Entertainment
Starfleet Academy Accidentally Recreated The Worst Part Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
When it comes to NuTrek, a common refrain from critics (myself included) is that Star Trek no longer feels like it did back in the golden days of shows like Deep Space Nine. However, a recent episode of Starfleet Academy, “Series Acclimation Mil,” proved that we cynics should be careful what we wish for. That’s because it recreated by accident the worst part of Deep Space Nine: combining an important, character-centric A Plot with one of the stupidest B Plots ever written.
First, a little context: back during the Golden Age of Star Trek, the writers generally included two main stories in any given episode. The most important story was designated the A Plot, while the less important story was designated the B Plot. This storytelling structure generally worked because it gave more of the ensemble cast something to do while giving viewers an additional story, one they might very well find more enjoyable than the main plot.
That Face When You See A Mistmatched B Plot
However, this storytelling method falls apart when the A Plot and the B Plot are completely mismatched, resulting in an episode that feels weirdly disjointed. Deep Space Nine had plenty of examples of this: in “Life Support,” the A Plot about Bashir’s attempt to revive one of Bajor’s most important spiritual leaders after his death is paired with a B Plot where Jake has to explain to Nog that he’s scaring the hoes with his constant Ferengi misogyny.
In “A Call To Arms,” the A Plot is the long-awaited invasion of the Dominion. The B Plot is about Rom and Leeta’s cringe-inducing, Casablanca-quoting wedding.
For me, the most mismatched Deep Space Nine episode of all time is “Doctor Bashir, I Presume?,” whose A Plot focuses on the revelation that Dr. Bashir is estranged from his parents because they “fixed” him with genetic engineering at a young age. It’s a powerfully moving episode about family trauma that completely changes our understanding of the main character. Unfortunately, it’s also an episode where the guy who created the Emergency Medical Hologram is desperate to get laid, and he’s set his sights on Leeta, who is written to be almost comically stupid.
Star Trek’s Most Ambitious New A Plot
So, what does all of this have to do with Starfleet Academy? The recent episode “Series Acclimation Mil” had an ambitious A plot about cadet SAM investigating Sisko’s final fate; her research helps her (and viewers) learn more about Sisko’s accomplishments, his personality, and the titanic legacy he left behind. Along the way, we get cameos from big names like Jake Sisko and the latest incarnation of Dax, all while SAM learns more about what it means to be an emissary from her holographic homeworld to the Federation.
Unfortunately (and somewhat inexplicably), it’s paired with a B plot about Chancellor Ake trying to help Commander Nelrec prepare to host a visiting dignitary. To do this, she throws a rehearsal dinner, which is mostly an excuse for everyone but Nelrec to crack bizarre jokes and engage in prop comedy (no, really). The climax to this scene is a fish suddenly deflating, and the three other officers (who have about 1500 years of combined wisdom between them all) start uncontrollably laughing about the fish making prolonged farting noises.
Shaka, When The Rest Of The Episode Is Silly
It’s wildly unfunny and almost distractingly weird, but the bonkers B Plot is of a piece with the rest of the episode. After all, in between hugely important lore drops about Sisko, we’ve got cadets vomiting glitter and the ship’s digital dean making jokes about morning wood. As a viewer who was more or less enjoying all of the Sisko-related fan service, I was a bit shocked that the episode kept dipping into humor that would be more in line with a show like Beavis and Butt-Head.
However, in a bit of almost certainly unintentional irony, “Series Acclimation Mill” managed to honor the worst part of Deep Space Nine, and that’s pairing a powerful A Plot with the stupidest B Plot the writers could come up with. This makes for frustrating storytelling, of course, but this practice was absolutely rampant during the Golden Age of Star Trek. Starfleet Academy has now proven it knows how to do what DS9 did so poorly; with any luck, these newer writers will eventually be able to channel what DS9 did so well, which was to tell great stories without the absolutely embarrassing crutch of d*ck and fart jokes.
Entertainment
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Comedian John Early makes his feature directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, an offbeat homage to melodrama that he wrote and headlines as its eponymous heroine.
As an aspiring food influencer, Maddie Ralph (Early) is passionate about her cuisine. And at first glance, she’s got a picture-perfect life: a loving husband (Eric Rahill), a devoted best friend (Kate Berlant), and a job at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. But as the title suggests, there’s a side to Maddie she can’t stomach sharing with her loved ones. And this secret could kill her.
Out of the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, I cheered Maddie’s Secret, writing in my review for Mashable, “The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you’ll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early’s commitment to this strange and splendid film.”
I also said “John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney,” comparing Maddie’s Secret to another earnest (but less entertaining) TIFF offering, Christy. And I stand by it.
Maddie’s Secret opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.
Entertainment
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
We know Pride is all year round, but there is something special about the month of June. We’re not there quite yet, but if you want a main squeeze for all the parades and parties, you gotta start looking now. How about on a dating app?
As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don’t know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
—
readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
—
top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
—
popular choice for regular meetups
Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?
How to find the best dating apps for lesbians
Niche lesbian dating apps aren’t your only option for finding love.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
In Mashable’s recommendations below, you’ll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you’ll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.
Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there’s no “Grindr for lesbians” — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble.
You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.
Diving into the dating pool isn’t easy, but the water’s fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.
Entertainment
OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT 5.5 Instant as the new default model for everyone
Last week, OpenAI managed to stop ChatGPT from talking about goblins all the time. This week, there’s a whole new model for users to play with.
The company announced in a blog post on Tuesday that ChatGPT 5.5 Instant has begun rolling out to all users as the new default model for the popular AI chatbot. The new model is a follow-up to GPT 5.5, which was released in April.
GPT-5.5 Instant replaces 5.3 Instant, which will remain available for the next three months for paid users but will otherwise be sunsetted.
Unlike Claude Opus 4.7 from Anthropic and GPT-5.5, which are only available to paid customers, GPT-5.5 Instant is “available to everyone.” OpenAI says it should produce fewer hallucinations and better overall results for everyday ChatGPT usage.
“This update makes everyday interactions more useful and more enjoyable: stronger and tighter answers across subject areas, a more natural conversational tone, and better use of the context you’ve already shared when personalization can help,” OpenAI’s blog post said.
Mashable Light Speed
According to OpenAI, GPT-5.5 Instant produced 52.5 percent fewer hallucinated claims in internal testing than GPT-5.3 in “high stakes” topics like law, finance, and medicine. In addition, the new model “reduced inaccurate claims by 37.3% on especially challenging conversations users had flagged for factual errors.”
The company also says the new model is better at deciding when to use web search for a prompt and analyzing image uploads than before. The new model is also allegedly more concise in its answers, while also maintaining something of a personality in how it talks to the user. GPT-5.5 Instant should also be better at understanding and referencing context from a connected Gmail account and other integrations to provide quality answers.
And, again, most importantly, it should avoid mentioning goblins unless absolutely necessary.
Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
