Entertainment
The Captain Picard Time Loop Nobody Ever Noticed
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Did you know that one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation owes its existence to one of the weirdest ones? In “Samaritan Snare,” the alien Pakleds are so memorable that it’s easy to forget the B story in which Captain Picard bonds with Wesley Crusher over many things, including the topic of Starfleet Academy. Picard mentions laughing when he got stabbed in the heart as a cadet, and the later episode “Tapestry” confirms that he has been stuck in a time loop, one that most fans have never even noticed.
All Because Of Q
The reason we know Picard is in a time loop goes back to “Samaritan Snare,” when he told young Wesley Crusher how he laughed when he was stabbed in the heart. “Tapestry” lets us see this whole incident in greater detail, including the fact that Picard is laughing because Q has effectively restored his timeline. “Tapestry” is a season 6 episode, one that retroactively clarifies that Picard is in a time loop and that Q’s restoration has effectively always been a part of his life.
Revealed In Tapestry
Even by Star Trek standards, this Picard time loop revelation is weird to understand, but don’t worry: we’ll break it down quicker than Geordi La Forge can fix the warp core. In “Tapestry,” the Enterprise-D captain nearly dies, and he sees Q, who claims to be God. Eventually, the alien goads Picard into admitting that he has some regrets in his life regarding his artificial heart…specifically, the irresponsible barfight where he got stabbed through the heart and made the artificial replacement necessary.
Suddenly, Picard is alive again and in his young body, and this is the beginning of our time loop. True to his word about regretting that bar fight, the future captain holds his friend back from fighting some burly Nausicaans, a move that averts conflict but shames his friends. This keeps Picard from ever getting stabbed in the heart, but when he awakes in his present day, he is no longer captain of the Enterprise-D…instead, he is an unambitious junior science officer who never really impressed Riker or Troi.
Soon, the would-be captain realizes the life lesson that Q was trying to teach him: that nearly getting killed in that bar fight taught him that he couldn’t always play it safe and that some risks (like sticking up for a friend) are worth it. Defiantly, he tells Q that he would rather die as the man he was than live as this lesser man. Picard is sent back to that night, and he goes ahead and fights, laughing as he falls to the ground after being stabbed.
Confirmed Earlier In Samaritan Snare
Thanks to “Tapestry,” we know that his laughter is tied to his relief that his original history has been corrected. However, the fact that he laughs at this moment was established back in season 2 with “Samaritan Snare.” That means Picard is effectively in a time loop in which he had always laughed and Q had effectively already intervened, sending his future self into his past body and prompting the uncharacteristic chuckling.
In the world of Star Trek, Picard’s adventure is a milder example of a time loop, especially compared to crazy events like the entire ship constantly reliving the same day in “Cause and Effect.” That makes the loop easy to miss on your first watch through TNG. As for us…well, we’ve lost count of how many rewatches we have done, leading to a realization that we didn’t even need a godlike alien to provide: fandom is, at the end of the day, a time loop unto itself.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
-
Modify
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Alter
-
Improve
-
Tweak
-
Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you can never sit down.
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:
To rise.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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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…
STAND
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.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for April 19, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
The edge.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
BRINK
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
Moody.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
POUTY
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
America’s bird.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
EAGLE
Hurdle Word 4 hint
A platform.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
FORUM
Final Hurdle hint
Cheapskate.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
MISER
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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