Entertainment
The First Order Would've Saved Luke Skywalker's Star Wars Legacy
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
By far, the most shocking moment of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy was the sudden death of the Original Trilogy hero Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. That film portrays this as a noble sacrifice; Luke gives up his life (like Obi-Wan Kenobi before him) in order to help Rey, Leia, and the rest of the Resistance escape the First Order. However, the films make it clear that the First Order was going to self-destruct sooner rather than later, arguably making Luke Skywalker’s sacrifice completely meaningless.
The First Order Was Doomed
For the most part, the Star Wars sequels didn’t break the mold of the Original Trilogy that much. The Resistance, of course, was meant to be analogous to the Rebels, right down to Leia being their leader. The First Order is meant to be analogous to the Empire, but they are so much worse than their forebears that, without the Resistance, Luke Skywalker would still be alive.
The reason for this is that the First Order is insular and self-destructive, unlike the Empire. In A New Hope, we see Darth Vader Force choke a colleague, but he stops doing so at Grand Moff Tarkin’s command. The message was clear: this is an organization with colorful characters, but the excesses of characters like Vader are kept in check by the same galaxy-spanning bureaucracy that the Rebels had so much trouble defeating.
Now, the First Order’s Vader was Kylo Ren, just as the Resistance’s Luke Skywalker was Rey. But we see Ren as a mostly unchecked ball of rage. He’s the kind of guy who starts destroying company property whenever he has a hissy fit. If The Force Awakens taught us anything about Kylo Ren, it’s that he is just one bad day away from accidentally destroying the ship he is on by swinging his lightsaber around like an angry child.
Luke Skywalker
But what does this Kylo Ren character trait have to do with the incompetence of the First Order and the potential survival of Luke Skywalker? Ren, simply put, is not an outlier in this organization. Instead, he’s just the only short-tempered fascist with the powers of a space wizard. And he’s part of an organization that was destined to implode on its own without the Resistance firing a single shot, but the good guys’ interference got countless people killed, including the galaxy’s last Jedi Master.
That inevitable self-destruction is partially because the First Order is a military organization that follows Sith rules. Basically, they reward those who kill their masters. Kylo Ren, for example, kills Snoke and instantly assumes the title of Supreme Leader. Left to their own devices, First Order members would just keep killing their leaders until the best were dead or fled, leaving a neutered empire that could never threaten either the Resistance or Luke Skywalker.
Additionally, the First Order was destined to implode because they preferred destruction over conquest, as evidenced by that wild Force Awakens moment when these bad guys destroy an entire star system, including the New Republic’s capital. The Empire was wise enough to use the Death Star as a tool to compel obedience, but Kylo Ren and company just want to burn planets down in an orgy of destruction. In short, the First Order was never going to achieve the reach of the Empire, and Luke Skywalker would have lived if these villains were simply allowed to self-destruct.
Don’t get us wrong: the First Order is probably one of the coolest things about the deeply flawed Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. However, these villains are so cartoonishly evil that it’s impossible to take them seriously, and it’s clear that they would have fizzled out on their own, especially with Palpatine doing such a crappy job ruling from the shadows. And had the First Order been allowed to die out on its own, just think: Rebel hero Luke Skywalker would still be alive.
Of course, it would be the bitter and grumpy Luke. Given that, we’re not that broken up that he’s dead.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 28, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love fruit.
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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Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Command
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Green: How do you like them apples
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Blue: Shoe brands starting with “C”
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Purple: Starting with palindromic names
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 #1143 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Command: CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD
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How do you like them apples: EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA, HONEYCRISP
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Shoe brands starting with “C”: CAMPER, CLARKS, CONVERSE, CROCS
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Starting with palindromic names: ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST, OTTOMAN
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 28, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re complete.
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: Leave nothing out
The words are related to amounts.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe wholeness.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
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NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Its All There.
NYT Strands word list for July 28
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Complete
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Entire
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Its All There
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Undivided
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Total
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Whole Full
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 July 28, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re a good listener.
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:
Sound navigation.
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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 S.
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…
SONAR
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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