Young and the Restless gives thrilling new spoilers for the week of May 25th. We are going to talk about Diane Jenkins Abbott (Susan Walters) scaring her loved ones and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) collapsing in what looks like is another very scary fentanyl overdose.

We’ve got the latest Y&R spoilers for the week of May 25th through the 29th, including Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) in a crisis of her own. Plus, Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is cornered and Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) is on the run again. So, let’s dive right in to what’s happening next week.

Nikki’s Crisis And Jack Offers To Sponsor Nick on Young and the Restless

So, first of all, let’s talk about what’s going on with Nikki. And at the end of this week, she met with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and he told her an amped up version of what Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) paid Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) to do to him. Jack leans heavily into the Victor drugged me details and that is kind of where he’s inflating things and that really stuns Nikki.

She suspected that Patty did the drugging and is horrified that Victor would do that given that he knows, you know, that she has addiction issues, but Jack insists that Victor crossed all lines of decency to ruin Jack’s marriage to Diane. And Nikki says Victor might as well have done that to her, and it’s a slap in her face. Nikki says she thought Victor chilled out, but now Nikki sees he hasn’t. And basically, I think Jack’s plotting to create more distance between them because he tells Nikki she should get some air, go visit Summer in Italy.

Young and the Restless Spoilers: Jack Steps Up for Nick

And Nikki says she’d love to, but it’s a bad time because she’s going to be Nick’s unofficial sponsor. And as I have been expecting, guess what happens? Jack offers to be Nick’s official sponsor as he goes through withdrawal and treatment. And Jack is a really good choice because he got addicted to pain pills under circumstances almost identical to how Nick did. If you remember, Jack had surgery and he was given painkillers and then he got hooked.

Same thing that happened with Nick. And so Nikki says that she’s going to have Nick contact Jack. She’s very happy about this. And we’re going to see Nikki by the end of the week having a warm moment with Jack before Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) shows up and Nikki takes off. And then Jack admits to Kyle that he embellished the kidnapping story a bit to make Victor look even worse.

So basically, Jack’s doubling down on making sure Nikki never ever goes back to Victor. But really, I think Jack told a pretty fair version that was close to the truth because what Victor did was awful. Bottom line is that Jack thinks it’s for the best if it gets Nikki to finally call it quits with Victor once and for all.

Diane Has Been Missing For Two Days on Y&R

So, next week we do have more stuff for Kyle and Jack that could be a really big deal for the family. Remember, a week ago, Diane was in her suite at the GCAC. She had this weird nightmare about Patty being with Jack. So, Diane left Jack a voicemail and her message says she’s hurt, but she still loves him. And Diane says she wants to move forward and plans to come to the mansion to see Jack. And since then, we haven’t seen him mention Diane’s voicemail, nor have we seen her over at the mansion. Weird, right?

That was the same day that Jack got Patty to confirm what Victor paid her to do. And Patty was irritated because Jack was insistent he wants to reconcile with Diane, but said she’s not talking to him. So, I just wonder if Patty’s gone and done something really bad because next week, Young and the Restless spoilers have Kyle telling Jack that his mom Diane has not been to work in 2 days. And Kyle says her bed hasn’t been slept in. So, that means that he went by Diane’s room at the GCAC to check on her and there’s no sign she’s been there. And Kyle says none of this is normal. He’s obviously worried.

Y&R Spoilers: Did Patty Snatch Diane?

So, I’m just worried if Patty decided to snatch Diane to make sure she can never reconcile with Jack. I wouldn’t put it past her because I don’t think crazy Patty has really changed her ways. So, next week, hopefully, Jack and Kyle can locate Diane and she’s fine. Maybe it’s a spa day or spa weekend. We’ll see.

Nikki May Be Facing A Health Crisis on Young and the Restless

Also, at the end of this week, Nikki runs into Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) at the GCAC, and Nikki is a little concerned to see Michael day-drinking, and he says that Victor is broken in ways he didn’t know was possible because he lost the empire. Nikki says, “Yeah, but Victor will hurt anybody and is putting the company before the family.”

And Michael also says, “Losing Nikki pushed Victor over the edge.” And every time Nikki defends Jack, it’s like a dagger into Victor’s heart. But after talking to Jack, you know, Nikki tells Michael there’s no going back for her and Victor. So, it does look like Jack’s plan worked.

