Entertainment
Classic Star Trek Episode All About Getting Nasty In Zero Gravity
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
For better or for worse, NuTrek shows like Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy have gone out of their way to get their characters laid. Back in the Golden Age of Star Trek, however, it was notoriously difficult for even the most important characters to get any onscreen action. In fact, when Patrick Stewart first met superstar TNG writer Ronald D. Moore, he gave him one piece of advice about scripting: “The captain doesn’t do nearly enough screwing and shooting on this show.”
Dr. Bashir actor Siddig El Fadil felt the same way, and he spent the early days of Deep Space Nine jokingly asking writers and producers when his character would get a girlfriend. Forgotten Trek writer Evan Carlos Somers rose to the challenge by writing “Melora,” an episode in which the titular character would fall in love with the station’s handsome doctor. However, the young writer went the extra mile, later revealing that a primary reason for writing this script was to give the good doctor some kinky zero-gravity sex!
Computer: Defy Gravity
If it’s been a while since you have seen this less-than-beloved episode, here’s a recap: “Melora” is about a Starfleet officer (Melora Pazlar) who visits Deep Space Nine and has trouble moving around because she is from a planet with very low gravity. Her fancy anti-grav chair is incompatible with Cardassian technology, so Dr. Bashir replicates her an old-fashioned wheelchair. He also falls in love with her, and they eventually have some freaky sex in the special low gravity of her cabin on the station.
One of the writers of this episode was Evan Carlos Somers, and he told The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine about how one of his biggest goals with this episode was to give Dr. Bashir a particularly kinky sexual encounter. “The producers had always thought the wheelchair officer would be a man, but I always thought of her as a woman,” he said. He then dropped a hilarious bombshell: “’Zero-gravity sex with Bashir’ was a prime element to the story in my mind.”
Tossed In Space
Does this mean that “Melora” was about nothing more than two characters boldly hoeing where nobody has hoed before? Not exactly: in that same interview, Somers revealed that he wanted Melora’s relationship with Bashir (including those two defying gravity in an especially wicked way) to represent a major temptation for her character. You see, Bashir develops a “cure” for Melora that would allow her to walk around places like DS9, but it would preclude her from ever returning to her homeworld.
Meloa, Somers says, is someone tempted by the cure because it is “presented to her concomitant to a growing love affair,” and she eventually realizes she is considering accepting the cure because she doesn’t want to disappoint the man who created it. Bashir developed the cure because “he loves her, and he would never want to do anything wrong for her.” She eventually realizes that “she doesn’t have to be cured” because there is nothing inherently wrong with her, and fully accepting herself is more important than making her new lover happy.
In that way, this Deep Space Nine episode told a very progressive story, leaving the groundwork open for Bashir and Melora to hook up yet again. She never returned to the show, though, which is for the best. Even when they were together, these two had a particularly topsy-turvy relationship. Of course, their relationship began the same way as everyone with an “it’s complicated” tag on Facebook: with a night of really freaky physicality!
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 24, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re planning to get married.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
Mashable Top Stories
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:
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 #1017 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Despicable: BASE, LOW, MEAN, VILE
-
Features of a wedding: CAKE, KISS, RING, VOW
-
Kinds of trucks: DUMP, FIRE, FOOD, TOW
-
Heteronyms: BOW, ROW, SOW, WIND
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 March 24, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if something’s always in your way.
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: Get over it … or get through it
The words are related to barriers.
Mashable Top Stories
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe things that get in the way.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is diagonal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Obstacle Course.
NYT Strands word list for March 24
-
Wall
-
Hoop
-
Barricade
-
Obstacle Course
-
Hurdle
-
Fence
-
Tunnel
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 March 24, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you breed animals.
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:
Offspring.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
The letter O appears twice.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter B.
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…
BROOD
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.
World No. 3 Iga Swiatek splits with coach after just 18 months
Union Prez: WNBA players nearly unanimous yes on CBA
