Entertainment
Star Trek’s Best Director Just Explained The Stupidest Thing About Starfleet Academy
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Starfleet Academy has proven especially frustrating for older Star Trek fans because it is a decidedly mixed bag. At times, the show is capable of greatness, delivering well-acted high drama that builds off some of the franchise’s greatest characters and stories. Other times (and far too often in the first half of Season 1), the show is bogged down by comedy that seems as juvenile as it is nonsensical.
Perhaps the greatest example of this is Darem, an alien whose unique physiology means that he vomits glitter like a character straight out of anime. It’s truly bizarre, deeply unfunny “comedy” that left many of us watching to wonder why it was included in the show at all. However, iconic Star Trek actor turned director Jonathan Frakes recently revealed the answer: Starfleet Academy coshowrunner Noga Landau is inexplicably obsessed with glitter.
The Fish Man Cometh
Why was Jonathan Frakes commenting on the glitter vomit in the first place? He recently directed an episode of Starfleet Academy (“300th Night”) that once again featured cadet Darem puking rainbow-colored glitter. In an interview with TrekMovie, they asked the director a fairly straightforward question: “What were your thoughts on glitter vomit?”
Now, Frakes has a well-earned reputation as a straight shooter, which is a good thing. Many directors would have responded to this question with some PR pablum about how this was a great way to reach the young, target audience of Starfleet Academy. However, Frakes gave a very honest reaction to the question, one that indicated he was just as confused as the rest of us.
Star Trek’s Most Embarrassing Moment
After noting “they showed me the glitter vomit from the earlier episode,” he bluntly stated, “it seems absurd.” He then said that the glitter vomit “was minimal” (which is true, it only appeared once, briefly in the episode), but that this weird characteristic of Darem is “established.” Surprisingly, he then revealed why we have glitter vomit in a Star Trek show at all: “Glitter has been a runner with Noga Landau, who’s the showrunner with Kurtzman.”
According to Jonathan Frakes, Landau is effectively obsessed with glitter, and she insisted on adding even more of it to “300th Night.” In addition to having Darem once again puke glitter, Frakes confirmed that “She wanted a lot of glitter in that opening sequence, where I have them walking down the hallway and slow-mo and fast-mo, and they’re about to start partying because they’re done with their school year.” While other directors might have gone along with this without question, veteran Trek icon Frakes couldn’t help but push back against this request.
“I said, really? We’re gonna throw glitter in the hallways?” At this point, Frakes sounds like he had to stop himself from criticizing this creative decision. “So that became a…” he trailed off, before ending his statement with something of a non-sequitur: “She ends all of her emails with me with the glitter.”
Taste The Rainbow
While very insightful, this interview is proof that the answers to our biggest questions are often relatively simple. Why does Darem inexplicably puke glitter like he’s an anime character trying to get featured in a reaction GIF? Simple: one of the showrunners is obsessed with glitter!
This interview also confirms something that cynical critics had long been speculating: that the execs in charge of Starfleet Academy are obsessed with jamming their own ideas into the show, even if they don’t really gel with the franchise. Jonathan Frakes most likely balked at the inclusion of glitter vomit because it doesn’t look or feel like Star Trek in any way. But Noga Landau and especially Alex Kurtzman have decided that Star Trek will be whatever they think it should be, regardless of what suits the franchise or makes the fans happy.
When (not if) Starfleet Academy gets canceled, mark my words: the people who have been doing their best to drive fans away will now complain that the show died because not enough fans kept watching. Why did longtime fans stop watching the Star Trek show that Paramount vomited all over for a cheap laugh? If you’re genuinely asking that question, congratulations. You now have the intellectual and emotional maturity to write for Alex Kurtzman!
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for March 13, 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 March 13 Pips
Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for March 13 Pips
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this orange space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 2-6, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this green space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally.
Mashable Top Stories
Hard difficulty hints, answers for March 13 Pips
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.
Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, 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.
Entertainment
Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections now only $32 at Walmart — save $5 vs. Amazon
Where to buy Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections:
Keen Pokémon TCG collectors hunting for affordable Ascended Heroes packs have another solid option right now, thanks to Walmart quietly lowering the price on one of the expansion’s smaller collections.
As of March 12, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection is available for just over $32 at Walmart, undercutting Amazon’s current $37.98 listing by roughly $5. The collection is shipped as a randomly selected Charmander or Gastly edition, which means you won’t know exactly which promo card you’re getting until it arrives.
Mashable Deals
Each Tech Sticker Collection comes with one foil promo card featuring either Charmander or Gastly, along with a themed tech sticker sheet spotlighting Charmander and Mega Charizard Y or Gastly and Mega Gengar. On top of that, you’ll also get three booster packs from the Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes expansion, each containing the usual 10 Pokémon trading cards.
