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The rash of bogus conspiracy theories tying the COVID-19 pandemic to 5G has led to cell tower arson and threats against engineers, and YouTube is planning to crack down on that misinformation. The Google-owned service said it will remove videos that...

New Jersey issued a plea for COBOL programmers to revamp the aging mainframes behind its unemployment system.

With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker capping off a saga more than 40 years in the making, Mark Hamill has penned a heartfelt letter to fans thanking them for their devotion to the Skywalker Saga. Hamill tweeted out a photo of his letter, which is being included as part of The Complete Skywalker Saga Blu-ray set. You can read the full letter below: Hamill's letter is all the more touching given that it pays tribute to the late, great Carrie Fisher and refers to the franchise as "George's faraway galaxy." He also reflects on how drastically Lucas' early plans for the original film changed, referencing the mouthful of an original title "The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: Star Wars." The letter is just one of many perks included in The Complete Skywalker Saga. The 4K Ultra HD version (which is exclusive to Best Buy) features a whopping 27 discs, covering all nine of the numbered Star Wars movies along with many hours of bonus features. Those discs are contained within a special art book featuring concept art spanning all three trilogies. Even months after its release, we're continuing to learn more behind-the-scenes details about The Rise of Skywalker. The newly released The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sheds light on axed storylines and a tank-like version of BB-8, while Anthony Daniels told IGN C-3PO nearly had a bigger role in Episode IX. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-exclusive-preview-of-the-art-of-the-rise-of-skywalker&captions=true"] For even more on the final Skywalker Saga movie, find out why we think the documentary, The Skywalker Legacy, helps redeem Episode IX. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

As more and more people's homes becomes their "workplace," The Office executive producers Ben Silverman and Paul Lieberstein are currently lining up a new workplace comedy based on working-from-home conditions amidst the current COVID-19 crisis. “So many of us are jumping on daily Zoom meetings — for work and beyond,” Silverman told Deadline. “We are in a new normal and are personally navigating ways to remain connected and productive at work and in our home lives." "With the brilliant Paul Lieberstein (who played Toby on The Office) at the helm, we think we have a series that not only brings humor and comfort during this troubling time but will also be an inventive and enduring workplace comedy for years to come.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/the-office-surprising-reason-behind-steve-carells-exit-revealed-ign-now"] The series is reportedly about "a wunderkind boss who, in an effort to ensure his staff’s connectedness and productivity, asks them all to virtually interact and work face-to-face all day." "Start with the office comedy, lose the office and you’re just left with comedy. The math works,” according to Lieberstein. Speaking of virtual meetings, The Office's John Krasinski and Steve Carell just held a mini-Office reunion on the first episode of Krasinski's new YouTube series, Some Good News. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-nbcuniversals-peacock&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Unfounded beliefs about 5G are leading to real damage to the UK's telecom network. People have torched cellular towers in multiple parts of the country in attacks possibly linked to debunked conspiracy theories claiming that 5G masts could play...

With the dust of Crisis on Infinite Earths still settling, DC fans have several new live-action series to look forward to in the months to come. Stargirl is the first of this new wave, a series set on the reborn Earth-2 and starring Brec Bassinger as the titular heroine. But even though Stargirl focuses on the relationship between Courtney Whitmore and her stepfather/former superhero Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), the series will also feature the Justice Society of America and their enemies, the Injustice Society. IGN can exclusively reveal the full rosters and cast members for both teams. Check out the new teaser image below for a closer look at both teams: In addition to Stargirl and Pat's armored alter ego S.T.R.I.P.E., the JSA lineup will also include Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez/Wildcat, Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite, and Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler/Hourman. The Injustice Society lineup includes Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks/Tigress, Christopher James Baker as Dr. Henry King/Brainwave, Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent/Icicle, Nelson Lee as Dr. Ito/Dragon King, and Neil Hopkins as Crock/Sportsmaster. IGN also had the opportunity to speak to both Bassinger and executive producer/Stargirl co-creator Geoff Johns to find out more about the series and its take on the classic JSA team. read on to see what they had to say.

Bringing Stargirl to DC Universe

Stargirl is a very personal project for Johns. As he recounted in a heartfelt open letter to fans, the character was directly inspired by his late sister Courtney, who was among those killed in the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. Unsurprisingly, Johns was the main catalyst in getting the series off the ground. In fact, Stargirl was one of Johns' first priorities after stepping down as DC's Chief Creative Officer and establishing his production company Mad Ghost Productions. "When I decided to go back and focus on writing and production, literally the first thing I wanted to do was Stargirl," said Johns. "So I pitched it to Warner Brothers and DC, and Peter Roth and everyone over at Warner Brothers Television and DC Universe was really excited about it, loved the pitch, and then agreed on it to be a DC Universe series." Johns told us casting the right actress as Courtney Whitmore was a difficult process, with hundreds of actresses reading for the role. However, Johns said he knew right away that Bassinger was the ideal fit to play a character very near and dear to his heart. "Immediately, right when she read for it, I knew she was Courtney," he said. "She has the humor, she has the enthusiasm, the energy, the innate optimism, and Brec really embodies who Stargirl is, off-set as well as on. She's just perfect. She made me laugh and she made me cry and she made me feel things in her audition, and it was great." Though Stargirl has appeared in live-action more than once (played by Britt Irvin on Smallville and Sarah Grey on DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Bassinger told us she didn't look to those versions for inspiration in her performance - the crucial difference being that those versions of Stargirl were depicted as seasoned veterans, whereas this Stargirl is very much a rookie heroine. "That was an older, more mature version of Stargirl, and I think this follows the comics... well, at least the Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. comics a little bit more, in that she's young, high school, naive, which I wanted to bring that into this version of Stargirl." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stargirl-every-hero-and-villain-confirmed-for-the-dc-universe-series&captions=true"]

Reinventing the JSA

Stargirl revolves heavily around the dynamic between Courtney and her stepfather Pat. Johns describes the series as a "superhero family show." Johns said, "It's about Courtney Whitmore whose mom marries a man named Pat Dugan. And then they move from LA to a small town in Nebraska called Blue Valley. And it's there that Courtney, who's struggling to fit in in a small town, discovers that her new stepfather used to be Stripesy, the sidekick to Lester Pemberton, the former Star-Spangled Kid turned Starman. And she ends up taking a cosmic staff that belongs to Starman for a joy ride. And ultimately, through circumstances becomes Stargirl and Pat Dugan has to come out of retirement as a sidekick again and they have to discover and eradicate the evil that is lurking within this small town." But despite hinging on that family bond, Stargirl is also an ensemble series about multiple young heroes taking up the mantles of their predecessors. As the series opens, the original Justice Society of America has been killed, leaving it up to Courtney and fellow teen heroes like Yolanda Montez and Beth Chapel to fill that void. According to Bassinger, Stargirl is the de facto leader for this new JSA team, as she recruits her fellow classmates after discovering the Cosmic Staff. "The thing that I love about these young characters is that the paths aren't complete," said Johns. "They don't know where they're going to be or what they're going to be. And so, there's all sorts of mistakes they can make and choices they can make, and who knows what their ultimate destiny will be? And that's exciting to work on. Like a youthful superhero generation, high school kids taking on the mantles of the Justice Society. It makes for a lot of fun and a lot of unpredictability." For Bassinger, part of the fun of Stargirl is the chance to be a part of a heavily female-driven superhero series: "I think it brings a lot to see these female powerhouses. I think that's very relevant, and people need to see that right now. But also personally, because I was going into it, getting three new girly friends, and that was fun for me." While the series features a relatively small Injustice Society lineup that mirrors the JSA team, Johns teased a wide range of villains over the course of the series. "Every character was chosen for a reason, that role that they fill in the story. There's probably more than I originally imagined because there became more roles and ideas that sprung up in the development of the show. But you'll see close to about everybody that's a member of the Injustice Society of America [in the comics]." And while the series may not be spotlighting certain classic JSA members like the Alan Scott version of Green Lantern and the Jay Garrick version of Flash, fans shouldn't assume those characters won't be showing up. The series will show us glimpses of the previous JSA team, with Johns hinting at potentially bigger stories to come down the road. "[Green Lantern and Flash] are spoken of and they exist in the JSA. There's a picture of them in the first episode, and there's plans in the future for things, but Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, to me, are always the elderly statesmen. They're the big heroes of the JSA and their shadow is very long and they're great characters. They are a part of the original JSA and their legacies will be felt throughout the show. I don't want to spoil too much about it, but I can leave it at that." Bassinger also hinted that original Dr. Mid-Nite Charles McNider has a significant role to play in Season 1. Johns said the series will look back even further than the original JSA, establishing the Seven Soldiers of Victory as Earth-2's first superhero team and exploring the history of Stargirl's Cosmic Staff. In short, expect the series to mine all sorts of classic DC Comics continuity. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/15/crisis-on-infinite-earths-links-dc-tv-and-movie-universes-ign-now"]

