Entertainment
The Tragedy That Gave Us Star Trek’s Greatest Guest Star
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
One of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation is “The Most Toys,” in which Data gets kidnapped by a collector obsessed with owning the rarest items in the galaxy. That collector is played by Saul Rubinek, who arguably gives one of the best guest performances in the entirety of this beloved franchise. However, it’s a performance rooted in tragedy because Rubinek only got the role because the actor originally performing his part nearly died!
In “The Most Toys,” Rubinek plays Kivas Fajo, an amoral collector who kidnaps Data, making the advanced android his most prized possession. When the episode came out, however, many fans were confused by the appearance of Star Trek’s latest villain. That’s because David Rappaport was originally cast in this role, and Paramount had already distributed promotional photographs of him as a very different-looking Fajo.
The Toys Are Back In Town
Why, though, did Star Trek: The Next Generation have to replace Rappaport in the first place? “The Most Toys” director Timothy Bond is quoted in Captain’s Log: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages that “[T]here was a story going around that they had found him in his car with a tube running from the exhaust.” This created a major liability for the network, and the stress of filming might have contributed to a potential act of self-harm, so the director ended up replacing Rappaport with Saul Rubinek.
Sadly, David Rappaport continued to sink further and further into depression after he was ejected from the role. Only two months later, he was found dead in a Los Angeles park from what was apparently a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was a tragic end to a troubled life, creating a permanent stain on one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Hailing Frequencies Open
Fortunately, Timothy Bond was able to quickly find a replacement for Rappaport, and he was able to refilm all scenes featuring the deceased actor’s character with equal speed. How, though, was he able to recast the important role of Kivas Fajo so quickly? As it turns out, everything started with a phone call from an old friend!
At just the right time, Bond received a phone call from Saul Rubinek, an old schoolmate who was passing through town to film Bonfires of the Vanities, a movie that would later flop. As luck would have it, the actor was a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and he asked Bond if he might be able to swing by and visit the sets. Knowing that he had to recast the crucial role of Kivas Fajo, Bond responded with a question of his own: “How much do you want to see these sets?”
A Fanboy’s Dream Come True
The director formally offered the role to Rubinek, and the actor happily accepted the opportunity to become part of the show he loved so much. If he hadn’t been a fanboy, he might have otherwise declined the offer. As Bond (quoted in Captain’s Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages) noted, “He never does guest spots on television, but I persuaded him to do it.”
The recasting worked well for a number of reasons, including the fact that Rubinek is much taller than David Rappaport. This helped him look more physically intimidating onscreen, which is always an important quality for a villain. That quality is so important that Bond came up with a crazy idea back when Rappaport had the part: to shrink all the Kivas Fajo sets down so they had four-foot ceilings, essentially forcing everyone who visited the short actor’s character to bow down before him!
Firing Rappaport meant that the producers didn’t have to do anything so drastic, and Bond remains eternally grateful that they hadn’t already made any changes to the sets. Rubinek went on to do an amazing job as Kivas Fajo, one that effectively straddled the line between menacing and charming. However, what most fans don’t know is that we would not have gotten Rubinket (the greatest guest star in Star Trek: The Next Generation history) if not for the tragic mental illness and eventual death of David Rappaport, a gifted performer who was ultimately unable to overcome his personal demons.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
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: Lippy
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Green: Gowns
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Blue: Played in Vegas
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Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Cheeky
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Green: Dress measurements
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Blue: Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em
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Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
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 #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
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Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
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Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
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Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
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.
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
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Modify
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Alter
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Improve
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Tweak
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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.
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