Entertainment
The Worst Star Wars Film Has The Best Working Title
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
One of the more surprising things that Star Wars fans often debate is which films have the best and worst titles. For example, films like A New Hope, The Phantom Menace, and even the much-maligned The Last Jedi all have fairly exciting titles. Compared to those, Attack of the Clones sounds like something goofy that director George Lucas picked out of a Cracker Jack box. However, in a hilarious twist of events, the Maker almost went with a different name: the earliest draft of his second prequel was initially titled Jar Jar’s Great Adventure.
Jar Jar’s Great Adventure
Needless to say, this working title was the director’s way of thumbing his nose at the many criticisms of the CGI character he introduced back in The Phantom Menace. Originally, Jar Jar Binks was created to be a comedic character whose antics would amuse children and adults alike, all while making Jar Jar actor Ahmed Best a star. Instead, the character became a cultural mascot for everything wrong with that first film, and fans held Jar Jar up as the ultimate example of what not to do when trying to create a cinematic follow-up to the Original Trilogy.
Because of all of this criticism, George Lucas decided to have a little fun by initially giving the movie that would become Attack of the Clones a different name: Jar Jar’s Great Adventure. While the joke title was a tad self-deprecating, it also contained a bit of a puckish threat to it. This was basically the acclaimed creator’s way of telling fans who hated the new character that they better buckle up for a movie that was likely to put the character front and center.
If the idea of titling a film (even as a joke) Jar Jar’s Great Adventure seems a little out of character, it’s fair to say you don’t know the real Lucas. As Mike Stoklassa of Red Letter Media helpfully reminds us, this famous director once tried to build a film studio on his ranch and was thwarted by his neighbors. After an annoying fight, Lucas ditched the studio plans and subsequently used that space to build homes for the poor…a move that just so happened to piss off the same wealthy people who objected to his studio.
In other words, Lucas has a real petty streak which, combined with his strange sense of humor, resulted in Attack of the Clones initially being titled Jar Jar’s Great Adventure. Despite the implied threat that we’d be seeing plenty more of this strange alien character, though, Jar Jar Binks only has two lines of dialogue in the final film, and a scene where he gets personally thanked by Palpatine was ultimately cut from the movie. To his credit, Lucas eventually took the public criticism to heart, and Jar Jar didn’t make any major film appearances outside of glorified cameos for the rest of the Prequel Trilogy.
In light of Kathleen Kennedy stepping down from Lucasfilm, we can’t help but wonder if the time is finally right for a Jar Jar’s Great Adventure film to become a reality. It could be a Disney+ exclusive, one that might just draw the attention of generations who grew up with the prequels. And if you’re skeptical about the idea, we’ll leave you with this question…do you really think a solo Jar Jar film could be any worse than The Rise of Skywalker?
Search your feelings. You know it to be true. It’s time for this character to make a comeback over a quarter century in the making. And there’s no time like the present for you to start making your very own “somehow, Jar Jar returned” memes to help celebrate the once and future clown prince of Star Wars.
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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