Stargirl's Connection to the Arrowverse

The recent Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover revealed exactly where Stargirl fits into DC's live-action multiverse, with a brand new version of Earth-2 appearing to replace the one previously seen on shows like The Flash and destroyed in Arrow's Season 8 premiere. Not only is Stargirl linked to the Arrowverse, it's also become the series that bridges The CW's lineup with the DC Universe streaming service. New episodes will first premiere on DC Universe before airing on The CW the day after. According to Johns, that arrangement wasn't planned from the start, but came about after production had wrapped on Season 1 and The CW's Mark Pedowitz had an opportunity to see footage. "I was incredibly excited about the opportunity for that because it just meant more people would see it. And totally, Stargirl and the show has always been for everybody. Anyone can watch it. So it fits in nicely to that world. It fits in nicely to things like The Flash, and so that was something that was new." Johns also described the series as being very similar in tone to classic '80s movies like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Back to the Future. DC fans are probably wondering whether Stargirl's Arrowverse connection means we'll eventually see Courtney Whitmore and other Earth-2 heroes appearing in future crossovers. Both Johns and Bassinger seem keen on the idea, though it doesn't sound like crossovers are high on the priority list in Season 1. Johns said, "The future is wide open in the DC multiverse, so anything can happen between film and TV. Who knows? Because that's what the multiverse is. Obviously, right now the main concern is making sure that this show is great, that these characters are great, that they have their own stories and they get the proper screen time and the proper episodes to develop on their own. So hopefully in the future we can do something fun, but the first season is all about making sure that Stargirl is the best show it can possibly be." Bassinger told us there have already been preliminary discussions about a Flash/Stargirl crossover. "There have been talks of Stargirl getting to go on an episode of Flash, and having a bigger storyline, but it didn't happen this season. But I just think that would be the coolest thing. So much of my family has watched Flash for years." While a Flash/Stargirl team-up sounds promising, Bassinger told us she's even more eager for a Supergirl crossover. "Last night I was watching a bunch of interviews of Melissa [Benoist], and she's just the best Supergirl. I bet Stargirl and Supergirl would be this dynamic duo. That would just be awesome. So yes, my hopes are high. I really, really hope for it. But as of now, nothing planned, but fingers crossed." Stargirl premieres on DC Universe on Monday, May 18, with new episodes airing weekly. Each episode will also air the following Tuesday on The CW. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

If we’ve learnt anything these past few weeks, it’s that there are loads of ways to stay connected with friends when you’re stuck inside. However, Houseparty games and Instagram challenges can get old fast.

Luckily, Playingcards.io has stepped forward with everyone’s favourite terrible card game, Cards Against Humanity. The board game site lets you host virtual rounds of the classic party game without the fuss of dealing out 10 cards to every player – or being near them at all.

The rules of the game are relatively straightforward. Every player draws 10 white cards. One player goes first to read out the question or fill-the-blank statement on the black card, while the others pass over their answer from their white cards. The player who asked the question reads out every answer and picks their favourite from the bunch. The player whose card is chosen gets the point and another player takes their turn to read out a black card.

Hint: the most disturbing or inappropriate card combo usually wins.

How to play Cards Against Humanity online for free

• Go to Playingcards.io
• Click ‘Cards Against Humanity’
• Click ‘Start Game’
• Copy the link and share it with people you want to start a game with
• Hit ‘Enter’

Playingcards.io is far from the only website to host the despicable card game, but it is one of the simplest, and getting caught up in settings is the last thing you want when you’re gaming across the country.

If you’re looking for something a little more advanced, Pretend You’re Xyzzy is a Cards Against Humanity clone that lets you join and watch games with up to 20 players. The games are much more customisable with score limits, spectator limits, incredibly niche themed expansion packs and consequences for taking too long.

You can even leave the room open to strangers or set a password so only friends and family can enter and play along.

Related: Top collaborative tech for connecting with friends and family online

We also recommend organising a video call alongside the game to keep the energy – and outrage – high. Houseparty, Zoom, FaceTime and Hangouts are all excellent apps for chatting face-to-face while you play.

The post How to play Cards Against Humanity online with friends appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has been breathing a bit of life into self-isolation Twitter, posting never-before-seen clips and images taken behind the scenes of the show's production. The posts have included stunt doubles for some of the main actors, what certain takes looked like when they were being shot, and plenty of cast member shenanigans.

The first post included a video of Jamil watching on during the filming of a season 4 scene featuring Kristen Bell as Eleanor, Ted Danson as Michael, and Rachel Winfree as the supposedly quiet, unassuming neighborhood resident Linda.

You can also check out other scenes being filmed or rehearsed:

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Yet another major 2020 auto show has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although now it's less about timing and more about supporting the current fight. Organizers have canceled the Detroit Auto Show (officially the North American Internat...

The FDA has scrambled to allow numerous COVID-19 tests in a bid to control the pandemic, but one of the latest may represent a big step forward in technology fighting the disease. Abbott has received emergency use authorization for a variant of its...

Planet Computers is continuing to build very unique physical keyboard smartphones with the launch of its latest flagship, the crowdfunded Astro Slide. It's a phone with surprisingly robust specs, but the key trick is that it can be used either as a s...

The USNS Comfort off Colombia in August, 2019. (Morgan K. Nall / US Navy /)

Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself.

Two giant hospital ships, each nearly 900 feet long, are deploying to the US’s biggest cities: Los Angeles and New York. The USNS Mercy left San Diego on Monday and will travel to LA, while its sibling ship, the Comfort, is operating on a slower timeline. It could be “a few weeks,” before it leaves Norfolk, Virginia for New York, according to a US Navy spokesperson. The goal: take some pressure off hospitals crunched by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Both have 1,000 beds, can carry a medical staff of more than 1,000 people, have the ability to receive military helicopters, and contain a dozen operating rooms.

The Mercy expects to have a max of 1,128 medical personnel on board, Captain John R. Rotruck, who commands the medical treatment facility on that ship, said during a media briefing on Monday. Plus, he noted, they’re planning on having nine of its 12 operating rooms staffed.

Neither ship is intended to directly handle the treatment of people with COVID-19, but instead, will accept other patients from area hospitals so those land-based facilities can focus on the virus.

