Entertainment
The 90s Sci-Fi Series Killed For Daring To Do Something Different
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Star Trek defined science fiction for decades, with countless studios attempting their own spin on the voyages of the starship Enterprise. In 1993, Rockne S. O’Bannon, the man who would go on to create Farscape, launched his own take on the iconic franchise that started it all, with the twist that, instead of deep space, it would take place deep underwater.
In its first season, SeaQuest DSV embraced its unique setting with episodes based on real oceanographic science and environmental issues, but the science-heavy episodes weren’t good enough for NBC executives, who wanted a younger, more action-packed series, and the result is a show that started off filled with promise but was destroyed behind the scenes by shortsighted greed.
You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
The concept of SeaQuest DSV is simple: in the future, mankind is forced to move into underwater colonies to survive in a world with rapidly dwindling resources and the effects of climate change. The SeaQuest is an experimental submarine under the oversight of the UEO (United Earth Oceans organization), tasked with scientific research and defending the colonies from raiders and rival nations. For a sci-fi series, it’s remarkably grounded, and while the first season includes an episode about a ghost ship and another involving an alien ship, the two are outliers from the rest, which deal with politics, the ethics of environmentalism, and surviving miles under the surface.
SeaQuest DSV even includes a fun bit of perfect stunt casting, with Roy Scheider, famous for playing Brody in Jaws, stars as Captain Nathan Bridger, a former military officer coming out of self-imposed exile following the death of his wife to take the helm. Bridger resigns rather than go after an anti-whaling activist, and when a catastrophic industrial accident threatens all life on Earth, he doesn’t hesitate when he realizes what has to be done. The problem is that Scheider came back for Season 2, and the shift from edutainment to action-oriented sci-fi was a waste of his acting talent, and Bridger seemed out of place fighting giant crocodiles and cloaked scientific experiments.
The rest of the crew fared even worse, with teen prodigy Lucas (Jonathan Brandis, a mainstay of Tiger Beat in the early 90s), Commander Ford (Don Franklin), and Lieutenant O’Neill (Ted Raimi) the only three to last all three seasons, well, them, and Darwin the Dolphin. In an effort to make the series appeal to a wider audience, NBC executives wanted to get more “eye candy” on the show, which meant out went Stephanie Beacham as Dr. Kristin Westphalen and Royce Applegate as Chief Crocker, in came the significantly younger Kathy Evison as JG Lonnie Henderson and Edward Keer as Lieutenant James Brody.
Cast changeover happens with every show, but by the time NBC was done, only four characters were carried over from Season 1 to Season 2, and SeaQuest DSV was completely unrecognizable.
From Science And Exploration To Giant Crocodiles
Edutainment episodes based on real science and exploration were replaced by a giant crocodile escaping from its icy prison, an alien hunter finding its way on board the sub, and even the SeaQuest itself looks different. On camera, Captain Bridger sacrificed the original to save the planet.
Off camera, SeaQuest DSV was moved from filming in Vancouver to Florida at Universal Studios, complete with a brand new set. Scheider eventually bailed, leading to Michael Ironside replacing him for Season 3, when the show was rebranded as SeaQuest 2032 as the hard-nosed Captain Oliver Hudson, but the producers may as well have been rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
SeaQuest DSV was never a ratings juggernaut, but the slower, more thoughtful, and character-driven episodes of Season 1 provided a fantastic building block for the future. O’Bannon’s biggest hit, Farscape, took time to evolve into the wild sci-fi romp it would eventually become, but his first series was denied the opportunity to grow and develop organically. The result is that Seasons 2 and 3 were flaming ratings death for NBC as every act of studio interference backfired, with audiences turning away in droves from the corny plots, which went so far in Season 3 that Poseidon was involved.
If SeaQuest DSV had remained focused on environmental plots and deep-sea exploration, it might have become one of the 90s’ best sci-fi shows instead of a forgotten series. Thanks to the raw talent of Jonathan Brandis, Lucas was even a better teen character than Wesley Crusher on The Next Generation, and again, Roy Scheider was directly involved in a network genre series as a lead, for the first and last time.
The ocean is vast and largely unexplored, filled with countless wonders, and it’s an amazing setting for a sci-fi series, but no matter how great the concept, any show will fall apart if greedy studio executives are chasing the latest trend, and there’s no telling where O’Bannon would have taken the show if he hadn’t been sabotaged.
Entertainment
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
Pennsylvania has taken the unusual step of suing an AI company for practicing medicine without a license.
