title: Freakonomics

text: The numbers we're talking about, in terms of crime, are absolutely trivial when you compare it to the broader debate on abortion. From a pro-life view of the world: If abortion is murder then we have a million murders a year through abortion. And the few thousand homicides that will be prevented according to our analysis are just nothing—they are a pebble in the ocean relative to the tragedy that is abortion. So, my own view, when we [did] the study and it hasn't changed is that: our study shouldn't change anybody's opinion about whether abortion should be legal and easily available or not. It's really a study about crime, not abortion.


title: Freakonomics

text: In 2003, Theodore Joyce argued that legalized abortion had little impact on crime, contradicting Donohue and Levitt's results ("Did Legalized Abortion Lower Crime?" "Journal of Human Resources", 2003, 38(1), pp. 1–37). In 2004, the authors published a response, in which they argued that Joyce's argument was flawed due to omitted-variable bias.


title: Freakonomics

text: In November 2005, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston economist Christopher Foote and his research assistant Christopher Goetz published a working paper, in which they argued that the results in Donohue and Levitt's abortion and crime paper were due to statistical errors made by the authors: the omission of state-year interactions and the use of the total number of arrests instead of the arrest rate in explaining changes in the murder rate. When the corrections were made, Foote and Goetz argued that abortion actually increased violent crime instead of decreasing it and did not affect property crime. They even concluded that the majority of women who had abortions in the 1970s were middle class whites rather than low income minorities as Levitt stated; this was, they stated, because white middle-class women had the financial means for an abortion. "The Economist" remarked on the news of the errors that "for someone of Mr Levitt's iconoclasm and ingenuity, technical ineptitude is a much graver charge than moral turpitude. To be politically incorrect is one thing; to be simply incorrect quite another." In January 2006, Donohue and Levitt published a response, in which they admitted the errors in their original paper but also pointed out Foote and Goetz's correction was flawed due to heavy attenuation bias. The authors argued that, after making necessary changes to fix the original errors, the corrected link between abortion and crime was now weaker but still statistically significant, contrary to Foote and Goetz's claims. Foote and Goetz, however, soon produced a rebuttal of their own and said that even after analyzing the data using the methods that Levitt and Donohue recommend, the data does not show a positive correlation between abortion rates and crime rates. They are quick to point out that this does not necessarily disprove Levitt's thesis, however, and emphasize that with data this messy and incomplete, it is in all likelihood not even possible to prove or disprove Donohue and Levitt's conclusion.


title: Freakonomics

text: "Freakonomics" commented on the effects of an abortion ban in Romania (Decree 770), stating that "Compared to Romanian children born just a year earlier, the cohort of children born after the abortion ban would do worse in every measurable way: they would test lower in school, they would have less success in the labor market, and they would also prove much more likely to become criminals. (p. 118)". John DiNardo, a professor at the University of Michigan, retorts that the paper cited by "Freakonomics" states "virtually the opposite of what is actually claimed":


title: Freakonomics

text: Levitt responded on the "Freakonomics" Blog that "Freakonomics" and Pop-Eleches "are saying the same thing":


title: Freakonomics

text: "Freakonomics" claimed that it was possible to "tease out" the effect of extra police on crime by analyzing electoral cycles. The evidence behind these claims was shown to be due partly to a programming error. Economist Justin McCrary stated "While municipal police force size does appear to vary over state and local electoral cycles ... elections do not induce enough variation in police hiring to generate informative estimates of the effect of police on crime."


title: Freakonomics

text: On April 10, 2006, political activist John Lott filed suit for defamation against Levitt and HarperCollins Publishers over the book and a series of emails to retired economist John B. McCall. In the book, Levitt and coauthor Dubner claimed that the results of Lott's research in "More Guns, Less Crime" had not been replicated by other academics. In the emails to McCall, who had pointed to a number of papers in different academic publications that had replicated Lott's work, Levitt wrote that the work by authors supporting Lott in a special 2001 issue of "The Journal of Law and Economics" had not been peer-reviewed, alleged that Lott had paid the University of Chicago Press to publish the papers, and that papers with results opposite of Lott's had been blocked from publication in that issue.


title: Freakonomics

text: A federal judge found that Levitt's replication claim in "Freakonomics" was not defamation but found merit in Lott's complaint about the email claims.


title: Freakonomics

text: Levitt settled the second defamation claim by admitting in a letter to McCall that he himself was a peer reviewer in the 2001 issue of "The Journal of Law and Economics", that Lott had not engaged in bribery (paying for extra costs of printing and postage for a conference issue is customary), and that he knew that "scholars with varying opinions" (including Levitt himself) had been invited to participate. The "Chronicle of Higher Education" characterized Levitt's letter as offering "a doozy of a concession".


title: Freakonomics

text: The dismissal of the first half of Lott's suit was unanimously upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on February 11, 2009.


title: Freakonomics

text: "Freakonomics" peaked at number two among nonfiction on "The New York Times" Best Seller list and was named the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Adult Nonfiction category. The book received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Metacritic reported the book had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 16 reviews.


title: Freakonomics

text: The success of the book has been partly attributed to the blogosphere. In the campaign prior to the release of the book in April 2005, publisher (William Morrow and Company) chose to target bloggers in an unusually strategic way, sending galley copies to over a hundred of them, as well as contracting two specialized buzz marketing agencies.


title: Freakonomics

text: In 2006, the "Revised and Expanded Edition" of the book was published, with the most significant corrections in the second chapter.


title: Freakonomics

text: In May 2007, writer and blogger Melissa Lafsky was hired as the full-time editor of the site. In August 2007, the blog was incorporated into "The New York Times" web site – the authors had been writing joint columns for "The New York Times Magazine" since 2004 – and the domain Freakonomics.com became a redirect there. In March 2008, Annika Mengisen replaced Lafsky as the blog editor. The Freakonomics blog ended its association with "The New York Times" on March 1, 2011.


title: Freakonomics

text: Among the recurrent guest bloggers on the Freakonomics blog are Ian Ayres, Daniel Hamermesh, Eric A. Morris, Sudhir Venkatesh, Justin Wolfers and others.


title: Freakonomics

text: In 2008, Stephen Dubner asked for questions from the site's readers and then featured them in an extended Q&A on "Best Places to Live" with demographics expert Bert Sperling.


title: Freakonomics

text: In April 2007, co-author Stephen Dubner announced that there would be a sequel to "Freakonomics", and that it would contain further writings about street gang culture from Sudhir Venkatesh, as well as a study of the use of money by capuchin monkeys. Dubner said the title would be "SuperFreakonomics", and that one topic would be what makes people good at what they do. The book was released in Europe in early October 2009 and in the United States on October 20, 2009.


