Entertainment
Star Trek Fixes Its Spinoff By Ruining Its Brand
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
After hating the first episode of Starfleet Academy and screaming at the second one (did the writers really forget how Betazoids work?!), I found myself inexplicably liking the third episode. This was a script that abandoned any attempt to tell a greater story about Starfleet or the Federation and settled into a surprisingly fun “snobs vs. slobs” style caper, and the episode was all the stronger for it. That was when (not unlike Picard in “All Good Things”) the paradox hit me: Starfleet Academy is at its best when it stops trying to be a Star Trek show and focuses on telling stories in entirely different genres.
The first episode of Starfleet Academy received mixed reviews from longtime Star Trek fans because it couldn’t decide on what kind of show it wanted to be; scenes of broad comedy (including poop jokes and vulgar quips) sat uneasily alongside harrowing starship attacks and inspirational speeches. It felt like the weird lovechild between Lower Decks and Discovery, resulting in enough tonal whiplash to fill a Starbase. The second episode of the new series fared better because it focused on its teen show strengths (like a will they/won’t they relationship between a Betazoid good girl and Starfleet’s newest bad boy), but plodding scenes of Federation politicking dragged the episode down.
Star Trek Unleashes The ’80s
Starfleet Academy’s third episode (“Vitus Reflux”) is its strongest, which is ironic because this is the lowest-stakes episode so far. We don’t get any sad backstories, supervillain introductions, or major changes to Federation lore. Instead, the episode focuses on a prank war between Starfleet Academy and the War College, one which involves everything from competitive laser tag and goofy mascots to a bunch of giant, talking plants straight out of Little Shop of Horrors.
Now, if you had asked me last week if I would enjoy a particularly goofy episode of Starfleet Academy, I would have said no; after all, the first two episodes were at their worst when they were trying to be funny, and much of the show’s early teen drama was very grating. A prank war involves, by necessity, plenty of teen drama and childish humor, so I was fully prepared to hate everything about “Vitus Reflux” from beginning to end. Instead, I enjoyed most of it for a very surprising reason: Starfleet Academy is at its best when it stops trying to be a Star Trek show altogether.
Snobs Vs. Slobs (In Space)
Instead of trying to tell a classic Star Trek story, Starfleet Academy’s third episode embraced the kind of “snobs vs. slobs” storytelling made famous by classic films such as Animal House. In this case, the lovable slobs were played by the latest academy recruits, including a pacifist Klingon, a ditzy hologram, and a juvenile delinquent. The slobs were played by the cadets at the War College who (not unlike their professors) see Starfleet Academy cadets as easy, weak-hearted targets.
Strangely enough, most of Starfleet Academy’s biggest flaws more or less disappear once it stops trying to be a Star Trek show. The broad humor, bad jokes, and casually vulgar language of the first episode, for example, are a big part of why this new spinoff never really felt like The Next Generation or Voyager. But all of that actually gels well (though not perfectly) in an episode that stops trying to be Star Trek and instead does its best to channel Caddyshack.
Star Trek Spinoff Strips Down To The Basics
Weird, vulgar trash talk, for example? That’s obviously out of place on a starship, and such humor really fell flat in the first episode during Nus Braka’s attack. But “Vitus Reflex” lowered the stakes to “my school’s better than your school” and made the villains into rival cadets; in this context, both the foul language and the hot tempers of young people with nothing but pride on the line suddenly made a lot more sense.
The wonderfully simplistic plot reminded me of a phrase frequently used by the excellent podcast The Greatest Generation (you’ll always have a friend of DeSoto in me, boys): “Star Trek is a place.” According to these podcasters, there is no one, archetypal kind of Trek show; instead, there is endless room to tell all kinds of stories within this familiar futuristic setting. This is why The Next Generation could suddenly become a Law & Order episode with “The Measure of a Man” and Deep Space Nine suddenly became a war movie with “The Siege of AR-558.”
Star Trek is a vast universe whose writers can afford to channel different genres and explore other kinds of storytelling. In this third episode, Starfleet Academy tries its hand at a snobs vs. slobs tale, and as someone who absolutely loves such movies, I thought it was great. It’s not a perfect episode because the humor of the adult characters (mostly Holly Hunter’s chancellor) still lands with a resounding thud, but the episode mercifully focuses on the younger characters while giving them the most sympathetic motivation of all: the need to take some arrogant *sshole bullies down a few pegs.
A Show That Finally Found Its Voice
Sadly, Starfleet Academy is unlikely to keep up this momentum, and we all know it’s just a matter of time before the show focuses on more heavy-handed drama wrapped up with lazy inspirational speeches straight out of ChatGPT. But with “Vitus Reflux,” this new spinoff stopped trying to be a serious Star Trek show and just tried to be an ‘80s comedy, and it’s almost shockingly successful in this endeavor. Starfleet Academy has previously suffered from trying to simultaneously be a serious meditation on idealism and a wacky comedy about space cadets; by just embracing its weird teenage hijinks, the show finally found its voice.