But maybe all this stress going on in her life takes a toll on Nikki because next week’s Young and the Restless spoilers have Victoria over at her mom’s room at the GCAC and Nikki has this really, really bad headache that went away, but then it came back. So, Nikki might be facing some sort of a health crisis and that may be what finally reunites her and Victor. Something life or death.

Nick Collapses in Front of His Family on Y&R

And speaking of health crisis, it looks like Nikki’s son has one as well. We’ve all seen Nick denying he’s back on pills and popping them behind everybody’s back. He’s refusing rehab and the usual addict behavior of lying and denying.

He’s been running around trying to make these backdoor deals with Phyllis and trying to talk Christine Romalotti (Lauralee Bell) into stuff.

Meanwhile, he’s sweating up a storm and in next week’s Young and the Restless spoilers, Nick is there with Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), Victor, and Noah Newman. And he’s talking on the phone. You know, maybe Nick’s talking to Phyllis.

She’s of course freaking out because Patty stole Matt. And of course, Patty’s upset because Matt then ran away from her. But while he’s on the phone, Nick collapses and he just falls to the floor.

So, it looks like he may be overdosing again right in front of his family after telling everybody that he was getting clean. So, I’m guessing that Nikki is going to push for Jack to be Nick’s sponsor. But if Jack does that and helps Nick get clean, you know, Victor’s going to go ballistic.

I’ve been expecting for a while that Jack would step up for Nick and that it would infuriate Victor. And we all know he is still on fire about Jack saving Nikki from her latest alcohol addiction spiral.

Young and the Restless Spoilers: Matt’s on the Run

Also, next week, we’ll see if Patty can catch up to Matt. And we’ll find out more about what happened because if you remember, Patty called Victor to rat out Matt and she told Victor that she got Matt away from Phyllis, but then he took off. So, now Matt is on the run.

And we’ll also see if Phyllis can open up her ear holes and actually listen to somebody because Lauren is telling her she has to give back Newman Enterprises or she is going to go to prison. We are also going to have more of Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) and Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) in New York. According to next week Y&R spoilers, they just made love again.

And I expect that Claire is going to demand that Holden follow through and tell her the big secret that he and Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) are hiding. And we’ll also see if the Newmans wise up and they send Nick to rehab, even if it’s against his will. Honestly, it needs to be against his will.

They need to commit him so he can’t just turn around and check himself back out. So, next week on Young and the Restless looks really wild. Be sure to check back for our complete detailed daily spoilers video for the week of May 25th through the 29th, plus our weekly predictions, two week spoilers, and a whole lot more coming your way.

By Henry Hards
| Published 19 seconds ago

Four years ago, IBM’s 127-qubit “Eagle” processor helped spark headlines claiming quantum computing was finally on the verge of overtaking classical computers. Back then, the company’s biggest challenge wasn’t raw processing power. It was noise.

Quantum systems are incredibly fragile, and even tiny disturbances can scramble calculations before they finish. IBM’s researchers believed they had found a way to reduce those errors through a technique called “error mitigation,” and in the years since, that idea has become one of the most important concepts in the entire quantum industry.

Quantum Error Mitigation

Quantum computers don’t work like the machines sitting on your desk. Traditional computers use bits that are either a 0 or a 1. Quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states at once through a phenomenon called superposition. Qubits can also become linked together through entanglement, allowing information to spread across a system in ways classical machines simply can’t replicate. In theory, that means a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could solve certain problems exponentially faster than even the world’s largest supercomputers.

The catch is that qubits are unstable. Heat, vibration, electromagnetic interference, and even interactions between neighboring qubits can introduce errors. That problem, known broadly as quantum noise, has been the central obstacle keeping quantum computers from becoming truly practical. Early claims of “quantum supremacy” from companies like Google generated excitement, but critics later showed that some of those supposedly impossible calculations could still be simulated by clever classical computing techniques.

IBM’s Eagle processor became important because it pushed beyond 100 connected qubits while also testing methods designed to work around that instability. Researchers intentionally added noise to calculations, analyzed how the system behaved, and then mathematically estimated what the results would have looked like in a cleaner environment. Instead of eliminating errors completely, they attempted to predict and subtract them away. That approach became known as quantum error mitigation.

