Entertainment
Upcoming Revival Is Going To Ruin The Best Sci-Fi Show Ever Made
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Right now, Firefly fans are cheering for some seemingly good news: this sci-fi cult classic is going to finally get a revival. Even better, the new show will be animated, and it will be set between the events of the Firefly show and the Serenity movie. This allows the animated series to sidestep the biggest problem a live-action revival would face: namely, showing us the depressing sight of aging actors trying to wheeze their way through acting young again.
However, as a huge fan of Firefly, I can’t help but think this animated show is going to ruin this franchise’s legacy. Right now, Firefly has a reputation as an absolutely perfect one-season show; if the cartoon is not similarly perfect, then the fandom is going to lose its mind. Furthermore, the fact that the animated series will have an entirely new writing staff means it will likely lack the magic of the old show. But even if the old creators came back, this venture would still be doomed because everything we know about Firefly’s aborted second season makes it sound like the worst thing in the ‘verse.
The Chicken, The Egg, And The Starship
Among Firefly fans, there is sometimes a “chicken and the egg” style argument about the show’s quality. Some think the show could have kept its momentum going into future seasons, and that Fox canceling the series after one season kept us from getting years of impossibly awesome sci-fi entertainment. Others think that Season 1 effectively captured lightning in a bottle and the cancellation was a good thing: after all, the thinking goes, it’s better to get one flawless season than watch a show you love sink into mediocrity, year after year.
In a weird way, my biggest worry about the animated Firefly revival isn’t that it will be bad but that it will be average. For other franchises, average wouldn’t be so bad, but the stellar quality of the original Firefly show will cast a big, damn shadow over this new series. Should we get a season or two of mediocre storytelling, fans will be disappointed because the original show set such a high bar. More importantly, it will only take one or two “meh” seasons to completely ruin Firefly’s reputation. It will no longer be a perfect show; it will just be the solid opening of a sci-fi franchise that simply got worse over time.
Joss In Space
A major elephant in the room is that Firefly was the brainchild of Joss Whedon, the same visionary creator who gave us Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whedon was once celebrated as the king of the geeks, one whose kingdom rested on his reputation as the world’s biggest male feminist.
Later, the inevitable happened: his ex-wife revealed that he was constantly cheating on her with other women, including the stars of his shows. This happened during the #MeToo movement, hurting his reputation. Later, after stars like Charisma Carpenter, Ray Fisher, and Gal Gadot shared toxic tales of alleged workplace abuses, Whedon was fully canceled and effectively retired from filmmaking.
This is important because it means the Firefly revival, like the recently-canceled Buffy reboot, is facing an impossible situation. If they were to bring Whedon back, it would be seen as an endorsement of a very controversial figure, leading to the show getting canceled before it ever gets off the ground. But without him, the show is not going to have the exact same quirky humor and whimsical characterization that fans fell in love with in the first place.
Reportedly, the Firefly animated show is proceeding without Whedon, which is likely for the best: it will keep the revival from getting canceled alongside the original show’s creator. But as much as I loathe to say it, his absence means the new show won’t be as good as the old one. At that point, we have to ask the obvious question: why bring Firefly back in the first place if it’s just going to be a crappy imitation of itself?
The Stories Firefly Was Planning To Tell Next
Over the years, fans have fervently wished that Fox hadn’t canceled Firefly so that it could have gotten more seasons. However, that’s a monkey’s paw style wish, and I’ll tell you why. Based on everything we know about the stories planned for it, Firefly Season 2 would have been a disaster.
For one thing, there were plans to make Firefly much darker. Proposed Season 2 stories involved episodes where Mal decided to abandon a planet full of people asking for his help, leaving them all to die. Alan Tudyk pitched an episode where the crew would be helping some criminals who were organizing alien dog fights, getting our crew involved in intergalactic animal abuse. Believe it or not, though, that’s not the worst of it.
According to producer Tim Minear, the very first episode Joss Whedon pitched for Firefly Season 2 focused on Inara; she was the ship’s Companion, a prostitute with many of the privileges of a diplomat. Whedon wanted a story where she was not only suffering from a terminal disease, but also had injected herself with a special syringe that would kill anyone who had sex with her. This comes in handy when she is kidnapped by some Reavers who are known for intimately assaulting their victims. By the time Mal comes to rescue her, all the Reavers are dead, implying Inara had survived a very brutal ordeal.
