Entertainment
Upcoming Star Trek Show Could Finally Give Fans What They Want
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Recently, the controversial Star Trek show Starfleet Academy finished its first season, and the online discourse about the show has been endless. Defenders of the series have constantly pointed out that because it took shows like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine time to achieve greatness, everyone should give Starfleet Academy some grace during its initial shakedown cruise. To this, critics always have a simple response: that because modern seasons are less than half as long as they used to be, Star Trek shows can no longer afford to waste time getting good.
Whether Starfleet Academy gets renewed for Season 3 (Season 2 has already been filmed) may come down to various factors, including streaming numbers and decisions from upper Paramount leadership. Recently, however, it occurred to me that it would be easy for an upcoming series to finally make the divided fandom happy. All Paramount needs to do is give Tawny Newsome’s upcoming Star Trek spinoff a tighter per-episode budget and more episodes per season.
The Office In Space?
If you don’t know, Lower Decks legend and Starfleet Academy writer Tawny Newsome is currently working on a Star Trek show that is supposed to function as a workplace comedy. This unnamed series is set on a vacation planet (not Risa, though). Beyond this and the fact that she wants to set it in the 25th century (so, the Picard era), all we know about the show is that it involves helping the planet join the Federation. Oh, and the original pitch for the show involved some unspecified shenanigans that would somehow broadcast everything our Federation workers are doing to the entire quadrant.
The series has not yet gotten the green light from Paramount, and it has reportedly evolved (albeit in unknown ways) since the original pitch. Personally, I always thought the “broadcast to the whole quadrant” thing meant they were doing a Star Trek version of The Office. At any rate, Newsome’s workplace comedy show provides the perfect opportunity for NuTrek to boldly go where it has never gone before: 20+ episode seasons, with a more modest budget for each episode.
The Numbers Game
Back in the Golden Age of Star Trek, shows like Voyager had 26-episode seasons, and this offered a number of advantages to the writers. On the most basic level, they had an extended runway: with this many episodes per season, you could flesh out your main characters and even give your side characters extended screentime. Most importantly, having so many episodes each season meant that Paramount could afford to have a few stinkers; the awful quality of early TNG episodes like “Code of Honor,” for example, would ultimately get outweighed by better episodes like “Conspiracy.”
However, the network could only do this because of the cost factor. Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes cost about $1.3 million to produce, which was admittedly a pretty penny back in the day. Now, though, Star Trek: Discovery previously cost about $8 million per episode, and there are persistent rumors that each Starfleet Academy episode costs Paramount $10 million. If that’s true, then it costs almost the same amount to produce one season of Starfleet Academy as it did to produce three seasons of The Next Generation.
That’s bad enough, but three seasons of The Next Generation add up to 78 episodes; meanwhile, one season of Starfleet Academy is only 10 episodes. That’s not enough time to develop every character, which is likely why Genesis never got her own episode like everyone else. Furthermore, short seasons lead to killer ratios: if, say, four of your episodes are stinkers (a very generous estimate for SFA), then 40 percent of your entire season sucks. That’s enough to make fans tune out and possibly seal a show’s fate long before it finally gets good.
NuTrek Goes Old School
What does this bleak numbers game have to do with Tawny Newsome’s Star Trek show? Simple: one of the big reasons that shows like Starfleet Academy are so expensive is because of all the top-notch special effects needed for stories where the entire galaxy is in danger. The crew is always visiting new places (exploring strange new worlds and all that), meeting exotic aliens (seeking out new life), and generally having ambitious adventures that are very expensive to bring to life.
However, if Newsome’s workplace comedy show really is like Star Trek meets The Office, it could potentially be far cheaper to create. Characters could stay in a fixed location, effectively turning almost every episode into a bottle episode. Residents of the vacation planet don’t need to have elaborate makeup; in fact, the show could return to the grand Trek tradition of having aliens who are just humans with something funny on their foreheads. Finally, the show doesn’t have to have legacy characters or other big names; instead, the cast can be comprised of almost entirely unknown actors.
Put it all together, and you have a new Star Trek show that is infinitely cheaper to make than Starfleet Academy. But I’m not suggesting Paramount lower its overall budget; instead, the amount of money they would normally allocate to a NuTrek show should go to creating seasons with at least 20 episodes. This would allow for greater character development and more rewatchability. Best of all, there would be a built-in grace period: even if the show’s first five episodes are awful, fans would forgive that if the next 15 are solid Star Trek.
The Best Of Both Worlds
Realistically, I know this isn’t likely to happen for many reasons, including Alex Kurtzman’s inability to try anything new. But Paramount is currently exploring whether or not to keep Kurtzman around, and new leadership seems eager to shake things up with the franchise. A smaller-budget Star Trek spinoff could be a return to the Golden Age, where classic episodes were created with killer writing and not a small mountain of VFX.
Done right, Tawny Newsome’s show (assuming it gets the green light) could be the best of both worlds: it would give NuTrek fans more show than they can handle while finally making old-school fans happy. Plus, it would give its biggest fans more episodes per season to stream, giving this series the coziness of shows like Voyager. But the only way this can happen is for Paramount to embrace some very unconventional wisdom regarding the budget for each episode: make it low, Number One!
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 29, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if have a good ear.
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:
A sharp sound.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter C.
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…
CLANG
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.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 29, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re an animal lover.
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: E-I-E-I-O
The words are related to animals.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe barnyard animals.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Farm Animals.
NYT Strands word list for May 29
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Cows
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Farm Animals
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Goats
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Chickens
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Sheep
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Horses
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Ducks
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Pigs
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
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 29, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sensitive nose.
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: Seas
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Green: Bad odors
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Blue: Found in an estate
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Purple: Acronym
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Oceans
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Green: Sources of distinctive smells
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Blue: Kinds of rooms in a mansion
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Purple: What “PA” might refer to
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 #1083 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Oceans: ARCTIC, ATLANTIC, INDIAN, PACIFIC
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Sources of distinctive smells: AMMONIA, BO, DURIAN, WET DOG
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Kinds of rooms in a mansion: BILLIARD, DRAWING, POWDER, READING
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What “PA” might refer to: FATHER, PENNSYLVANIA, PROTACTINIUM, PUBLIC ADDRESS
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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