title: Freakonomics

text: In September 2010, Marketplace radio announced the creation of a Freakonomics podcast hosted by Dubner and Levitt. It is available on iTunes and is aired bi-weekly on NPR.


title: Freakonomics

text: In 2010, Chad Troutwine, Chris Romano, and Dan O'Meara produced a documentary film adaptation with a budget of nearly $3 million in an anthology format by directors Seth Gordon, Morgan Spurlock, Alex Gibney, Eugene Jarecki, Rachel Grady, and Heidi Ewing. It was the Closing Night Gala premiere film at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2010. It was also the Opening Night film at the AFI/Discovery SilverDocs film festival on June 21, 2010. Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights for a Fall 2010 release.


title: Freakonomics

text: "Freakonomics: The Movie" was released in major cities with a pay what you want pricing offer for selected preview showings. No report of the results has yet been published.


title: Freakonomics

text: In 2009, Levitt co-founded Freakonomics Consulting Group, a business and philanthropy consulting company which became The Greatest Good and is now known as TGG Group. Founding partners include Nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and Gary Becker, as well as several other prominent economists.


title: Weir

text: A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. There are many weir designs, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level.


title: Weir

text: There is no single definition as to what constitutes a weir and one English dictionary simply defines a weir as a small dam, likely originating from Middle English "were", Old English "wer", derivative of root of "werian," meaning "to defend, dam".


title: Weir

text: Commonly, weirs are used to prevent flooding, measure water discharge, and help render rivers more navigable by boat. In some locations, the terms dam and weir are synonymous, but normally there is a clear distinction made between the structures. Usually, a dam is designed specifically to impound water behind a wall, whilst a weir is designed to alter the river flow characteristics.


title: Weir

text: A common distinction between dams and weirs is that water flows over the top (crest) of a weir or underneath it for at least some of its length. Accordingly, the crest of an overflow spillway on a large dam may therefore be referred to as a weir. Weirs can vary in size both horizontally and vertically, with the smallest being only a few inches in height whilst the largest may be many metres tall and hundreds of metres long. Some common weir purposes are outlined below.


title: Weir

text: Weirs allow hydrologists and engineers a simple method of measuring the volumetric flow rate in small to medium-sized streams/rivers or in industrial discharge locations. Since the geometry of the top of the weir is known and all water flows over the weir, the depth of water behind the weir can be converted to a rate of flow. However, this can only be achieved in locations where all water flows over the top of the weir crest (as opposed to around the sides or through conduits or sluices) and at locations where the water that flows over the crest is carried away from the structure. If these conditions are not met, it can make flow measurement complicated, inaccurate, or even impossible.


title: Weir

text: However, this calculation is a generic relationship and specific calculations are available for the many different types of weir. Flow measurement weirs must be well maintained if they are to remain accurate.


title: Weir

text: As weirs are a physical barrier, they can impede the longitudinal movement of fish and other animals up and down a river. This can have a negative effect on fish species that migrate as part of their breeding cycle (e.g., salmonids), but it also can be useful as a method of preventing invasive species moving upstream. For example, weirs in the Great Lakes region have helped to prevent invasive sea lamprey from colonising farther upstream.


title: Weir

text: Mill ponds are created by a weir that impounds water that then flows over the structure. The energy created by the change in height of the water can then be used to power waterwheels and power sawmills, grinding wheels, and other equipment.


title: Weir

text: Weirs are commonly used to control the flow rates of rivers during periods of high discharge. Sluice gates (or in some cases the height of the weir crest) can be altered to increase or decrease the volume of water flowing downstream. Weirs for this purpose are commonly found upstream of towns and villages and can either be automated or manually operated. By slowing the rate at which water moves downstream even slightly, a disproportionate effect can be had on the likelihood of flooding. On larger rivers, a weir can also alter the flow characteristics of the waterway to the point that vessels are able to navigate areas previously inaccessible due to extreme currents or eddies. Many larger weirs will have construction features that allow boats and river users to "shoot the weir" and navigate by passing up or down stream without having to exit the river. Weirs constructed for this purpose are especially common on the River Thames, and most are situated near each of the river's 45 locks.


title: Weir

text: Because a weir impounds water behind it and alters the flow regime of the river, it can have an effect on the local ecology. Typically, the reduced river velocity upstream can lead to increased siltation (deposition of fine particles of silt and clay on the river bottom) that reduces the water oxygen content and smothers invertebrate habitat and fish spawning sites. The oxygen content typically returns to normal once water has passed over the weir crest (although it can be hyper-oxygenated), although increased river velocity can scour the river bed causing erosion and habitat loss.


title: Weir

text: Weirs can have a significant effect on fish migration. Any weir that exceeds either the maximum height a species can jump or creates flow conditions that cannot be bypassed (e.g., due to excessive water velocity) effectively limits the maximum point upstream that fish can migrate. In some cases this can mean that huge lengths of breeding habitat are lost, and over time this can have a significant impact on fish populations.


title: Weir

text: In many countries, it is now a legal requirement to build fish ladders into the design of a weir that ensure that fish can bypass the barriers and access upstream habitats. Unlike dams, weirs do not usually prevent downstream fish migration (as water flows over the top and allows fish to bypass the structure in that water), although they can create flow conditions that injure juvenile fish. Recent studies suggest that navigation locks have also potential to provide increased access for a range of biota, including poor swimmers.


title: Weir

text: Even though the water around weirs can often appear relatively calm, they can be extremely dangerous places to boat, swim, or wade, as the circulation patterns on the downstream side—typically called a hydraulic jump—can submerge a person indefinitely. This phenomenon is so well known to canoeists, kayakers, and others who spend time on rivers that they even have a rueful name for weirs: "drowning machines". The Ohio DNR recommends that a victim should "tuck the chin down, draw the knees up to the chest with arms wrapped around them. Hopefully, conditions will be such that the current will push the victim along the bed of the river until swept beyond the boil line and released by the hydraulic." The Pennsylvania State Police also recommends to victims, "curl up, dive to the bottom, and swim or crawl downstream". As the hydraulic jump entrains air, the buoyancy of the water between the dam and boil line will be reduced by upward of 30%, and if a victim is unable to float, escape at the base of the dam may be the only option for survival.


title: Weir

text: There are many different types of weirs and they can vary from a simple stone structure that is barely noticeable, to elaborate and very large structures that require extensive management and maintenance.


title: Weir

text: A broad-crested weir is a flat-crested structure, where the water passes over a crest that covers much or all of the channel width. This is one of the most common types of weir found worldwide.