In case you think that’s a one-off, think again: Minear claims that, after pitching this horrific episode, Whedon told him, “These are the kinds of stories we’re going to do.” Had Firefly gotten a second season, the show would have been a grimdark mess that transformed your favorite characters into a collection of monsters and victims. The show’s early cancellation saved its reputation; now, I can’t help but worry that the Firefly animated show will take its cues from these unused Season 2 stories, ruining this franchise the same way Picard’s grimdark storytelling nearly ruined Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Hero Of Streamtown
Will the Firefly animated series be any good? As the hero of another Fox TV show might put it, “I want to believe.” The show has a lot going for it, including the return of the original cast and a groundswell of fan support. But it also has a lot going against it because, without the original creators, the storytelling will suffer. That could hurt the entire franchise’s reputation, turning Firefly from the most beloved modern sci-fi property into just another failed reboot.
Like all Firefly fans, I will be tuning in for the animated revival, and I really want it to be the best new show in the entire ‘verse. However, after years of crappy revivals like The X-Files, I’m steeling myself for disappointment. Should that happen, though, I’ll do what any good fan does and dust off my physical media collection. To paraphrase the Firefly theme song, “I don’t care, I’m still free. You can’t take the Blu-rays from me!”
Entertainment
iPhone exploit DarkSword has been released in the wild: How to protect yourself
DarkSword, the web-based hacker tool that can be used to steal data from millions of iPhones, has just been published on GitHub for public use. Cybersecurity experts say Russian hacking groups are actively using DarkSword “to fully compromise devices.”
Now that the exploit is public, any would-be cybercriminal can just quickly copy and paste the DarkSword code, take a few minutes to set it up on their web host, and deploy the spyware.
Last week, reports about the new hacker tool called DarkSword sparked so much concern in the security world that Apple was forced to issue a quick response explaining how the company is addressing the threat. The reports came from Google’s Threat Intelligence Group and two cybersecurity firms, iVerify and Lookout.
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What is DarkSword?
DarkSword is an exploit that lets hackers steal data from vulnerable iPhones running outdated versions of iOS.
DarkSword has concerned cybersecurity professionals because it doesn’t require that the hacker’s target download any malware or corrupted files. Hackers can simply download the DarkSword HTML and Javascript and upload it to a compromised website. If a user with an old version of iOS visits the compromised site, their device becomes vulnerable. The hacker can then steal data such as passcodes, emails, private messages, and more from the victim’s iPhone.
Mashable Light Speed
As Lookout reported last week:
In a tangible example of how attacks are evolving, Lookout Threat Labs has discovered DarkSword, a full iOS exploit chain and payload for iPhones running iOS versions between iOS 18.4 and 18.6.2…DarkSword aims to extract an extensive set of personal information including credentials from the device and specifically targets a plethora of crypto wallet apps, hinting at a financially motivated threat actor. Notably, DarkSword appears to take a ‘hit-and-run’ approach by collecting and exfiltrating the targeted data from the device within seconds or at most minutes followed by cleanup.
Google cybersecurity researchers reported that the notorious hacker group UNC6353, which is suspected to have ties with the Russian government, previously deployed DarkSword on compromised Ukrainian government agency sites to target iPhone users within Ukraine.
iVerify told TechCrunch that the DarkSword exploit that’s now in the wild is slightly different but “shared the same infrastructure.” According to iVerify, no iOS experience is needed to run the exploit and it will work “out of the box.”
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As TechCrunch also reported, another X user shared that they were able to hack their iPad mini 6th gen running iOS 18.6.2 with the DarkSword exploit that was just released in the wild.
Apple previously reported on its developer website that nearly 25 percent of all iPhones are still running iOS 18, meaning hundreds of millions of iOS devices are susceptible to this exploit. The current version of iOS is iOS 26.3.1.
How to protect your Apple devices from DarkSword
Google’s Threat Intelligence Group urged iOS users to update their devices to the newest version of iOS, and if that’s not possible, to activate the iPhone’s Lockdown Mode.
Apple also said that it pushed out a critical security update on March 11 for older iOS devices that can’t install the more up-to-date iOS in order to protect these devices from DarkSword. Users with devices running iOS 13 or iOS 14 need to update to iOS 15 to receive these critical protections.
Entertainment
Unrated, Extremely Graphic Thriller Tries To Kill You But Can’t
By Robert Scucci
| Published
1978’s The Odd Job is a comedy of errors about a man who hires a janitor to kill him because he’s too much of a coward to end his own life. It’s a slapstick effort written by Graham Chapman that’s way funnier than its critical reputation suggests, and on one hand, I get it. It’s essentially the same gag repeated over and over again, with mixed results, landing if you’re a fan of the kind of irreverent humor that only somebody from the Monty Python comedy troupe could deliver with a wink and a nod.
Toying with a similar premise is 2014’s The Suicide Theory, which centers on a comparable setup but with wildly different results (namely, it’s not a comedy). In The Suicide Theory, we’re introduced to a contract killer hired by a man who no longer wants to live. The problem is that he’s given suicide the old college try on countless occasions leading up to this point and is convinced he’s invincible. While both films feature the same kind of contractual relationship in which one man wants to be eliminated from his mortal coil, The Suicide Theory is existentially heavy, focusing primarily on fate, free will, and how they’re constantly at odds with each other.
