Would Rose really test her comrades to see how they would fair without her? Would she put the world at risk, risk that was even greater than it has been in 5000 years? Do you think she is just doing it because Greg wanted to be a father, do you think she’d sacrifice herself and her position as the primary defender of a planet for something kinda petty like that? Like, there was a probability of 1 that Homeworld was going to return, and it seems that the Crystal Gems had to be vigilant for the case. Just look how seriously Pearl and Garnet took it when Lapis flew off, or when Peridot began to probe the planet.

Rolling down the head cannons and what is apparent about the show, I think Rose’s choice to become Steven is a little more serious then what often seems to be assumed the case. If Steven’s death meant that Rose will return, then there is absolutely no reason for Steven to exist. Gems are long game players, they know that building a short term relationship with humans was pointless. There is something about Greg and then Steven that meant a lot to Rose. And I think that something is the reason she essentially sacrificed herself to let Steven take over.

Burnett has confirmed that if Steven is poofed, then he is “Dead forever.” So what would be the point of a parent guaranteeing that she and her closest friends would survive her child? If Rose is alive and well inside of Steven, then why do Pearl and Garnet take his safety so seriously? Why would they take on a parental role for someone who for all intents and purposes was their leader just a few years beforehand? Especially since a lot of people think that Pearl is waiting for Steven to die so she can have Rose back? (She’s not, though.)

Really the only thing that answers this question is that she believes that Steven is greater than she can be. That she is more than likely as alive and will be just as dead as Steven will be. Rose is pretty great but she is not perfect. She suffered an extremely Pyrrhic victory over the Homeworld. She has a really patronizing way of showing love a la Pearl and Greg. Seriously, how would any of you feel if your SO kept calling you entertaining?

However, Steven is “too important.” Garnet see’s thousands of ways that Steven could get hurt every day. And to top it off, Steven has a sense of compassion that transcends Rose’s by far. Pearl love’s Steven for Steven, even if Pearl pretty likely suffers some type A or B personality disorder that causes her to be Pearly. “Space Race” proved that Pearl loves Steven for him. I think to the same extent that “Rose’s Scabbard” showed that Steven loves Pearl just as much despite any suggested personality disorders. This is also there in Garnet, that Garnet loves Steven so much that her entire existence is marred with visions of his death.

in “Rose’s Scabbard,” Rose’s “Funeral Portrait” almost lands face down on the floor because Pearl’s emotional outburst knocks it down. The final montage of that episode is Pearl sharing her memories with Steven, even though the whole conflict of the episode is that Rose was keeping things from Pearl. That was Pearl making peace with the knowledge that Rose is gone for good. She knows she wont ever get a chance to ask Rose why she kept secrets.

Obviously Rose isn’t dead, but she cannot be coming back. If she could survive Steven, then any reason she would consent to creating him would only be unduly cruel to those around her and those she wishes to protect. I cannot come up with a single reason that would allow for her return that would justify the premise of the show.