title: Weir

text: A compound weir is any weir that comprises several different designs into one structure. They are commonly seen in locations where a river has multiple users who may need to bypass the structure. A common design would be one where a weir is broad-crested for much of its length, but has a section where the weir stops or is 'open' so that small boats and fish can traverse the structure.


title: Weir

text: A notch weir is any weir where the physical barrier is significantly higher than the water level except for a specific notch (often V-shaped) cut into the panel. At times of normal flow all the water must pass through the notch, simplifying flow volume calculations, and at times of flood the water level can rise and submerge the weir without any alterations made to the structure.


title: Weir

text: A polynomial weir is a weir that has a geometry defined by a polynomial equation of any order "n". In practice, most weirs are low-order polynomial weirs. The standard rectangular weir is, for example, a polynomial weir of order zero. The triangular (V-notch) and trapezoidal weirs are of order one. High-order polynomial weirs are providing wider range of Head-Discharge relationships, and hence better control of the flow at outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us" from her debut album, "Relish" (1995). Both the single and the album became worldwide hits and garnered a combined seven Grammy Award nominations. Osborne has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (2002).


title: Joan Osborne

text: Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s to study filmmaking at New York University, where she had classes with legendary documentarian George Stoney, among others. Osborne was paying her own way through college and taking time off to earn money for another semester when, by chance, she sang at an open mic night at the Abilene Café. The other musicians encouraged her to return, and she began singing weekly at the Abilene's open mic and at other blues open mics in NYC's East Village. She soon became immersed in NYC's live music scene, forming her own band and playing in nightclubs alongside groups like the Sweetones, Surreal McCoys, Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, and the Holmes Brothers, and artists like Chris Whitley, Frankie Paris, and Jeff Buckley.


title: Joan Osborne

text: In 1991, she formed her own record label, Womanly Hips, to release her first full-length album, "", and she began to tour around the Northeast, building a devoted regional following. She signed a recording contract with Rick Chertoff of Mercury Records, and released her second (and first major label) album "Relish" (1995), which became a hit on the strength of the single "One of Us". "Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa" were minor hits, and "Spider Web" also received radio play. Osborne wrote and directed the second music video for "St. Teresa".


title: Joan Osborne

text: In 2001, Osborne produced an album for her friends the Holmes Brothers, "Speaking in Tongues", engineered by Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker and featuring backing vocals from Catherine Russell, Maydie Miles, and Osborne. The album was released by Alligator Records.


title: Joan Osborne

text: In 2001, Osborne appeared on "Austin City Limits", singing material mainly from "Righteous Love". In a brief interview segment at the end of the episode, Osborne reflects on her gladness to have gotten out of the limelight of her mid-1990s stardom. She was featured in the 2002 documentary film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", and toured with Motown sidemen The Funk Brothers. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers The Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled "How Sweet It Is", a collection of classic rock and soul covers.


title: Joan Osborne

text: During 2005 and 2006, Osborne performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. Her vocals were featured prominently on the album "Live at the Warfield". She continues to make appearances with the band.


title: Joan Osborne

text: In February 2007, she appeared on the "Grand Ole Opry". In May 2007, she issued "Breakfast in Bed", produced by Tor Hyams, a return to the soul music that she had covered on "How Sweet It Is". "Breakfast in Bed" also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". The same year, Osborne appeared as a featured guest in the third season of the "Transatlantic Sessions" television series, performing "Saint Teresa", "Holy Water", and "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends".


title: Joan Osborne

text: Osborne sang lead vocals on the cover of the Willie Dixon-penned "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album "Two Sides of If". She also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album "Chocolate Supa Highway". She covered Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" on the 2003 tribute album "". She is featured on the Holmes Brothers 2007 collection "State of Grace" performing "Those Memories of You", an old Alan O'Bryant bluegrass tune.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Osborne released the studio album "Little Wild One" in September 2008. She performed as a guest vocalist on "Sgt. Pepper Live", the 2009 album and DVD by Cheap Trick. In 2010, she was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award from Women's Project Theater. She performed with The Waybacks at Merlefest, 2011, during the Hillside Album hour, featuring The Allman Brothers' "Eat a Peach".


title: Joan Osborne

text: In 2010, Osborne again produced an album for the Holmes Brothers on Alligator Records, "Feed My Soul", which featured contributions from keyboard player Glenn Patscha.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Her album "Bring It on Home" was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for "Best Blues Album". In September 2012, Osborne was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support "", a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy, along with Steve Gorman, Tom Bukovac, Jackie Greene, and Nick Govrik. The band released their debut album on September 30, 2014. She announced her departure from the group on her blog in October 2018.


title: Joan Osborne

text: On October 31, 2015, Osborne and Mavis Staples performed in Washington, D.C. at The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium as part of their Solid Soul Tour.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Osborne has a long history of political activism, in particular with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She began volunteering as a PPFA clinic escort in NYC in the 1980s, has organized benefit concerts for the group, and was honored as a PPFA "Woman of the Year" in 1997 after she promoted Planned Parenthood from the Lilith Fair stage in Houston, TX, despite being expressly forbidden to do so by the arena's owners, who then blacklisted her from the venue.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Osborne released the original album "Love and Hate" in 2014, and followed up in 2017 with "Songs of Bob Dylan", another cover album. Her latest offering, "Trouble and Strife", was released in 2020.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Raised a Roman Catholic, Osborne distanced herself from that institution after childhood, particularly influenced by telling her parents that she wished to become a priest only to learn that tradition forbade it. As an adult, she regards herself as skeptical of large-scale organized religion and identifies as a "spiritual person" directly influenced by both Buddhism and Christianity.


title: Joan Osborne

text: Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s, Osborne has stated that she feels a particular attachment to the city, particularly the borough of Brooklyn. Her interest in her neighborhood of Boerum Hill’s culture, history, and society has multiple influences on her music. As well, she has expressed admiration for American poetry, especially the works of Walt Whitman, and cited that as a major inspiration for her songwriting.


title: 1788–89 United States presidential election

text: The 1788–1789 United States presidential election was the first quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789, under the new Constitution ratified that same year. George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president and John Adams became the first vice president. This was the only U.S. presidential election that spanned two calendar years without a contingent election and the first national presidential election in American history.


text: Under the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, the United States had no head of state. The executive function of government remained with the legislative similar to countries that use a parliamentary system. Federal power, strictly limited, was reserved to the Congress of the Confederation whose "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" was also chair of the Committee of the States which aimed to fulfill a function similar to that of the modern Cabinet.


text: The Constitution created the offices of President and Vice President, fully separating these offices from Congress. The Constitution established an Electoral College, based on each state's Congressional representation, in which each elector would cast two votes for two candidates, a procedure modified in 1804 by the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment. States had varying methods for choosing presidential electors. In five states, the state legislature chose electors. The other six chose electors through some form involving a popular vote, though in only two states did the choice depend directly on a statewide vote.


