Entertainment
The Battlestar Galactica Episode Secretly Inspired By McDonald’s
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reboot is one of the most grim and gritty sci-fi shows ever created. Every bulkhead is absolutely brimming with drama, including simmering tensions between the civilian fleet and the soldiers protecting them. There’s also plenty of erotic tension, like the kind fueling every single interaction between Starbuck and Apollo. Making everything that much worse is the general premise of the show: that most of humanity has been wiped out by evil robots, and everyone who is left must constantly run, fight, and run some more to keep the genocidal clankers hoping to finish the job.
Long story short, the series is very dramatic, and it’s filled with one weird bummer of a moment after another. However, these are counterbalanced by moments of triumph and joy made all the sweeter by our characters’ constant struggles. A great example of this is “The Hand of God,” a Season 1 episode where the Battlestar Galactica crew finally took the fight to the Cylons and won a hard-fought victory. Understandably, it was an episode that made the fans quite happy. However, what most fans don’t know is that this episode had a nickname inspired by the pioneers of the Happy Meal: McDonald’s!
Big Mac, Big Bang
The premise of “The Hand of God” is that the Battlestar Galactica crew discovers an asteroid filled with tylium, which is necessary for faster-than-light travel. There’s just one problem: it’s being guarded by the Cylons, who are busy mining it for their own needs. Sick of running and hungry for the opportunity, Commander Adama orders the asteroid to be taken by force. This is a dangerous proposition, as the ship has only narrowly escaped earlier encounters with the Cylons. But thanks to a crazy plan from Starbuck and some hotshot flying from Apollo, the Galactica crew is able to score their first real victory against the toasters, boosting morale throughout the fleet.
Incidentally, the plot of this episode was written to boost morale among the viewers as well. As written in Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, “The Hand of God” started when co-showrunner David Eick was taking inventory of the kinds of episodes they had already made. “I had done an interior courtroom drama, we had done an inside-Baltar’s-head episode, we had done a torture room episode and a somewhat absurd episode, and I thought we needed to remind viewers why the show’s called Battlestar Galactica, he said. “So I asked David [Weddle] and Bradley [Thompson] to give us a ‘Big Mac’—a big combat show.”
Smoke’em If You Got’em
What made “The Hand of God” a “big combat show,” exactly? Basically, Battlestar Galactica didn’t have enough of a budget to show extravagant space fights in every episode. Frankly, that’s one of the reasons so much time is spent on Caprica and aboard the Galactica. Nonetheless, Eick and the other producers knew how much fans loved the show’s killer space battles. “Big Mac” was a fitting nickname, then, as it referred to giving viewers much more of the action (i.e., the meat) than they normally got.
In this case, David Eick’s instincts were perfectly correct: “The Hand of God” ended up being a crowd-pleasing fan-favorite, largely because of the ambitious outer space battles. After watching our heroes get their butts kicked for so much of Season 1, this victory over the dastardly Cylons felt downright cathartic. This was an episode that set the bar for such scenes quite high. Fortunately, the Battlestar Galactica writers and producers rose to the challenge, and the action on this show only gets better over time. If you’re as religious as Six, you might say this was because the series’ success was guided by the titular hand of god.
Or, quite possibly, the white-gloved hand of a darker, much more Eldritch figure: Ronald McDonald!
Entertainment
The 2000s Sci-Fi Space Adventure Epic That Destroyed An Entire Studio
By Charlene Badasie
| Published
Titan A.E. is an animated sci-fi action adventure directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Released in 2000, it was a major project for Fox Animation Studios. But despite its ambitious scope and visual appeal, the film was a commercial failure, earning $36.8 million at the box office against a budget of almost $90 million. So, the studio closed its doors, and the movie became infamous as a result.
Leaving In The Titan
Titan A.E. tells the story of a young man named Cale Tucker (Matt Damon) who is tasked with saving humanity after a hostile alien species destroys Earth. The movie begins in 3028 when The Titan Project becomes the target of a hostile alien race called the Drej. Made of pure energy, the aliens fear that the ambitious Earthly undertaking will allow humans to challenge their power.
The Drej eventually launch a massive attack on Earth, forcing humans to evacuate the planet. Amid the chaos, Professor Sam Tucker (Ron Perlman) leaves his son Cale with his alien friend Tek (Tone Loc).
Before leaving in the Titan spaceship, Sam gives Cale a gold ring and tells him that as long as he wears it, there will be hope for humanity. Over a decade later, Titan A.E. finds the surviving humans living as refugees without a home planet.
Meanwhile, Cale has become jaded and works in a space station salvage yard. Former military officer and trusted companion of Cale’s father, Joseph Korso (Bill Pullman), finds Cale and reveals that the whereabouts of the Titan are hidden in his ring.
