This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Oscar-winning film, Apollo 13, director Ron Howard's masterful love letter to NASA's Apollo program in general and the eponymous space mission in particular. So we're taking the opportunity to revisit this riveting homage to American science, ingenuity, and daring.
(Spoilers below.)
Apollo 13 is a fictional retelling of the aborted 1970 lunar mission that became a "successful failure" for NASA because all three astronauts made it back to Earth alive against some pretty steep odds. The film opens with astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) hosting a watch party in July 1969 for Neil Armstrong's historic first walk on the Moon. He is slated to command the Apollo 14 mission, and is ecstatic when he and his crew—Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) and Fred Haise (Bill Paxton)—are bumped to Apollo 13 instead. His wife, Marilyn (Kathleen Quinlan) is more superstitious and hence less thrilled: "It had to be 13." To which her pragmatic husband replies, "It comes after 12."
On Tuesday, software engineer Doug Brown published his discovery of how to trigger a long-known but previously inaccessible Easter egg in the Power Mac G3's ROM: a hidden photo of the development team that nobody could figure out how to display for 27 years. While Pierre Dandumont first documented the JPEG image itself in 2014, the method to view it on the computer remained a mystery until Brown's reverse engineering work revealed that users must format a RAM disk with the text "secret ROM image."
Brown stumbled upon the image while using a hex editor tool called Hex Fiend with Eric Harmon's Mac ROM template to explore the resources stored in the beige Power Mac G3's ROM. The ROM appeared in desktop, minitower, and all-in-one G3 models from 1997 through 1999.
"While I was browsing through the ROM, two things caught my eye," Brown wrote. He found both the HPOE resource containing the JPEG image of team members and a suspicious set of Pascal strings in the PowerPC-native SCSI Manager 4.3 code that included ".Edisk," "secret ROM image," and "The Team."
Back in 2022, we reported on the Australian National Maritime Museum's (ANMM) announcement that its researchers had confirmed that a shipwreck proposed as a likely candidate in 2018 is indeed the remains of the HMS Endeavour. However, the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP)—the museum's research partner in the project—promptly released a statement calling the announcement premature. RIMAP insisted that more evidence was needed.
The final report is now available, and both RIMAP and ANMM say they have confirmed that the wreck is indeed the Endeavour. (You can read the full report here.) “The timbers are British timbers. The size of all the timber scantlings are almost identical to Endeavour, and I’m talking within millimeters—not inches, but millimeters," Kieran Hosty, an ANMM archaeologist who co-wrote the report, told The Independent. “The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical. This stem scarf is also a very unique feature—we’ve gone through a whole bunch of 18th-century ships' plans, and we can’t find anything else like it.”
As previously reported, Endeavour Captain James Cook's first voyage (1768–1771) was, in part, a mission to observe and record the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun. The observation was part of a combined global effort to determine the distance of the Earth from the Sun. Those observations proved less conclusive than had been hoped, but during the rest of the voyage, Cook was able to map the coastland of New Zealand before sailing west to the southeastern coast of Australia—the first record of Europeans on the continent's Eastern coastline.
Trilogies have been part of storytelling for decades; they have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
While most make hundreds of millions of dollars, not all cinematic trilogies are created equal.
The best film trilogies include "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Naked Gun."
In 2025, sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots, and legacy sequels are ubiquitous. Trilogies, however, are a little more special.
Some of the trilogies on this list were perhaps turned into three movies because of the potential for billions at the box office — the "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy, for example, made $2.4 billion worldwide — but many of these stories simply couldn't be told in just one film.
Imagine "Lord of the Rings" ending after "Fellowship" or "Star Wars" with no "Empire Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi." It'd be a tragedy for any cinema buff.
More recently, the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy has proven so popular that an entire theme park land was created around it at Epic Universe, and a live-action remake of the first film is lighting up the box office.
Here are some of the best trilogies in Hollywood history, and where to stream them.
"How to Train Your Dragon"
"How to Train Your Dragon."
DreamWorks Animation
The sole animated trilogy on this list, the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy, proved that Disney didn't have a monopoly on beautifully told stories from 2010 to 2019.
The series, released by DreamWorks Animation, focused on the story of Hiccup, an awkward teenager who discovers that dragons, long-feared by his entire community as raging beasts, aren't what they seem.
As Hiccup (spoiler) loses his leg at the climax of the film, he is seen using a prosthetic in the next two films, making him a landmark in disability and amputee representation, as reported by The Washington Post.
Additionally, the score for this trilogy is so awe-inspiring that it became a meme on TikTok.