text: The enormously popular Washington was distinguished as the former Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. After he agreed to come out of retirement, he was elected with ease unanimously; Washington did not select a running mate as that concept was not yet developed.


text: No formal political parties existed, though an informally organized consistent difference of opinion had already manifested between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Thus, the contest for the Vice-Presidency was open. Thomas Jefferson predicted that a popular Northern leader such as Governor John Hancock of Massachusetts or John Adams, a former minister to Great Britain who had represented Massachusetts in Congress, would be elected vice president. Anti-Federalist leaders such as Patrick Henry, who did not run, and George Clinton, who had opposed ratification of the Constitution, also represented potential choices.


text: All 69 electors cast one vote for Washington, making his election unanimous. Adams won 34 electoral votes and the vice presidency. The remaining 35 electoral votes were split among 10 candidates, including John Jay, who finished third with nine electoral votes. Three states were ineligible to participate in the election: New York's legislature did not choose electors on time, and North Carolina and Rhode Island had not ratified the constitution yet. Washington was inaugurated in New York City on April 30, 1789, 57 days after the First Congress convened.


text: Though no organized political parties yet existed, political opinion loosely divided between those who had more stridently and enthusiastically endorsed ratification of the Constitution, called Federalists or Cosmopolitans, and Anti-Federalists or Localists who had only more reluctantly, skeptically, or conditionally supported, or who had outright opposed ratification. Both factions supported Washington for president. Limited, primitive political campaigning occurred in states and localities where swaying public opinion might matter. For example, in Maryland, a state with a statewide popular vote, unofficial parties campaigned locally, advertising.


text: No nomination process existed at the time of planning, and thus, the framers of the Constitution presumed that Washington would be elected unopposed. For example, Alexander Hamilton spoke for national opinion when in a letter to Washington attempting to persuade him to leave retirement on his farm in Mount Vernon to serve as the first President, he wrote that "...the point of light in which you stand at home and abroad will make an infinite difference in the respectability in which the government will begin its operations in the alternative of your being or not being the head of state."


text: Another uncertainty was the choice for the vice presidency, which contained no definite job description beyond being the President's designated successor while presiding over the Senate. The Constitution stipulated that the position would be awarded to the runner-up in the Presidential election. Because Washington was from Virginia, then the largest state, many assumed that electors would choose a vice president from a northern state. In an August 1788 letter, U.S. Minister to France Thomas Jefferson wrote that he considered John Adams and John Hancock, both from Massachusetts, to be the top contenders. Jefferson suggested John Jay, John Rutledge, and Virginian James Madison as other possible candidates. Adams received 34 electoral votes, one short of a majority – because the Constitution did not require an outright majority in the Electoral College prior to ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to elect a runner-up as vice president, Adams was elected to that post.


text: Voter turnout comprised a low single-digit percentage of the adult population. Though all states allowed some rudimentary form of popular vote, only six ratifying states allowed any form of popular vote specifically for presidential electors. In most states only white men, and in many only those who owned property, could vote. Free black men could vote in four Northern states, and women could vote in New Jersey until 1776. In some states, there was a nominal religious test for voting. For example, in Massachusetts and Connecticut, the Congregational Church was established, supported by taxes.


text: Voting was hampered by poor communications and infrastructure and the labor demands imposed by farming. Two months passed after the election before the votes were counted and Washington was notified that he had been elected president. Washington spent one week traveling from Virginia to New York for the inauguration. Similarly, Congress took weeks to assemble.


text: As the electors were selected, politics intruded, and the process was not free of rumors and intrigue. For example, Hamilton aimed to ensure that Adams did not inadvertently tie Washington in the electoral vote. Also, Federalists spread rumors that Anti-Federalists plotted to elect Richard Henry Lee or Patrick Henry president, with George Clinton as vice president. However, Clinton received only three electoral votes.


text: The popular vote totals used are the elector from each party with the highest vote totals. The vote totals of Virginia appear to be incomplete.


text: Sixty-nine electors voted out of a possible 81. (Two electors from Maryland and two from Virginia neglected to vote; the New York State Legislature was deadlocked and no electors were appointed from that state.) As per the terms of the unamended constitution, each elector was permitted two votes for president, with a majority of "the whole number of electors appointed" necessary to elect a president. Of the 69 participating electors, each cast one vote for Washington, who was elected president. Of the remaining candidates, only Adams, Jay, and Hancock received votes from more than one state; with 34 votes, Adams finished second behind only Washington, and by virtue of which fact was elected vice president.


text: Control of the bicameral New York State Legislature was divided following ratification of the federal constitution, and lawmakers could not reach an agreement to appoint electors for the forthcoming presidential contest. Federalists, backed by the great landed families and the city commercial interests, were the largest faction in the Senate, the smaller of the two chambers for which roughly a quarter of the state's free white male population was eligible to vote; but in the House of Representatives, with its larger membership and electorate, Anti-federalists representing the middling interests held the majority. The fight to ratify the United States Constitution was still fresh in the memories of the legislators, and the Anti-federalists were resentful for have been forced by events to accept the constitution without amendments. Bills to govern the selection of electors were proposed in each house and rejected by the other, leading to an impasse. The deadlock still stood on January 7, 1789, the last day for electors to be chosen by the states, and New York thus failed to appoint the eight electors allocated to it by the constitution.


text: The Constitution, in Article II, Section 1, provided that the state legislatures should decide the manner in which their Electors were chosen. State legislatures chose different methods:


title: Ricky Starks

text: Richard Starks (born February 21, 1990), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also serves on the commentary team for AEW's sister streaming television program, "Elevation". Starks is also known for his time with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he was the inaugural winner of the revived NWA World Television Championship.


title: Ricky Starks

text: Starks idolized wrestlers including The Undertaker, The Rock, and Mankind, among many others, while growing up watching professional wrestling. Around the age of seven, Starks decided he would pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Starks made his debut in WWE as enhancement talent, jobbing to Jinder Mahal, before debuting for the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Velocity Pro Wrestling on October 14, 2012 at the NWA Velocity Haunted Havoc event in Austin, Texas. There, he wrestled in a triple threat match against Jaykus Plisken and Big Ricky. Since 2012, Starks became a regular talent featured across numerous promotions in the state of Texas, like Anarchy Championship Wrestling and Inspire Pro Wrestling.


title: Ricky Starks

text: During the following years, he worked four other matches for WWE as an enhancement talent, losing against wrestlers like Jinder Mahal, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, Kane and The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder). On the July 29, 2013 episode of "Raw", he appeared in a backstage video where he was bullied, mocked, and slammed through a table by Ryback. Starks again made an appearance on the March 19, 2018 episode of "Raw" as a US Marshal, arresting Roman Reigns, only for Starks to be attacked by Reigns.