Moving Forward To New Tech

Since then, IBM’s work has evolved dramatically. The company has moved beyond Eagle into newer generations of processors like Heron, which IBM says delivers major improvements in stability and sharply reduced error rates compared to Eagle-era hardware. IBM now claims Heron systems can perform quantum circuits several times more accurately than their earlier chips, while newer revisions continue lowering noise and increasing processing speed.

Researchers have also continued refining error mitigation itself. In 2026, IBM and its collaborators announced a record-setting advance in qubit fidelity using new suppression techniques designed to counter “ZZ crosstalk,” a specific type of quantum interference that causes neighboring qubits to corrupt one another. According to the study, the team managed to sustain accurate quantum calculations far longer than previous attempts, a critical step toward building machines capable of running meaningful real-world algorithms.

Quantum Still Isn’t Ready To Replace Other Computers

That doesn’t mean quantum computers are replacing classical machines anytime soon. In fact, many experts now believe the near future belongs to hybrid systems where quantum processors work alongside traditional supercomputers instead of replacing them outright. Classical systems still dominate everyday tasks and remain better at many kinds of calculations. Even IBM acknowledges that fully fault-tolerant quantum computers are still years away. The company’s current roadmap targets the end of the decade for large-scale error-corrected machines capable of handling hundreds of logical qubits and millions of quantum operations reliably.

Still, the field has clearly moved beyond the hype cycle of the early 2020s. Quantum computing is no longer just about proving that a strange experimental machine can beat a classical computer at one narrow task. The focus now is practicality: reducing errors, stabilizing qubits, scaling systems, and finding problems quantum hardware can solve more efficiently than conventional technology. IBM’s original Eagle experiments didn’t solve quantum computing overnight, but they helped establish error mitigation as one of the key bridges between today’s noisy prototype machines and tomorrow’s potentially revolutionary computers.

Bold and the Beautiful has not seen Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) in a hot minute. But we just got a glimpse of Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig) this week as she talked to Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) about Brooke Logan‘s (Katherine Kelly Lang) co-CEO power play, which as we all know was Hope Logan‘s (Annika Noelle) scheme to get what she wants because she’s not taking no for an answer.

We should have Deacon back soon on B&B in scenes with Taylor. But the question is, will Hope and Steffy squaring off again wreck their parents’ new romance? So, we are going to talk about the possible fallout from this new feud. Let’s get into it!

Deacon And Taylor Vanished from Bold and the Beautiful Six Weeks Ago

As a reminder, last we saw Deacon, it was April 10th, so it’s been what, six weeks? That was when he and Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) called it quits and he officially got with Taylor and he told his kids Hope and Deke Sharpe (Harrison Cone) that he’s done with Sheila and now he’s together with his new love. So, then Taylor and Deacon vanished. Sheila has also vanished after lurking and spying on them kissing and she was ominously saying she’d be back. It wasn’t over.

Something like that. Since then, not a word, not a peep about Taylor and Deacon’s status or what’s up with Sheila. Instead, we got all the Electra pouty stuff and circled back around to reigniting the Hope versus Steffy feud over Hope for the Future. And before that, it was the Logan versus Forrester drama that, you know, is ongoing. And that plot there, plus the feud could be what messes with Taylor’s new relationship.

Hope & Steffy’s Friendship Ruined on B&B

So, things were going pretty well between Hope and Steffy, until Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) gifted Katie Logan (Heather Tom) her own fashion house and Steffy started trash-talking the Logans again. That was not a good sign and fans could kind of see where it was headed. A whole new rivalry and feud between Hope and Steffy. And now we’ve got Hope acting out and trying to manipulate her mom Brooke into stealing Steffy’s co-CEO job.

At the same time, Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) been busy trying to woo Hope over to Logan to work with him and Katie and Bill. And they all promised her the moon if she would come over. They’d make it happen for her. So right now, Hope to me is acting like she did right as she and Carter pulled the coup and stole Forrester Creations. Hope has decided that her line being shelved is a personal hit at her, even though everybody else aside from her and Zende Forrester (Delon de Metz) clearly see the resources need to be focused on Eric Forrester‘s (John McCook) new couture line.

