Entertainment
Star Trek's Odo Secretly Voiced Many Of Your Favorite Cartoon Characters
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
The 1991 animated Disney film The Little Mermaid was part romance and part madcap adventure as Ariel’s friends, a collection of literal fish out of water, have misadventures with human society. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie finds Sebastian, the musical sea crab, in the kitchen of Chef Louis, who is not only a gourmet but specializes in “les poisson”: seafood. He even sings about it.
The voice behind that song was actor René Auberjonois, the celebrated actor who played security chief Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Given that Odo is usually the straight man for Ferengi businessman Quark’s comic escapades, Auberjonois’s resume shouldn’t be shocking. In addition to his seven seasons on DS9, he also played the snobby Clayton Endicott III on the sitcom Benson for six of its seven-season run. He was nominated for an Emmy for that role.
However, the austere appearance of the actor and his propensity for playing the comic foil belie the fact that the creative talent behind Odo was also a voice actor in a lot of children’s entertainment.
The Other Voices Of René Auberjonois
His first voice role was as the skeletal guardian of the cave where the Red Bull lived in The Last Unicorn. This character terrified children in the 1980s with his piercing wail of “Unicorn!” after getting drunk on imaginary wine. Auberjonois plays him to his sniveling, sinister best through the power of his voice alone.
Also during the 1980s, while he was filming Benson in person, he was voicing characters for the Saturday morning cartoon The Snorks. These undersea creatures were like Smurfs, but with snorkels on their heads that enabled them to live in the ocean. Auberjonois participated in 42 episodes, playing the voice of Dr. Strangesnork and other minor characters.
At the same time, two episodes of the 1987 version of the cartoon Pound Puppies likely set the stage for him to be cast when the property was revived in 2010. Over three years, Auberjonois played McLeish, who ran the pound and was begrudgingly responsible for the puppies. The depiction of McLeish looks a little like Auberjonois. Even as a voice actor, he was a great comic foil.
René Auberjonois Was One Of The All Time Great Character Actors
René Auberjonois was also an accomplished actor on the screen. His other major television credits include four seasons on Boston Legal, the role of Father Mulcahey in the more serious movie version of M*A*S*H*, and Dr. Burton in Batman Forever. He even acted in another Star Trek classic, The Undiscovered Country, as Colonel West.
Off-screen, he tried his hand at directing, taking the helm for eight episodes of DS9. These included “Family Business,” the episode in which Quark returns to the Ferengi home world, and “Hippocratic Oath,” which deals with the Jem’Hadar addiction to Ketracel-white. That this episode was apparently ignored in developing the Jem’Hadar character for Starfleet Academy is almost more insulting when its behind-the-scenes history is acknowledged.
René Auberjonois Died Of Cancer In 2019
Unfortunately, the world lost both Rene Auberjonois’s acting talents and his distinctive voice in December 2019. The actor was 79 when his health was decimated by lung cancer that had invaded his brain. He chose to end his own life under the California End of Life Option Act and spent his final days at home with his wife of 56 years and their two children. This in itself is a remarkable Hollywood story of loyalty and family that complements the roles he spent so many years playing on-screen.
While he might be remembered best as Odo, his distinguished and varied career speaks for itself. Through both Star Trek and his role as Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid, he cemented his place as a cultural icon. But the stodgy, seemingly uptight characters he often played are only the foundation of a legacy of voice acting work that many fans aren’t even aware of.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 8, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you like a strict regimen.
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: To stuff down
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Green: Same ole
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Blue: Protected info
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Purple: Not one
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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 #973 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Suppress: GAG, INHIBIT, MUZZLE, SILENCE
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Same old stuff: DRILL, GRIND, HABIT, ROUTINE
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Features of a strong password: LENGTH, NUMBER, SYMBOL, UPPERCASE
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Words after “Two”: BIT, CENTS, FACED, TIMER
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.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 8, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you love an alcoholic beverage.
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: Make it fancy
The words are related to drinks.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe ways to adorn a drink.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Cocktail Garnish
NYT Strands word list for February 8
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Twist
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Olive
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Sprig
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Celery
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Cocktail Garnish
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Shrimp
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Cherry
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
Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 8, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you like to immerse yourself in things.
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:
To implant.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
The letter E appears twice.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter E.
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…
EMBED
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.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 8, 2026
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 8, 2026