title: Ricky Starks

text: Starks made his debut for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) at the NWA 70th Anniversary Show on October 21, 2018, competing in a four-way elimination match against Jay Bradley, Mike Parrow and Willie Mack, which Mack won. He returned on the October 15, 2019 episode of "Power", defeating Trevor Murdoch. At the Into the Fire pay-per-view event on December 14, Starks competed in a three-way match against Colt Cabana and Aron Stevens for the NWA National Championship, a match which Stevens won. Soon after, Starks was entered into a tournament to determine the inaugural holder of the NWA World Television Championship. At the Hard Times event on January 24, 2020, he defeated Eddie Kingston in the first round, Matt Cross in the second round, Tim Storm in the semi-finals and Trevor Murdoch in the finals to become the new NWA World Television Champion. Starks lost the title to Zicky Dice on the March 3 episode of "Power". On May 18, it was announced that Starks was no longer with the NWA as his contract had expired.


title: Ricky Starks

text: On the June 17 episode of "Dynamite", Starks made his unannounced debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as he answered Cody's open challenge for the AEW TNT Championship in a losing effort. After the match, All Elite Wrestling's CEO Tony Khan announced that Starks had signed with AEW. On the June 30 episode of "Dark", Starks picked up his first victory in AEW by defeating Griff Garrison while quickly establishing himself as a heel. On the July 21 episode of "Dark", after defeating Will Hobbs, Starks aided Brian Cage in attacking Robert Anthony and Darby Allin after their match, creating an alliance between the two. The team, managed by Taz and now known as Team Taz, began feuding with Allin as they faced Allin and Jon Moxley on the July 29 episode of "Dynamite" where they were defeated. At the All Out pay-per-view on September 5, Starks participated in the Casino Battle Royale, but he was eliminated by Allin. On the September 30 episode of "Dynamite", Starks was defeated by Allin in a singles match.


title: Ricky Starks

text: On the November 18, 2020 episode of "Dynamite", Will Hobbs would join Starks, Taz, and Cage's alliance after he struck Cody with Cage's FTW Championship belt and then assisted them in attacking both Allin and Cody as well. On the December 2, 2020 special Winter Is Coming, Starks and Hobbs, the latter now known as Powerhouse Hobbs, would lose a tag team match to Cody and Allin, after which, Sting made his AEW debut and ran Team Taz off after a post-match attack. On the January 20 episode of "Dynamite", it was announced that Starks and Brian Cage would be facing Allin and Sting in a street fight at Revolution, a cinematic match that Starks and Cage ultimately lost. On July 14, 2021, on night one of Fyter Fest, Starks won the FTW World Championship from Brian Cage, winning his first championship in AEW, although the FTW title is not an officially sanctioned championship the company. On an episode of "Rampage", Starks defeated Cage in a Philly street fight. Starks would qualify for the "Face of the Revolution" ladder match by defeating Preston "10" Vance, but would fail to win the match at Revolution.


title: Ricky Starks

text: In September 2021, in addition to still being a wrestler on the show, Starks joined the "Rampage" commentary team, replacing Mark Henry.


title: Ricky Starks

text: On the July 20, 2022 episode of "Dynamite", Starks issued an open challenge for he FTW Championship, where he defeated Cole Karter. After the match, he issued another open challenge for the following week's "Dynamite", which was answered by Danhausen.


title: Ricky Starks

text: At Fight for the Fallen on July 27, 2022, Starks issued an open challenge immediately after defeating Danhausen. It was answered by Team Taz teammate Hook, who defeated him for the title, ending Starks's reign at 378 days, making him the longest-reigning FTW Champion. After a post-match impassioned promo by Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs attacked him, turning Starks face. The following week Taz, while on commentary, announced that he had dissolved Team Taz. Starks came out to confront Hobbs on the August 3rd episode of "Dynamite," only for his former partner to hit him with a spinebuster and leave the ring. The grudge match between Hobbs and Starks was set for All Out, where Hobbs defeated Starks in just over 5 minutes. Starks and Hobbs faced off once more at Grand Slam in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match, where Starks defeated Hobbs, ending the feud.


title: Ricky Starks

text: On the 23rd of November episode of "Dynamite", Starks defeated Ethan Page in the finals of an AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament to face champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Winter Is Coming for the AEW World Championship. Two weeks later, on the December 7 edition of "Dynamite", Starks competed in the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale, last eliminating Ethan Page to add the Dynamite Diamond Ring as a second prize to his AEW World Championship match. The following week on "Dynamite", Starks and Friedman faced off in a heated promo, with Starks insulting Friedman's cheap tactics of gaining acclaim, compared to the hard work Starks put in, resulting in Friedman hitting Starks with a low blow, only for Starks to retaliate with a spear, knocking Friedman down. The following week at Winter is Coming, MJF defeated Starks, retaining the AEW World Championship and winning the Dynamite Diamond Ring.


title: Ricky Starks

text: Starks referred to his style as a "pastiche" of other wrestlers, most notably The Undertaker's selling and Shinjiro Otani.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Development of "Sonic Colors" began in 2008, following the completion of "Sonic Unleashed". Examining criticisms of past games, the developers made Sonic the only playable character and worked to balance speed and platforming; the Wisps were introduced to diversify the gameplay without slowing it down. Two versions of the game were developed: one for the Wii by Sonic Team, and one for the Nintendo DS by Dimps. The game was designed for a wider demographic than previous games, specifically children and fans of the "Super Mario" series. In anticipation of the game's release, Sega delisted several "Sonic" games with sub-average Metacritic scores to increase the value of the brand.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Colors" received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its graphics, audio, soundtrack, gameplay and replay value, with many considering it a return to form for the series. However, some criticized its difficulty and multiplayer mode. It was a commercial success, selling four million copies. The Wisp power-ups introduced in "Sonic Colors" became a staple of the "Sonic" series.