Hope And Steffy Are About to Have A Major Showdown on Bold

Plus, Hope’s getting really nasty with her mom, Brooke. And it was kind of interesting when Hope was pressing Brooke to choose her over Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) because that was the same time Steffy was pressing Ridge to choose her over Brooke and Steffy got her way but Hope didn’t and now it’s eating at her. Meanwhile, fans have been asking constantly on soap social media and the comments here, where’s Taylor? Where’s Deacon? Where’s Sheila?

And why did they disappear? Well, this Hope and Steffy showdown could be what brings at least two of them back to our screens. We already had Taylor hearing from Steffy about Brooke’s big move and Liam, Bill and Katie got Hope fired up to come over to Logan and they even agreed she could bring Deke with her. But Hope said she had to try one last time to see if her line would be revived at Forrester Creations.

Bold and the Beautiful: Taylor Impressed by Brooke

So, she went to see Steffy and she said that Brooke told her that Hope was the one pushing the co-CEO thing and Taylor was obviously upset to hear that Ridge tried to take Steffy’s job and give it to Brooke. And on the flip of that, Taylor was actually impressed by the very nice text that Brooke sent. So, right now, Steffy is playing nice with Brooke. But she refused to give a firm date about Hope for the Future. Although, she did confirm to Brooke that Hope’s line will come back.

And Brooke seemed to accept that because it makes sense. She understands that this is business. So, all Hope has to do is to be patient and be a team player. But she has zero chill. And by the end of this week, she’s coming in hot at Steffy demanding an exact date for when it’ll be back. And she can’t give Hope that date because she just doesn’t know.

So I think we’re going to see after this showdown with Steffy that Hope is going to run and officially join Logan possibly by Monday’s Bold and the Beautiful episode. Now Brad Bell could always wimp out. But I feel like Hope’s going over there. And from there, Steffy’s going to be annoyed that Hope was not a team player and couldn’t be patient, and Hope’s going to be angry and playing the victim card, insisting that Steffy basically ran her out of Forrester Creations and that Hope had no choice but to go to Logan.

Will Hope and Steffy’s Feud Wreck Taylor and Deacon’s Romance on B&B?

And since we just saw Taylor this week, I’m hoping that’s a sign we’re going to get Deacon back soon as well. They are in the honeymoon phase of their new romance, but he and Taylor may hit a speed bump because of their daughters going back to war and Hope lashing out. Now, of course, you would expect Deacon to side with Hope and agree that her line shouldn’t have been shelved yet again.

And Taylor’s going to agree with Steffy that business is business and the numbers aren’t good on the line. And even if they were, Eric’s collection comes first. So, right now, I don’t know if Taylor is living at Steffy’s or was just there to visit and has moved in with Deacon. You know, we’ll see. But what I think is going to happen is we may see Deacon popping up at Steffy’s to see Taylor if she is indeed still living with her daughter.

Bold and the Beautiful: Hope Drops in

And with Hope planning to bring Deke to Logan as well. I’m sure Hope’s going to drop in at Il Giardino with that good news. And you know, hopefully we’ll have more than just fashion rivalry and we’ll get an update on Taylor and Deacon’s romance and what they’ve been doing. With Sheila out of the way, it doesn’t look like Steffy is pushing her anti-Deacon ultimatum on Taylor anymore. So, I would expect to hear that as of now, Deacon and Taylor are doing well.

They’re in a comfortable romance that’s pretty stress-free because Sheila is gone and isn’t bothering them. At least not yet. I do expect at some point Taylor and Deacon will face more trouble from Sheila, though. But the bigger obstacle could be Taylor and Deacon’s daughters, who are at war again this week. Once Hope goes over to Logan, because that’s what it looks like we’re getting.

I think Steffy’s going to have some things to say about her being a traitor and being manipulative and selfish and disloyal for going over there with Katie. And I suspect Taylor is going to agree with all of that because Hope’s last scheme before heading to Logan was trying to push her mom to take Steffy’s place running Forrester Creations.

Bold and the Beautiful: Trouble Ahead for Deacon & Taylor?

Taylor’s not going to like that at all, but Deacon loves his daughter and of course he’s going to have to defend Hope. So, I could see Taylor and Deacon bickering over whether Steffy or Hope is the one in the wrong in this situation. I very much doubt that Taylor and Deacon will see eye to eye on this issue. And of course, as Hope’s dad, he already has reason to be team Logan. But even more than that, Bill is planning to invest in Deacon expanding Il Giardino.

