Entertainment
The Best Star Trek Show Never Got The Audience It Deserves
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Star Trek fans have always enjoyed the franchise’s techno-powered socialist utopia, so it’s only fitting that the cancellation of Lower Decks has revealed the biggest lie of capitalism: if you build it, they will come. That is, we spend our lives being told that being successful is just a matter of demonstrating your talent and doing an awesome job. For this Star Trek fan, Lower Decks was a nearly perfect show, but its cancellation reveals two bitter truths: being great doesn’t translate to being profitable, and modern Trekkers simply have no idea what they want.
Do Fans Want Star Trek: Lower Decks?
Paramount has been understandably loathe to discuss the numbers that motivated them to prematurely cancel Star Trek shows Discovery and Lower Decks, both of whom unexpectedly had to make their fifth seasons into final seasons. The chief assumption about Lower Decks is that, even though it is far cheaper to produce than shows like Strange New Worlds, it wasn’t getting enough views or driving enough new subscribers to Paramount+. And while Paramount’s poor handling of the NuTrek area is partially to blame, I can’t help but think my fellow fans just don’t know what they really want for this franchise.
Star Trek characters like Michael Burnham are fond of children’s tales like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so I think it’s only fitting to view Lower Decks in terms of another kiddie fable: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. While Discovery ended strong, it initially put new fans off by focusing so much on old lore that it disrupted existing canon regarding everything from the Klingons to Spock’s tangled family tree. Put simply, early Discovery stumbled because it tried to focus too much on familiar characters and events rather than trying something new.
By comparison, Picard had the opposite problem. Patrick Stewart himself reportedly wanted this show to avoid too many connections to The Next Generation, which is just one reason why the first two seasons were a hot mess. Only after the failure of those earlier seasons did Paramount and Stewart give the fans what they wanted, transforming season 3 into a TNG reunion. Before that killer final season, though, Picard’s biggest failing was that it kept trying to do something completely new instead of focusing on what made its titular character so great in the first place.
The next major Star Trek series was Lower Decks, and it managed to find the Goldilocks balance fans craved. Every season was filled with hilarious callbacks to beloved characters from Q to Harry Kim, and the show always had great Easter eggs for older fans to appreciate (I almost spit my drink out when I saw the giant-sized skeleton of Spock Two, an obscure Animated Series character). At the same time, the show introduced amazing new characters like Boimler and Mariner, proving that Lower Decks, like Goldilocks’ preferred bed, was “just right” in its ability to focus on something old and something new at the same time.
So Much Potential
Another thing the show got “just right” was finding a sweet spot between delivering silly comedy and creating killer canon. Each episode of Lower Decks delivered its share of lighthearted laughs, but the show was never afraid to change canon up in big ways (I particularly loved the return of Nick Locarno). And the series finale ended with Starfleet having a stable wormhole to the multiverse, which is more or less an open invitation for future Trek writers to go absolutely wild with all that juicy narrative potential.
As a Star Trek fan who fell in love with the franchise during the original run of TNG, “potential” is the word I most associate with Lower Decks. The show lived up to all of its potential and then some, combining side-splitting comedy with exciting stories that stretched the boundaries of this franchise. Honestly, if Star Trek is all about Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, Lower Decks deserves a permanent place in Stovokor for being the only NuTrek show (sorry, Strange New Worlds) to fully embrace this Vulcan ideal.
Unfortunately, the premature cancellation of the show means that the fandom either doesn’t appreciate the best that NuTrek has to offer or, worse yet, has no idea what it really wants from this venerable franchise. Star Wars understandably gets heat for its failure to deliver what fans want, but the general assumption is that Disney execs are (for whatever reason) ignoring a proven, fan-favorite formula in favor of cramming their own brand of action figure-optimized content down our throats.
However, Star Trek is now in a far worse position where seemingly nobody knows what they want from this franchise, and a world where fans have rejected Lower Decks is one where the franchise is doomed to die a slow death. With any luck, Paramount will bring Mike McMahan’s pioneering show back in one form or another in order to get our favorite sci-fi universe back on track. Otherwise, the phrase “Star Trek Into Darkness” won’t simply describe the franchise’s worst film. It will also describe exactly how Gene Roddenberry’s universe dies in the hands of careless executives who cannot stop failing the fandom.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 2, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.
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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.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: A Pittsburgh Athlete
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Green: Seen on an MLB Scorebug
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Blue: Teams in the PWHL Playoffs
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Purple: Horse Racing Triple Crowns
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: Sports Edition #585 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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A Pittsburgh Athlete: PANTHER, PENGUIN, PIRATE, STEELER
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Seen on an MLB Scorebug: COUNT, INNING, OUTS, SCORE
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Teams in the PWHL Playoffs: CHARGE, FLEET, FROST, VICTORIE
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Horse Racing Triple Crowns: AFFIRMED, CITATION, JUSTIFY, WHIRLAWAY
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
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 today’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for May 2, 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 May 2 Pips
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.
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Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.
Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 1-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-1, 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.
Entertainment
New rules for the Oscars: AI actors are out of the race
The Academy won’t be handing over the golden statuette to robots anytime soon.
In new rules announced May 1, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that AI performances are not eligible for an Oscar. Filmmakers can still utilize AI tools in their submitted works, but only human actors and human-authored screenplays will be considered for the body’s highest honors.
The move aligns with AI agreements won during the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes and addresses growing tension over the presence of generative AI tools across artistic industries.
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For example, a recent trailer for the upcoming historical adventure film As Deep as the Grave, featuring an entirely AI-generated recreation of the late Val Kilmer, caused widespread furor among fans who recoiled at the on-screen digital likeness. Prior to his death, Kilmer created an AI version of his speaking voice with UK tech company Sonantic. Other celebrities, like Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine, have worked with AI company ElevenLabs to clone their voices, as well.
But while some celebs are getting ahead of their AI counterparts, others are fighting back against nonconsensual deepfakes writ large. Pop star Taylor Swift recently filed for trademark of her voice and image — including the phrase “Hey, it’s Taylor.” — amid a surge of synthetic AI likenesses of her proliferating across the internet, including ones used in data phishing scams.
The Academy announced additional rule changes for international film and acting categories, generating buzz online after several contentious Oscar campaign races in recent years. For non-English films, a country can now have multiple nominated entries instead of the previous limit of one. Similarly, actors can receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances rank in the top five.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Oscars
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