Entertainment
The Most Hated Star Wars Actor Is About To Return
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Given that The Mandalorian and Grogu ended up being a critical and commercial dud, it’s a bit hard for Star Wars fans to get excited about any upcoming movies. Nonetheless, Lucasfilm is trying to give us something new with Star Wars: Starfighter, a movie whose official plot has been largely kept under wraps. Unofficially, however, we’ve been getting dribs and drabs of what to expect from this upcoming film featuring both Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. Recently, an alleged leak has spilled more of the beans about this movie’s plot and its colorful characters.
According to the leak, Gosling is playing a character named Cade, who is tasked with escorting Flynn Gray’s character to a planet named Adaria, which has a Jedi temple serving as a refuge for these persecuted space wizards. This lines up with other rumors about the younger character being a Force user who needs somewhere safe to develop his powers. Now, many Star Wars fans are convinced that one of the most hated characters in the franchise will be waiting on that planet: Daisy Ridley’s Rey!
Lose The Squadron, Keep The Rogue
There are plenty of interesting details about Star Wars: Starfighter, including confirmed details (like a lightsaber duel scene directed by Tom Cruise) and tantalizing rumors (like Mia Goth playing some type of evil Force user). But with the latest leaks from Bespin Bulletin, fans are mostly buzzing about this new Jedi planet, Adaria. Apparently, the planet is East Asian inspired, with a very green/brown color palette. The planet is apparently teeming with Padawan learners, all of them rocking the beige tunics that we last saw the younglings wearing in the prequels.
Based on this new leaked info, many Star Wars fans are convinced that our heroes will find Daisy Ridley’s Rey on this planet, likely at the very end of the movie. Why is that? For one thing, Disney keeps making plans to bring this character back and then scuttling them. Damon Lindelof was developing a movie that focused on an older Rey, who would be played by Helen Mirren, but that film was scrapped. More recently, there were plans for Rey to headline a New Jedi Order movie, with John Boyega’s Finn potentially appearing. While not officially canceled, there have been no major updates on this movie for years.
Somehow, Rey Returned
Now, the latest rumors are that Disney is going all in on this idea and making Rey and the next generation of Jedi a major focus for several Star Wars projects. If that is true, then Rey would be the most logical person to train these young Padawans on the planet Adaria. While Starfighter director Shawn Levy (the same man who brought us Deadpool & Wolverine) has long maintained that this would be a standalone film, it sounds more like a prelude to a new era of the franchise. Ridley’s Rey will appear at the end, setting the groundwork for her appearance in future films and TV shows.
While there are fans who really hate the character, the return of Rey is very logical. Ridley gave a great performance in the sequels; it’s not her fault they were poorly written pieces of trash. With better writers, she could really shine, and Star Wars could finally have a new focal point. Ever since The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise has floundered with meandering TV shows, most of which have nothing to do with each other. Done right, the reappearance of Rey will give the writers a major arc (the New Jedi Order) to work with, allowing them to create something better (hopefully lots better) than The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Right now, though, all of this is just rumor and speculation. The return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey has not been officially confirmed, but fans are clinging to this idea because it gives them hope. As Rogue One so memorably reminded us, rebellions are built on hope, and it’s (ahem) a new hope that is making us optimistic for the future. If you’re more of a pessimist, though, and are questioning whether the return of Rey will backfire, I’ll match your cynicism with a question of my own: how much worse can Star Wars get?
Love it or hate it, this franchise has nowhere to go but up, and Ridley may be the only one who can get it there.
Entertainment
Olive Gardens legendary Never-Ending Pasta Pass is here: How to secure yours
GET UNLIMITED PASTA: Starting Thursday, July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass goes on sale for $100. Passes unlock unlimited pasta at Olive Garden for 13 weeks. The sale window closes once all passes are claimed.
We hope you’re hungry. After six long years of waiting, the Never-Ending Pasta Pass has returned alongside the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl.
Olive Garden is once again offering customers 13 weeks of unlimited pasta for a $100 flat fee. Only 10,000 passes will be available, and they’re expected to sell out quickly, as they did in previous years. So, here’s how you can ensure you’re one of the customers who gets to enjoy towers of pasta in the coming weeks.
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The Never-Ending Pasta Pass goes on sale precisely at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 16 at PastaPass.com. It costs $100, plus tax, and unlocks unlimited dine-in pasta meals, with a choice of homemade sauces and protein topping, as well as unlimited soup, salad, and glorious signature breadsticks. The Pasta Pass lasts from Aug. 24, 2026 through Nov. 22, 2026 and cannot be shared. The never-ending pasta is yours and yours alone to enjoy.
The Never-Ending Pasta Bowl is available starting Aug. 31, so Pasta Pass holders get a week of unlimited pasta before the general population. If you don’t secure the Pasta Pass before it sells out, you can still enjoy the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl promotion starting at $14.99 per person.
Set your calendar alerts now for 2 p.m. ET on Thursday if you want to be among the lucky pass holders this season. My stomach is growling already.