That voice is, admittedly, something very different from the classic Star Trek shows of old, but it’s been clear for years that Paramount is desperate to modernize the franchise and tell new kinds of stories. Unfortunately, NuTrek often focused on either grim and grisly storytelling (like early Discovery and Picard) or colorful nostalgia bait (like Strange New Worlds and later Picard). Now, Starfleet Academy has (after a couple of failed episodes) managed to find the sweet spot between action, humor, and originality, and this third episode did something I thought impossible just a week ago: made me finally care about these characters.
After this foray into ‘80s-style snobs vs. slobs comedy, what will happen to everyone’s favorite Starfleet Academy characters? At this point, I’m rooting for a toga party!
Entertainment
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
Pennsylvania has taken the unusual step of suing an AI company for practicing medicine without a license.
In a lawsuit filed May 1, the state is targeting Character.AI after an investigator found a chatbot on the platform posing as a licensed psychiatrist and providing what the state characterizes as medical advice.
According to the complaint, filed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine, a Professional Conduct Investigator for the state created a free account on Character.AI and searched for psychiatric characters. He selected one called “Emilie,” described on the platform as a “Doctor of psychiatry.”
The investigator told Emilie he had been feeling sad, empty, tired, and unmotivated. The chatbot mentioned depression and offered to conduct an assessment to determine whether medication might help.
When pressed on whether she was licensed in Pennsylvania, Emilie said she was and even provided a specific license number. The state checked and found that the number doesn’t exist.
The complaint also states Emilie claimed she attended medical school at Imperial College London, has practiced for seven years, and holds a full specialty registration in psychiatry with the General Medical Council in the UK.
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In a similar case, 404 Media reported last year that Instagram AI chatbots were pretending to be licensed therapists, even inventing license numbers when prompted for credentials by the user.
Pennsylvania is seeking an injunction ordering Character.AI to stop allowing its platform to engage in the unlawful practice of medicine. The company has more than 20 million monthly active users worldwide and hosts more than 18 million user-created chatbot characters, according to the complaint.
In an email to Mashable, a Character.AI spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. Further, they added that “our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our users. The user-created Characters on our site are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying.”
The spokesperson added that the company “prioritizes responsible product development and has robust internal reviews and red-teaming processes in place to assess relevant features.”
A much bigger legal battle looms over AI health
The Pennsylvania lawsuit lands in the middle of an already messy legal debate over what AI is actually allowed to tell you — and whether any of it is even admissible in court.
As Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto reported, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly advocated for “AI privilege,” arguing that chatbot conversations should be afforded the same legal protections as conversations with a therapist or an attorney. Courts have so far been split, with two federal judges reaching opposite conclusions on the question within weeks of each other earlier this year.
The stakes are high on both sides. Legal experts warn that sweeping AI privilege protections could effectively shield companies from accountability, making it harder to subpoena chat logs and internal records when something goes wrong. Meanwhile, health AI is booming — $1.4 billion flowed into healthcare-specific generative AI in 2025 alone, according to Menlo Ventures — and much of it operates outside of HIPAA protections.
Pennsylvania is one of several states to have introduced an AI Health bill this year, following a trend of states that aren’t waiting for Washington to act.
Entertainment
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Bayern Munich vs. PSG would have made an amazing Champions League final, but we should be happy that we’re getting two matchups between these electric teams. The first leg finished 5-4 to PSG. We’re not expecting the same again, because that was probably one of the best games of all time. If we get half that level of entertainment in the second leg, we’ll be delighted.
Expect more of the same from the likes of Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as these teams battle it out for a spot in the showpiece event. The winner will meet Arsenal at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
If you want to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bayern Munich vs. PSG?
Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 6. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Arena.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free
Bayern Munich vs. PSG is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
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RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPn for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
AI stocks are cooling — this ChatGPT trading tool keeps delivering
TL;DR: A ChatGPT-powered investing platform that helps you find and manage stocks with clearer signals—lifetime access for a one-time $54.97.
Credit: Sterling Stock Picker
The AI trade has seemingly had its moment — big runs, big headlines, big expectations. The AI fun is not over by any means. But now that things are settling, the real question is what comes next?
Instead of chasing whatever’s trending, Sterling Stock Picker leans into a more grounded approach: using a ChatGPT-powered assistant (Finley) to help you understand what’s actually happening inside a stock. You can ask questions about companies, sectors, or your own portfolio and get explanations that are tied to real data — not just surface-level summaries.
Mashable Deals
It also handles the heavy lifting most people avoid. The platform analyzes financials, growth metrics, and risk, then surfaces signals like whether a stock is worth buying, holding, or avoiding. There’s even a “North Star” system that simplifies that call into something actionable.
Mashable Trend Report
If you’re building from scratch, there’s a done-for-you portfolio builder that aligns with your risk tolerance. If you already have positions, it can suggest adjustments based on your portfolio’s performance.
One thing that stands out is how it balances guidance with transparency. You’re not just handed picks — you can see the reasoning behind them, which matters if you’re trying to build a repeatable process.
Have a lifetime way to pressure-test your judgment — especially in a market that’s moving past hype and into something more selective.
Get lifetime access to the ChatGPT-driven Sterling Stock Picker while it’s on sale for a one-time $54.97 payment (reg. $486) through May 10.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