However, the real draw of this series is the absolutely heartwarming bond between Hiccup and his downright adorable dragon, Toothless. They're best friends! It's beautiful!
It's so popular that one of the lands at Universal Studios' Epic Universe is the Isle of Berk, where you can meet all your favorite characters in real life — even Toothless.
All three "How to Train Your Dragon" movies are streaming on Peacock. The first one is also available on HBO Max.
"The Lord of the Rings"
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
New Line Cinema
The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, released from 2001 to 2003, told a sprawling tale of good versus evil set in a fictional world called Middle Earth.
Based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's series of books, there hadn't (and still hasn't) been anything quite like director Peter Jackson's trilogy. All three were filmed back-to-back in New Zealand, letting the actors and the creative team fully immerse themselves in the fantasy world.
And what a world Middle Earth is. It contains beautiful landscapes, compelling heroes and villains in Frodo, Gandalf, Saruman, and Gollum, and an inspiring story of the little guy triumphing over the strongest evil force in the world.
Any trilogy with extended cuts that are 4 hours long and that people genuinely love watching deserves its place on this list. Plus, all three were nominated for best picture at the Oscars, with the third and final installment, "The Return of the King," winning the top prize in 2004.
The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is available to stream on HBO Max, while the prequel series "Rings of Power" is streaming on Prime Video.
"Back to the Future"
"Back to the Future."
Universal Pictures
The "Back to the Future" trilogy, which is celebrated every October 21 as the day Marty (an '80s teenager played by Michael J. Fox) travels in time, was a full-blown phenomenon in the '80s and '90s.
The films made an A-list movie star out of Fox, introduced Christopher Lloyd, who plays Marty's best friend and disgraced nuclear physicist Doc Brown, to a new generation, and made everyone long for flying skateboards and sneakers that tied themselves.
While we're still not at the level of technology we saw in "Back to the Future 2," the appeal of the story of Marty trying to simultaneously improve his parents' lives, save Doc from an untimely death, and ultimately return home from the Wild West, remains timeless.
So much so that a musical adaptation of the first film ran for two years on Broadway.
The "Back to the Future" trilogy is available to rent online.
"The Naked Gun"
"The Naked Gun."
Paramount Pictures
After the mega-success of "Airplane!" in 1980, Leslie Nielsen once again spoofed a well-known profession with "The Naked Gun": a detective. Without "Naked Gun," we might not have gotten "Reno 911," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," or even the "Austin Powers" movies.
"The Naked Gun" was such a huge success upon its 1988 release that two more sequels following the lovably dimwitted cop Sgt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen) were commissioned in 1991 and 1994.
Sgt. Drebin is so enduring that more than 30 years later, Liam Neeson was tapped to star in a "Naked Gun" reboot. It's set for release in August 2025.
The "Naked Gun" trilogy is available to stream on Paramount+.
"The Man with No Name"
"A Fistful of Dollars."
United Artists
Clint Eastwood starred in the "Man with No Name" trilogy, consisting of 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," 1965's "For a Few Dollars More," and 1966's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" — and a fun fact: This trilogy was actually crafted after the movies were released.
These Spaghetti Westerns were first released in Italy. Once United Artists picked up the distribution rights, the studio decided to package them together as one trilogy starring Eastwood as the titular man with no name (even though his characters do have different names in each).
However, these three movies changed Hollywood forever, as they introduced Eastwood to the movie-going masses, a move that affected the next 60 years (and counting) of cinema.
Director Sergio Leone's aesthetic has influenced countless movies and TV shows, including hits like "The Mandalorian." And, of course, Ennio Morricone's theme for "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is still one of the most recognizable pieces of music of all time.
The "Man with No Name" trilogy is streaming on Tubi and Prime Video.
"The Dark Knight" trilogy
"The Dark Knight."
Warner Bros.
There's an argument to be made that Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, released from 2005 to 2012, is the best superhero trilogy of all time.
But when Christian Bale took over as the Caped Crusader in 2005, it wasn't a given that the film would be a huge success, never mind that its sequel would become the first superhero to have an actor win an Academy Award (Heath Ledger, posthumously, for his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight").
Arguably, "The Dark Knight" (and the two films it's sandwiched between) changed the comic-book/superhero genre forever, paving the way for what it's become today — one of the most important genres at the box office — as well as the grittier and darker aesthetic many films adopted after.
"The Dark Knight" trilogy is available to stream on HBO Max.
Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man"
"Spider-Man 2."
