Entertainment
Latest Starfleet Academy Revisits Trauma In The Doctor's Star Trek: Voyager Past
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Since Starfleet Academy first began, haters have lobbed one accusation at it above all others: “it doesn’t feel like Star Trek.” Older critics often lament surface-level issues with the show, including its poor humor and its reliance on distractingly modern slang. But to these veteran fans, the real structural issue with this new spinoff is that it feels so glaringly different than the shows (like The Next Generation and Voyager) that came before.
Recently, though, Starfleet Academy has been addressing this problem by directly calling back to earlier Trek, including dedicating an entire episode to the mystery of what happened to Sisko after Deep Space Nine. Now, the most recent episode (“The Life Of The Stars”) calls back to two of Voyager’s best episodes while providing us with plenty of familiar franchise tropes. The result is an episode that decently channels classic Trek but fails to deliver on its full potential.
Unpacking Trauma
“Life of the Stars” is a follow-up to “Come, Let’s Away,” and it’s all about our Starfleet Academy cadets unpacking the trauma of that earlier episode. In that story, some of our heroes were ambushed by the Furies, fearsome foes who ultimately killed multiple members of the War College. Chancellor Ahke calls in Nus Braka for help, and Tarima weaponizes her telepathy, but both efforts go away: Braka destroys a Starfleet ship and ransacks a Starbase while Tarima blows her mind, landing herself in a coma that required treatment on her homeworld of Betazed.
Believe it or not, “unpacking trauma” is my lowkey favorite Star Trek episode genre. The stories are predictably good, like the TNG episode “Family,” helping Picard work through his time (as seen in “The Best of Both Worlds”) as the ruthless leader of the Borg. Over on DS9, “It’s Only A Paper Moon” explored how Nog dealt with the trauma of what happened in “The Siege of AR-558,” an episode in which he lost a leg.
Done well, this kind of story makes for great Star Trek, but this Starfleet Academy episode delivers mixed results. It has some great highs, including a killer, dramatic performance from Robert Picardo and the triumphant return of Sylvia Tilly. But “Life of the Stars” drops the ball by focusing so much on its ensemble that its central cadets (namely, SAM and Tarima) don’t get enough screentime or development.
The Doctor Gets Serious
Perhaps the most interesting thing about “Life of the Stars” is that it permanently intertwines the lives of the Doctor and SAM. She’s the holographic girl who is suddenly on the fritz, and the Doctor travels with her back to her homeworld for repairs. There, he discovers that her glitch is emotional in nature (she’s stuck in a trauma loop, in case you thought the episode was being too subtle), and he volunteers to parent SAM, raising her for the equivalent of 17 years on her homeworld. But that’s only two weeks back at the academy, which is a callback to “Blink of an Eye,” the Voyager episode where three years on a planet is only about three minutes back on the ship.
In “Blink of an Eye,” the Doctor adopted a son, and he later lamented that, thanks to the time dilation effects, his kid is long since dead. In “Real Life,” the Doctor used the holodeck to simulate having a family, and he makes the program so realistic that he loses his holographic daughter to a freak sports accident. “Life of the Stars” basically mashes these plots together: after revealing that he hesitated to bond with SAM because she reminded him of his dead daughter, the Doctor agrees to raise her as a father; 17 years will pass on SAM’s planet while only two weeks pass at Starfleet Academy.
This plot is mostly an excuse to let Robert Picard do some serious acting, and this comedic actor does an amazing job with the dramatic material. Plus, the episode finally answers why the Doctor has had a bug up his holographic butt about SAM all season. However, this focus on the Doctor comes at a cost: SAM is either shut down or mind-controlled for most of the episode, which feels that much weirder considering how much new lore this episode is giving her.
The Girls Are Back In Town
“Life of the Stars” features the long-awaited return of Sylvia Tilly, a fan-favorite Discovery character that most of us originally assumed would be a regular on Starfleet Academy. She is here to help our cadets (no point in guessing) unpack their trauma, and at the chancellor’s suggestion, she is doing so in the craziest possible way: by making them take a theater class. They end up studying “Our Town,” and with all the subtlety of Quark’s sweater, the play becomes a metaphor for returning student Tarima to process her feelings about being transferred out of the War College and into Starfleet Academy after the injuries she sustained in “Come, Let’s Away.”
The results on both ladies’ returns were mixed: while it is always great to see Sylvia Tilly, she barely feels like herself, and she isn’t afraid to get mildly combative with students. She cheerfully tells the class that she doesn’t care if they all fail, and she practically gets into a verbal sparring match with Tarima. Granted, these are both acts of tough love, and her methods get results, but the woman taking these actions rarely feels like the adorkable Tilly we all fell in love with back on Discovery.
As for Tarima, she is a victim of performer’s success: actor Zoë Steiner does an excellent job playing a recently traumatized cadet, but thanks to the script, that means she spends most of her time in a dull stupor punctuated only by bouts of anger and drunkenness. Is this realistic for someone who narrowly survived an attack that killed multiple colleagues? Sure. But it’s not very engaging to watch, and unlike Patrick Stewart in “Family” or Robert Picardo in this very episode, Tarima never gets a satisfyingly cathartic release of her inner pain, and we have to settle for her having a light bulb moment while reciting an ancient play.
The Final Verdict? Good, Not Great
If it sounds like I’m nitpicking, that’s because I am: “Life of the Stars” is a mostly solid episode, and it’s notably better than the early episodes of Starfleet Academy. The show continues to improve, and as usual, spending less time on forced comedy has made the episode stronger. It also features the return of Sylvia Tilly, deep lore for the Doctor, and even updates on Caleb and Tarima, the couple who have quickly become the hottest Star Trek pairing since Riker and Troi.
But we really just get Tilly in name only here, and the Doctor’s cool new lore comes at the expense of sidelining SAM. The Caleb and Tarima stuff remains very cute, but Tarima mostly spends the episode in a boring daze before snapping out of it due to a sleepy inspirational speech. It all adds up to an episode that’s good, not great, and one that showcases both the potential of Starfleet Academy and how much the show fails to reach that potential.
Once again, Starfleet Academy is getting better, slowly clawing its way back from its negative reputation at a snail’s pace (and not even a warp snail). One episode at a time, it’s channeling more classic Star Trek than ever before. The question is, will any Trekkies still be watching by the time this show crawls past the finish line?
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be a little easier if you love baseball.
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. The sports 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 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 before 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:
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: AL East Teams
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Green: First Words of Football Positions
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Blue: Premier League Managers
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Purple: Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time
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 #573 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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AL East Teams — BLUE JAYS, ORIOLES, RAYS, YANKEES
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First Words of Football Positions — DEFENSIVE, RUNNING, TIGHT, WIDE
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Premier League Managers — EMERY, GUARDIOLA, MOYES, SLOT
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Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time — BRIDEGROOMS, DODGERS, ROBINS, SUPERBAS
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 yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
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.
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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: Lippy
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Green: Gowns
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Blue: Played in Vegas
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Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Cheeky
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Green: Dress measurements
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Blue: Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em
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Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
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 #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
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Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
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Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
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Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
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 April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
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: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
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 There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
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Modify
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Alter
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Improve
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Tweak
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Refine
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.
Cody Bellinger homers twice, as Yankees eclipse Royals
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19, 2026