title: Sonic Colors

text: A remastered edition of the Wii version, was released on September 7, 2021, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the "Sonic" series' 30th anniversary.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Colors" is a platform game set in outer space. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, whose goal is to save the Wisps, an alien race that has been enslaved by Doctor Eggman. The game's main hub is Doctor Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, an interplanetary amusement park that consists of five small planets chained to each other. Sonic must be guided through these planets to destroy the power source at their center.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Each planet is split into seven parts: six main levels called acts and a boss level. In each act, players must guide Sonic to the goal, whilst defeating enemies and dodging obstacles. In boss levels, players face one of Eggman's large robots, and must defeat it. Gameplay seamlessly shifts between side-scrolling and third-person perspectives. Upon completion of a level, players are given a grade dependent on their performance, with an "S" being the best and a "D" being the worst. As the player progresses through the game, more planets become available to select. Once each planet has been completed, a bonus seventh, which concludes the story, is unlocked.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Players control Sonic using the Wii Remote (with or without the Nunchuck), the Classic Controller, or the Nintendo GameCube Controller. Sonic retains most of his abilities from "Sonic Unleashed": he can perform a "Sonic Boost" which greatly increases his speed and allows him to smash through various objects; a homing attack that allows him to destroy enemies from long distances; and a stomp that enables him to quickly destroy objects below him. In certain levels, players are sent at high speeds and must perform a quick step maneuver to dodge walls and other hazards; others see Sonic using a drift mechanic in order to make sharp turns. Sonic is also given a double-jump ability, which allows him to perform an additional jump in mid-air.


title: Sonic Colors

text: A major aspect of "Sonic Colors" is the ability to activate Wisp power-ups. There are eight different types of Wisps, each with their own unique advantage dependent on their color. Normal white-colored Wisps allow the player to get a speed boost at any time. The "Cyan Laser" turns Sonic into a laser that can bounce off solid surfaces to change the laser's path and to travel through power lines, while the "Yellow Drill" allows Sonic to drill through soft ground and water. The "Orange Rocket" allows Sonic to blast upward to tremendous heights; the "Pink Spikes" allows Sonic to bond to walls and ceilings and to perform a spin dash to gain velocity and to destroy objects; the "Green Hover" enables Sonic to hover and to perform dashes across lines of rings; the "Blue Cube" gives Sonic the ability to turn blue blocks into blue rings and vice versa; and the "Purple Frenzy" turns Sonic into a berserker that chomps through anything in its path, increasing in size as it continues to eat.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Like previous games, Sonic collects golden rings, which protect him from a single hit by an enemy or obstacle, though they will scatter and blink before disappearing. Sonic starts the game with a limited number of lives; if he is hit with no rings in his possession, he will lose a life. If a player exhausts their lives, they will receive a game over.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Colors" features a co-operative two-player mode, "Eggman's Sonic Simulator," in which players control Sonic-modeled robots or their Mii characters through a series of levels. These levels can be unlocked by collecting special Red Star Rings hidden throughout each act. Completing "Sonic Simulator" levels rewards the player Chaos Emeralds, and once all seven are collected, Sonic can transform into Super Sonic after collecting 50 rings in normal levels. As Super Sonic, players are invincible and can boost infinitely, though they cannot use Wisps and lose one ring per second, de-transforming when the ring counter hits zero. The game also features online leaderboards, allowing players to upload their scores via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Unlike the Wii version, the Nintendo DS version of "Sonic Colors" is a side-scroller reminiscent of the original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games (similar to the style of "Sonic Rush" and "Rush Adventure") that takes advantage of the system's dual-screen. Exclusive to the DS version are touchscreen-controlled special stages similar to the ones seen in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", missions featuring various characters from throughout the franchise, a competitive multiplayer mode, and an extra final boss. The game features two additional Wisp types: "Red Burst", which allows Sonic to burst in midair and can activate certain objects such as a hot air balloon, Ferris wheel, and popcorn cannons; and "Violet Void", which gives Sonic the ability to float and to suck up nearby objects, growing bigger in the process. Unlockable concept art is also included.


title: Sonic Colors

text: In both versions, Doctor Eggman opens an amusement park in space called Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, allegedly turning over a new leaf and making up for past transgressions. The park is made up of several planet-sized attractions. Suspicious, Sonic the Hedgehog and his best friend Tails investigate. They meet Yacker, who comes from a species of aliens known as Wisps. After Tails invents a translator to communicate with him, they learn that other Wisps have been enslaved by Eggman, who plans to harness their energy for a mind-control laser that will allow him to take over Earth.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Sonic proceeds to visit the planets, liberating the Wisps and shutting down the generators linked to the amusement park. He meets many of his friends along the way, who are also exploring the park in an attempt to disrupt Eggman's plans. After Sonic frees the Wisps, Eggman tries to fire the cannon at the world, but a piece of wreckage causes it to malfunction. As the amusement park begins to explode, Sonic confronts Eggman. Eggman uses the Nega-Wisps to power his final contraption, a robot that uses the powers of all the Wisps that Sonic has met against him. As the machine gets weaker, the Wisps escape and help Sonic defeat Eggman, sending him hurtling off into space. The Wisps carry Sonic out of the exploding amusement park. Returning safely to Earth, Yacker thanks Sonic and Tails.


title: Sonic Colors

text: In the DS version, however, Sonic and Tails soon learn that the leading Mother Wisp had been infected by the negative energy and transformed into the Nega-Mother Wisp. Using the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic transforms into Super Sonic and fights her. Following her defeat, the Mother Wisp returns to normal and the Wisps part ways with the two heroes.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Development of "Sonic Colors" began in 2008, following the completion of "Sonic Unleashed". While they kept most of "Unleashed"s core gameplay elements, developers Sonic Team and Dimps decided to create an equal balance between speed and platforming similar to that of the games released for the Sega Genesis, in comparison to the straightforward gameplay of "Unleashed". Following requests by fans, the team also made the decision to make Sonic the only playable character, and to omit "gimmick" themes such as the swordplay mechanic used in the 2009 spin-off "Sonic and the Black Knight". The team chose to develop "Sonic Colors" on Nintendo's Wii and DS consoles, hoping to expand upon the audience attracted by the successful "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" crossover games.


title: Sonic Colors

text: One of the first ideas was the setting should be an amusement park; Sonic Team then realized that "any sort of terrestrial amusement park would be too small to contain Sonic's adventures." From this came the idea of an interplanetary park, which would allow for more creativity and variance in the game. The developers used Disneyland as visual inspiration for the levels. Sonic Team also desired something that would diversify the gameplay, but did not slow it down. Thus, the Wisps were added to the game to expand and strengthen the gameplay without forcing the player to switch to other playable characters. Another goal was to encourage players to revisit completed levels; Sonic Team accomplished this by adding segments requiring certain types of Wisps to levels preceding their first appearances. The Wii version makes use of the PhysX physics engine, previously used with 2007's "Sonic and the Secret Rings", while the DS version uses the same engine used in the 2005 entry "Sonic Rush" and its sequel.