Mashable Trend Report
This is the best way to get Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes boosters at a half-decent price. Individually, Ascended Heroes booster packs cost $18.97 at Walmart and $24.99 at Amazon. Comparatively, this Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker collection means you’re only paying $10.75 per pack, saving you $8.24 compared to buying them on their own.
For other Pokémon TCG deals, consider the Perfect Order Booster Box price cuts at Amazon and Walmart. What’s more, the Pokémon TCG Perfect Order Booster Bundle is still available to preorder at Amazon for $59.99.
Topics
Pokemon
Trading Cards
Entertainment
Starfleet Academy Just Resurrected A Decades-Old Alien Ritual From Star Trek
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Starfleet Academy has been incorporating nods to earlier Star Trek shows, with varying degrees of subtlety. Sometimes, we just get, say, passing references to a Talaxian furfly. Other times, we get an entire episode dedicated to characters like Benjamin Sisko, complete with cameos from those who are closest to him.
So far, most of the show’s most overt references have been nods to shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager. However, the most recent episode, “300th Night,” referenced The Next Generation in a powerful way by portraying an alien ritual we haven’t seen onscreen for decades. That ritual was the R’uustai, which allows Klingons to induct new members into their house.
Worf Bonds With A Child
We first saw the R’uustai in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Bonding.” In this tale, Worf led an away team mission that went sideways, resulting in the death of a woman under his command. She died a typical Redshirt-style death, but unlike the Redshirts of yesteryear, her death left her son, Jeremy Aster, without a mother or father to raise him.
Jeremy goes through plenty of trauma afterward, especially after sympathetic aliens try to replicate his mother in an attempt to soothe his pain. Eventually, the crew gets the young boy to accept that his mother is dead, and Worf (whom the kid originally blamed for his mother’s death) performs the act of R’uustai, an ancient Klingon ritual that allowed him to make Jeremy a brother who would forever be part of Worf’s family, House Mogh.
Interestingly, R’uustai didn’t come up again in Star Trek for decades. Jeremy Aster was never mentioned again, and we never saw this ritual onscreen or even heard it mentioned. This is doubly interesting because on Deep Space Nine, Martok made Worf part of his family, meaning that young Jeremy Aster (wherever he is) is technically the last surviving member of House Mogh. However, it’s doubtful that he’ll be picking up a bat’leth and battling for the disgraced family’s honor anytime soon.
An Old Ritual From A New Klingon
After decades of its absence from Star Trek, however, R’uustai just made a quiet comeback. In the penultimate episode of Starfleet Academy Season 1 (“300th Night”), the unconventional Klingon Jay-Den conducts the R’uustai ritual for his fellow cadets, inviting them to join his family, House Kraag. All but Caleb drink during the ceremony, making them brothers and sisters of Jay-Den. Despite Caleb not wanting to join House Kraag because he is still obsessed with finding his mother (the last of his biological family), Jay-Den considers him a chosen brother and helps Caleb with his reckless mission to reunite with his mom.
In a weird way, this forgotten ritual from Star Trek: The Next Generation was perfect for Starfleet Academy. The show is all about found family and the strength you gain from letting close friends into your heart. In “300th Night,” the R’uustai ritual makes the “family” part official for these cadets while calling back to a TNG ritual that proved how easy it was for humans and other outsiders to officially join Klingon houses.
Today Is A Good Day To Bond
As a longtime Star Trek nerd, I just wish we knew a little more about how R’uustai works in this fictional universe. In the TNG episode “The Bonding,” this ritual was used to induct Jeremy Aster into Worf’s family, but an entirely different ritual (one involving less drinking and more bloodletting) was used in the DS9 episode “Sons and Daughters” to induct Alexander into House Martok. Therefore, it’s unclear whether the R’uustai temporarily fell out of fashion as a way to induct new House members before Jay-Den embraced it or if the rituals are race-specific, with one being reserved for Klingons and the other being used for everyone else.
At any rate, if you’re a Star Trek fan who loves Klingon lore, it’s particularly rewarding to see the return of R’uustai, something last seen in the excellent TNG episode “The Bonding.” The ritual emphasizes Starfleet Academy’s themes of found family, all while steeping itself in decades-old franchise lore. Hopefully, everything works out for Jay-Den, whose induction of Darem into House Kraag means he now officially has a family member who wants to have sex with him.
Let’s just hope this doesn’t lead to any particularly weird holodeck misadventures. If a simulated Darem gets stuck in a Jeffries Tube and starts saying things like, “What are you doing, chosen brother?” that will be our cue to turn the TV off quicker than you can say “qapla’!”
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