It’s rare to see hospital ships sent to US shores, but it does happen: Comfort docked in New York in 2001 after Sept. 11. It wasn’t a trauma center, but instead offered relief workers services like meals and showers. It also traveled to the Gulf coast in the fall of 2005 after two hurricanes: Katrina and Rita. And way back in 1933, a hospital ship called the Relief deployed for an earthquake in Long Beach, California.

But this moment is different. “This is uncharted territory, for ships to be specifically deployed stateside in a pandemic—it’s never happened before,” says André Sobocinski, the Navy Medical Department’s historian.

The Mercy left San Diego on Monday. (Cosmo Walrath / US Navy/)

A somewhat analogous situation comes from the influenza pandemic of 1918, when the United States was also fighting in World War I. It had a fleet of three hospital ships: the Solace, plus two older ships with the same names as their modern counterparts—the Comfort and Mercy. Those were essentially “ambulance ships,” Sobocinski says, transporting casualties back from Europe to the United States. These vessels “certainly did have flu cases on board, and they tried to keep the influenza patients separate from the other patients,” he notes.

Like nearly all of the hospital ships in US naval history, today’s Comfort and Mercy were not originally built for that job. Both are originally 1970s-era oil tankers, and each was reborn as a medical facility in the 1980s.

In fact, for over 200 years, the US Navy has deployed hospital ships that started out their lives as different vessels. The first, the USS Intrepid, was a ketch that became a medical boat in 1804 and was in service for just three months. Of the 27 total hospital ships, only one—the Relief, commissioned in 1920—was built from the ground up for that job. The ships have otherwise been vessels like passenger boats, freighters, oil tankers, and even a submarine tender. They’ve mostly had placid names, like the USS Bountiful or USS Tranquility. Go back far enough, though, and they had more routine designations, like the USS Red Rover (the hospital ship of the Civil War) or the USS Idaho of 1866.

All told, there have been three US hospital ships called the Comfort and three dubbed the Mercy; the first Comfort and Mercy ships, both commissioned in 1918, were originally passenger liners.

For a period of time during the early 20th century, the ships had a tradition that didn’t go over so well with the rest of the Navy: the top job on the ship—the boat’s commander—was a doctor, a rule that began in 1908 and came from Teddy Rosevelt. The regular Navy, Sobocinski says, “hated this.” The policy changed in 1921 because of the boss of the Relief. “The crew lost confidence in his ability to serve as the skipper of the ship,” Sobocinski says, “and he was relieved of duty.”

Today, many of the medical staff on board the Comfort and Mercy are called “hospital corpsman,” which are medic-like personnel on board. But rewind the hospital-ship history far enough—to the era before the Civil War—and you’ll find a stranger name for some of the crew members on board: they were called “loblolly boys.”

They received this nickname thanks to the food they served: “Loblolly was the name for a porridge that was given to the sick,” Sobocinski says. Staff on the Comfort and Mercy of the modern era have more resources at their disposal than porridge, though: each ship has a pharmacy, plus a large galley that can crank out thousands of meals.

Our worlds are so upside-down and backwards right now that Wired claims Surveillance Could Save Lives Amid a Public Health Crisis, and privacy activist Maciej Cegłowski flat-out stated We Need A Massive Surveillance Program.

Many companies have offered to build much-needed ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, notably GM, Ford and Tesla. However, Dyson has now stepped up to the plate and the UK company known for vacuum cleaners and fans might have an edge over...

Full spoilers follow for Star Trek: Picard Season 1. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Now that Star Trek: Picard’s first season has come to an end, the CBS All Access series has resolved its major plotline revolving around the ban on synthetic humanoids and the search for a new race of Data-like androids. It’s also now firmly established Jean-Luc Picard’s new crew -- the Picard Squad -- as they head out for new adventures in Season 2 and beyond. I spoke with Season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon about the return of Patrick Stewart’s iconic character, the decision to kill off the beloved Data (again), balancing classic Next Generation castmembers like Riker and Troi with the new crew, and -- of course -- whether or not we’ll see Picard’s housekeepers/Romulan super-spies Laris and Zhaban again. Read on for all that and more… [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-trek-picard-photos&captions=true"]

The Death of Data

In a surprising turn of events, the Picard season finale bring back Brent Spiner’s Data -- or his consciousness, anyway, via a VR simulation -- only to kill him once and for all. Many fans had been expecting this season to end with Data being restored to life in some way (after his other death in the film Star Trek: Nemesis), and perhaps even joining the regular cast for year two. But that was never in the cards according to Chabon. “I suppose you could imagine scenarios where, I don't know, he became sort of a holo like the Doctor on Voyager or something like that,” says Chabon. “Maybe that would have interested Brent, I don't know. But we understood from pretty early on, in breaking the stories, that in some way it was going to culminate with an encounter between Picard and Data, but that encounter was going to be constrained by what also pretty quickly emerged as this idea that it was only going to be possible in a sort of stimulation. That Data really is dead. That Data did die.” It turns out Spiner did not want to undo his character’s original death in Nemesis, and so the story of Picard unfolded from there. [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/picard-all-the-different-datas-explained"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] “I guess what I'm remembering as a directive, or as a kind of guideline from Brent, was that he didn't want us to un-kill Data,” says the showrunner. “That Data shouldn't be undead, that he died and he really died. And he's going to stay dead, and don't try to undo that. So we had a pretty clear sense from the beginning it was going to be some version of what you actually see in the last episode.” As for that other death that happens in the episode -- the end of Picard himself, who is reborn shortly thereafter in a synthetic body -- Chabon confirms that there was never any plan to permanently kill the admiral (retired) since a Season 2 of the show was always intended. “Although it wasn't announced until fairly far along in the process, for no doubt really sound reasons of marketing and publicity and everything, we've always known we had Patrick for at least two seasons,” says Chabon. “So there was always going to be a second season with Patrick playing Jean-Luc Picard. So no, that never... It was not like we were part way through and suddenly we were like, ‘Oh s#!t, we can't kill him because he's coming back.’ We knew we had him for two seasons from the start.”

