The following article contains spoilers for “The Broken Circle.”

Strange New Worlds’ first season may have stumbled out of the gate, but it outdid itself with every subsequentepisode. On the strength of the back half of its episodes alone, you could easily call it the best live-action Trek of the streaming era. This achievement was staggering, especially since it was saddled with the nightmare brief of serving as a spin-off to Discovery, a prequel to Star Trek and a paean to fans less than enamored with its serialized stablemates. It quickly found a tone that would serve those many masters, offering episodic storytelling with soap opera characterization that quickly teased out Star Trek’s oft-denied goofy side. It quickly found the confidence to be silly, and dramatic, and even made time to show the crew hanging out with each other, and above all else, it was accessible to mainstream audiences.

That confidence is proudly on show here in “The Broken Circle,” the season two opener credited to co-showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman. Watching this, you get the sense that every person in the production team is pulling in the same direction, with fantastic results. It helps that Myers and Goldsman again write their crew making smart choices pretty much all of the time, sparing us any sludgy plot blocking. In fact, the quickness of its narrative and the sheer brute-force of its charisma helps cover a multitude of sins, turning what is otherwise a fairly light romp into something that will, hopefully, set the tone for the rest of the season.

We open with the Enterprise in spacedock, undergoing a (weirdly testy) inspection while Pike tries to find someone who can help save Number One from her upcoming court martial. He leaves an unusually-flustered Spock in charge of the Enterprise, who isn’t feeling up to the task. That’s because he can’t get his emotions back under control after unleashing his inner rage monster back in “All Those Who Wander,” and seeks help from Dr. M’Benga. He hands him a Lute and tells him to work on his emotions like a human, and when Chapel walks in, the good Doctor can’t help but notice the tension. On the bridge, meanwhile, Uhura receives a coded message from La’an, who has uncovered a plot against the Federation on the edge of Klingon space.

Sadly, April turns down Spock’s plea to investigate, and so enlists the bridge crew to steal the Enterprise. And yes, while this is comedically punctured soon after, I’ll admit to sighing myself inside out as I expected to sit through the second Search for Spock homage in three months. Mercifully, the heist is disrupted by Pelia, the immortal head of the inspection team – Carol Kane playing a stock Carol Kane-type character. Pelia, as a friend of Spock’s mom Amanda, decides to aid in the deception to get the crew underway. They find La’an on a dilithium rich planet which was contested during the Klingon war, and is now under the control of a gang of nefarious types. They’re annoyed that their profit margins have been eroded in peacetime, and would much prefer to restart the Federation - Klingon war to boost profits.

It’s Dr. M’Benga and Chapel who get the meat of the action here, as they are kidnapped and taken to a fake Federation starship being built underground. They correctly surmise that the ship will be used to – another sigh – stage a false flag attack on the Klingons to restart the war. In order to warn the Enterprise, they go heavy on the steroids and punch-fight their way to the ship’s transponder to send them a message. Unfortunately, the ship breaks ground to attack an arriving cruiser, forcing the Enterprise to give chase. But Spock’s reticent to open fire, since the (not so) secret object of his (not so) secret affections is still on board.

Thankfully, M’Benga and Chapel blast their way out into space without any EVA gear and get beamed aboard by the pursuing Enterprise (I know, I know!). Spock is then left to smooth things over with the Klingons, downing a mug or two of blood wine to demonstrate his fortitude to his new friends. April’s happy to give him a slap on the wrist for his heroics, mostly because his focus is on a looming war with the Gorn. And with that, we’re back at the races.

Michael Gibson/Paramount+

What sets “The Broken Circle” apart from many episodes like it from Star Trek’s history is the confidence in its execution and the faith it has in its audience. There are plenty of times that information is conveyed visually rather than with radio-style narration. The silent nod between La’an and M’Benga, when we’re trusted to know what a Starfleet ship looks like by sight alone, and the results of Chapel and M’Benga’s steroid hit. I know this is basic stuff, but it’s right to praise a show that’s able to avoid falling into its own worst habits, and Chris Fisher’s snappy direction deserves plenty of praise.

I could be wrong, but it feels as if the visuals have improved, too, both in scope and execution. The crew seems to have gotten to grips with how best to use its virtual production stage, putting it to effective use in several scenes. We’re still a long way from being able to light big walls of TV screens like the real outdoors, but the effect wasn’t jarring. It was also another episode where savvy use of pre-existing sets was disguised well-enough – at least until you wonder why a criminal crew building a fake starship would bother to equip it with a sickbay, at least.

