Entertainment
Star Trek’s Greatest Hero Saved The Day With Abstinence, In A Scene They Wouldn't Let You See
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Star Trek is a relatively cerebral franchise, but its characters have always embraced sex, often using it to save the day: for example, Spock once seduced a Romulan commander to help complete his mission, and Sisko slept with Mirror Universe Dax to avoid blowing his cover. Even Data was willing (a little too willing) to get freaky with the Borg Queen so that he could eventually save the Enterprise-E. But in a deleted scene from one memorable Next Generation episode, the android did the reverse, saving the day by not having sex with an alien woman who wanted to see just how “fully functional” he really was.
The scene in question was written for “The Most Toys,” an episode where Data is kidnapped by a collector (Kivas Fajo) who wants this android as part of his collection. He treats Data like an exotic doll, dressing him in special clothing and forcing him to sit in a particular position. Eventually, Data makes a successful escape with the help of the collector’s assistant, an alien woman who feels betrayed after her boss threatens to kill her despite her 14 years of loyal service.
TFW You’ve Found The Galaxy’s Most Advanced Toy
In the broadcast episode of “The Most Toys,” this is the only reason given for her willingness to help Data out, but it’s a pretty good one; after all, who would want to stick by a boss who is threatening to kill them? However, in the original script, she is given another motivation in a scene that never made it into the final episode. It all starts when Kivas Fajo gives her a very unusual command: to go have sex with their captive android.
Why the heck would a collector of the galaxy’s rarest items send his assistant to go have sex with an android? Simple: as Data discussed in the Season 1 episode “The Naked Now” (and as he discusses with the assistant, Varria, in this episode), he is “programmed in multiple techniques” so that he can offer “a broad variety of pleasuring” to his companions. Kivas Fajo apparently wanted to verify the existence of those techniques, the same way that somebody who buys used electronics wants to make sure the items he purchased are still (ahem) fully functional.
A Booty Call Gone Wrong
Ironically, Data is initially down, which would have brought his body count to two after Tasha Yar. But once he learns that this is all a weird test on Fajo’s part, he refuses Varria, leaving her completely humiliated. Not only did her boss try to use her, but the person she was meant to seduce ended up rejecting her. This (along with the aforementioned threat on her life) ends up providing the motivation she needs to help Data escape from the clutches of Kivas Fajo.
In the original script, it seems like Varria wouldn’t have been willing to help if Data had slept with her, but the humiliation of his refusal spurred her into action against her abusive employer. In this way, everyone’s favorite android did something that perhaps nobody else in Star Trek has done before or since. Namely, he saved the day by staying abstinent (something Riker clearly never learned about in Starfleet Academy).
Given how weird the fandom gets about these sorts of things (don’t get Next Gen fans started about Beverly’s ghost obsession!), it’s probably for the best that this plot point from “The Most Toys” script was never actually filmed. It’s even better that such a scene never made it to a NuTrek show like Discovery. After all, the only thing more awkward than watching a Starfleet officer turn down beautiful women would be watching Tilly try to turn this into a moral lesson: “That’s the power of abstinence, people!”
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Bubbly.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
PERKY
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
To accumulate.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
AMASS
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
A kink.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
CRICK
Hurdle Word 4 hint
A beer.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
LAGER
Final Hurdle hint
Harmony.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
AMITY
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
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 9, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you have a green thumb.
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: Garden varieties
The words are related to plants.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe garden crops.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Spring Veggie.
NYT Strands word list for May 9
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Asparagus
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Artichoke
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Onion
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Lettuce
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Radish
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Spring Veggie
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 May 9, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have great style.
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:
A soft fabric.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.
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…
SATIN
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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