So, he’s not going to turn his back on the Spencers. And once Deke is hired over there, that means both of Deacon’s kids will be at Logan. So, of course, that’s the side he’s going to be on. Taylor, meanwhile, is going to be firmly team Forrester for Steffy’s sake, but also for Ridge and Eric’s sakes.

So, the big question is, will the Steffy versus Hope feud coming back to life and maybe honestly being worse than ever, is that going to have an impact on Taylor and Deacon? Maybe. However, I will say since Taylor’s a shrink and she knows all about conflict management and resolution, maybe she and Deacon can just agree to disagree, not let it affect them, kind of not discuss it. But of course, that wouldn’t be very soapy, would it?

Anne Hathaway lays the cosmetic narrative to rest once and for all!

The Hollywood icon finally caved in to the unending noise around her appearance, explaining that a cosmetic procedure is not responsible for her famed beauty.

Anne Hathaway was named the Most Beautiful Woman earlier in the year by a magazine, where she admitted some harsh truths about beauty, career, and family life in the interview.

The actress took advantage of her new interview with Elle Magazine to debunk the rumor of her getting a facelift. According to her, addressing the whole report was never part of the plan, but it had gone on for so long that she felt obligated to right these wrongs. In her words:

“We’re at a time when people feel very confident in assuming what they think is fact, and sometimes what they think is accurate, and sometimes it’s not.”

In the May 21st interview, Hathaway noted that she even shared a hack to plump the lips alongside the braid trick to quench the conversation around her face.

The actress added that getting a facelift is a serious medical decision, and people presumed that she would do something that extreme when all she did was get two braids done.

The ‘Mirror Mirror’ Star Might Take The Big Facelift Step One Day 

Hathaway did not, however, erase the possibility of actually getting a facelift sometime in the future, but when the criticisms come, she would be better equipped to handle it; something her younger self never had the capacity to do.

She noted that the criticism of her career earlier on exposed her to fear that made her treat herself so harshly. The actress continued that looking back at how she conducted herself then, she realized she might also have been harsh to other people, and she gets nauseous thinking about it.

Hathaway evolved from a teen Disney star into one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood with several awards to her name. The actress won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for her devastating portrayal of Fantine in the 2012 musical “Les Misérables.”

Anne Hathaway Changed Her Diet For A Movie Role

As noted by The Blast, in 2022, Hathaway got into the vegan lifestyle during her preparations for the role of Rebekah Neumann in the Apple TV+ series “WeCrashed.”

The TV star went a step further than just a plant-based diet and avoided animal products altogether, and even went raw or cooked at low temperatures.

On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Hathaway admitted that the role of Rebekah inspired her to try out veganism. Hathaway explained that veganism was something that she loved, and at the time, she thought she might do this for real, since she had tried before and it did not work out.

The switch, however, was not to be permanent, as only a few weeks after shooting, Hathaway started to crave meat once more and eventually gave up the vegan diet.

Having been named the Most Beautiful Woman by PEOPLE magazine and even appearing on the cover for May 2026, Hathaway added another feather to her cap. The Blast stated that the actress shared her insight during the interview about the concept of beauty, motherhood, and life in Hollywood.

She recalled that one day, an actor told her that beauty can still have blemishes as long as it is accompanied by honesty and truth. The actress continued that the concept has inspired her to alter her perspective on beauty, and it has remained with her since.

In sharing her training regimen, the “The Devil Wears Prada” star also praised her longtime trainer, Monique Eastwood, for collaborating on personal projects for over four years. She revealed that Eastwood’s ballet, HIIT, Pilates, and yoga classes have helped her maintain her figure.

Anne Hathaway Is On A Stress Free Mission For Her 40s

After taking over for more than two decades in Hollywood, Hathaway admitted she is now taking a lighter and happier attitude to life. The Oscar-winning actress talked about the self-imposed constraints she imposed on herself when she started.

Hathaway revealed that when she began acting, she thought that it would make her a better artist if she were too hard on herself. But when she turned 40, that all changed, and she ceased to seek perfection and started to savor life and success.