Steven And Percival’s Deadly Dynamic
The Suicide Theory wastes no time setting up its conflict when Steven (Steve Mouzakis) is tracked down by a desperate man named Percival (Leon Cain). Percival already looks worse for wear, with scars all over his face indicating that he wouldn’t be hiring a hitman if he hadn’t already tried to die, and failed miserably, countless times. Not even sure if Steven can successfully kill him, Percival hands over a large sum of cash and tells the killer that he doesn’t want to see it coming, and that since he believes he may be cursed, an attempt can only be made on his life if he looks legitimately happy.
Up to the challenge, but not one to believe Percival’s claims, Steven immediately shoots Percival in the chest three times upon making the arrangement, only for the man to wake up hours later in the hospital with no major injuries. Percival is further upset when he learns that the doctors found a massive tumor near one of the bullet wounds and were able to remove it while they were in there, meaning getting shot actually saved his life.
Fascinated by this project, Steven, who’s lost his passion for contract killing, keeps his promise and continues searching for new ways to execute Percival, none of which work. Steven, who’s been afraid of crossing streets ever since his wife was struck by a car and killed three years prior, can’t always chase Percival down due to his phobia, but has no qualms about hailing a taxi cab to help him cross the street if he needs to.
An Exploration Of Fate And Purpose
As we get to know the two principal players in The Suicide Theory, it becomes evident that they’re not so different. One man is a hardened, cold-hearted killer who’s lost his passion for the game, while the other is so deeply wounded that even multiple suicide attempts can’t put him out of his misery.
It’s almost as if he’s done something so horrible in life that his cosmic punishment is never being able to end it on his own terms. The two men become friends, if you could call it that, and come to realize they were supposed to meet each other, as if fate had been waiting for them. The reason their paths cross, when finally revealed, is the kind of gut punch that will make you wish you were watching The Odd Job instead, because it’s a brutal way to spend your time.
The Suicide Theory is not an easy watch, but it’s a rewarding one. It’s an exploration of fate and destiny taken to its most morbid conclusion, and it’s not without a dark sense of humor. It’s not “haha” funny by any stretch, but every time Percival wakes up in the hospital wondering how he made it out alive this time, you can’t help but sport a wry smile because he’s trying everything he can to not wake up ever again. Steven’s odyssey is all about finding purpose; he wants to hang up his gun for good, but knows this last job is an important one. But it’s up to you, dear reader, to figure out why.
The Suicide Theory is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Yes, Streaming Services Are Conspiring Against You
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
Disney has endured in charming memory for decades, but all that shines isn’t always King Brian’s gold. The company has been in the news in recent weeks, and for none of the right reasons. There was the recent shakeup in leadership in addition to being sued by their head of games for discrimination. When you add in the negative press by Snow White star Rachel Zeigler, they have been weighed down more heavily than the chains of Jacob Marley. On March 5th, 2026, Disney reached a tentative settlement with the courts and regulators on its anti-trust actions.
Replacing Cable By Becoming Cable
After acquiring Hulu and ESPN, Disney began to enforce strict policy terms. Companies like YouTube TV and DIRECTV stream were required to offer more expensive packages for ESPN if they wanted other Disney products, forcing up the cost of streaming services. Leveraging the sports network’s popularity, the Magic Kingdom refused to offer lower-cost packages that didn’t include ESPN, so anyone who wanted Disney content was forced to buy the more expensive sports package. The class action lawsuit, which was filed initially back in 2023, has finally concluded in a settlement in which Disney avoided further litigation by settling rather than admitting fault.
The $50-million-dollar settlement will affect anywhere between 11 and 17 million people. With the higher price floor and contract terms, those companies had to pass the cost on to their customers. Disney has also agreed to immediate relief by giving companies the option to offer fewer or even no Disney-owned networks, like ESPN, in the packages that previously had them.
As more streaming services come up and more silos are created, content becomes even harder for people to reach. The streaming giants that once started to counter the stranglehold that traditional cable companies operated have now taken their place. The public is burdened with higher costs, too many options, and limited content over who has what and for how long. In the future hopefully, this lawsuit will demonstrate to those entertainment giants that they will be held accountable for their actions.
What the next phase in entertainment will be is still being decided. Will people ditch streaming like they ditched the dish, the box, and the cord? If more anti-trust suits like this one turn up while streaming services gobble up every bit of content they can, it may be inevitable.
iPhone exploit DarkSword has been released in the wild: How to protect yourself
Mirage raises $75M to continue building models for its AI video editing app Captions