Walking That Next Generation Line

One of the challenges of making this show was to focus on the title character while not simply retreading The Next Generation. That was a mandate of Stewart’s in signing on to the show, and it meant bringing in a whole new cast and setting, ditching the Starfleet uniforms and ships, and essentially charting a new course for Jean-Luc Picard. But Chabon admits that, as a self-proclaimed fan, it wasn’t always easy to leave the Enterprise behind, or to not fill in the blanks of what happened to all our favorite characters in the years since we last saw them. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Somebody%20was%20guaranteed%20to%20say%2C%20%E2%80%98It's%20Geordi!%20It's%20the%20Doctor!%20It's%20Sisko!'"] “That's a fan's impulse, and we're fans,” he laughs. “So we had that impulse every five minutes. Anytime we reached a question of ‘And then what happens?’ or ‘And who do they go to?’ or ‘Who helped them, or who hinders them?’ or ‘What's the next stop?’ The answer, in any kind of group discussion that we had -- especially in the earliest iteration of the group when it was at its smallest and we were all just rabid Star Trek fans -- somebody was guaranteed to say, ‘It's Geordi! It's the Doctor from Voyager! It's Sisko! It's Jake Sisko!’ It's whoever. That was constant. It's inevitable. And it's totally understandable.” So the staff would ask themselves, “Is that actually the coolest answer, or the most fun answer? Or is it actually the best answer?” The goal was to always lean into the new and different rather than the familiar when possible. Of course, the practicalities of television production -- casting, schedules, budget and so on -- also meant that implementing fan service was rarely realistic. “You couldn't make the show that would sort of fulfill every fan of every series -- not just the TNG fans but our Voyager fans and Deep Space Nine fans,” says Chabon. “There are so many reasons why you can't make that show on a practical basis. And you'd always be compromising, you'd always be leaving people out, and therefore you'd end up with something that would still be disappointing to some people, who didn't get to see the return of Odo or whatever.” Chabon said he would sometimes be surprised by some of the fan requests for character returns that they’d hear -- Captain Janeway from Voyager and Dr. Crusher from Next Generation were two frequent ones -- before he realized that the impulse comes in part from the kind of crossovers fans are used to seeing in the many official Star Trek novels out there (not to mention fan fiction). [caption id="attachment_2326750" align="aligncenter" width="1296"] Picard, Troi and Riker in "Nepenthe"[/caption] “It doesn't cost anything,” he laughs of the book crossovers. “There's no scheduling issues.” The showrunner points to the episode “Nepenthe” as an example of how difficult such things are when shooting a season of television. That’s the hour where Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis returned as Riker and Troi, but as Chabon puts it, “we killed ourselves” to get it made because Sirtis was performing in a play in London and had a very limited window to shoot in. And that was just to get two legacy characters in one episode, let alone any kind of Avengers: Endgame-scale epic. As for that episode, which is a highlight of the season, Chabon -- who penned it himself -- says it came with “surprising ease” when it was time to sit down and write it. “I think maybe just it was always meant to be a kind of a respite episode, a pause,” he says. “A chance for Picard to recharge. That notion fed into the nature of Nepenthe, the planet itself, and what it is known for. Which in turn led to the story element of the Rikers, the Riker/Troi family having lost a kid, and that's why they're there. And in the middle of a long production and shooting season that was in many ways as complex as the plot of the series itself, I think writing it was kind of a little bit of a respite too.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/why-seven-of-nine-blames-picard"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Seven and Raffi

One interesting tidbit in the season finale was a shot of Jeri Ryan’s Seven holding hands with Michelle Hurd’s Raffi. It comes as something of a surprise as the characters had not had much interaction up until that point, but Chabon says that the seeds were planted for a potential relationship between the two back in the fifth episode of the year, “Stardust City Rag.” “That's something that really emerged through a kind of collaboration, I would say, between the writers and the actors,” he explains. “I think Jeri and Michelle picked up on something that was present in Episode 5 when Raffi is handcuffing Seven, but like stage handcuffing her because it's all part of this elaborate grift they're trying to run. And there was just that suggestion of a kind of instant connection there, I think that was on the page and was intended. But the nature of that connection was maybe left a little open and they both picked up on it and it emerged. I could just feel it on the set when they were doing the scenes. It was something they clearly seized on as a key to that scene for both of them.” At the same time, Chabon admits that there wasn’t much time to develop romantic subplots this season, and Seven and Raffi are basically separated after that episode until the end of the season anyway. But what does that final moment mean then? [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/star-trek-picard-who-is-raffi-musiker] [poilib element="accentDivider"] “I think it's sort of they're just taking steps at the end, in that last episode, towards exploring something that they haven't had the chance to explore so far, because things have been so crazy,” he hints. In other words, check back next season! Speaking of which…

Laris and Zhaban, Where Have You Gone?!

You remember Picard's housekeepers Laris and Zhaban? Of course you do! They were breakout characters at the start of the season, with their bickering interactions, their kick-ass secret-super-spy fight movies, and their constant doting on Jean-Luc. Unfortunately, they disappeared from the show after Picard left Earth in the third episode -- somebody needed to look after the grapes! -- but many fans loved them and hoped they might return in the finale. That was not to be, alas. “I mean, we loved them,” laughs Chabon. “And it was really fun to write for them. And we expanded, particularly, Laris' role sort of on the fly as we were writing, because she was so awesome. But the degree to which those characters just so quickly became seemingly so beloved was a surprise. Definitely.” [caption id="attachment_232675" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Laris and Zhaban[/caption] So the question remains: Will they be fecking back in Season 2? “We have no plans to ignore that enthusiasm,” Chabon responds. “Let me say that.” Star Trek: Picard Season 1 is available to stream now, and Season 2 is currently being written. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Talk to Executive Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura, or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3. Or do both!

This article contains spoilers for the first season of 'Star Trek: Picard' up to episode nine. Star Trek: Picard is the show I've been looking forward to for 17 years. Not because I was particularly interested in finding out what happened to Picard,...

We're finally at the end of the first season of Star Trek: Picard, when all the work and context the series has constructed over the last 10 episodes comes together. We've seen what the legacy of Data has created, we know what the Zhat Vash are afraid of, and we know it's up to Picard to find a way to avert disaster. The personal history of Jean-Luc remains a big part of the story throughout Episode 10, with the season wrapping up not only its storylines, but some from The Next Generation, as well.

Check out all the Star Trek references and Easter eggs populating Picard's finale episode, "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2."

Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.

1. A Zhat Vash Family

We've gotten a few hints at the family life of Narek and Narissa throughout the course of the first season of Star Trek: Picard, including that the siblings are related to Rahmda, the Romulan ex-Borg who Soji worked with briefly on the Artifact. A quick line in Episode 10 reveals that the pair also had parents who believed in the Zhat Vash philosophy, too--and, apparently, died for it. There aren't more details than that, but it's useful to know just how deep the devotion of these two Tal Shiar spies actually goes.

2. Make It So

Across the last 10 episodes, Picard hasn't missed an opportunity to call up Jean-Luc's classic, well-known phrases. Aboard La Sirena, it's Agnes who does the honors this time, telling Picard to "make it so."

3. "Queen Annika"

Seven of Nine gets her chance to confront Narissa aboard the crashed Artifact, but Narissa can't pass up the opportunity to needle Seven about her past. She calls her "Queen Annika," referencing Seven's brief stint in control of the Artifact, and notes that Annika was assimilated when she was a mere six years old. Annika's parents were researchers who studied the Borg, until they were discovered by the Collective and assimilated.

4. "This is for Hugh"

When we were first introduced to Seven on Picard, it was during a scene in which she discovered Icheb, another ex-Borg who Seven had been close to, being harvested for parts by rogue scientists. Seven got her revenge on the people responsible, and her confrontation with Narissa creates a similar situation. She gets justice for Hugh, another ex-Borg friend, but the act still takes its toll on Seven.

5. The Picard Maneuver

As Picard and Agnes try to find a way to delay the Romulan fleet, Agnes says that whatever they come up with will be called "the Picard Maneuver." She then immediately remembers that that's already a thing--it's actually a famous tactical move in Starfleet. During a battle with a Ferengi vessel at Maxia while commanding the Stargazer, Picard used a short-range warp jump to briefly make it appear to the attacking ship that the Stargazer was in two locations at once. The Ferengi ship fired at the false Stargazer, which gave Picard enough time to shoot back and destroy the enemy.

6. Acting Captain Will Riker

In Episode 9, Jean-Luc sent a transmission to the Federation asking for assistance to protect the synths. Just in time, Starfleet shows up with enough ships to stand up to the Romulans--with Will Riker leading the group. Riker explained earlier in the season that he was retired but still on the reserve roster for Starfleet, and with Picard in trouble, Riker leapt at the chance to help.

7. The Treaty Of Algeron

Riker brings a huge Federation fleet to take on the Romulans, but he doesn't kick off a war. Instead, he cites the Treaty of Algeron, the peace treaty that ended war between the Federation and Romulus more than a hundred years ago. It's the treaty that originally created the Neutral Zone between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation, and if the Romulans violate it, it'll mean war with the Federation once again.

8. Another Vision Of Data

Picard has been seeing Data throughout the season, but in the end of Season 10, he actually gets a chance to meet him one more time. Of course, this is more a recreation of Data's consciousness, made in the same way Bruce Maddox was able to create new synths from Data's positronic neurons, but unlike Picard's dreams, this is as close to actually seeing his friend again as he could ever otherwise get.