The actress continues that she does not want stress to be a major part of her life anymore; instead, she cherishes the fun, being real, and having people around her who can share the joy and laugh with her when it gets tough.

One thing is true: Anne Hathaway is beautiful across all boards, time, and seasons!

After years away from theaters, Star Wars finally returns to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and while it may not reinvent the franchise, it absolutely delivers the adventure, charm, and emotional connection fans have been craving.

Directed by Jon Favreau, the film doubles down on what made The Mandalorian such a phenomenon in the first place: the bond between Din Djarin and Grogu. That relationship continues to carry the franchise in the best way possible, giving the movie a surprisingly warm and heartfelt center beneath all the blaster fire and space battles. Critics across the internet have praised the chemistry between the duo, with many calling the film “a lot of fun” and highlighting its entertaining action and family-friendly energy.

Visually, the movie feels bigger than the Disney+ series without losing the gritty Western-inspired tone that made the original show stand out. The action sequences are cinematic, the worlds feel lived in, and Ludwig Göransson’s score once again elevates everything with that signature blend of emotional weight and adventurous swagger. Several reviewers noted that the film plays especially well on the big screen, leaning heavily into spectacle while still maintaining the intimate tone fans expect from Mando and Grogu.

Grogu – The Mandalorian and Grogu [credit: Disney/Lucas Film]

Advertisement

Of course, Grogu remains the true scene-stealer. Whether he’s using the Force, causing chaos, or simply reacting to the madness around him, the character continues to be one of the most lovable creations in modern blockbuster filmmaking. Even some of the movie’s harsher reviews admitted that Grogu’s charm is nearly impossible to resist.

The biggest criticism surrounding the film seems to be its relatively simple story. Some reviewers felt the narrative was lighter than expected and more episodic than epic, comparing it to an extended version of the Disney+ series rather than a franchise-changing cinematic event. But honestly, that may not be a bad thing. The Mandalorian and Grogu succeeds because it remembers what audiences connected with in the first place: fun adventures, lovable characters, practical effects, and classic Star Wars energy.

Grogu – The Mandalorian and Grogu [credit: Disney/Lucas Film]

At a time when many blockbuster franchises feel bloated or overly complicated, The Mandalorian and Grogu embraces simplicity. It’s an entertaining crowd-pleaser packed with action, heart, and enough adorable Grogu moments to keep audiences smiling from start to finish.

It may not be the bold new future of Star Wars, but it’s a genuinely enjoyable ride through the galaxy that reminds fans why they fell in love with these characters in the first place.

After years away from theaters, Star Wars finally returns to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and while it may not reinvent the franchise, it absolutely delivers the adventure, charm, and emotional connection fans have been craving.

Directed by Jon Favreau, the film doubles down on what made The Mandalorian such a phenomenon in the first place: the bond between Din Djarin and Grogu. That relationship continues to carry the franchise in the best way possible, giving the movie a surprisingly warm and heartfelt center beneath all the blaster fire and space battles. Critics across the internet have praised the chemistry between the duo, with many calling the film “a lot of fun” and highlighting its entertaining action and family-friendly energy.

Visually, the movie feels bigger than the Disney+ series without losing the gritty Western-inspired tone that made the original show stand out. The action sequences are cinematic, the worlds feel lived in, and Ludwig Göransson’s score once again elevates everything with that signature blend of emotional weight and adventurous swagger. Several reviewers noted that the film plays especially well on the big screen, leaning heavily into spectacle while still maintaining the intimate tone fans expect from Mando and Grogu.

Grogu – The Mandalorian and Grogu [credit: Disney/Lucas Film]

Advertisement

Of course, Grogu remains the true scene-stealer. Whether he’s using the Force, causing chaos, or simply reacting to the madness around him, the character continues to be one of the most lovable creations in modern blockbuster filmmaking. Even some of the movie’s harsher reviews admitted that Grogu’s charm is nearly impossible to resist.

The biggest criticism surrounding the film seems to be its relatively simple story. Some reviewers felt the narrative was lighter than expected and more episodic than epic, comparing it to an extended version of the Disney+ series rather than a franchise-changing cinematic event. But honestly, that may not be a bad thing. The Mandalorian and Grogu succeeds because it remembers what audiences connected with in the first place: fun adventures, lovable characters, practical effects, and classic Star Wars energy.