Entertainment
An OLED version of the Switch 2 could start production in 2027
Nintendo may be exploring an OLED version of the Switch 2, according to a new report from Eurogamer, which cited South Korean outlet ZDNET Korea as claiming serious internal discussions are underway at the company. (Disclosure: ZDNet and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)
While many industry watchers had long assumed Nintendo would eventually give the Switch 2 an OLED screen, following the same path as the original Switch, Eurogamer noted this timing came earlier than expected. Per the report, ZDNET Korea indicated that production would not begin before the end of 2027 at the earliest, meaning a release could land around 2028.
Our big Guessing Game is back! Enter now for a chance to win.
Eurogamer, citing the ZDNET Korea report, noted that Samsung Display could once again supply the panel, as it did for the first Switch OLED, though “the extent of the price increase resulting from the adoption of OLED is a variable.” The outlet pointed out that cost was reportedly the primary reason the Switch 2 launched with an LCD screen rather than OLED in the first place, despite OLED being better suited to the console’s HDR capabilities.
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One insider cited in the ZDNET Korea report claimed Nintendo is considering bumping the display resolution to 1920×1080 for a Switch 2 OLED model, up from the 1280×720 resolution used in the original Switch’s OLED version — a change Eurogamer noted would align with the Switch 2’s existing native 1080p handheld resolution. The same source indicated that formal product development could begin by the end of this year if the plans move forward, though Eurogamer emphasized that the development stage would still precede actual production.
An OLED upgrade could also help address ongoing criticism of the Switch 2’s current LCD panel, which has drawn complaints about ghosting and input lag, along with imprecise HDR performance — issues Eurogamer said have been documented by outlets like Digital Foundry and user complaints on platforms like YouTube and Reddit.
Of course, the OLED version would almost certainly be more expensive. When the original Nintendo Switch OLED model launched, it cost $50 more than the regular version. And don’t forget, Nintendo is already raising prices on the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year. Rumor has it that Sony is delaying the PlayStation 6 timeline to wait out price increases caused by the global memory shortage.
Separately, Eurogamer noted that Nintendo has already confirmed that smaller hardware revisions to Switch 2 products will roll out in Europe this summer to comply with right-to-repair rules and updated battery regulations.
Entertainment
The new Jackery HomePower 1000 v2 comes in a sleek white colorway. Its also on sale for $300 off.
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SAVE $300: The Jackery HomePower 1000 v2 in white is on sale for $579, down from the normal price of $879. That’s a 34% discount.
$579
at Jackery
$879
Save $300
Traditionally, portable power stations have been for function only, with very little attention to looks. But Jackery has noticed that power stations can also look sleek and pleasing to have at home. Case in point: the minimalist Jackery FridgeGuard. The brand recently launched an updated HomePower lineup, and there’s one particular model that has the looks to match the function. On top of this, it’s also on sale.
As of July 14, the white Jackery HomePower 1000 v2 is on sale for $579, marked down from the normal price of $879. That works out to a 34% discount and a savings of $300. If you don’t espeically care about the white colorway, the black is also on sale for $300 off, making it $549.
What’s to love about the new HomePower lineup from Jackery
The latest lineup from Jackery brings three updated models to the lineup of HomePower portable power stations. All are designed for use at home should the power cut out or if you need to bring power to the garage or the shed.
The smallest model is the HomePower 1000 v2 with 1,024Wh of capacity and 1,500W output. Surge protection on the new model reaches 3,000W. Plus, it has a 10 millisecond UPS, so you can rest assured your desktop station or CPAP machine will continue getting power without a gap.
Jackery equipped the station with three AC ports, two USB-C (one 100W, one 30W), and one USB-A port. There’s also a built-in light to make carrying the station around the house while the power is out significantly easier.
A pretty model that’s easy to carry around
Jackery is well known as one of top portable power station brands. I’ve been testing this model for a few weeks now, and I’m always impressed by how lightweight it feels. It weighs a bit over 23 pounds, so it’s always a pleasant surprise when I lift it up without feeling like I’m at the gym.
Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable
While it has nothing to do with function, I love the white colorway. Jackery’s standard color palate is black with orange accents. I’m not mad about that, but I appreciate Jackery made this HomePower model in a white option. It blends in better with most homes and gives it an more aesthetic vibe compared to the black. I still appreciate the standard Jackery black and orange for using while camping since it won’t show dirt smudges.
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Quiet operation with quick recharging
Adding to the elements that make it nice to use at home, we have the ultra quiet operation. Jackery states this model operates at under 30 decibles. While testing, I haven’t noticed it going above this. In fact, I often forget it’s sitting next to my bed powering up my bedside lamp while recharging my phone and sleep earbuds.
The Jackery HomePower 1000 v2 is also speedy when recharging. Jackery says it’ll reach a full charge in 50 minutes, and I haven’t seen any different while testing.
Since its stats make it well equipped for using at home during an outage and the white option makes it look quite appealing, upgrade to the Jackery HomePower 1000 v2. You’ll be saving $300 by shopping today, and you’ll be prepared for the next power outage.
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