Entertainment
Starfleet Academy Mangled Star Trek's Most Important Quote About Freedom, Just Like ChatGPT Would Have
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The second scene of Starfleet Academy’s latest episode attempted to honor Star Trek: The Next Generation by having the holographic Doctor quote Aaron Satie, the famous in-universe judge that Picard quoted during “The Drumhead.” Presumably, this bit of nostalgia was meant to honor the Golden Age of Star Trek, thus reassuring skeptical fans that this wildly different spinoff hasn’t forgotten its creative roots.
Unfortunately, they failed. Not only does the Doctor omit a huge chunk of the quote, but he later insults a student in a way that shows he doesn’t actually believe any of the words he’s saying.
First, some context: in the TNG episode “The Drumhead,” an admiral is brought onboard to help the Enterprise investigate whether an explosion was the result of sabotage. She is the daughter of a famous Starfleet judge, and she is so determined to follow in her famous father’s footsteps that she is suspicious of everyone, eventually going so far as to publicly put Captain Picard on the stand for questioning. There, Picard shames and humbles her by quoting her father (Judge Aaron Satie), claiming these are “some words I’ve known since I was a schoolboy.”
Star Trek Is Playing Its Greatest Hits
The words in question are as follows:
“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” – Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Picard went on to note that Judge Satie’s words functioned “as wisdom and warning” because “the first time any man’s freedom is trodden on, we are all damaged.” He was basically calling out Admiral Satie for turning an unnecessary investigation (it turns out the explosion was an accident) into a drumhead trial where she could needlessly try to punish innocent people, including a young ensign who turned out to secretly have Romulan parentage.
In the most recent episode of Starfleet Academy, the Doctor is in charge of hosting a debate competition named after the late, great Judge Aaron Satie, and he quotes the same words to his students that Picard once quoted to Satie’s own daughter. There’s just one problem: he omits a large part of the quote. In the episode as originally released on Paramount+, he goes from saying the word “forbidden” to the word “us,” leaving out the phrase “the first freedom denied” and the word “chains.”
“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, us all.” – The Doctor on Starfleet Academy
Most Starfleet Academy fans who noticed this error assumed that it was a sound editing error, mostly because it seems like there was a pause where the word “chains” could be said before the word “us.” Such an editing mistake would be a major screw-up on the producers’ fault because it ruins what is supposed to be this big, fan service nod to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Plus, with how expensive NuTrek is (Discovery and Strange New Worlds episodes each cost between $7-$10 million to produce), it’s wild to think such a blatant sound error got past the editors of Paramount+’s biggest new show.
Pushing The Buttons On Every Older Trek Fan
Of course, even if the error was just omitting the word “chains,” that means the Doctor still screwed up the quote. Even if he had said “chains,” he would have still left out another part of the quote: “the first freedom denied.” That may sound like nitpicking, but why would the Starfleet Academy writers go out of their way to quote one of the most famous lines and scenes in Star Trek: The Next Generation if they are just going to screw it up?
Judging from the rest of the scene, however, I may be giving those writers too much credit. At one point, to shock the class (and, presumably, the audience), the Doctor declares that “speech and debate is not for the chickensh*t,” causing a bespectacled student (seriously, why do so many people in the 32nd century still wear glasses?) to ask if the haughty hologram is allowed to talk like that.
Do The Writers Need Their Vision Checked?
At this, the Doctor wheels on the poor kid, telling him that “I have existed longer than your entire lineage… I have earned the right to speak as I see fit. One day, you too may earn that same privilege.” When the cadet groans, the Doctor wraps up their sidebar conversation by saying, “But alas, that day is not today.”
It’s meant to be a funny moment, par for the course in a show that can never go very long without dropping a clunky punchline. But in trying to make the audience laugh (and justify the Doctor’s weirdly archaic vulgarity), the Starfleet Academy writers reveal that they don’t understand (or maybe just don’t care) anything about the iconic words he was just quoting.
