Entertainment
The Best Star Wars Stories You've Never Heard Of
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
With Kathleen Kennedy stepping down from Lucasfilm, many fans are hoping we might start getting better movies and TV shows set in a galaxy far, far away. Unfortunately, that could take a long, long time, and there’s no guarantee the franchise will ever hit the creative heights it experienced under George Lucas. In the meantime, here’s some good news for Star Wars fans: there are decades of killer audio dramas for you to catch up on.
Star Wars Audio Dramas Rule
Interestingly, the phenomenon of Star Wars audio dramas goes back to the early days of the Original Trilogy. Back in 1981, NPR released an audio drama recreating A New Hope, and we later got adaptations of The Empire Strikes and The Return of the Jedi. Each of them has a full cast of voice actors that includes familiar franchise faces like Mark Hamill and Billie Dee Williams as well as fun newcomers like Brock Peters and John Lithgow.
These early Star Wars audio dramas kicked off a storytelling tradition that continued into the ‘90s with adaptations of some of the best Dark Horse comics of that era. This includes adaptations of Dark Empire, Crimson Empire, and many more. As someone who grew up reading these awesome comics, it’s great hearing them brought to life in a way that I can enjoy during walks, gym visits, or late night video game sessions.
For Star Wars fans who don’t mind enjoying non-canonical stories, there are plenty of other audio dramas to choose from based on Legends characters and tales. This includes stories related to Dark Forces, the iconic Star Wars first-person shooter that recently got a remaster. There are also adaptations of the Tales of the Jedi comics that gave fans our first real glimpse of what the Jedi were like at the height of their power.
When it comes to non-canon Star Wars audio dramas, many would say the gold standards are the ones created Kyle Newman. He recorded and/or released these tales for different Star Wars Celebration conventions, and each drama focuses on Han Solo and Chewbacca’s adventures after A New Hope. As an added bonus, these dramas featured the vocal talents of voice actors from the beloved Clone Wars cartoon series.
There are, of course, canonical Star Wars audio dramas, including ones focusing on Count Dooku and Doctor Aphra (a fan-favorite character that debuted in the comics). There are also several audio dramas set during the High Republic era. If you hated how The Acolyte portrayed that time period, you may enjoy the more coherent audio dramas, which have 100 percent less mystery boxes and confusing flashbacks.
If you want to check these Star Wars audio dramas out, your best bet is to explore them through Audible, which has many available at the click of a button. If you’re feeling old-school, though, you can always track down the vintage cassettes or CDs for the older productions. No matter how you experience these dramas, you can be sure of one thing: they are far, far better than what Disney has been trying to shove down our throats for the last few years.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
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 Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
