Entertainment
Starfleet Academy Accidentally Revisited The Biggest Mystery Of Star Trek: Discovery
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The most recent episode of Starfleet Academy (“Come, Let’s Away”) was a glorious return to form for the franchise, giving us a cool plot that revolved around our cadets managing to restart an old Starfleet vessel, the USS Myazaki. The vessel is now derelict because it was using an experimental new form of propulsion known as a singularity drive, which caused a series of cascading malfunctions. However, the episode didn’t really address how this technology was different from the traditional warp drive, and this reignited a classic question within the fandom: why were the Romulans affected by the events of the Burn?
This all goes back to Star Trek: The Next Generation, where episodes like “Face of the Enemy” revealed that the Romulans power their starships with a quantum singularity drive. Basically, instead of a traditional warp drive, they use an artificially-made black hole to travel the galaxy at faster-than-light speeds. As cool as that is, TNG never really elaborated on how this was supposed to work, and fans generally forgot about this until the third season of Star Trek: Discovery.
When Good Tech Goes Bad
After the Discovery traveled to the 32nd century, they found that the Federation was a decimated version of its former self. The main reason for this was the Burn, an event in which dilithium throughout the galaxy went suddenly inert. Active dilithium keeps matter and antimatter from colliding in starships (among other things), so once it went inert, countless starships exploded due to instantaneous warp core breaches.
Even before the Burn, dilithium was becoming scarce, so the Federation began experimenting with other forms of propulsion. One such alternative was the Pathway drive, which eventually became a standard alternative to both warp drive and Discovery’s spore drive. The Starfleet Academy episode “Come, Let’s Away” introduced the fact that the Federation was working on its own singularity drive, which reignited a question Discovery fans have been asking for years: why were the Romulans affected by the Burn in the first place?
What Did The Romulans Know?
Discovery gave a kind of happy ending to the Romulans, showing that they finally reunified with the Vulcans (Spock’s mission is finally accomplished!) after many millennia. But the show also made it clear that the Romulans were just as affected by the Burn as the Federation and (as we found out later) the Klingon Empire. This understandably confused fans because The Next Generation established that Romulans use singularity drives rather than warp drives, which implies that they don’t use dilithium and should therefore have been safe from the Burn.
Fans continue to debate whether the Romulans rely on dilithium or not for many reasons, including the fact that TNG didn’t tell us all that much about the singularity drive. It’s entirely possible they use dilithium but in different ways; for example, it may be used to contain the singularity. Plus, we know from Star Trek: Nemesis that Romulans mine dilithium, and while they could simply be using it for other purposes (like the Klingons using it to power planets), this fact implies it is still somehow important to Romulan interstellar travel.
Bringing Old Controversies Back Online
Now, though, the Starfleet Academy episode “Come, Let’s Away” has reignited this mystery. Previously, fans were willing to accept (more or less) that the Burn affected the Romulans because they must have somehow used dilithium in ways the Federation didn’t know about. Therefore, the singularity drive would be just as vulnerable to the Burn as a traditional warp drive.
However, the Federation working on their own singularity drive as a warp drive alternative implies that this technology would work in a post-Burn galaxy. That leads us to something of a lore paradox: if singularity drives are immune to the Burn, why were the Romulans affected in the first place? But if singularity drives are not immune to the Burn (and, therefore, still rely on dilithium), why is the Federation bothering to research this technology in the first place?
So far, it doesn’t look like we’ll get answers anytime soon, and that’s fine: in “Come, Let’s Away,” the singularity drive is more of a MacGuffin to keep the plot moving than some major new addition to Star Trek lore. Plus, it’s part of arguably the best episode of Starfleet Academy, one that balances romance, action, and tension to great effect. Given the choice between whistling past old lore or destroying old lore (like sending almost every Klingon to hell in an offscreen catastrophe), it’s fair to say that most fans will happily learn to whistle!
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 14, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is know your spot up shooters.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. 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: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Ref noises
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Green: NBA Jam
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Blue: Sharpshooters
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Purple: College icons
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition 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: Sports Edition #509 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Signal for Play to Stop – BUZZER, HORN, SIREN, WHISTLE
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Dunks – 360, BETWEEN-THE-LEGS, REVERSE, WINDMILL
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NBA 3-Point Contest Winners – HERRO, HIELD, LOVE, PIERCE
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College Mascots – BIG AL, BRUTUS, OTTO, RAMESES
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
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 today’s Connections.
Entertainment
Billy Zane's New Horror Comedy Announced
How It Started
One of Jonathan’s uncles shared with him X-Men comics from the early ’80s, starting a lifelong passion for superheroes. That same uncle introduced him to role-playing games with Dragon Warrior 3, creating a lifelong love for video games, reading, and writing.
The first gaming newsletter Jonathan wrote was in 1996 over America Online for his very first gaming club, The Society of Nus. With a membership of around 30 like-minded gamers, this turned out to be a sign of where he’d end up, but it took over 10 years to get there.
In 2009, Jonathan started writing news for TrueAchievements, helping the fast-growing gaming website to develop a News Bible, and putting in place policies and procedures that have stayed in place to this day. Soon after, Jonathan became the Community Manager for 360voice, another achievement-based website, with over 200,000 registered users and the home of many gaming contests.
When the PlayStation 4 came out, Jonathan switched to TrueTrophies, continuing to write gaming news, reviews, and opinion pieces. One of the original hosts of the TrueAchievements podcast, he’d also be a frequent guest on other podcasts related to achievements and gaming, while earning his Master’s in Library and Information Science.
In 2022, Jonathan left his job as a librarian to pursue writing full-time, working for GameRant and DualShockers as a news writer.
How It’s Going
Jonathan now works as a Deputy Editor for GIANT FREAKING ROBOT, continuing to live the dream of writing for a living. His co-workers include two cats, Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that frequently spend his entire shift curled up at his feet.
When not working, Jonathan continues to enjoy reading, keeping up with comics, still playing video games, and attending every wrestling event he can find between Warhammer weekends.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for February 14, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 14 Pips
Equal (1): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this orange space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.
Equal (4): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 5-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this red space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically.
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Medium difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 14 Pips
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed vertically.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.
Equal (0): Everything in this red space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 14 Pips
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (2): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed vertically.
Equal (4): Everything in this green space must be equal to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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