At a time when many blockbuster franchises feel bloated or overly complicated, The Mandalorian and Grogu embraces simplicity. It’s an entertaining crowd-pleaser packed with action, heart, and enough adorable Grogu moments to keep audiences smiling from start to finish.

It may not be the bold new future of Star Wars, but it’s a genuinely enjoyable ride through the galaxy that reminds fans why they fell in love with these characters in the first place.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

Battlestar Galactica has a well-earned reputation as one of the most serious sci-fi series ever made. Under the direction of showrunner Ronald D. Moore, this show was everything Star Trek wasn’t: grim, gritty, and absolutely brimming with character conflict. The original miniseries began with the attempted genocide of humanity, and later episodes regularly feature President Roslin tracking how many humans are left as soldiers and civilians are picked off by evil robots. In other words, Battlestar Galactica isn’t the show that you pop on when you want to enjoy a few laughs!

With that being said, the show does pepper in occasional moments of levity, which are that much funnier because they are surrounded by serious scenes. One of the best examples of this is the Season 1 episode “Six Degrees of Separation.” Most of the plot is appropriately grim, with Dr. Baltar worried that he is going crazy and racing to clear his name for the crime of betraying humanity. Amid all this, however, Moore went out of his way to include bizarre toilet humor in the form of Baltar hilariously confronting Gaeta in the bathroom!

When The Story Goes Down The Toilet

If you want to freshen up before we head to the bathroom, here goes: “Six Degrees of Separation” is a Battlestar Galactica episode where Dr. Baltar is startled by the appearance of a woman claiming he is a secret Cylon collaborator. The twist? She looks exactly like the version of the Cylon Six that he always talks to in his head. He freaks out trying to clear his name, eventually getting thrown in the brig for trying to destroy a potentially incriminating photograph. But after he prays to God for forgiveness, his accuser vanishes, and the photograph is revealed to be a forgery that was clearly intended to frame him. 

So, where does the weird toilet humor come into play? Gaeta is the one assigned to investigate the photograph, and while he’s in the bathroom, he gets a visit from Baltar. The not-so-good doctor wants to probe Gaeta for information, but one of his questions comes out horribly wrong: “How’s it going over there?” he asked the man in the bathroom stall. After Gaeta responds with a confused “uh…”, Baltar clarifies that he’s talking about how it’s going in the lab. After Baltar unsuccessfully petitions the man for lab access, Gaeta runs out of there, leaving the doctor to shout after him, “You forgot to wash your hands!”

A Very Stall Order

Just when things can’t get any weirder, Baltar’s accuser walks into the bathroom. He harangues her about being a secret Cylon while she denies all of his accusations. Eventually, she enters a bathroom and closes the stall door, effectively ending the conversation. This leaves a frustrated Baltar to make an angry exclamation that just so happens to be a pun on his first name: “no more Mr. nice Gaius!”

If you think this bit of weird bathroom humor is out of place for Battlestar Galactica, you’re not the only one. As recorded in Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, “The network had its concerns and wanted to cut it at one point, and I was like, ‘No! I know how to do this and make it work. Just trust me!” The showrunner was right to be confident, as the final scene was funny without being too silly or gross. According to Gaeta actor Alessandro Juliani, one reason it was so funny is that director Robert M. Young rigorously adhered to the script, which “said in block capital letters, ‘STAY OUTSIDE THE STALLS’.”

The Best Improvised Line

As for Dr. Baltar’s weird little pun, the original line was simply “no more Mr. Nice Guy,” which was already pretty funny. Actor James Callis improvised “no more Mr. Nice Gaius” because the joke just “seemed obvious.” The improvisation made executive producer David Eick laugh, but he warned the actor that “I’m not sure that’s going to work for the audience.” Fortunately for both Callis and the fans, Moore liked the pun so well that it made the final cut.

There you have it, you frakkers: the story of how Ronald D. Moore snuck some wildly out of place bathroom humor into Battlestar Galactica. The toasters at the network were nervous that he couldn’t pull it off, but the showrunner managed to sneak just the right amount of laughs into the most serious sci-fi show of the modern age. Did he possibly activate a lot of nerds watching with the prospect of Tricia Helfer yelling at them in the bathroom? Maybe, but we’ll try not to hold that against him.