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Star Trek Just Ruined Its Best Alien Race, And The Explanation Makes No Sense
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
The fourth episode of Starfleet Academy, “Vox In Excelsio,” made some huge changes to the most famous alien race in all of Star Trek: The Klingons. The biggest change (and beware some spoilers the size of a warp core, this is your only warning!) is that the Klingon homeworld of Qu’onos has been completely destroyed because the Burn (introduced back in Discovery, Season 3) caused all of the planet’s dilithium reactors to explode. However, based on everything we know about dilithium from over 60 years of franchise history, this should have been completely impossible!
First, some context: since the days of Star Trek: The Original Series, we’ve seen starships traveling the galaxy thanks to the dilithium crystals that power their warp cores. After the crew of the USS Discovery jumped to the 32nd century, they discovered that both interstellar travel and the Federation had been devastated by an event called the Burn. The Burn caused dilithium throughout the galaxy to go inert, and this caused countless starships to explode because these crystals regulate the matter/antimatter reaction necessary to achieve warp speed.
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Once the crystals went inert, the matter and antimatter collided in any ship with an active warp drive. This instantly caused the last thing any Starfleet captain wants to deal with: a warp core breach. Because of this, the Federation is still rebuilding by the end of Star Trek: Discovery, and Starfleet Academy is all about training the next generation of cadets who will make the galaxy a safer place as various planets and space empires continue recovering.
That brings us to the most recent episode of Starfleet Academy, “Vox Excelsius,” in which a reporter casually mentions that the Klingon homeworld of Qo’noS has previously been destroyed by the Burn. How did this work, mechanically speaking? The only explanation we get (aside from a dismissed conspiracy theory that “they blew it up themselves”) is that “the Burn caused dilithium reactors on Qo’noS and other worlds to explode.”
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At first glance, this probably makes sense. After all, we know that the Burn affected dilithium in a way that made starships throughout the galaxy explode. Dilithium is both mined and stored on various planets, so the reporter’s breezy comment might make you think that the dilithium simply exploded with enough force to either destroy the Klingon homeworld outright or render it completely uninhabitable.
However, the starships destroyed by the Burn were only lost because the dilithium going inert caused instant warp breaches. While Starfleet Academy doesn’t really explain what a “dilithium reactor” is, it’s fair to assume that the Klingon homeworld was not attempting to travel anywhere at warp speed. The reactor is presumably meant to be a power source for Qo’noS, but at no point in Star Trek history has matter/antimatter been used to power anything other than warp drive.
Therefore, it’s only logical (Spock would be so proud) to determine that Paramount ruined the Klingons because the writers forgot how the Burn worked, which was established in the show that Starfleet Academy spun off from. This isn’t a case of the writers forgetting some obscure factoid introduced in The Original Series or even The Next Generation. Instead, they are ignoring a major story element that was introduced just a few years ago, a mistake made even worse by the other logical problems of this bizarre plot point.
Almost All Klingons Died For No Reason
For example, even though the Klingons are canonically stupid, why would they rely on dilithium as a power source? Even if we were to expect the idea (that flies in the face of established lore) that dilithium works as a planetary power source, Discovery previously established that dilithium had started becoming super scarce years before the Burn happened, which is why the Federation was researching alternative methods of achieving warp speed without dilithium crystals. Facing that same dilithium shortage, the Klingons could have easily traded out their dilithium reactors to power planets with fusion or solar power, both of which the Federation was relying on nearly a millennium ago.
Now, before the Star Trek fanboys come for me, I’ll concede that Starfleet Academy might explain all of this away in a future episode. Maybe we’ll get a technobabble explanation as to how dilithium reactors work, or we’ll get an in-universe reason why the Klingons never switched to another, more convenient power source once dilithium got insanely scarce. Heck, we might even get an explanation as to why the Klingons had these reactors on every single planet of their empire, something which seems like it would be overkill for smaller, more remote colonies.
Right now, though, none of this makes any sense, which is effectively bad news for Star Trek as a whole. The writers just ruined the franchise’s most iconic race, and they did so with a plot point that proves even they weren’t watching Discovery. You should act accordingly, when this kind of narrative stupidity causes you to unsubscribe from Paramount+, don’t forget to write in “exploding warp reactors” as the reason you are leaving.
Don’t think the Skydance Corporation will believe it? Trust me: if they bought Paramount, these guys will buy anything.
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.
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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: 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.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you can never sit down.
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 rise.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
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…
STAND
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.
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