The one downside to all of this, really, is my usual one, which is that I still can’t shake the feeling some of this stuff is better suited to the other Star franchise. Clandestine meetings with arms dealers where you prove your mettle with how well you hold your drink or a (fake) grenade. A face-punching interrogation scene seconds after being reminded the Federation prohibits torture. A corridor-based punch-fight in which the two people least-qualified to be ass-kickers turn into ass-kicking ninjas for five minutes at a time. Yes, Star Trek of old could be violent, but I don’t think it was ever this cynical or nihilistic, even in the Deep Space Nine days.

For now, let’s welcome Strange New Worlds back for another run, where it’s only got to maintain its reputation as the best live-action Trek. No pressure, then.

Amazon and Disney have partnered to create an interactive experience that combines Alexa’s voice assistant features with Disney’s robust stable of characters. The appropriately-named “Hey Disney!” is now available on any Echo device and represents the very first time Amazon has allowed an assistant other than Alexa on its various speakers and tablets.

Once you purchase an annual subscription to the new voice assistant via the Alexa Skills Store, you’ll have some brand new ways to interact with your Echo gadgets. The wake word changes to “Hey Disney!” which gives you access to something called the “Disney Magical Companion.” This opens up 20 new personalities and voices to interact with across Disney’s entire corporate roster, including Pixar movies and the Star Wars franchise. Additionally, the service is being included as a perk to Amazon Kids+ at no added cost.

Once you call up your favorite character, you’ll get some extra personality when asking for the weather or setting an alarm. Amazon gives examples of Olaf from Frozen reading the weather and a themed soundscape inspired by Return of the Jedi’s moon of Endor. There’s also an emphasis here on storytelling, with Amazon touting “interactive adventures with characters” and “immersive entertainment.” Finally, there’s a new multiplayer Disney trivia game. These modes exist as voice-only experiences for Echo speakers and with visuals for Echo Show tablets.

This is not the first we’ve heard of this unique branding. The voice assistant was first revealed last year, but it was an exclusive release to Disney Resort hotels. Now it’s available to everyone, so long as you pony up for a dedicated subscription or already have a Kids+ plan.

Twitter has yet another major lawsuit to contend with. A group of more than a dozen music publishers has filed a $250 million lawsuit against the company over allegations of “massive” copyright infringement on the platform.

The suit, filed by the National Music Publishers Association, alleges Twitter users have violated artists’ copyrights on thousands of occasions and that the company has done little to stop it. It notes that Twitter is among the only major social platforms that doesn’t have licensing agreements in place.

According to The New York Times, Twitter had been in negotiations for such a deal but those talks eventually broke down. “While numerous Twitter competitors recognize the need for proper licenses and agreements for the use of musical compositions on their platforms, Twitter does not, and instead breeds massive copyright infringement that harms music creators,” the filing states.

The lawsuit also accuses Twitter of ignoring music publishers’ requests to take copyright infringing material off its platform despite weekly notices from publishers.“The reality is that Twitter routinely ignores known repeat infringers and known infringements, refusing to take simple steps that are available to Twitter to stop these specific instances of infringement of which it is aware,” the lawsuit says,

The suit also claims many offending tweets are now shared by verified users, and that Twitter is likely to take action against verified accounts. “Twitter suspended virtually none of the verified accounts identified in the NMPA Notices and which have large follower bases,” the suit says. “Twitter gives them preferential treatment, viewing accounts that are verified and have large follower bases as more valuable and monetizable than accounts that are unverified and have a small number of followers.”

Though the lawsuit says that copyright infringement has been a problem at Twitter for years, it says things have gotten worse since Elon Musk took over the company and that things are in “disarray” internally. Of note, the suit also cites tweets from Musk himself, in which he criticized copyright law, calling the “overzealous DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act]” a “plague on humanity.”

“This statement and others like it exert pressure on Twitter employees, including those in its trust and safety team, on issues relating to copyright and infringement,” the music publishers say.

Twitter didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Developer Motion Twin just announced an animated series based on the game Dead Cells that releases in 2024. The series is being produced by French studio Bobbypills, who also handled the animated trailers for the game and its many DLC releases. The cartoon series seems to follow the game’s narrative, as it’s set on a “cursed island” with a population of “monstrous creatures” and “prophecies depicting a flame-headed hero.”