You see, the quote emphasizes how societies lose their essential freedoms when “the first speech” is “censured” and how this is “the first link” in a chain that binds us all. But in trying to make an example of the cadet who asked about his vulgar language, the Doctor tells him that speaking however one “sees fit” is a right the Doctor “earned” through old age. It’s a “privilege” that the young man “may earn” only with the passage of time.
The Doctor Took The Hippocratic Oath
So, what is it, Doc? Do you believe, as Judge Satie said, that all speech should be protected because as soon as we prevent someone from speaking their mind, we collectively imprison everyone’s thoughts and feelings? Or do you believe that only older people get to speak their mind and that these young whipper snappers need to shut up and earn the right to speak as they see fit?
Again, this may seem like nitpicking, but this scene is practically a microcosm of everything wrong with Starfleet Academy. It sabotages a beloved legacy character (The Doctor) by turning him into a foul-mouthed hypocrite who can’t keep up with what he said only moments ago. This all happened because the writers screwed up an homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation, completely ruining an iconic quote while demonstrating their ignorance as to what it even means.
As a fan of the franchise since the ‘80s (yes, Next Generation was my first series), I really want to like Starfleet Academy, and I guess I should be grateful the writers are trying so hard to jam in references from that era of the franchise. But what’s the point if they are going to screw up an important quote like this from beginning to end? Sorry, Paramount: this is a Star Trek show in name only, and older fans are beyond sick of you trying to sell us a generic sci-fi comedy that only makes gestures towards better series that the writers (if there are any) can never (and apparently will never) truly understand.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 6, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re good at reading facial expressions.
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: Let’s face it
The words are related to the dace.
Mashable Top Stories
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe unique characteristics.
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 Features
NYT Strands word list for February 6
-
Brows
-
Cheeks
-
Eyes
-
Mouth
-
Features
-
Hairline
-
Forehead
-
Nose
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
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 6, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you have a caffeine addiction.
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.
Mashable Top Stories
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:
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Items at a coffee station
-
Green: Things with stripes
-
Blue: Words before “Fly” in insect names
-
Purple: Homophones of greetings
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 #971 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Items at a coffee station: CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW
-
Things with stripes: CANDY CANE, CROSSWALK, REFEREE, TIGER
-
Words before “Fly” in insect names: BUTTER, DRAGON, FIRE, HORSE
-
Homophones of greetings: CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH
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
How to watch the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 live online for free
TL;DR: Live stream the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
There are so many incredible sporting events taking place in 2026. Fans can look forward to the Winter Olympics, World Cup, and much more this year. And cricket fans don’t need to wait long for arguably the biggest showpiece event on the calendar: the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The best international T20 teams are heading to India and Sri Lanks to compete for the top prize. You can expect the likes of India, Australia, South Africa, and England to be fighting it out in the knockout rounds. Those teams are the pre-tournament favorites, but this electric form of the game is unpredictable. Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Pakistan possess the talent to beat anyone on their best day.
If you want to watch the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
What is the T20 World Cup?
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a Twenty20 International cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council. The event is generally held every two years. India are the defending champions.
In 2026, 20 teams will compete in 55 matches across five venues. The 20 qualifying teams are divided into four groups of five. In the group stage, each team will play four matches in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the Super 8 stage. At this point, teams will be placed into two groups of four, and will play three matches. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage.
Mashable Top Stories
When is the 2026 T20 World Cup?
The 2026 T20 World Cup is the 10th edition of the competition. This year’s event takes place from Feb. 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka.
How to watch the 2026 T20 World Cup for free
The 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.
This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.
Access free T20 Cricket World Cup live streams by following these simple steps:
-
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
-
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
-
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access
-
Visit ICC.TV
-
Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?
ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:
-
Servers in 105 countries
-
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
-
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
-
Fast connection speeds
-
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
-
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Watch the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 for free with ExpressVPN.
Seahawks slide to bigger favorites ahead of Super Bowl LV
Report: Celtics' Xavier Tillman traded to Hornets in buzzer-beater
