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The First ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ Reactions Are Most Solid

The First ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ Reactions Are Most Solid

Star Wars returns to animation next week with Maul: Shadow Lord. After its announcement last year, Disney’s been gradually ramping up marketing, and now critics and influencers are free to share their thoughts. And the verdict? Ol’ Maul’s got the legs to be a headliner.

Those who’ve posted are working only from eight of the season’s ten episodes, and many have been pretty high on the show’s dark vibes and Sam Witwer’s turn as the enduring Sith-turned-crime lord. (And the visuals, but that goes without saying, these animated Star Wars shows have been looking great for years.) If you’re not good with callbacks or lore, this might not be your show, and it might be more setup for a (hopefully) better season than a good season on its own. io9’s own James Whitbrook called it a “solid” show whose storytelling gambits don’t always work, and you can see reactions from others down below.

STAR WARS: MAUL — SHADOW LORD … I am not a fan of the Star Wars animated stuff. They sent eight of the ten episodes. I reserve the right to change my mind when I see the last two, but it’s the first animated Star Wars series I made it this far in and am still entertained

[image or embed]

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan.bsky.social) April 3, 2026 at 9:45 PM

I’ve seen the first eight episodes of Maul: Shadow Lord. Very cool vibes and stellar turns from Sam Witwer and Gideon Adlon, but an interesting serialized format experiment leads to a show where little really happens until it’s almost too late.

Season two could be really great. This? Just solid.

[image or embed]

— James Whitbrook (@jwhitbrook.bsky.social) April 3, 2026 at 9:45 PM

Set shortly after Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ final season, Maul: Shadow Lord sees Maul try to rebuild his criminal empire on the planet Janix. His getting mixed up with the local crime syndicates draws the attention of several interested parties, including Wagner Moura’s detective Brander Lawson and Gideon Adlon’s Devon Izara, a Jedi who may wind up under Maul’s tutelage. Even when the Empire dispatches Inquisitors to take him down, Maul’s on a mission to get his revenge, as he so often is. We can only hope it works out well for him.

Reviews of Maul: Shadow Lord, including ours, will arrive next week ahead of its two-episode premiere on Monday, April 6.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids">Sam Altman suggests parents generate AI podcasts about their kids
                                                            OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”
        SEE ALSO:
        
            The OpenAI-Hugging Face hack was worse than we thought
            
        
    
He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”
        
            Mashable Light Speed
        
        
    


    
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The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

                    
                                            
                            
                        
                                    #Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids

OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids">Sam Altman suggests parents generate AI podcasts about their kids

OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids

We’re covering items that make writing easier and more satisfying, alarm clocks that can rattle even the most sleep-deprived students from a deep slumber, bags that are just as great for the gym as they are for the weekend away, and more. We wish the students in your life (or you, if you’re the student in question) a prosperous year, and we hope that our curation makes things a little easier during your studies and your downtime a lot more fun.

#Verges #backtoschool #shopping #guideGadgets,Gift Guides,Tech,Verge Shopping">The Verge’s 2026 back-to-school shopping guideKnowing exactly what your student needs for the school year ahead is next to impossible. Sure, you’ll probably nail the essentials, but there will likely be a few items you forgot to buy, or didn’t think they’d need to have. We’re pulling our weight during the back-to-school season with a new shopping guide that’s a mix of practical and aspirational products for students to use in and out of the classroom.We’re covering items that make writing easier and more satisfying, alarm clocks that can rattle even the most sleep-deprived students from a deep slumber, bags that are just as great for the gym as they are for the weekend away, and more. We wish the students in your life (or you, if you’re the student in question) a prosperous year, and we hope that our curation makes things a little easier during your studies and your downtime a lot more fun.#Verges #backtoschool #shopping #guideGadgets,Gift Guides,Tech,Verge Shopping

easier and more satisfying, alarm clocks that can rattle even the most sleep-deprived students from a deep slumber, bags that are just as great for the gym as they are for the weekend away, and more. We wish the students in your life (or you, if you’re the student in question) a prosperous year, and we hope that our curation makes things a little easier during your studies and your downtime a lot more fun.

#Verges #backtoschool #shopping #guideGadgets,Gift Guides,Tech,Verge Shopping">The Verge’s 2026 back-to-school shopping guide

Knowing exactly what your student needs for the school year ahead is next to impossible. Sure, you’ll probably nail the essentials, but there will likely be a few items you forgot to buy, or didn’t think they’d need to have. We’re pulling our weight during the back-to-school season with a new shopping guide that’s a mix of practical and aspirational products for students to use in and out of the classroom.

We’re covering items that make writing easier and more satisfying, alarm clocks that can rattle even the most sleep-deprived students from a deep slumber, bags that are just as great for the gym as they are for the weekend away, and more. We wish the students in your life (or you, if you’re the student in question) a prosperous year, and we hope that our curation makes things a little easier during your studies and your downtime a lot more fun.

#Verges #backtoschool #shopping #guideGadgets,Gift Guides,Tech,Verge Shopping

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