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The Strangest Part Of The Highlander Franchise Is Better Than Every Single Sequel

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published

Highlander's best

If you ask an average Highlander fan what the worst part of the series is, they’ll say Highlander II. If that’s the answer, I think they haven’t seen Highlander: The Source, the 2007 made-for-TV SyFy original that should have known better. Both films made some disastrous missteps, but in between the release of each of them came a spin-off that, on paper, sounds absolutely insane: a Highlander cartoon set in the post-apocalypse far future with no blood but still included implied beheadings.

Highlander: The Animated Series aired for 40 episodes, and despite the insane concept, it was ahead of its time with better characterization than the live-action movies.

Immortals After The Apocalypse

Highlander: The Animated Series follows Quentin Macleod (“Same clan, different vintage,”) centuries after a meteor struck Earth and wiped out almost all life, which caused the Immortals to change their mission from fighting for “the Prize” to preserving the knowledge of humanity. Calling themselves Jettators, they specialized in different aspects of knowledge, from history to nuclear power, which could be passed on through a non-bloody Quickening with no beheadings. One of the Immortals, Kortan, refused the Oath and ruled over the wastelands as a tyrant, beheading other Immortals in accordance with the old ways, but he was destined to be defeated by The Highlander.

Quentin Macleod in Highlander: The Animated Series

This should not have worked; after all, the central tenet of the Rules of Highlander is “There Can Be Only One,” but Highlander: The Animated Series is based entirely around “What if we work together for the greater good?” It works because even the good guys aren’t perfect, and most of the bad guys have either sympathetic backgrounds or wind up being morally ambiguous. The cartoon doesn’t shy away from muddying the waters between good and evil.

Shades Of Grey In A Cartoon Series

Malone, the wild sidekick to Kortan, is the one that has stayed with me because after watching him be a constant annoyance for multiple episodes, we finally see his origin and how he went crazy. It’s a dark episode and turns one of the most annoying characters and his annoying laugh into a tragic figure. Highlander: The Animated Series never shies away from the tragic backstory, right down to the Immortal Shepard, with the knowledge of satellites, choosing a life of exile because he blames himself for the meteor that struck the planet.

The Ups And Downs Of Highlander

Highlander: The Animated Series aired concurrently with the famed television series, starring Adrian Paul as Duncan Macleod, in what we can acknowledge now was a golden era for the adventure franchise. After Highlander: Endgame bombed in theaters, and The Source was disowned by everyone involved, the franchise went into hibernation as soon as it aired. Until Henry Cavill, living the dream of nerds everywhere, was attached to the remake that’s been in production for what feels like forever, and we still know nearly nothing about it.

Though the franchise has seen better days, Highlander: The Animated Series is available on multiple streaming platforms today, including Peacock, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Amazon Freevee. No prior knowledge of the franchise is required to enjoy it since it discards all the rules of the original movie and live-action series, which makes it a great entry point for new fans.

If you’re a disillusioned fan of the franchise, it’s also a breath of fresh air, showing how, when done right, the tale of Immortals and The Source can be deep (for an afterschool cartoon), with plenty of room for great characters, and of course, an amazing soundtrack.


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Entertainment

Xiaomis new hyper car concept has the strangest cockpit weve ever seen

Xiaomi likes to bring cars to Barcelona; the company gave us the first glimpse of its SU7 Ultra supercar during last year’s MWC in March.

This year, however, Xiaomi has unveiled something that’s pretty far out there, even by its own standards. Called the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo, it’s a hypercar that was designed to go really fast while slicing through the air in a way not many cars (or race cars, for that matter) can (Xiaomi says it’s been “sculpted by the wind”).

Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo

It feels kinda empty in there.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The company will bring the concept car to its MWC show floor in Barcelona on March 2, presumably when we’ll learn more about its powertrain, acceleration, battery, and other trivialities. Today, however, Xiaomi was mostly focused on how the air flows through the car, using a variety of wind tunnels and channels (and even a moving part on the car’s bottom) to make it more efficient.

Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo

The wheels and wheel covers are special, too.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Even the car’s wheels have special covers that are (somehow) magnetically set in place so they don’t rotate while the car moves, as that would also increase drag.

Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo

I bet your car doesn’t have a cocoon-shaped sofa.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Inside, it gets even nuttier. The seats are out; instead, you sit in a “cocoon-shaped sofa” with an x-wing steering wheel with five tiny displays, some of which apparently double as (contextual?) buttons. Most of the things you associate with a traditional car are gone; instead, it’s you in that sofa-shaped cockpit, that steering wheel, and the road. The car’s a two-seater, so don’t expect to bring your family on a trip in this one.

Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo

Fortunately, you might be able to get a cocoon-shaped sofa/cockpit for your home.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In fact, most people probably won’t be able to afford a car like this, but Xiaomi’s got you covered, as it plans to release a gaming console/cockpit shaped just like the car’s cockpit, so you can race around in your own little cocoon in the relative safety of your home.

We don’t know how fast it goes. We don’t know where the batteries are, given that the car appears to be mostly wind tunnels under that cockpit. We don’t know if it’s ever going to make it to market. But boy, does it all look cool.

We’ll hopefully find out more on March 2 when that show floor opens, so stay tuned for pics and videos.

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NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 1, 2026

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve 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.

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.

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.

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:

Here are today’s Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

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 #994 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Little bite: CANAPÉ, FINGER FOOD, HORS D’OEUVRE, TAPA

  • Construction equipment: HARD HAT, LADDER, NAIL GUN, TOOL BELT

  • Vacation emoji: AIRPLANE, LUGGAGE, PALM TREE, SMILING FACE WITH SUNGLASSES

  • Things you don’t eat that end in foods: COPYPASTA, JOHANNESBURGER, KNUCKLE SANDWICH, LICORICE PIZZA

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections 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? 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.


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NYT Strands hints, answers for March 1, 2026

Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re not on. your best behavior.

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: Dressing down

The words are related to discipline.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe ways to chastise.

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 The Riot Act.

NYT Strands word list for March 1

  • Braidup

  • The Riot Act

  • Scold

  • Castigate

  • Reprimand

  • Admonish

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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