Becoming Fast Friends
Upon activating it, a holographic map opens. Korso asks Cale to accompany his crew to Valkyrie so they can search for the Titan together. Cale agrees and becomes fast friends with pilot Akima Kunimoto (Drew Barrymore) and three alien crew members, including first mate Preed (Nathan Lane), weapons officer Stith (Janeane Garofalo), and scientist Gune (John Leguizamo).
Using Cale’s map, they reach the planet Sesharrim, where the Gaoul reveals the Titan’s location. But everything is not as it seems in Titan A.E., as the map often changes. The crew of the Valkyrie is also faced with various challenges, including a kidnapping and a shocking betrayal that takes the story to a new level.
The Deathblow To Fox Animation Studios
Originally planned as a live-action movie named “Planet Ice,” Titan A.E. was brought to life as an animated feature due to the high costs of the visuals.
Ben Edlund penned the initial script, with John August handling re-writes. With a budget of $55 million and 19 months to complete after $30 million had already been spent on pre-production, much of the animation was computer-generated, with traditional animation used for the main characters. Despite various setbacks, like studio cutbacks and executive changes, the film was released in 2000.
However, the closure of Fox Animation Studios shortly after hindered its promotion and distribution. In fact, cutbacks at the studio during the making of Titan A.E. were largely responsible for the movie underperforming. It kind of all went wrong at once here.
Still, Titan A.E. made almost $9.4 million in its opening weekend, ranking fifth behind other popular films. However, its audience dropped by 60 percent the following weekend.
Streaming Titan A.E.
Titan A.E. received mixed reviews from critics and currently holds a 51 percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 61 percent audience score.
The movie’s DVD release featured extras like commentary by the directors, deleted scenes, and a music video. Titan A.E. is available via various video-on-demand platforms such as YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Entertainment
Im watching the British GP for free this weekend — how to live stream F1 for free
TL;DR: In the UK, Channel 4 will be providing live coverage of the 2026 British Grand Prix for free. In the U.S., sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels to watch select F1 races for free.
Watch the British GP for free with a 7-day trial
The Austrian GP offered another thrilling weekend of racing from the best drivers in the world. George Russell came out on top after holding off the advances of Verstappen and Antonelli. Ferrari and McLaren constantly swapped positions just behind in what was one of the most interesting GPs of the season.
Will we get more of the same from the British GP? We certainly hope so.
If you want to watch F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we’ve got all the information you need.
When is the British GP?
The British GP is the ninth race of the 2026 F1 season. Here’s the full schedule from Silverstone:
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Practice 1 — 7:30-8:30 a.m. ET on July 3
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Sprint Qualifying — 11:30 a.m. to 12:14 p.m. ET on July 3
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Sprint — 7-8 a.m. ET on July 4
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Qualifying — 11 a.m to 12 p.m. ET on July 4
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Race — 10 a.m. ET on July 5
Fans can follow all the action from this race weekend without spending anything.
How to watch the British GP for free
It’s important to note that Channel 4 will be providing live coverage of the 2026 British Grand Prix for free in the UK. That’s nice and easy for fans in the UK.
If you’re based in the U.S., you’ll need to take a few additional steps to watch this race weekend for free.
I subscribe to Amazon Prime. I subscribe for the fast shipping, exclusive Prime Day deals, and access to Prime Video. It’s the access to Prime Video that becomes all-important for F1 fans.
It is now possible to sign up for a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. F1 is exclusive to Apple TV in the U.S., so by accessing this free trial, you can watch select races for free this season. The subscription costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel this renewal at any time. By cancelling ahead of the renewal, you can watch the British GP this weekend without spending anything.
Mashable Deals
I understand the argument that I’m not really watching for free because I subscribe to Amazon Prime. I get that, but Amazon Prime does offer a 30-day free trial period if you’re new to the service. By signing up for this free trial and then gaining access to Apple TV through Prime Video Channels, you can truly watch select races for free this season.
If you’ve already used this hack to watch a race this season, there are some alternatives.
My recommendation is to go direct to Apple TV. This popular steaming service comes with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Alternatively, Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial.
The best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product. If you’re planning on buying something from Apple, you could gain access to Apple TV for a pretty large chunk of this season. You will obviously need to buy something, but if you were already in the market for an upgrade, this method makes a lot of sense.
How to live stream 2026 F1 for free in 2026
Best Apple TV Deal
Apple TV
7-day free trial
Best Apple One Deal
Apple One
30-day free trial
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for July 4, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, 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 on to 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 with 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 July 4 Pips
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 4 Pips
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.
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Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 4 Pips
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 2-6, placed vertically.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-1, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
The 2000s Sci-Fi Space Adventure Epic That Destroyed An Entire Studio
Im watching the British GP for free this weekend — how to live stream F1 for free
