Entertainment
Paramount Just Used AI To Ruin Star Trek's Best Character
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
As a franchise set in the far future, you might expect Star Trek to make some definitive, sweeping statements about the use of AI. However, various shows and movies have presented this technology as something of a double-edged sword. In Star Trek, AI powers the ship’s computers and holodecks, and it helps bring the beloved android officer Data to life. But AI is also responsible for numerous existential threats to the entire galaxy, including everything from evil androids like Lore to weapons of mass destruction like the Planet Killer and Control. Star Trek is ultimately very wishy-washy about this technology, presenting it as both a game-changer and a life-taker.
In the real world, the good of AI is quite outweighed by the bad. Sure, it can help you write emails and generate images, but it’s also being used by massive corporations to cut corners and give paying customers cheap slop, all so some rich exec doesn’t have to pay some poor, overworked creative. Now, Star Trek has officially become part of the problem. Recently, Paramount seemingly used AI to create a thumbnail of William Shatner for Paramount+, and it created the stupidest-looking image in Trek history. Unfortunately, this is now the inevitable future of the franchise: a studio phoning in even the most basic creative efforts, all to please a fandom that is quietly dying.
Meet AI Slop Captain Kirk
This story begins with the worst streaming service ever created: Paramount+. Like all streamers, this platform provides thumbnails for various movies. Normally, this is just a still from the film. For example, when you scroll down to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, you might see an image of James Doohan giving his best thousand-yard stare. If you scroll to Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, you might see that melty-faced weirdo that Dr. McCoy tries to hitch a ride with. However, when fans recently scrolled to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, they saw an insanely ugly image of William Shatner that was seemingly created by AI.
The image features Shatner staring into the camera with a relatively sedate look on his face. He is wearing a suit and tie, which is properly absurd. Not only does Admiral Kirk never wear this suit in The Wrath of Khan, but the only time he wore anything remotely like this was when he donned a pinstripe gangster suit in the Original Series cheesefest episode “A Piece of the Action.” The most notable thing about this thumbnail on Paramount + is that one of Shatner’s eyes has a weird red glow around it. The whole thing is surreal and looks like what would happen if the Borg decided to assimilate Don Draper.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
So, what the heck happened here? On Bluesky, Ryan Estrada seemingly cracked the case. The image of Shatner’s face mostly does come from The Wrath of Khan. It’s from the scene where Kirk completes a retinal scan before accessing classified information on Project Genesis. In the movie, this is an extreme close-up of Kirk’s face, one that cuts off his chin and almost everything above his eyes. The shot works well in the movie, but it would look absolutely terrible as a streaming thumbnail. Estrada’s theory (and one I certainly agree with) is that Paramount fed the movie image to a generative AI and asked it to flesh out the rest of his body.
However, the AI took more than a few liberties with Shatner’s character. It basically ruined the actor’s hairline (something previously only God could do), making Kirk look like a slicked-down Wall Street broker. It put him in a business suit for completely unknown reasons, making the image look instantly out of place as a Star Trek thumbnail. Most bizarrely, it didn’t remove the red light from the reticle scan, making Kirk look like he’s got the galaxy’s worst case of red eye (maybe the waste extraction department was slacking). As ugly as it is, though, the worst thing about this AI slop is how damn lazy it is.
AI Slop: The Future Of Star Trek
Star Trek is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, and Paramount is hoping to revive the entire franchise with a brand new movie. But why would anyone want to watch a film by the same creatively bankrupt people who had to use AI to make a freakin’ thumbnail? These execs are stewards of the coolest sci-fi IP ever created, but they couldn’t be bothered to simply take a suitable screencap from The Wrath of Khan. Sadly, this AI screw-up is an indictment of what Star Trek has become: lazy slop made by lazier creatives who hope you’re too stupid to care about how bad this franchise has become.
They’re wrong, obviously, and Paramount is about to learn a very bitter lesson: the only thing they can’t gin up in AI is fans who actually care about Star Trek anymore!
Entertainment
The big question LGBTQ daters are asking, according to Hinge
It’s Pride Month, and although LGBTQ daters are queer all year, the spotlight is on them this June. As such, Hinge just published its annual D.A.T.E. (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) Report to lay out what dating is currently like for today’s queer singles.
The title of this year’s report is “Clarity Builds Chemistry,” and it discusses the uncertainty young LGBTQ daters feel. (Not surprising, considering the amount of uncertainty in the world at large right now, that it’d distill into individuals’ personal lives.)
In its Jan. 2026 survey of over 31,000 global respondents, Hinge found that more LGBTQ daters feel a lot or great uncertainty about the world than heterosexual daters (76 to 52 percent, respectively), but they can also find uncertainty helpful. Seventy-four percent of LGBTQ daters say uncertainty helps them understand what they’re looking for in relationships. Uncertainty contributes to these daters identifying dealbreakers, clarifying their preferences, and identifying what feels right vs. wrong.
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Community also helps LGBTQ daters. Hinge found that queer daters are asking, “Would I bring this persona around my friends?” rather than, “What are we?” This might be because of the importance of chosen family for young LGBTQ people.
As such, queer daters are 33 percent more likely than straight daters to say it matters that their friends like the person they’re dating (this rises to 37 percent for trans daters). They’re also 20 percent more likely to want to check whether a potential partner fits with their friend circle. In a world of uncertainty, having a solid support system is crucial.
