Entertainment
The Best Star Trek Movie Only Happened Because One Man Saved Picard's Greatest Foe
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Outside of the Klingons, the most legendary foe in Star Trek is arguably the Borg, whose nearly-unstoppable cybernetic warriors have come close to wiping out the Federation on a number of occasions. While these baddies were thought to be defeated in the series finale of Voyager, they popped up yet again to torment the titular hero of Picard across multiple seasons. However, what most fans don’t realize is that we would have possibly never heard from the Borg after The Next Generation if not for the late, great executive producer, Michael Piller.
Piller is, in a very real way, the man who saved TNG: he became showrunner in Season 3, ushering in an era of better uniforms, bigger sets, and infinitely improved writing. In Season 6, the writer of the two-part, Borg-centric episode “Descent” was unsure how to broach the fact that the Enterprise crew returned a freed Borg (Hugh) back to the Collective. This could theoretically change their entire race, and while “Descent” dealt with Borg who had been infected with individuality, the episode never specified just how many Borg were affected by Hugh’s return.
My Borg Friend’s Back (And There’s Gonna Be Trouble)
That was actually Michael Piller’s suggestion, and he thought the episode would be stronger if it left that matter as an open question for the fans. Understandably, these episodes led to intense online speculation and more than a few Star Trek convention arguments about whether the Borg were now completely different. Previously, they had been like robot zombies driven by the monolithic will of their Collective; however, the Borg in “Descent,” after reabsorbing Hugh (a Borg who developed an identity of his own), were basically just a bunch of independent-minded thugs being bossed around by Data’s evil brother.
While Star Trek fans generally liked “Descent,” the fandom was almost collective in its dislike of the new Borg. Having them team up with another villain made for some good temporary drama, and it led to a really great episode for Brent Spiner’s Data. But as villains, the Borg had arguably lost everything that made them cool or unique in the first place.
Resistance Was Futile
That’s why it was such a relief when these villains showed up as their old selves in Star Trek: First Contact. Sure, some things were new (mostly, the fact that they now had a creepy Queen), but these guys were mostly back to being the shambling, unstoppable robot zombies that terrified fans in the first place. This movie served as a kind of creative reset for these villains, and most future appearances of the Borg (from their many appearances in Voyager to their final appearance in Picard) focused on them as a Collective rather than a group of individuals.
None of that would have been possible, however, without Michael Piller. He was the one who suggested that “Descent” writer Ronald D. Moore should never specify how many Borg had transformed into individuals once Hugh’s freed personality had been absorbed into the Collective. At the time, many fans hoped that it would just be a small segment of the Borg that were affected, and the rest of the Collective had remained unchanged; those hopes were paid off in First Contact, a movie whose plot would have been impossible if Piller hadn’t saved the Borg from becoming generic villains.
Creatively speaking, this was both a blessing and a curse; the Borg eventually became wildly oversaturated in the franchise, with every new appearance making them feel a bit less special. Nonetheless, though, they remain the most legendary foes from the Golden Age of Star Trek, and they would have faded into obscurity if not for the intervention of Michael Piller. In this way, the man who saved Picard’s first show also saved the foes who would make the captain’s life a living hell for decades to come.
Entertainment
Home Depots Spring Black Friday sale is packed with free cordless tools — find the best BOGO deals on DeWalt, Ryobi, and Milwaukee
Table of Contents
The best Home Depot cordless tools deals at a glance:
Black Friday in April? Sure, why not. This year, Home Depot is celebrating the season by offering steep discounts on everything we need for spring yard work, getting those DIY projects underway, and preparing for outdoor summer fun. It’s a great time to save on plants, mulch, a new lawn mower, patio furniture, pizza ovens, barbecues, and even major home appliances like refrigerators.
But of course, Home Depot is always a go-to if you’re in need of fresh cordless tools. Whether you’ll use them for home or on the job site, shopping the Home Depot Spring Sale for deals is a smart move. We’re seeing nice BOGO offers from big hitters like DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita that’ll offer a free extra bonus with purchase. In addition to the BOGO deals, we have nice offers from Ryobi and Ridgid.
While the spring sale at Home Depot only started on April 9, we’re already seeing some BOGO deals that have sold out way ahead of the sale’s official end date of April 22. If this trend continues, it might be worth shopping soon to get the best selection. Here are some standout offers.
Best Milwaukee BOGO deal
free Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion High Output Battery Pack with purchase
Why we like it
Milwaukee is one of the standout cordless tool brands, and they have deals abound during the Home Depot Spring Black Friday sale. One of the most attractive is snagging the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit for $399 and getting the Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion High Output Battery Pack 6.0Ah for free. That works out to a saving of $199.
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Home Depot mentions the compact hammer drill is the most powerful in its class with the quickest driving speed. Milwaukee also added an auto-stop feature that eliminates over-rotation. Plus, the three LED lights that surround the bit and fastener are ideal for getting a clear view.
Best DeWalt BOGO deal
free DeWalt FlexVolt 20V/60V MAX Lithium-Ion 6.0Ah Battery Pack with purchase
Why we like it
This BOGO deal offers a serious value. Snag the DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX Cordless Brushless 7-1/4 inch Circular Saw for $299 from Home Depot and get the DeWalt FlexVolt 20V/60V MAX Lithium-Ion 6.0Ah Battery Pack with 6 Amp Output Charger for free, which ordinarily costs $249. That makes this one of the best BOGO values in the Home Depot spring sale.