9. Blue Skies

The first episode of Star Trek: Picard opened with the Irving Berlin song "Blue Skies," a callback to the song Data sang at Riker and Deanna Troi's wedding in "Star Trek: Nemesis." Data plays the song one last time in his simulated world before the end.

10. Data's Mortality

Data spent his life hoping to become more human. When he meets Picard one last time, Data asks for one last thing to make himself more human: mortality. He explains that mortality is a huge part of what makes human experiences a powerful part of life. Data spent most of his life expecting that he might live for a very long time--possibly forever. When he's finally faced with death, like many humans, he finds meaning in it.

11. The Tempest

In the final moments before shutting down Data's simulation, Picard quotes Shakespeare: "We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." It's a line from The Tempest, a play Data performed with Picard during their time on the Enterprise, in order to try to understand more about humanity.

12. Kal-Toh

As we scan through La Sirena in the final moments of the episode, we get a look at all of Picard's new crew. As the camera pans over Seven of Nine, we see her with what looks like a pile of pieces of metal. That's actually a Vulcan game of strategy called Kal-Toh, which Seven used to play with Commander Tuvok on Voyager. Tuvok used to play the game with Ensign Harry Kim, who never was able to beat him--but the first time Seven tried it, she beat Tuvok in one move.

13. Engage

The first season of Star Trek: Picard ends with Jean-Luc finally taking on the captain's role. The final moment of the season sees Picard setting out to again explore the galaxy, with Picard giving the order to the expectant crew: "Engage."

Star Trek: Picard's ninth episode, "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1," brings Jean-Luc and the crew of La Sirena to their final goal: the synth homeworld created by Bruce Maddox, and the place that Soji and Dahj were originally from. Like the rest of the series so far, it's another episode steeped in Star Trek lore and history, specifically drawing on Picard's friendship with Data, as well as Data's backstory and history.

We've peered into the depths of "Et in Arcadia Ego" and uncovered a host of Trek Easter eggs, references, and historical tidbits you might have missed. Check out the full list below.

1. Red Alert!

Seconds after La Sirena exits the Borg's transwarp conduit, things get a little heated, with Narek's snakehead ship showing up and attacking it. When it does, we hear the familiar red alert alarm ringing through the ship, although it's been updated since The Next Generation and Voyager.

2. Synths Really Like Orchids

The orchids are a running theme with Bruce Maddox and his synth creations, and it turns out, they're not just metaphors for mixing synthetic and organic life, or for Soji and Dahj's creation. Giant, space-faring orchids allow the synths to defend themselves against incoming ships. That's fascinating and weird, and raises the question of what else the synths are using flowers to do.

3. The Ship Has Windows

Agnes mentions being surprised when Rios lowers La Sirena's shutters, revealing the ship's windows. Though the bridges of Star Trek starships usually use view screens that can display communications and different camera angles outside the ship, there are also windows and portholes scattered around, as well. They might look like they're made of glass, but those windows are actually transparent aluminum, as covered in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

4. Old-School Medical Tricorder

When she analyzes Jean-Luc after his episode during the cold open, Agnes mentions that she found an "old-school medical tricorder" and used it to scan him. That looks to be the sort of tricorder that got a lot of use by Enterprise-D medical staff during The Next Generation. Tricorders are hand-held scanners used to gather information in a variety of situations, but medical tricorders are tools that are, obviously, a little more specialized, used by Starfleet doctors to assess a patient’s condition.

5. Picard's Brain

We first heard about Picard's impending neurological troubles back in Episode 2. He's got an abnormality in his parietal lobe, which was actually first mentioned way back in the series finale of The Next Generation. Back then, Dr. Beverly Crusher suggested Picard might develop any of a number of neurological disorders, or none at all. Picard got a glimpse of the future in that episode, in which he developed a disease called Irumodic Syndrome. Now we know that the issue will eventually kill Jean-Luc, but he's basically ignoring it. The fact that the disorder has come up again this late in Season 1 suggests it might start having an effect on his ability to lead before much longer.

6. A Class-M Planet

Star Trek fans have been hearing about Class-M planets for decades, across all the franchise's series. Class-M is the Federation and Starfleet designation for planets that can support human life--essentially, the places where it's safe to send away teams, land, and walk around.

7. Locutus Of Borg

As established in Episode 5 when Picard visited Hugh on the Artifact, the XBs (ex-Borg) all retain at least some of their experience from being a part of the Collective. When Picard and his crew visit the crashed Artifact in order to check for survivors, he again encounters XBs who remember him from his days as Locutus of Borg. It still has a clear emotional impact on Jean-Luc, but he's learning to handle his Borg baggage a little better.

8. 218 Warbirds

We saw the Romulan fleet go to warp and leave the Artifact after Seven of Nine freed it from Romulan control. Though Romulus might have been destroyed, the Tal Shiar and Zhat Vash still have a lot of power at their disposal, it seems. It's also worth noting that though they're called "Warbirds," these are a new version of the main Romulan warships we saw in The Next Generation, which, in turn, were updated versions of the ones that appeared in The Original Series.

9. Mok'bara

As a Klingon warrior and chief of security on the Enterprise-D, we often saw Worf working to keep his combat skills sharp. One way he did that was with the Klingon martial art Mok'bara, something he often taught classes for other members of the crew. It looks like the synthetics are also fans of Mok'bara, which would make sense if they all share some of Data's influences from his time aboard the Enterprise.

10. Golden Eyes

Though Soji and Dahj easily pass for human, when Picard and his crew finally meet the rest of her synthetic family, they discover many who are quite a bit more familiar. Several of the synths, including their de facto leader, Sutra, sport the pale skin and golden eyes that made Data so distinctive. These synths look a lot more like the android from which they were created than the others we've seen so far.

11. Another Soong

Over the years, we've seen a few members of the lineage of Noonien Soong, the cyberneticist who created Data (and all played by Brent Spiner, who portrayed Data). On Star Trek: Enterprise, we met Soong's great-grandfather, Arik Soong, a geneticist who believed in genetic engineering of the type that created superhumans like Khan, the villain of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. Data, Lore, and B-4 were obviously his direct creations, and therefore kind of like his children, and he even made an android version of his wife Juliana after her death, complete with copies of her memories. Now we find out that Noonien Soong had a biological son, Alton, as well as artificial ones. Again played by Spiner, Alton has followed in his father's footsteps, although he seems more like Arik than Noonien in his dedication to his creations at the expense of other humans like himself.

12. "She's Read Surak"

In trying to get the information about the Admonition out of Agnes's brain, the synths and Alton turn to the idea of another Vulcan mindmeld. Alton says that Sutra has an interest in Vulcan culture, noting, "She's read Surak." That's the famous Vulcan philosopher who first pushed for Vulcans to suppress their emotions, which had brought the Vulcan people to the brink of extinction, in favor of pure logic. After seeing the Admonition, Sutra even responds with one of Mr. Spock's famous phrases: "Fascinating." (It was also something Data was fond of saying as well.)

13. Spot 2

It seems Alton Soong didn't just help Bruce Maddox to make synthetic humanoids. He also was able to make synthetic animals and insects, including butterflies--and cats. We meet Spot 2 while Picard and his crew are hanging around the synthetics' home, a nod to Data's pet cat, Spot, who he cared for while he was a member of the Enterprise crew.

More governments are relying on phone location tracking in a bid to track and contain the spread of COVID-19. Eight European carriers, including Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), Orange and Vodafone, have agreed to share phone location data with the Europ...

