond?
This is the question that has been plaguing the Steven Universe Fandom ever since the latest Steven bomb. From the start of season when the Crystal Gems encounter the Ruby Squad again and Eyeball made her declaration of witnessing Pink Diamond's shattering; a good portion of the fandom were shocked, disappointed, and even outraged. Rose Quartz, the gem whom we have come to know as a kind, caring, and loving individual, who fought to save a world and gems she saw beauty in despite their flaws, was accused to have shattered another gem. The question here is… Why was that such a big surprise? Lets look at the facts:
Rose was a Rebel Leader
The war lasted for roughly 1000 years.
Garnet stated that countless gems were shattered during the war.
Greg himself stated "There's no such thing as a good war"
The ugly truth is that people die in wars. There is no possible way that a war can be fought without casualties. It. Is. Literally. Impossible. Now for those who understand how combat works, this revelation was both understandable and, honestly, not at all out of the realm of possibility. Yes, Rose kept secrets, and yes, she lied about certain things that went on during the war, but it doesn't mean she was a bad guy. Its doubtful that the Crystal Gems would have followed her if she lead by fear and intimidation the way the Diamonds seem to do. Given Rose's nature, its reasonable to believe that Rose did all she could to avoid taking things to such extremes, but like in most serious confrontations it was unavoidable. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can truly prepare a person for war. The sights they see, the sounds they hear, the smell of death; it will change them. Their moral concepts will be compromised by their survival instincts; especially in the heat of battle. At the end of the day, when someone is put in a position where it literally comes down to either them or the enemy; the only thing they can so is make sure the enemy goes down.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the show, and the fandom's tendency to over exaggerate, a lot of people have been jumping from conclusion to conclusion without even looking at the facts the show itself has given them. The word "hypocrite" had been thrown around a few times and many even set out to villianize, heck even demonize, Rose for this action. It certainly didn't help when some brought up the episode "Bismuth" where it was revealed that Rose had her bubbled and hidden away after creating the Breaking Point. Many believed this was proof that Rose had to have been guilty since she had access to such a weapon. What a lot of people seem to be forgetting is that Bismuth, herself, was a radical that was willing to take things too far.
There were even some videos floating around that stated that Rose had pretty much ruined Bismuth's life because her talents could only flourish in the war and that without it she would have lost her purpose. That isn't necessarily true since blacksmithing isn't solely used for making weapons. Its used for making cars, armors, building fancy structures, statues, and all manner of artistic projects. Adjust the technique a little and she could easily add glass making and create all sorts of beautiful and practical things. She could have easily taught her craft to others, make memorials to those who fell in the war, and simply be free to build and make whatever she wanted that didn't involve the war or the old gem customs.
The sad thing is, this wouldn't be the first time that a noble cause was used as an excuse to justify violent acts and murder. Every group following, of any type, have people who just want to cause trouble because they don't like how things are currently working. They say their doing it for the cause, but really its for their own sense of pride. Thus not only painting a just cause in a bad light, but also proving exactly what the opposing side thinks of said cause. Not only that but such actions can and were used to further discredit anyone who believed in the cause; thus solidifying a true division between the factions.
Now, understandably, the show is written from Steven's point of view and there for, we the audience only know as much as he knows when it comes to his mother. However, that does not mean that we should be as foolish as he's been when it comes to trying to figure things out. We can't just assume that he was made to take her place, or that he's meant to be some kind of weapon, or even if she had him just so she could disappear. None of the show's evidence points to any of this being true.
She genuinely fell in love with Greg to the point of wanting to have a child with him. Even if it meant she would never see her own child grow up.
She willingly gave up her physical form so that Steven could exists. Any parent that loves their child wouldn't think twice about giving up their lives for them.
Rose, herself, stated on video type to Steven "…every moment you love being yourself; that's me. Loving you and loving being you…"
Steven never had some big grand destiny laid out for him. That was something Connie assumed because of the life he lived and the whole fandom jumped on the bandwagon. All Rose wanted was for Steven to be himself. Her son. She never wanted him to have to deal with her past and she never thought her past would come back to haunt him or her friends. If she hadn't believed that Homeworld wouldn't come back she wouldn't have risked starting a family. No one would if they thought their love ones would be in constant danger. No. As thinking individuals, we need look at things as they are and collect all the facts before making a final judgment. So instead of floundering around with accusations, head cannons, and theories, lets take a look at what we know and add what we recently found out in the new episode, "Trial".
Like in any trial there are three things to consider when either trying to convict or acquit someone of a crime. Those three things are Motive, Means, and Opportunity. Thanks to Blue Zircon, we the audience have a much better understanding of what happened the day Pink Diamond was shattered. Her analysis not only revealed the possibility that Rose may be innocent of the crime, but also revealed that foal play may have been in the works. Several suspects have been picked by the fandom by this point and although one in particular seems guilty through and through, there may still be reasonable doubt that conveys to their innocence. Lets review them, starting with the original Prime suspect: Rose Quartz herself