The series is being co-produced by French anime distribution service the Animation Digital Network. The first season of the Dead Cells cartoon will consist of ten episodes, each around seven to ten minutes long. It will also be exclusive to France, at first, before getting a global release at some point after the initial premiere. There’s a short teaser trailer that doesn’t reveal too much but does give a sense of the animation style.

Developer Motion Twin promises that the forthcoming animated series will not sway its commitment from providing constant updates and new content for the original game. Dead Cells is available on just about every platform in existence, including PC, consoles and mobile devices, having sold an astounding 10 million copies during its lifespan. For the uninitiated, the critically-acclaimed game is a roguelike/metroidvania hybrid that casts you as—surprise—a flame-headed hero trying to escape a cursed island.

You probably wouldn't think of McDonald's if you're asked to guess which company would release a retro game this year. But yes, the fast food giant did indeed launch a 2D retro game seemingly in the style of Game Boy Color, and it's all in celebration of Grimace's 52nd birthday. The company teamed up with Krool Toys to develop the platformer that you can play on a modern PC or a mobile device. In it, you control Grimace on a skateboard as he searches for his missing friends — and collect enough milkshake for all his guests — before his birthday party begins.

While I fumbled a bit trying to control the purple mascot as he jumped over obstacles and slid across hand rails, I could only blame my own clumsy handling of the game's controls. The game worked smoothly on a computer, and you can even expand the screen if you don't mind getting blurry graphics, which truly do look like they were created for Nintendo's old handheld. The game was most likely created using a drag-and-drop tool for Nintendo handheld games called GB Studio. Indie developers like Krool have been using the program to create retro games, because doing so from scratch is typically very time- and resource-consuming. As a nice nostalgia-inducing bonus, even the website for the game is a throwback to the era marked by colorful and busy Angelfire, Lycos and Geocities web pages.

McDonald's only officially released Grimace's Birthday as a fun little game you can play on PC and mobile, but people were quickly able to find and share a copy you can download. While it's not an official release, it will allow you to play the game on a Game Boy emulator in case have one. 

It seems that Meta has a fully fledged Twitter alternative that ties into Instagram on the way. In the meantime, Instagram still has its own Notes feature, which is getting an upgrade today as it now supports music and translation.

Since December, the feature has enabled users to share short status updates including text and emoji on their profiles. Friends and followers can see these mini missives in the inbox. Adding music to your notes will help you express yourself, Meta says. You'll be able to include a 30-second clip of a song along with a caption. You might think of this as a souped-up version of an AIM away message, where you can post a clip of a song alongside a lyric that vaguely hints at your feelings about a certain someone or takes a passive-aggressive shot at one of your enemies.

Instagram

In addition, you'll be able to translate notes with a tap. This could be handy if one of your friends tends to post their notes in a language you may not know well. 

Meta says that many teens have taken to Notes. More than 100 million teen accounts have posted a note in the last three months. Music and translation are both solid additions to the feature and they'll likely go over well with teens. 

Instagram

Meanwhile, Meta has confirmed it's working on a "standalone decentralized social network" that's focused on text-based updates. According to reports, you'll be able to log in with your Instagram credentials and populate your profile with details from your existing account. The service will hook into ActivityPub, the networking protocol that powers Mastodon, while Meta's said to be trying to convince high-profile users such as Oprah and the Dalai Lama to use it.

Following a sneak peek and a teaser, Apple TV+ has finally released the official trailer for season two of Foundation — set 100 years ahead of season one's finale. The show, based on Isaac Asimov's book series, will introduce viewers to a second crisis: war with the Empire. Season two also follows the Cleons unraveling, "a vengeful Queen" plotting to destroy the Empire and the Foundation in its religious phase. As Dr. Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) reveals in the trailer, it will bring "Despair, death, destruction. This is even bigger than the last crisis." Whatever happens will decide the fate of all humanity — no big deal.

The ten new episodes come almost two years after season one first premiered and keep some of the original cast, including Lee Pace and Jared Harris. Its new season debuts Friday, July 14, on Apple TV+, with new episodes premiering weekly. In the meantime, enjoy the official trailer and have solace in knowing that filming for season three is already underway. 