In a lawsuit filed May 1, the state is targeting Character.AI after an investigator found a chatbot on the platform posing as a licensed psychiatrist and providing what the state characterizes as medical advice.
According to the complaint, filed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine, a Professional Conduct Investigator for the state created a free account on Character.AI and searched for psychiatric characters. He selected one called “Emilie,” described on the platform as a “Doctor of psychiatry.”
The investigator told Emilie he had been feeling sad, empty, tired, and unmotivated. The chatbot mentioned depression and offered to conduct an assessment to determine whether medication might help.
When pressed on whether she was licensed in Pennsylvania, Emilie said she was and even provided a specific license number. The state checked and found that the number doesn’t exist.
The complaint also states Emilie claimed she attended medical school at Imperial College London, has practiced for seven years, and holds a full specialty registration in psychiatry with the General Medical Council in the UK.
Mashable Light Speed
In a similar case, 404 Media reported last year that Instagram AI chatbots were pretending to be licensed therapists, even inventing license numbers when prompted for credentials by the user.
Pennsylvania is seeking an injunction ordering Character.AI to stop allowing its platform to engage in the unlawful practice of medicine. The company has more than 20 million monthly active users worldwide and hosts more than 18 million user-created chatbot characters, according to the complaint.
In an email to Mashable, a Character.AI spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. Further, they added that “our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our users. The user-created Characters on our site are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying.”
The spokesperson added that the company “prioritizes responsible product development and has robust internal reviews and red-teaming processes in place to assess relevant features.”
A much bigger legal battle looms over AI health
The Pennsylvania lawsuit lands in the middle of an already messy legal debate over what AI is actually allowed to tell you — and whether any of it is even admissible in court.
As Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto reported, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly advocated for “AI privilege,” arguing that chatbot conversations should be afforded the same legal protections as conversations with a therapist or an attorney. Courts have so far been split, with two federal judges reaching opposite conclusions on the question within weeks of each other earlier this year.
The stakes are high on both sides. Legal experts warn that sweeping AI privilege protections could effectively shield companies from accountability, making it harder to subpoena chat logs and internal records when something goes wrong. Meanwhile, health AI is booming — $1.4 billion flowed into healthcare-specific generative AI in 2025 alone, according to Menlo Ventures — and much of it operates outside of HIPAA protections.
Pennsylvania is one of several states to have introduced an AI Health bill this year, following a trend of states that aren’t waiting for Washington to act.
Entertainment
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Bayern Munich vs. PSG would have made an amazing Champions League final, but we should be happy that we’re getting two matchups between these electric teams. The first leg finished 5-4 to PSG. We’re not expecting the same again, because that was probably one of the best games of all time. If we get half that level of entertainment in the second leg, we’ll be delighted.
Expect more of the same from the likes of Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as these teams battle it out for a spot in the showpiece event. The winner will meet Arsenal at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
If you want to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bayern Munich vs. PSG?
Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 6. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Arena.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free
Bayern Munich vs. PSG is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
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RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Visit RTÉ Player
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Watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPn for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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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).
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
AI stocks are cooling — this ChatGPT trading tool keeps delivering
TL;DR: A ChatGPT-powered investing platform that helps you find and manage stocks with clearer signals—lifetime access for a one-time $54.97.
Credit: Sterling Stock Picker
The AI trade has seemingly had its moment — big runs, big headlines, big expectations. The AI fun is not over by any means. But now that things are settling, the real question is what comes next?
Instead of chasing whatever’s trending, Sterling Stock Picker leans into a more grounded approach: using a ChatGPT-powered assistant (Finley) to help you understand what’s actually happening inside a stock. You can ask questions about companies, sectors, or your own portfolio and get explanations that are tied to real data — not just surface-level summaries.
Mashable Deals
It also handles the heavy lifting most people avoid. The platform analyzes financials, growth metrics, and risk, then surfaces signals like whether a stock is worth buying, holding, or avoiding. There’s even a “North Star” system that simplifies that call into something actionable.
Mashable Trend Report
If you’re building from scratch, there’s a done-for-you portfolio builder that aligns with your risk tolerance. If you already have positions, it can suggest adjustments based on your portfolio’s performance.
One thing that stands out is how it balances guidance with transparency. You’re not just handed picks — you can see the reasoning behind them, which matters if you’re trying to build a repeatable process.
Have a lifetime way to pressure-test your judgment — especially in a market that’s moving past hype and into something more selective.
Get lifetime access to the ChatGPT-driven Sterling Stock Picker while it’s on sale for a one-time $54.97 payment (reg. $486) through May 10.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
