Entertainment
The Klingons Are All In Hell Now, And Paramount Just Sent Them There
By Joshua Tyler
| Published
The fourth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy dropped a bombshell revelation: The Klingon homeworld has been destroyed in an accident, and nearly all the Klingons are dead. Fans of the series and the Klingons in particular will know this means that not only are the Klingons dead, they’ve also been sent to hell.
Klingons Believe In A Very Specific Afterlife
As established over decades of developing this alien race, particularly through the eyes of Worf (who has been in more Star Trek episodes than any other character), the Klingons have a very specific set of beliefs around the concept of death. For Klingons, death is a test, not an ending. What matters isn’t that you die, but how.
Klingons who die well end up in their afterlife, a place called Sto-Vo-Kor. Only those who die with honor, ideally as warriors, are welcomed into the great hall to fight, feast, and sing with Kahless (a name Starfleet Academy pronounces like it’s being said by a strangled fish) and the honored dead.
A Klingon who dies in some other way goes to Gre’thor. Gre’thor is the Klingon underworld, ruled by Fek’lhr, a demonic figure who punishes the dishonored. It is a place of eternal suffering, where cowardice, betrayal, or an unworthy death is paid for forever.
In other words, if you don’t die as a warrior, you go to Klingon hell. You know what’s not dying as a warrior? Dying in a stupid accident where your planet blows up.
An Accidental Death Is The Most Horrible Thing You Can Do To A Klingon
The worst thing that could ever happen to the Klingons, worse than anything you could ever possibly imagine, is the entire race being wiped out by an accident. And that’s what Star Trek: Starfleet Academy just did to nearly every single Klingon in existence.
For Klingons, it’s a fate so horrific that had they known about it in advance, the entire race would have likely mass-suicided rather than allow their descendants to face this insulting and terrible dishonor. That’s not hyperbole; in situations like this, Klingons usually do the Hegh’bat ritual, which is basically assisted suicide.
In Klingon belief, intent matters more than the act itself. Rituals like Hegh’bat are considered honorable deaths when the warrior’s continued existence would bring dishonor. And creating descendants who will dishonor the entire Klingon race definitely qualifies. Worf, Martok, Kor, and every other Klingon who has ever lived would have definitely taken the Hegh’bat to avoid this fate for their race.
Klingons Aren’t The Only Ones In Hell
None of the writers of shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Enterprise would have ever done something like this to the Klingons. They wouldn’t have done it because they understood the complex lore behind the race of aliens they’d created. Further, they’d know that details like this are the main reason the Klingons are so uniquely beloved and also sometimes hated, among all of the many Trek creations.
The writers (assuming it’s not just ChatGPT) of Starfleet Academy not only don’t care about these things, they don’t know them. Which means the Klingons aren’t the only ones in hell now, so is every Star Trek fan who’s been watching and loving the franchise for more than five minutes.
How Star Trek Fans Can Give Klingons The Honorable Death They Deserve
While watching “Vox in Excelso”, the Starfleet Academy episode where the Klingons are sent to eternal torment off-camera, I made a decision in their memory. I will do what they were not allowed to do, and end my lifelong Star Trek relationship, with honor.
Halfway through the episode, I exited Starfleet Academy on my Paramount+ app, deleted it from my television, and unsubscribed from the network. You can do the same. Do it for Worf. For Martok. For Kor. For Koloth. For Kang. For crazy-eyed Gowron. For Dax. For Grilka and the House of Quark!
It’s better to die as a warrior than live as a slop eater.
Entertainment
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
SAVE $49.01: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are 20% at Amazon and Walmart as of April 22. Snag a pair for just $199.99 (normally $249).
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Our very own Stan Schroeder is fresh off reviewing the new AirPods Max 2, Apple’s updated over-ear headphones. While he thought their noise cancellation has improved since the last generation, they still can’t block out sounds as well as the AirPods Pro 3: “Wearing them on a busy street makes the outside noise vanish in a spectacular fashion,” he writes of the earbuds.
So, if you’re an Apple user looking for best-in-class ANC, stick with the AirPods Pro 3. Right now, they happen to be on sale for just $199.99 at Amazon and Walmart — that’s a savings of nearly $50 and one of their best deals to date. They briefly hit $184 on Amazon back in February, but never since. (And they were $219.99 everywhere last Black Friday.)
For comparison’s sake, the AirPods Max 2 are up to $350 pricier depending on the color.
The AirPods Pro 3 actually have the same H2 chip as the AirPods Max 2, so they support the same suite of smart features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation. On top of that, they come with a built-in heart rate monitor that “worked perfectly,” per Mashable contributor Adam Doud. (Read his full review.)
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On their own, the AirPods Pro 3 will net you up to eight hours of battery life per charge with their ANC enabled. Their included charging case adds an extra 24 hours of use.
I can personally assure you that you won’t find the AirPods Pro 3 on sale for anywhere cheaper — even if you go for a used pair. In new condition, they’re $239.99 at B&H Photo and full price at Best Buy and Target. Then there’s Best Buy’s open-box AirPods Pro 3, which are are $204.99 in fair condition. Pass.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
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The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
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Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
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Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
Red Bulls' struggling defense clashes with woeful D.C. offense