AI-assisted vocals aren't just for bootleg songs. Paul McCartney has revealed to BBC Radio 4 that he's using AI to turn a John Lennon demo into one last song for The Beatles. The technology helped extract Lennon's voice to get a "pure" version that could be mixed into a finished composition. The piece will be released later this year, McCartney says.

McCartney didn't name the song, but it's believed to be "Now and Then," a 1978 love song Lennon put on cassettes meant for the other former Beatle. The Guardian notes the tune was considered for release as a reunion song alongside tracks that did make the cut, such as "Free As A Bird," but there wasn't much to it — just a chorus, a crude backing track and the lightest of verses. The Beatles rejected it after George Harrison thought it was bad, and the electrical buzz from Lennon's apartment didn't help matters.

The inspiration for the revival came from dialog editor Emile de la Rey's work on the Peter Jackson documentary Get Back, where AI separated the Beatles' voices from instruments and other sounds. The tech provides "some sort of leeway" for producing songs, McCartney adds.

To date, music labels typically haven't been fond of AI due to copyright clashes. Creators have used algorithms to have famous artists "sing" songs they never actually produced, such as a recently pulled fantasy collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd. This, however, is different — McCartney is using AI to salvage a track that otherwise wouldn't have reached the public. It won't be surprising if other artists use the technique to recover work that would otherwise sit in an archive.

After introducing mini-games and allowing access to younger teens, Meta is trying to make its VR-based Horizon Worlds more social. In its latest update, the company released a new feature called world chat that lets users send messages to anyone else in the same world session. At the same time, it's promising strict security controls for the new feature. 

A voice chat feature is already available, but this works much like a regular text messaging app. A screen shot (below) shows a classic group texting interface, with multiple users participating. Messages directed at specific people appear in their own view as a floating bubble, and when clicked, open up a new chat. 

People can connect with or follow others participating in a chat by clicking the individual's name to view their profile and inviting them to connect, Meta said. You'll be able to @mention others in world chat, provided they're in the same world. It offers ease-of-use tools like quick replies so you can connect without the need to type long messages. 

Meta

Along with world chat, Facebook introduced tools to "help create a positive community experience," it said. To start with, it automatically scans and deletes messages that go against its code of conduct. It allows users to blur chats so that messages from people they don't know will be blurred, and their own chats will appear blurred to others. Users can report, block or mute anyone, and minimize or hide the chat window.

The blur setting is automatically enabled for teens aged 13-17. Meta is also expanding parental supervision tools to allow users to ensure that their kids "have an age-appropriate chat experience by changing or locking the blurred chat settings," it wrote.

Earlier this year, US senators urged Meta not to open Horizon Worlds up to younger teens, citing the company's record of failure to protect them. That concern appeared to be justified following recent report of widespread CSAM on Instagram. Meta did it anyway, though, promising to put in place age-appropriate tools and protections. "We have to build experiences which are tailored to the unique vulnerabilities of teens," the company said at the time. Meta recently unveiled the Meta Quest 3 mixed reality headset, just a week before Apple launch its own much-anticipated model, the Vision Pro. 

There's a good chance that you've forgotten all about Pragmata, Capcom's eerie, dystopian sci-fi adventure game. Now, Capcom is giving you a chance to forget about it all over again: a new teaser for the game has revealed that the title will miss its 2023 release window.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must further postpone the release of Pragmata," the development team wrote at the end of the game's new trailer. "Our team is currently hard at work making the best game that we possibly can, but we need more time."

As the message implies, this is actually the second time that Pragmata's release has been postponed. First announced in 2020, Pragmata was teased with a cinematic trailer showing a soldier and a young girl exploring an abandoned city before winding up on the surface of the moon. The original teaser hinted at a dystopian future and a close relationship between the lead characters, but little else. About a year later, Capcom released a video of the young girl apologizing for the game's delay. This year's trailer is similar, but at least it shows off some gameplay.

We now know that the young girl is named Diana, and she seems to be under the protection of her heavily armored friend. Together, we see them fighting robot-like creatures, exploring futuristic environments and teaming up for high-speed piggy-back rides. While the soldier does most of the pair's fighting in the trailer, it also reveals that Diana has special abilities.

Capcom

What are those powers? What are these two characters doing on the moon? What happened to the rest of humanity? Those questions will have to wait. The Pragmata team did not set a new release window for the game, promising instead that it was doing its best to "ensure that the final product is one that is worthy of your patience."

Pragmata is planned to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC gaming platforms.