title: Sonic Colors

text: According to producer Takashi Iizuka, "Sonic Colors" was designed to appeal to a casual audience, particularly children and fans of the "Super Mario" series. Iizuka's statement that it was impossible to please all "Sonic" fans initially alienated those who had enjoyed prior entries such as "Unleashed" and "", though Sega brand manager Judy Gilbertson later clarified that "we’re also looking to create a game that is accessible to younger gamers as well as our ‘core’ fans." The script was written by "MadWorld" and "Happy Tree Friends" contributors Ken Pontac and Warren Graff. "Sonic Colors" is also one of the first games in the series not to use the English voice cast from the "Sonic X" anime series following a major re-casting of the franchise in 2010, with Roger Craig Smith assuming the role of Sonic. Of the "Sonic X" cast, only Mike Pollock reprises his role as Dr. Eggman.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Sega first announced "Sonic Colors" in a blog post on May 26, 2010. Demo versions of the game were playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, Gamescom, the Penny Arcade Expo, and the Tokyo Game Show. On November 4, 2010, Sega held a "Sonic Colors"-themed ice-skating event at Bryant Park in New York City. BradyGames also published an official strategy guide, which launched alongside the game. In anticipation of the game's release, Sega delisted multiple "Sonic" games with sub-average Metacritic scores to increase the value of the brand. "Sonic Colors" was first released in PAL regions on November 11, 2010, followed by a North American release on November 16, 2010, and in Japan on November 18, 2010. People who pre-ordered the Japanese version of the game received a special card compatible with the arcade game "Rekishi Taisen Gettenka", allowing Sonic to appear in the game. Those who pre-ordered the game through GameStop in North America received a Sonic shaped hat. A special edition was also sold in Europe, featuring figurines of Sonic and the Wisps.


title: Sonic Colors

text: The game's score was composed by Tomoya Ohtani, Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani, Hideaki Kobayashi, Mariko Nanba, and Naofumi Hataya, and was written to be more energetic than previous entries' scores. The in-game music is performed by the Amsterdam Session Orchestra. Jean Paul Makhlouf from the American electronic band Cash Cash performed the game's opening song, "Reach for the Stars" (remixed as "Reach for the Stars (Re-Colors)"), and his brother Alex joined him in singing the ending song, "Speak With Your Heart" (remixed as "Speak With Your Heart (Rainbow Mix)"). A three-CD soundtrack, "Sonic Colors Original Soundtrack: Vivid Sounds × Hybrid Colors", featuring music from the game was released on CD in Japan on December 22, 2010, with a digital version released via iTunes in January 2011.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Both versions of "Sonic Colors" received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game was also successful commercially; as of March 2011, it has sold 2.18 million copies. In a Famitsu interview dated June 2021, Sonic Team director Takashi lizuka mentioned in response to a question that the game had sold 4 million copies across the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS.


title: Sonic Colors

text: The game's presentation was well received. Pedro Hernandez of "Nintendo World Report" described the graphics and animations as "beautiful" and "gorgeous". Arthur Gies of "IGN" considered them to be among the best available on the Wii, praising the lighting, detail, and variety they offered. Both Hernandez and Jane Douglas of "GameSpot" both praised the audio for incorporating familiar aspects of past "Sonic" games, and Douglas admired the "jazzy, high-energy" soundtrack as fitting for all levels. The new voice casting was also appreciated; Gies elaborated that the cast was "much less annoying" than the previous voice actors, and Hernandez considered their voices to be fitting for the characters.


title: Sonic Colors

text: The gameplay was praised, particularly for the Wisps and its replay value. Al Bickham of "Eurogamer" considered the game's intertwining of platforming and speed to be successful, and also praised its use of the Wii Remote. Gies, Douglas, and John Meyer of "Wired" praised the shift from third-person to side-scrolling, which Meyer described as "elegant and cohesive". Matthew Keast of "GamesRadar" called the Wisps the game's best feature, describing the element of backtracking to previously completed levels after unlocking more types as clever. Tim Turi of "Game Informer" praised the Wisps for adding "an interesting new gameplay mechanic without succumbing to Werehog-itis", and Gies compared the Wisps to power-ups from the "Super Mario" franchise, though he felt that "Colors" still felt distinctive and fresh. Douglas, however, preferred basic platforming over using the Wisps.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Some aspects of the game were criticized, however. Writing for "Destructoid", Jim Sterling described "Sonic Colors" as "terribly designed". They criticized the controls and physics, and felt the developers had not addressed problems present in previous games and concluded that the game was poor. Gies, Hernandez, Meyer, Turi, and Keast criticized the game's high difficulty level, with Keast going as far to describe it as "hardcore". Both Gies and Douglas spoke negatively of the co-op "Eggman's Sonic Simulator"; Gies described it as not fun, and Douglas called it "ugly" and ultimately concluded that the multiplayer was weak. Douglas also made note of the boss fights as being repetitive.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Regarding the game as a whole, critics felt that "Sonic Colors" was one of the best entries in the "Sonic" series. "IGN" declared it one of the best games available for the Wii, and awarded it their "Quick Fix" award of 2010. Douglas concluded that "Wii owners shouldn't miss an opportunity to play with Sonic at his best". "Empire" considered "Colors" a return to form for the series, whose popularity had declined in recent years following a number of poorly received games such as the 2006 reboot.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Colors" introduced the Wisp power-ups, which would go on to become a staple of the "Sonic" franchise. Games featuring the Wisps include "Sonic Generations" (2011), "Sonic Lost World" (2013), and "Sonic Forces" (2017). The story of "Sonic Colors" was adapted in Archie Comics' "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic book series.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Generations" was released in commemoration of the series' twentieth anniversary, and remade various aspects from past entries. The version of the game released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows features a reimagined version of "Sonic Colors"s Planet Wisp level. The version of the game released for the Nintendo 3DS contains a remake of the Tropical Resort level.


title: Sonic Colors

text: In May 2021, a remastered version, was announced for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows (via the Epic Games Store). Developed by Blind Squirrel Games as part of the "Sonic" series' 30th anniversary, it was released worldwide on September 7, 2021, and in Japan and East Asia on September 9 of that year. A version for Amazon Luna was also made available on April 21, 2022.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Along with enhanced visuals, an improved frame rate, and a newly recorded soundtrack, the remaster, which is based on the Wii version, features new additions including assistance by Tails, which replaces the traditional lives mechanic from the original game, allowing Tails to rescue Sonic from dangerous falls for a limited amount of uses, the "Jade Ghost" Wisp power-up from "Team Sonic Racing", which lets Sonic pass through solid objects and access new routes; a Rival Rush mode in which players race against Metal Sonic; unlockable cosmetic options with a new currency called "Park Tokens", including some based on the 2020 film; new voice lines from Kate Higgins, who reprises her role as the voice of Tails from the original game in English (Ryō Hirohashi in Japanese); and voiceovers in French, German, Italian and Spanish. To coincide with the release of the game, a two-episode animated miniseries, "Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps", was released in August 2021.