Mashable Trend Report
Hinge found that consistency also puts LGBTQ daters at ease in their uncertain world: 86 percent said consistent communication from someone they’re starting to date makes them feel less anxious. Seventy-eight percent said making clear plans also makes them feel less anxious (compared to 56 percent of heterosexual daters).
PDA in an early relationship helps over half (65 percent) of LGBTQ daters feel more secure, but they’re 50 percent more likely than straight daters to hesitate to show affection on the first date because they feel unsafe in their surroundings. Hinge’s love and connection expert, Moe Ari Brown, wrote that, “You don’t have to share the same comfort level to have a great date: staying present and responsive turns a potential point of tension into a moment of real connection.”
“Asking one another what kinds of affection feel good in public — and which feel better in private — keeps PDA grounded in reassurance,” Brown continued.
And forget the timelines. More LGBTQ daters, especially bisexual daters (76 percent and 83 percent), focus on slowly building a connection with someone rather than moving on a certain timeline than straight daters (64 percent). Overall, LGBTQ daters are also more likely to say that settling down isn’t a step, but a mindset.
The findings are in contrast to Hinge’s Nov. 2025 D.A.T.E. report, which was all about communication and AI. Less than a year later, daters — especially LGBTQ ones — are more focused on clarity, whether that’s in public displays of affection, or private affirmations.
Entertainment
Netflix Just Added The Extremely R-Rated Crime Thriller Secretly Made By Film's Greatest Director
By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you’re a sucker for a good crime thriller, you’re probably already aware of the hit 1993 movie True Romance. This genre-defining film is packed to the gills with foul language, graphic violence, and some supernatural themes that make the whole thing feel like a fever dream lost in time.
Though it was considered a box office failure in its day, True Romance has since garnered a massive cult following. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, or you’ve streamed it, now is the right time. Netflix just added True Romance.
Long before True Romance was dancing across the silver screen and upsetting the prudes at the MPAA, the film was being penned by a young, up-and-coming Quentin Tarantino. This is the very first feature-length screenplay the Pulp Fiction filmmaker ever wrote. Portions of the first act and some of the pop culture-focused dialogue were lifted right out of Tarantino’s own unreleased short film, My Best Friend’s Birthday, which he made while working at a video rental store in Los Angeles.
Tarantino originally intended to direct True Romance himself, but by the time the script was gaining traction with producers, he had already moved on to a new project that would ultimately become Reservoir Dogs. So he sold the screenplay, used the money to finance his own debut, and let Top Gun director Tony Scott take the wheel.
This has become the subject of tons of debate among film nerds, as some fans believe True Romance is a shadow of what it could have been with Tarantino behind the wheel. Others, including Tarantino himself, have lauded Tony Scott for bringing the intense screenplay to life and offering a more saccharine ending than what was originally on the page.
The plot of True Romance centers on a young couple named Clarence and Alabama. They meet at a movie theater, quickly fall in love, and decide to skip town together after a whirlwind date. The only problem is, Alabama is a woman of the night, and her pimp Drexl Spivey doesn’t take kindly to the loss of revenue.
Prompted by the ghost of Elvis Presley, Clarence murders Spivey and snags a duffle bag of blow from his workplace, hoping he can sell it off to finance his new life. Predictably, the young couple’s troubles don’t end there, as they contend with gang members, police, and a world that seems to want to keep them apart.
The whole adventure feels like a very 90s take on the classic tale of Bonnie and Clyde, complete with some added racy elements. For many fans, True Romance represents the gold standard of crime thrillers.
Christian Slater gives a career-defining performance here, alongside top-tier showings from Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken. Several big-name actors appear in minor bit parts as well, including Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, and the late James Gandolfini, of The Sopranos fame.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or you’re looking to catch it for the very first time, you can watch True Romance on Netflix today. Just prepare to hear some really outlandish stuff, especially if you’ve got any Sicilian ancestry.
TRUE ROMANCE REVIEW SCORE
Entertainment
Why wait for Prime Day? The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro by Anker earbuds are $30 off right now at Amazon.
SAVE $30: As of June 3, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro by Anker earbuds are back to their lowest price yet at Amazon for $149.99. This is $30 off their full price of $179.99.
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The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro is a pretty special pair of earbuds. Not only are they open earbuds, allowing for more awareness of your surroundings while listening, but they also have noise-canceling features. Mashable’s Bethany Allard said they’re “the answer for people who can’t decide between open and noise-canceling earbuds” in her review. If they’ve been on your radar, they’re actually on sale right now at Amazon.
As of June 3, every color of the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro by Anker earbuds are discounted to $149.99 at Amazon. This saves you $30 off their full price of $179.99 and marks a return to their lowest price at the retailer so far. Ahead of Prime Day, this is a great deal to take advantage of.
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Allard highlights in her review of the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro that if you’re someone who’s “interested in open earbuds, not quite ready to give up ANC buds altogether, and can’t reasonably see themselves carrying around two pairs of earbuds, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pros are the best option available.” However, she does mention that “you make some concessions: the ANC won’t be the best, and you’re locked into an ear hook design.”
Alongside its dual listening modes, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pros offer a battery life that lasts up to seven hours on a charge in Open-Ear mode or five hours in ANC mode. That’s a good amount of time to work with, and it’ll last you through a workout or a commute for the day. Of course, those times can be pushed up further with the charging case as well (up to 34 hours in Open-Ear mode or 24 hours in ANC).
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On top of all that, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro by Anker earbuds have even landed on our list of the best open earbuds. So, why not scoop them up while they’re still on sale at Amazon?
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