The Winter Line shed new light onto both Maeve and Bernard as the hidden war between hosts and humans rages on.

HBO's Westworld Season 3 marching on with Episode 2, with the Maeve and Bernard-focused "The Winter Line," in which the new status quo of multiple characters are fully revealed--and, unsurprisingly, some are a little better off than others. The new tone that was established last week in the premiere seems to be continuing with more asked-and-answered questions than ever before building into what looks to be a totally linear mystery with totally linear stakes. Maeve is going to be facing off against Dolores--something we gathered from the trailers--and this week, we learned not only why but how.

But for as on-rails as this season seems to be (temporally speaking, at least) there's still plenty to think about and dissect, especially as things really start to pick up steam. From playful winks at other HBO properties to major color-coded clues as to just who is who in the upcoming war between hosts and humans, "The Winter Line" sketched out plenty of information with references, nods, and easy-to-miss Easter Eggs.

We've tallied up 15 in total. Were you able to catch any others? Do you have any big theories for the rest of the season brewing? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Welcome to WW2 World

Maeve "wakes up" (for lack of a better word) in what looks like another park--this time, clearly modeled after World War 2-era Italy. It makes a lot of sense for this particular park to be real, given the themes of Delos's other parks, but Maeve quickly comes to realize there's more going on here under the surface.

2. Hector

Welcome back, Hector! We last saw this host being brutally murdered by the "infected" hosts just outside the gate to the Valley Beyond back in Season 2. Apparently death just didn't suit him--or did it?

3. Hector's loop

Maeve begins to suspect something is off when she starts to realize the glaring similarities between Hector's current behavior and his old narrative loop from back in Season 1. We first met Hector while he was stuck as Westworld's most wanted, always trying to steal an empty safe.

4. Return to Westworld

The White Church (and the rest of the park, for that matter) have very clearly seen better days. Bernard's return gives us a great perspective on just what's been happening with the park since the revolt--which is to say, not a lot. Delos has completely abandoned the project.

5. Felix and Sylvester

Technicians Felix and Sylvester were two of Maeve's reluctant allies in Season 2. We meet them here in Season 3 in a different context and their odd behavior is one of the major tip-offs that something isn't right, even outside of the WW2 simulation.

6. Let's call the whole thing off

Maeve's throw-away line about wanting to remove herself from the game entirely, "let's call the whole thing off, shall we?" is a reference to the 1937 show tune of the same name from the movie Shall We Dance starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It's likely that Maeve pulled this line from whatever programming was added to her system to make her narrative based in WW2.

7. Sizemore

Like Hector, human narrative lead Lee Sizemore died back in Season 2--though unlike Hector, his death ought to have been a lot more permanent. We meet him here walking with a cane, apparently because of the gunshot wounds he sustained--though, that ends up not being the entire story.

8. The secret basement

Bernard travels to the secret basement of the farmhouse (Ford's "remote diagnostic facility") where host testing occurred back in Season 1. This place played a key role in the eventual reveal that Bernard himself is a host.

9. Stubbs

Delos head of security Ashley Stubbs has spent the last two seasons running around as a human, but apparently that was all a lie. There was at least one major hint dropped in the Season 2 finale that Stubbs might actually be a host, but here we get our absolute confirmation. Sorry, Stubbs, but it looks like your reality wasn't exactly what you thought.

10. The Forge

We visited The Forge back in Season 2, and while it looked very similar to the simulation Sizemore brings Maeve to, it's clearly not a perfect replication--more hints that something isn't right here. For one, the entrance to the now flooded facility was deep within the desert, hidden away.

11. Stolen Maeve

Maeve was clearly stolen from her host shell by someone who believed she was responsible for opening the Valley Beyond and knew where the hosts had been sent--that's why Sizemore brought her to the fake forge. The person pulling the strings behind Maeve's simulated world has, apparently, been unable to locate Dolores.

We learn later in the conversation between Maeve and Serac that Serac had originally identified Maeve as the threat, but only because Rehoboam apparently was unable to detect Dolores at all. Pretty terrifying.

12. David and Dan

In a rare bit of fourth-wall breaking, the showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss of HBO's Game Of Thrones have a very self-referential cameo as Delos technicians in what's left of the company, apparently working on what looks like a Westeros-inspired fourth park. Westeros World, maybe? Though according to Stubbs, it's unlikely the new park will ever happen--they're all just "waiting to see if they get laid off." If you weren't able to clock Benioff and Weiss alone, the giant Drogon curled up behind them probably tipped you off.

13. Serac

The mysterious creator of Rehoboam (remember, the person that had everyone so scared back in Episode 1 that Liam didn't even want to say his name out loud) is apparently the person responsible for freeing Maeve and building her a new host body. We're going to take a wild guess and say that this dude probably isn't to be trusted. But, on the upside, his arrival does send a pretty clear signal as to the rest of the season's trajectory. Dolores vs. Maeve is just around the corner.

14. Black vs White

Did you catch Liam's bio on the data pad Bernard uses? It shows that he chose the black hat route when he was at the parks. Meanwhile, both Serac and Maeve are dressed entirely in white for their scene. Symbolism.

15. The Winter Line

The episode title comes from a series of World War 2-era German and Italian military fortifications constructed across Italy to defend the western half of the country and a critical supply route to Rome from Allied attack.

Author Stephen King posted a chapter of his 1978 novel, The Stand, on Twitter to help better contextualize the spread of a global pandemic like the Coronavirus. The Stand is a post-apocalyptic novel that focuses on a pandemic that almost takes the lives of the entire human population. The story then follows the survivors as they attempt to create a new society. King posted the eighth chapter, in which he wrote about how the "superflu," the name of the pandemic in the novel, rapidly spread across the United States. In his tweet, King added, "Chapter 8 of THE STAND. This is how it works. Heed. (But remember [COVID-19] is not as lethal as the superflu.)"

Chapter 8 of THE STAND. This is how it works. Heed. (But remember COID-19 is not as lethal as the superflu.)https://t.co/yqvwbjoVMs

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 22, 2020

The chapter explores how just one sick person transmitting the sickness to a handful of people can transform into an exponential spread across the globe. King's tweet is a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, as governments are encouraging, and in some cases requiring, people to stay home to limit the spread of the virus. Many businesses are closing their doors, including GameStop, which is temporarily closing all locations to comply with COVID-19 regulations. The COVID-19 outbreak is also impacting many movie release dates. You can read the full list of movies and shows affected by COVID-19. IGN is encouraging safety and positivity for all of our readers during this pandemic. Read our tips on how to help, and stay safe, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stephen-kings-best-movies&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Revolut is a financial service that is highly popular in Europe with over 10 million users but hasn't seen much use outside the Old Continent, until now. Starting today, the platform is finally officially available in the United States, completing the beta test that started in June 2019 and featured 60,000 users. Now American customers can use its banking services and technologies. Revolut's partner in the USA is the New York-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank. Revolut is one of a series on Neobank platforms that lets you send money quickly and often times cheaper than...

Full spoilers for Westworld Season 3, Episode 2 follow. [poilib element="accentDivider"] No, your eyes were not deceiving you. Based on the latest episode of Westworld, it looks like there’s a Game of Thrones park in the Westworld universe! Let’s just call it Westeros World. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-images&captions=true"]

Was that Drogon the Dragon in Westworld?

O.K., maybe it’s not specifically a Game of Thrones World, but at the very least there’s some kind of fantasy-based park which Bernard describes as Park 4. And this place has a dragon which looks exactly like Drogon. We see the dragon chained up in one of the high-tech Delos labs that keeps the parks like Westworld and Shogunworld running. And Westeros World as it turns out. Oh, and it’s also got Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss working as techs behind the scenes. And they’re talking about Jurassic Park… or a start-up in Costa Rica, at least. But you know what that means… Jurassic Park’s Isla Nublar is off the west coast of Costa Rica, after all.