Sony
If "Batman Begins" and its two sequels were more a realistic, grittier adaptation of a comic book, 2002's "Spider-Man" and its two sequels were ripped directly from the pages of Stan Lee's and Steve Ditko's comics in the '60s. Tobey Maguire looked eerily like a classic drawing of Peter Parker.
Even if "Spider-Man 3" didn't live up to the hype of the first two, "Spider-Man" and "Spider-Man 2" are some of the best comic-book movies of all time.
The "Spider-Man" trilogy is available to stream on Disney+.
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Guardians of the Galaxy."
Disney
The lone MCU trilogy to make its way on this list is the "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy. Expectations were low when the first "Guardians" film was released in 2014. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, and Groot were by no means beloved characters, and director James Gunn had never helmed a production of this magnitude before.
Thankfully, it was a breath of fresh air. The soundtrack was amazing, the characters were lovable and hilarious, and the look was so different from the rest of the primarily grounded Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Vol. 2" followed in 2017, adding the wonderful Mantis and officially welcoming Nebula to the team.
The "Guardians" trilogy is available to stream on Disney+.
The original "Star Wars" trilogy
"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."
Disney
Decades after its original release from 1977 to 1983, we're still getting new "Star Wars" content, between the multitude of Disney+ shows, multiple cartoons, and two more sequel trilogies (neither of which lived up to the hype of the original space opera).
But even though we're still living in a sprawling, extended "Star Wars" universe, George Lucas' first trilogy of "A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi," tells a relatively simple story that anyone can relate to: A small-town boy pines to explore the world, only to find out that life is much more complicated (and wonderful) when you leave your bubble.
Just add in some of fiction's most charming characters (Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and an iconically terrifying villain (Darth Vader), and you have three of the most influential, beloved movies ever.
The "Star Wars" trilogy is available to stream on Disney+.
"Night of the Living Dead"
"Night of the Living Dead."
Continental Distributing
There were horror movies before this trilogy, but nothing had come along quite like "Night of the Living Dead" upon its release in 1968.
The first film, which focuses on a small group of strangers riding out a zombie apocalypse in an abandoned cabin, is not just considered the first modern zombie movie — you're welcome, "Walking Dead" fans — but also one of the best horror films and one of the most influential movies of all time.
The next two follow-ups, released in 1978 and 1985 and also directed by indie film legend George Romero, continued the series.
While there are more also directed by Romero, they came 20+ years after the third film, and aren't held in quite the same esteem.
"Night of the Living Dead" and "Day of the Living Dead" are streaming on Tubi, while "Dawn of the Dead" is available to rent.
"The Godfather"
"The Godfather."
Paramount Pictures/IMDb
Not many trilogies can boast a three-for-three best picture nomination statistic (perhaps the only other trilogy might be the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy). But only "The Godfather" trilogy can claim two best picture wins, for its first two films.
The Italian-American mafia story has one of the greatest casts ever assembled — Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Andy García, to name a few — and kick-started a mob/organized craze in pop culture that we're still living in today, including "Scarface," "Goodfellas," "The Sopranos," "Mob Wives," "Peaky Blinders," "MobLand," and more.
The "Godfather" trilogy is available to stream on Paramount+. Note that the third film is the newly recut version by Coppola re-titled "The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone."
"Indiana Jones"
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."
Paramount Pictures
After the success of "Star Wars," Harrison Ford again teamed up with its creator George Lucas and none other than Steven Spielberg to bring one of the most iconic heroes to the big screen: Indiana Jones, an archaeology professor who also has the combat skills of a super-soldier.
And the original "Indiana Jones" trilogy, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1984's "Temple of Doom," and 1989's "The Last Crusade," remain exciting adventure films decades later — but the less we speak of 2008's "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" the better and 2023's "Dial of Destiny" is good, but not entirely necessary.
The "Indiana Jones" trilogy and "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" are available to stream on Disney+ and Paramount+. "Dial of Destiny" is only on Disney+.
The "Before" trilogy
"Before Sunrise."
Columbia Pictures
The story of Jesse and Céline begins in 1995 when two strangers meet on a train to Budapest and decide to roam around the city of Vienna to kill time. They bond over their shared love of music and their similar outlook on life.
Much of the film's dialogue was cowritten by the stars, making actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's conversations all the more relatable and watchable.
In an interesting turn of events, the actors reunited nine years later for "Before Sunset" and nine years after that for "Before Midnight" to check in on the couple to see how love realistically evolves over two decades.
"Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" are available to rent online. "Before Midnight" is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
"The Evil Dead"
"The Evil Dead."
New Line Cinema
Director Sam Raimi has another trilogy on this list: the "Evil Dead" trilogy, consisting of "The Evil Dead" in 1981, "Evil Dead II" in 1987, and "Army of Darkness" in 1992.
