Entertainment
Star Trek's Data Is Secretly A Cold-Blooded Killer, And It Wasn't A Malfunction
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Stranger Things ended its fifth and final season with frustrating ambivalence, leaving it up to the audience to decide whether Eleven had heroically sacrificed herself to save her friends or whether she lived because her death was just a mental illusion. Some critics thought that this writing was overly modern, evocative of the “mystery box” storytelling pioneered by J.J. Abrams with Lost. However, this has been a genre staple for decades, as evidenced by a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode that left it up to audiences to decide whether their favorite hero had secretly attempted murder.
The episode in question is “The Most Toys,” which began with a provocative premise: a collector of the rarest items in the galaxy fakes Data’s death so he can make the android part of his collection. That collector, Kivas Fajo, is casually cruel, and he ends up brutally killing his assistant, Varria, for helping with Data’s escape attempt. Data then picks up a particularly nasty weapon (the Varon-T disruptor) and points it at the killer, but Kivas Fajo taunts the android, saying that his ethical subroutines would prevent him from committing cold-blooded murder.
Never Bet Against An Android When Life Is On The Line
Fajo eventually takes things too far by threatening Data, telling him that this woman’s death was on his artificial hands and that he will ultimately kill others if the android does not comply. Data begins to realize that he could proactively prevent his captor from killing anyone else and points the disruptor at Fajo right before the android is beamed aboard the Enterprise. There, transporter Chief O’Brien detects that a disruptor was being fired and disables it; when he and Riker ask Data about it, the android pauses and then suggests that the transporter must have caused the weapon to discharge.
Like the Stranger Things finale, this moment is clearly designed to create debate and speculation among fans. In the world of 24th-century technobabble, Data’s explanation is perfectly acceptable, and the transporter (which can clone people, send them to different dimensions, or just melt them on the spot) might have caused the disruptor to fire. Of course, the more tantalizing possibility is that Data overrode his ethical subroutines twice: first, to try to kill Fajo, and second, to lie to his commanding officer.
Death Becomes Her
Interestingly, this ambiguity about the character’s actions was effectively forced on the Star Trek: The Next Generation creative team by Paramount. According to “The Most Toys” writer Shari Goodhartz, she asked Data actor Brent Spiner “whether he thought Data purposefully pulled the trigger or not, and he was adamant that Data did fire the weapon.” She clarified that this was her intent with the scene, “but the powers-that-be wanted that kept ambiguous, so it was.”
Looking back at this fan-favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, Goodhartz said, “If I had a chance to do it over, with all the experience I have behind me now, I would argue passionately for Data’s actions and their consequences to have been clearer, and hopefully more provocative.” Provocative is a good word for such a plot change, as it would confirm that, given the right motivation, Data is perfectly capable of cold-blooded murder.
The Good, The Bad, And The Positronic
That might horrify fans who love the character for his child-like nature. However, some fans might appreciate how this adds context to Data’s later betrayal of his crewmates in Season 6 after he hears a few honeyed words and receives a few negative emotions from his evil brother, Lore. That’s all it took for Data to suddenly be onboard with lobotomizing his best friend!
At any rate, both Spiner and Goodhartz’s reaction to Paramount’s script change reveals something that Netflix learned the hard way with Stranger Things: rather than making everyone happy, ambiguous endings annoy fans and creators alike. It’s far better to definitively do something bold and risky with your character rather than leave it up to the audience to decide what really happened. Sadly, those execs never learned that storytelling is a bit like being the captain of a starship: as Kirk once memorably put it, “Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair.”
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 11, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re an animal activist.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
No animal products.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter V.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
VEGAN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 11, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a snacker.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Crack and snack
The words are related to snacks.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe small, crunchy snacks.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Go Nuts.
NYT Strands word list for February 11
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Pecan
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Filbert
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Macadamia
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Go Nuts
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Cashew
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Pistachio
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Almond
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 11, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you’re head over heels.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Infatuated
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Green: Money in
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Blue: Densely packed
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Purple: Has wheels
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Act lovestruck
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Green: Earnings
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Blue: Compact mass
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Purple: Roller ___
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #976 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Act lovestruck: MOON, PINE, SWOON, YEARN
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Earnings: GAIN, NET, RETURN, YIELD
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Compact mass: BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE, PUCK
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Roller ___: BAG, COASTER, DERBY, RINK
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
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