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
Meta avoids another trial over social media harms as teen plaintiff drops lawsuit
Meta has skirted another jury over claims its platforms are facilitating a youth mental health crisis.
The company was set to go to trial in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles next week, but the 15-year-old plaintiff, referred to as R.K.C, has now dropped the lawsuit.
“In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta. He’s ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life,” attorneys for R.K.C. said in a statement.
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According to the lawsuit, R.K.C. said he became addicted to social media over the last seven years, and linked his anxiety and depression to extensive time online. Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube were also named in the initial lawsuit, but the companies reached settlement deals with R.K.C prior to going in front of the jury.
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“Days after settling with other social media companies, the plaintiff dropped his case against Meta, the only remaining defendant, without receiving any payment,” a Meta spokesperson said following the news. “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.”
Meta’s spokesperson said the facts of the case could not prove that the company’s platforms caused R.K.C.’s mental health struggles. Meta previously called attention to the fact that R.K.C. had not spent significant amounts of time on Meta platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, in a Motion for Summary Judgment. The company also said they could not verify that R.K.C. had a long-standing account history on Meta platforms.
In March, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million to another teen plaintiff who accused multiple social media companies of knowingly investing in design features that would hook users, despite knowing of their potential harm. The jury found the two companies liable for mental health-related harms caused by negligent design features and “social media addiction.” It was the first time a jury found social media companies responsible for the psychological effects of their platforms on teens.
At the time, Meta said it was appealing the decision. The company has faced multiple lawsuits brought forth by teens, parents, school districts, and state leaders. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a Meta spokesperson said following the March verdict. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 23, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a frequent flyer.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. 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 today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. 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 of 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 until 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 categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Rounded
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Green: Nervous Nancy
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Blue: Catch a flight
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Purple: Math words
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Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Spherical things
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Green: In an anxious state
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Blue: Parts of an airport
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Purple: Ending in geometry terms
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 #1138 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Spherical things: BASEBALL, GLOBE,
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In an anxious state: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE
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Parts of an airport: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES
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Ending in geometry terms: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
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 Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for July 23, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a veteran.
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: Hail to the chief petty officer
The words are related to the military.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe military titles.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
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NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Navy Ranks.
NYT Strands word list for July 23
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Recruit
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Admiral
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Ensign
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Navy Ranks
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Lieutenant
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Commander
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.
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