The "Evil Dead" movies, or the "Ash Gets Punished Over Thousands of Years" trilogy, are cited as some of the most influential horror/comedy films of all time by outlets like Screen Rant. They were shepherded by director Raimi and star Bruce Campbell.
"Evil Dead" and its two sequels (well, one sequel and one remake/reboot) flawlessly balanced the black comedy and the horror staples of the zombie genre, paving the way for "Shaun of the Dead," "Ready or Not," "Scream," or even "Get Out."
"The Evil Dead" and "Army of Darkness" are available to rent, while "Evil Dead II" is streaming on The Roku Channel and Plex.
"The Vengeance Trilogy"
"Oldboy."
CJ Entertainment
"The Vengeance Trilogy" isn't a trilogy with connecting characters, but rather is connected via themes of revenge and retribution.
South Korean director Park Chan-wook didn't initially consider 2002's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," 2003's "Oldboy," and 2005's "Lady Vengeance" a trilogy, but it's clear that each film deals with similar themes.
All are films focusing on a character who is hell-bent on getting revenge on those who have wronged them — although, in the case of "Oldboy," it's unclear who's actually getting revenge.
Be warned: These movies are not for the faint of heart. But they are thought-provoking, disturbing, and well-acted.
"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and "Lady Vengeance" are available to stream on Tubi and AMC+, and "Oldboy" is on Paramount+.
Last week, electronics engineer Lorentio Brodesco announced the completion of a mock-up for nsOne, reportedly the first custom PlayStation 1 motherboard created outside of Sony in the console's 30-year history. The fully functional board accepts original PlayStation 1 chips and fits directly into the original console case, marking a milestone in reverse-engineering for the classic console released in 1994.
Brodesco's motherboard isn't an emulator or FPGA-based re-creation—it's a genuine circuit board designed to work with authentic PlayStation 1 components, including the CPU, GPU, SPU, RAM, oscillators, and voltage regulators. The board represents over a year of reverse-engineering work that began in March 2024 when Brodesco discovered incomplete documentation while repairing a PlayStation 1.
"This isn't an emulator. It's not an FPGA. It's not a modern replica," Brodesco wrote in a Reddit post about the project. "It's a real motherboard, compatible with the original PS1 chips."
On Thursday, pioneering computer engineer and Apple veteran William "Bill" Atkinson died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Portola Valley, California, surrounded by family. He was 74. "We regret to write that our beloved husband, father, and stepfather Bill Atkinson passed away," his family wrote on Facebook. "He was a remarkable person, and the world will be forever different because he lived in it."
As Apple employee No. 51, Atkinson transformed abstract computer science into intuitive visual experiences that millions would use daily: His QuickDraw graphics engine made the Macintosh interface possible; he introduced the wider world to bitmap editing with MacPaint; and HyperCard presaged hyperlinked elements of the World Wide Web by years.
A screenshot of Bill Atkinson's MacPaint, released with the Macintosh in January 1984.
Credit:
Benj Edwards / Apple
"I say this with no hyperbole: Bill Atkinson may well have been the best computer programmer who ever lived," wrote veteran Apple analyst John Gruber on Daring Fireball in a tribute. "Without question, he's on the short list. What a man, what a mind, what gifts to the world he left us."
In 2019, we told you about a new interactive digital "murder map" of London compiled by University of Cambridge criminologist Manuel Eisner. Drawing on data catalogued in the city coroners' rolls, the map showed the approximate location of 142 homicide cases in late medieval London. The Medieval Murder Maps project has since expanded to include maps of York and Oxford homicides, as well as podcast episodes focusing on individual cases.
It's easy to lose oneself down the rabbit hole of medieval murder for hours, filtering the killings by year, choice of weapon, and location. Think of it as a kind of 14th-century version of Clue: It was the noblewoman's hired assassins armed with daggers in the streets of Cheapside near St. Paul's Cathedral. And that's just the juiciest of the various cases described in a new paper published in the journal Criminal Law Forum.
The noblewoman was Ela Fitzpayne, wife of a knight named Sir Robert Fitzpayne, lord of Stogursey. The victim was a priest and her erstwhile lover, John Forde, who was stabbed to death in the streets of Cheapside on May 3, 1337. “We are looking at a murder commissioned by a leading figure of the English aristocracy," said University of Cambridge criminologist Manuel Eisner, who heads the Medieval Murder Maps project. "It is planned and cold-blooded, with a family member and close associates carrying it out, all of which suggests a revenge motive."
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