The DeWalt FlexVolt family features over 180 tools with the Circular Saw offering 2,456 unit watts out. There’s an electric brake, integrated LED lights, and even rafter hooks for easy storage.
Best Ryobi deal
$369
at Home Depot
$529
Save $160
Why we like it
While this deal isn’t part of Home Depot’s BOGO offers, it’s still an excellent buy. The Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless 8-Tool Combo Kit is 30% off and serves as a great DIY combo kit for all sorts of home projects. There’s a driver/drill, impact driver, reciprocating saw, circular saw, multi-tool, and more. To keep things neat and organized, the Ryobi kit comes with two tool bags.
Entertainment
What is OnlyFans?
The creator platform OnlyFans has changed the adult industry since its inception a decade ago. What started as a tip jar for bloggers has become an extreme moneymaker for some porn performers, making six figures a year or even in a single month. But do you have to post sexually explicit work on OnlyFans? Are you required to message back and forth with strangers? Can you actually make money on the platform? What is OnlyFans, anyway?
We’re here to answer your questions.
What is OnlyFans?
OnlyFans was started in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely. Its main goal is to help content creators and artists “monetize their content while developing authentic relationships with their fanbase.” This basically means the platform was created to let users post content behind a paywall, which fans have to subscribe to for access. Fans can also pay more to message back and forth with creators and “tip” to get content created on demand that’s specifically tailored to their interests and tastes.
If you look back at OnlyFans promotional materials from 2016, you’ll notice that it was geared towards “safe for work” creators, like bloggers and YouTubers. This changed in 2018, when the majority of its parent company, Fenix International Limited, was sold to Ukrainian-American entrepreneur Leonid Radvinsky. Radvinsky, who died in March 2026 at the age of 43, previously founded the porn site MyFreeCams. OnlyFans pivoted to porn after 2018 (despite any type of creator still allowed on the platform), and it exploded in usage and name recognition during the COVID lockdowns.
While creators don’t have to post explicit content on the platform (and in fact, Mashable interviewed a creator who makes six figures from OnlyFans without nudity), it’s what the platform is known for at this point. In 2021, OnlyFans announced it would ban explicit content, only to reverse the decision days later due to backlash.
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How much money can creators make on it?
It depends on the kind of content you’re producing, how much reach you have, and a whole host of other variables, but creators can make anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand. In 2023, the average OnlyFans creator made just $1,300 a year from the platform, but Mashable has interviewed creators who’ve made millions from it. Last year, current OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair shared that the platform paid out $25 billion to creators since 2016.
But if you think OnlyFans is “easy money,” think again. Last year, Mashable interviewed different creators about the work that goes into building a successful OnlyFans, including investing in camera equipment, hiring help, and marketing yourself.
How do you subscribe to creators?
You don’t have to be a creator to use the platform — in fact, it’s fueled by users who don’t post on the platform. In order to subscribe to creators, you simply have to create an OnlyFans account, go to the Home page, and find someone you’re interested in following. Check out their subscription tiers, and decide what kind of bundle or offer you’re interested in paying for. You can also tip a creator any amount you want, or pay for messages and individualized content with pay-per-view messages that range anywhere from a couple dollars to more than $100, depending on the creator.
And if you have a friend who’s started posting on OnlyFans and you want to support them, there are ways to do that, too, from subscribing to their pages to offering emotional support.
This article was originally published in 2021 and updated in 2026.
Entertainment
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is getting a restock April 10. How to get yours before its gone.
Just a few months ago, Samsung launched a really huge foldable phone. Now, it seems like this Friday might be your last chance to get one.
The Samsung TriFold, which made waves when it launched in Asia late last year before making its western debut at CES 2026. The phone sold out almost instantly upon its U.S. release on Jan. 30 before disappearing from store shelves in March.
Samsung is committing to one more restock on April 10, both online via Samsung’s website and at a smattering of retail Samsung stores across the U.S. As before, we fully expect the online restock to sell out very quickly, so your best bet might be to make it to one of the physical locations, if you can.
In a note to press, Samsung mentioned these Samsung stores as places where you can expect TriFold restocks:
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Obviously, there are huge chunks of the U.S. that are not especially close to any of those locations, so grabbing the TriFold online will be the only option for many. In person or online, it won’t be easy to get your hands on the $2,899 TriFold, as Samsung has only produced the phone in very limited numbers.
Samsung hasn’t said one way or another if this will be the final restock, but given that the phone was already discontinued in Korea, customers probably shouldn’t bet on any more restocks in the future. Rumor has it the company has been selling the TriFold at a loss.
Given its high price and experimental form factor, this doesn’t necessarily mean the phone was a failure. It could just mean that Samsung never intended to make the TriFold widely available for a long time.
In other words, if you want one, you better find a way to make it happen on Friday.
Home Depots Spring Black Friday sale is packed with free cordless tools — find the best BOGO deals on DeWalt, Ryobi, and Milwaukee
What is OnlyFans?