The Jurassic Park/Westworld Connection

Of course, the late author and filmmaker Michael Crichton created both Jurassic Park and Westworld. Westworld showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy explained to IGN that these Easter eggs came about because they just wanted to have a little fun with their friends Benioff and Weiss. “Especially the Jurassic Park part of it, which we couldn't resist," laughed Nolan. "The argument there was all between whether or not one of the parks should be Westeros World, which George RR Martin has been pitching for years, and Dan and David -- who are friends of ours and who we have joked about over the years [about] Jurassic Park, of course Crichton’s other theme park gone-wrong classic. And so we found a way to bring both of those great flavors together. We pitched to our friends Dan and Dave, whose show we dearly loved and really sort of blazed the trail for ambitious filmmaking on television. We pitched them this dumb idea, and they were kind enough to show up and play with us for a night. We bought them a beer afterwards, and it was an absolute pleasure having them on our set.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/12/whats-new-in-westworld-season-3] [poilib element="accentDivider"] When we asked whether or not the Drogon seen in Westworld was created by the same effects house or from the same project files that were used on Game of Thrones, Nolan and Joy had no idea what we meant... “I’m not sure what you mean," Nolan straight-faced. "They brought Drogon with them.” Added Joy: “With a very large leash and a muzzle that’s fire-resistant.” Anyway, for those who are keeping count, we now know what four of the six Delos parks are on Westworld:

• Park 1 is the Old West-themed Westworld.
• Park 2 is Shogunworld, with a focus on feudal Japan.
• Park 3 is the World War II-era Warworld.
• Park 4 is an unnamed Westeros-type world.
• Park 5 remains unidentified.
• Park 6 is the Colonial India park The Raj.

What could Park 5 be? Maybe it’s based on another HBO show? Sopranos World? The Wire World? Big Little Lies World? Let us know what you think in the comments, and for more on Westworld be sure to check out a couple of the most popular fan theories about Westworld Season 3, hear what the showrunners had to say about the new season's big changes, or catch up on the first two seasons with our recap in six minutes!

The fight against coronavirus goes nuclear.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter is hearing rumors that Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka in The Mandalorian could be a potential backdoor pilot for an Ahsoka standalone series. Ahsoka fans may have even more to celebrate. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It appears Ahsoka Tano will finally be appearing in live-action as SlashFilm reports that Rosario Dawson has been cast as the fan-favorite character in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Check out our video report on this news below or keep scrolling to read the article. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/20/the-mandalorian-casts-rosario-dawson-as-ahsoka-tano-in-season-2-ign-now"] SlashFilm confirmed the news from two independent sources, who both confirmed Dawson will play the Togruta that was once a member of the Jedi Order and the padawan of Anakin Skywalker. Dave Filoni, who is the co-creator of Ahsoka Tano, is a writer, producer, and director on The Mandalorian, and he has teased many times that Ahsoka's journey is far from over. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/19/clone-wars-ahsoka-tano-explained-in-a-minute"] This is hardly a surprise casting, as back in 2017, Dawson responded to a fan asking her to appear in a Star Wars movie as Ahsoka by saying "Ummmm... yes please?! #AhsokaLives #AhsokaTano #StarWars." More recently, Dawson quote tweeted another fan who posted an image of her and Ahsoka side-by-side, saying "Just for reference Ahsoka Tano would be in her early-mid 40s during #TheMandalorian." Dawson responded by saying "Tell 'em! #AhsokaLives." Ahsoka was one of the main protagonists in Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and TV series and was created by Filoni and George Lucas. She was voiced by Ashley Eckstein in the series, and even made an appearance in a small cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Ahsoka also appeared in Star Wars Rebels and, while many thought her fate was sealed after a confrontation with her old master who had since become Darth Vader, the ending of the series gave hope to those who wanted her story to continue. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/17/star-wars-the-clone-wars-recapped-in-4-minutes"] Spoilers ahead for Season 1 of The Mandalorian and the ending of Star Wars Rebels. As for how Ahsoka could fit into the newest season of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, it may somehow be linked to the black-bladed Darksaber that was seen in the possession of Moff Gideon in the finale of The Mandalorian. The ancient weapon once belonged to Star Wars Rebels' Sabine Wren, who was last seen with Ahsoka before they went off to find Ezra Bridger. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] This news tracks with statements by previous Disney boss Bob Iger, who said that "The priority in the next few years is television, with The Mandalorian Season 2 coming in October and then more coming from The Mandalorian thereafter, including the possibility of infusing it with more characters and the possibility of taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series." For more on Ahsoka Tano and The Mandalorian, be sure to check out our explainer on beloved once-Jedi and our review of the first season of The Mandalorian. If you have yet to watch the tale of Ahsoka, be sure to jump on Disney+ and use our handy Star Wars: The Clone Wars chronological episode order guide and witness one of the best Star Wars stories from the galaxy far, far away. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/06/star-wars-will-ahsoka-tano-appear-in-the-mandalorian"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who is stating to the world that Ahsoka Tano is the best character in Star Wars. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Warning: Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 2020 is quickly shaping up to be the year of Ahsoka Tano. Not only was Ahsoka back in action in the fifth episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' final season, she also made her live-action debut in Season 2, Episode 5 of The Mandalorian, with Rosario Dawson taking over a fan-favorite Star Wars role. This news is so exciting because we know so little about Ahsoka's story after the events of Star Wars Rebels. With that in mind, let's explore what we do know and how The Mandalorian can build on a story that fans have been following for years in the animated series and novels. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=essential-ahsoka-tano-stories-to-watch-and-read&captions=true"]

Ahsoka Tano's Story Before The Mandalorian

While we've previously done a deep dive into Ahsoka Tano's Star Wars history, here are the basics. Ahsoka made her debut in the 2008 animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars and quickly became a major player in the animated series of the same name. That series explores Ahsoka's coming-of-age story as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan and eventual exile from the Jedi Order. Even though The Clone Wars only recently wrapped up its belated final season on Disney+, Star Wars Rebels (which takes place after Revenge of the Sith) already revealed that Ahsoka survived Order 66 and eventually joined the Rebel Alliance. The novel Star Wars: Ahsoka helps bridge the vast gap between the two shows, revealing how she escaped the devastation of the Siege of Mandalore and eventually became a Rebel spy. Ahsoka played a crucial role in Rebels Season 2, which culminates in a battle with her former master Darth Vader on the Sith world of Malachor. For a while, Ahsoka's fate was uncertain, as the Season 2 finale was intentionally vague as to whether Ahsoka survived that battle. However, the final season of Rebels revealed she was rescued by her ally and fellow Jedi Knight Ezra Bridger. Ezra was able to reach through time and pull Ahsoka to safety, though the two were quickly separated again. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/24/ahsoka-tano-returns-the-ex-jedis-path-to-the-mandalorian"] That's where Ahsoka's story begins to get murky. She only had two other canonical appearances in the Star Wars saga after that point before her debut on The Mandalorian. She appeared in a flash-forward epilogue in the Rebels series finale (which was set a little while after the events of Return of the Jedi), where she reunited with the surviving members of the Ghost crew to search for the lost Ezra. Ahsoka's voice could also be heard in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, one of many Jedi who lend their support to Rey in her battle with Emperor Palpatine. This has led many fans to assume Ahsoka is dead by the time of Episode IX, though Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni has hinted otherwise.

How Ahsoka Tano Fits Into The Mandalorian Season 2 Timeline

The Mandalorian timeline is set roughly five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, a time when the Empire is mostly vanquished but before the New Republic has been able to restore order to the galaxy. Because of this, we're not expecting Season 2 to settle the question of whether Ahsoka is dead in The Rise of Skywalker. There is the chance she could die in The Mandalorian, but it would seem like an awfully big waste to go through the trouble of introducing live-action Ahsoka only to then immediately kill her off. Plus, it's not as though Ahsoka is a senior citizen in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka is a young teenager at the start of The Clone Wars. There are about 30 years of time between then and the era of The Mandalorian, putting Ahsoka around age 45 in The Mandalorian Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=how-ahsoka-tano-helped-shape-the-star-wars-franchise&captions=true"] Even if Ahsoka's sequel trilogy fate is unknown, The Mandalorian seems to be tying into the open-ended finale of Rebels. As we saw in the Rebels finale, Ezra and Grand Admiral Thrawn were both trapped aboard a runaway Star Destroyer as it jumped to the far edge of the galaxy. Ahsoka and Sabine Wren then set out to track Ezra down and bring him home. And, as we saw in Season 2, episode 5 of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka is on the trail of Thrawn, meaning that she's probably also still searching for Ezra.  In Season 2, episode 5, Ahsoka also declined to train Baby Yoda in the ways of the Force given his attachment to Mando. Instead, she sent them to find an ancient Jedi temple, instructing Baby Yoda to reach out through the Force and see if any other surviving Jedi answer his call. While there are a few other surviving Jedi we know of in this time period (Luke and Leia, and Fallen Order's Cal Kestis and Cere come to mind), perhaps Ahsoka is hoping Ezra might answer Baby Yoda's call and reveal himself, if Thrawn doesn't have him locked up somewhere.

Ahsoka's Role in the Fate of Planet Mandalore

The Mandalorian has already been forging a connection to The Clone Wars and Rebels with the reveal that Din's nemesis Moff Gideon is now wielding the Darksaber. This ancient lightsaber is one of the most important relics of Mandalore. The owner of that saber is recognized as the rightful ruler of Mandalore. So the fact that it's currently in the hands of an Imperial warlord suggests Mandalore is in a pretty bad place post-Return of the Jedi. Season 2 of The Mandalorian has shed more light on the current state of planet Mandalore. When Rebels ended, Sabine willingly ceded the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze and joined her friends on the hunt for Ezra. We can assume Bo-Katan's reign was short and tragic, with the Empire returning to decimate the world and its people all over again. Bo-Katan has also appeared in The Mandalorian, on the hunt for Moff Gideon and the Darksaber - she was the person who sent Mando and Baby Yoda to Ahsoka, in fact - so it seems clear that Dave Filoni is attempting to link the events of Rebels and The Mandalorian together. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-strangest-lightsabers-in-the-star-wars-universe&captions=true"] Because Moff has the Darksaber, Ahsoka may feel a certain sense of guilt over pulling Sabine away from her homeworld when it needed her most. With that in mind, Ahsoka's role in The Mandalorian Season 2 may also involve teaming up with Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, and other surviving Mandalorians to liberate Mandalore (or at least avenge it) in addition to hunting down Ezra and Thrawn. Here are all the clues that suggest Sabine Wren might appear in Season 2 to help. Gideon actor Giancarlo Esposito has already teased a major lightsaber battle in Season 2, along with a complicated history between Gideon and Din Djarin. Could he have been foreshadowing a big showdown between Gideon with the Darksaber and Ahsoka her two white lightsabers? If so, we don't fancy his chances of survival. As for Grand Admiral Thrawn, who is clearly now at the top of Ahsoka's hit list, it wouldn't be surprising for Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to try and weave in the character's history from the classic Expanded Universe novels, meaning that Thrawn may be the one to rally the fractured remnants of the Empire in this chaotic period. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/07/how-the-mandalorian-explains-what-happened-to-the-mandalorians"] How do you think Ahsoka's story will tie into The Mandalorian's? Do you think we might meet Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action too? Weigh in below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

With their season on hold because of coronavirus fears, Formula 1 drivers will surely be desperate for a competitive outlet to keep them (and their fans) occupied. So, just like soccer players and NASCAR drivers, they're diving into a virtual version...

In an attempt to help users find accurate coronavirus information, WhatsApp and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a chatbot that will answer questions about the pandemic. When users text "hi" to the new WHO Health Alert (+41 79 893 18...

With a global shortage of surgical masks due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, gaming hardware company Razer has begun manufacturing masks to donate to hospitals in need globally. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced last night on Twitter that "[Razer] intend[s] to donate up to 1M masks to health authorities of different countries." While Razer is known primarily for its keyboards, mice, and other computer peripherals, this is quite a departure from illuminated gaming gear. Tan firmly believes that "all of us have a part to play in fighting the virus – no matter which industry we come from."

We intend to donate up to 1M masks to the health authorities of different countries globally. For starters, we’ve been in touch with the authorities in Singapore (where the @Razer SEA HQ is based) to donate some of the initial shipments to assist their fight against COVID-19.

— Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) March 19, 2020

Razer has been working tirelessly over the past couple of days, including 24-hour shifts, to convert its existing manufacturing lines in order to produce the surgical masks. Tan also mentioned he and his team have been in touch with authorities in Singapore (where Razer's HQ is located) to donate some of its initial shipments. The remainder of Razer's global offices will be reaching out to other governments and health authorities to prioritize its support going forward. It's important to stay safe during this global pandemic. We've put together a page to help answer any questions you may have around safety, and how you can help contribute to fighting the virus. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a News and Features writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter or watch him stream on Twitch.

When communities are forced to remain indoors for an extended period of time, what are we to do? Some people are homeschooling their children, some are working from home, celebrities are finding ways to entertain, even as they self-isolate, which has led to some funny, inspirational, and tender moments during this stressful time. Thanks to the wonders of social media, we can still share a good laugh with the actors, musicians, and comedians we know and love.

Singing and Reading Celebrities

First up, we have Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, inviting some of her friends to sing "Imagine". Kristen Wiig, Jamie Dornan, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Adams, and more join Gadot in a rendition of the John Lennon song.

IMAGINE: These 25 celebrities in isolation sang "Imagine" by John Lennon to create this moving montage ❤️ https://t.co/5lmEzTXhdr pic.twitter.com/dl5AbreI27

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 19, 2020

Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo recorded a Jimmy Kimmel Live segment from home: Ellen, the effervescent talk show host, and voice of Disney's Dory, has taken up calling her celebrity friends. First, she called Adam Levine to wish him a happy birthday, then she called singer John Legend. Speaking of John Legend, he and a number of musicians have been broadcasting mini-concerts from home: Coldplay's Chris Martin started the trend by broadcasting live on Coldplay's Instagram for 30 mins earlier this week: As well as Death Cab for Cutie frontman Benjamin Gibbard: Disney actor Josh Gad, who voices Frozen's Olaf and portrays Beauty and the Beast's Lefou has been reading stories every night on Twitter:

See you all tonight at 7:30 EST/4:30 PT for some #GadBookClub pic.twitter.com/3cx9oubzfR

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 19, 2020

  Lastly, the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger and "alright alright alright" actor Matthew McConaughey both took to Instagram to encourage everyone to stay home and keep the faith:

Stay. At. Home. That means you, too, spring breakers. pic.twitter.com/jUOgjLaOGN

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 18, 2020

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Lauren Gallaway is a Social Media Coordinator for IGN. Find her tweeting @LaurenGallaway and Twitch streaming at Glimpse Entertainment.