title: Sonic Colors

text: Shortly after its early access on September 3, several Twitter users started reporting several bugs and glitches not present in the original, with the Switch version in particular being derided due to having far more technical issues than the other releases, such as an inferior frame-rate compared to the other versions, significantly longer load times and flashing lights that could induce a potential photosensitive epileptic seizure. Some of these issues have since been patched, and the others are planned to be patched in the future. Reception for the remixed music has also been mixed. In addition, people data mining through the PC version found that it had used Godot Engine without proper credit, which Blind Squirrel stated would be addressed in a patch.


title: Sonic Colors

text: "Sonic Colors: Ultimate" received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The second season of the American television series "" is set a decade before the events of the "" and follows the crew of the USS "Discovery" as they meet the crew of the USS "Enterprise". They investigate seven signals that were sent by a time traveller to prevent a rogue artificial intelligence from destroying all sentient life. The season was produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, with Alex Kurtzman serving as showrunner.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, first officer of the "Discovery", along with the returning Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, and Shazad Latif. They are joined by former recurring guest star Wilson Cruz, and by Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike of the "Enterprise". The season was officially ordered in October 2017, and introduced the "Enterprise" and its crew—including recurring guest star Ethan Peck as Spock and guest star Rebecca Romijn as Number One—to help align the series to the larger "Star Trek" franchise, as those characters originated on "The Original Series". Designs for the "Enterprise" and its uniforms were updated to match "Discovery" more modern style. Filming took place in Toronto, Canada, from April to December 2018. Co-creator Kurtzman chose to use anamorphic lenses on the season to make it more cinematic, and he took over as showrunner from the 's Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts after they were fired during production. The season connects to the companion shorts series "".


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The 14-episode season was released from January 17 to April 18, 2019, on the streaming service CBS All Access. Many critics found it to be an improvement on the first season, praising its lighter tone, cast (especially Mount and guest star Tig Notaro), and high production value. The season's attempts to align with existing "Star Trek" continuity received mixed reviews. It won a Primetime Emmy Award for its prosthetic makeup, and received several other awards and nominations. A was ordered in February 2019, and after a spin-off series starring Mount, Peck, and Romijn was called for by fans and critics alike, CBS All Access ordered "" in May 2020.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: On November 2, 2015, CBS announced a new "Star Trek" television series to premiere in January 2017, "on the heels" of "" 50th anniversary in 2016. In February 2016, Bryan Fuller, who began his career writing for the series "" and "", was announced as the new series' showrunner, and co-creator alongside Alex Kurtzman. CBS did not have a plan for what the new show would be when Fuller joined, and he proposed an anthology series with each season being a standalone, serialized show set in a different era, beginning with a prequel to the original series. CBS told Fuller to just start with a single serialized show and see how that performs first, and he began further developing the prequel concept. By the end of 2016, Fuller had left the series due to conflicts with CBS and other commitments. He had hired Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts to act as co-showrunners with him, and they took over after his departure. In June 2017, Kurtzman said that he and Fuller had discussed plans for future seasons before the latter's departure.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: In August 2017, before the series premiere, executive producer Akiva Goldsman stated that though the series is not an anthology as Fuller first proposed, "it's kind of a hybridized approach. I don't think we're looking for an endless, continuing nine or 10 year story. We're looking at arcs which will have characters that we know and characters that we don't know." Kurtzman elaborated that the Federation-Klingon War story arc of the first season would not continue in a second. However, he was not interested in a full anthology series because "I wouldn't necessarily want to throw [the characters] away at the end of the season for a new show", and instead felt that the aftereffects of the first season would be felt moving forward: "The results of the war are going to allow for a lot of new storytelling", with "the casualties, the things that have grown in Starfleet as a result of the war" carrying over to the next season. By the end of the month, Berg and Harberts had developed a road map for a second season. After the series premiered, Kurtzman said a "big idea" had been proposed mid-way through production on the first season which became the "spine" of the second, with the writers' "emotional compass" having pointed them to using that idea. He added that the series' producers wanted to avoid announcing release dates for future seasons just to delay them as happened on the first season, but he hoped a second season would be available in early 2019 as long as the quality and scope of the series was not compromised to achieve that.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: On October 23, a 13-episode second season was officially ordered by CBS All Access. CBS Interactive President Marc DeBevoise cited the increased subscriptions for All Access since the series' debut, as well as critical acclaim and fan interest, when announcing the renewal. In June 2018, during production on the season, CBS Television Studios fired Berg and Harberts. The studio and network were pleased with the scripts and early cuts of already filmed episodes, but the first episode had gone significantly over budget—to the point that the budgets for later episodes would have to be reduced—and the pair were allegedly abusive towards the writing staff, with multiple writers becoming uncomfortable working with them. Some had apparently been threatened by Harberts after stating their intention to file a formal complaint. Kurtzman was made sole showrunner in their place, and was described as the "glue holding "Discovery" together". Kurtzman took over the role because he felt Berg and Harberts had been forced to "pick up the pieces" following Fuller's departure and he did not want to make someone else do that again. Despite not planning to showrun "Discovery", Kurtzman felt as co-creator of the series that it was his responsibility to make sure it was working.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: With the change in showrunner came news that Goldsman had not returned as executive producer for the second season, after serving as Kurtzman's "right-hand man" on the first, because he had a "management style and personality that clashed with the writing staff". At the end of June, James Duff joined as an executive producer to help Kurtzman run the writers room. Olatunde Osunsanmi, who served as a director and co-executive producer during the first season, became a full executive producer and was set as producing director for the rest of the season. Additionally, Jenny Lumet, who joined as a consulting producer at the beginning of the season, was promoted to co-executive producer. In July 2018, the season was confirmed to premiere in January 2019. Star Anson Mount revealed in December that the season had been extended to 14 episodes to amortize the cost of production delays following the showrunner change.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The series' writers began work on the second season in December 2017, and were considering "science vs. faith" as the main theme. Harberts said the season would be "jam packed" with things that they were not able to do in the first. In March 2018, he clarified that the series would not just be looking at religion, but also "patterns in our lives. It means connections you can't explain. Who enters your life and who leaves your life and these indelible impressions people make ... that is one of our biggest ideas now and it is threading through all of our characters' lives." Something that Kurtzman felt the best "Star Trek" series had was examinations of the real world at the time of their creation, and so this season would address "building walls around ourselves, literally, to keep people out" and how that can "chip away at our essential understanding of Starfleet doctrine, and what it means to assume diversity". Mount felt the season was able to "get back to those big questions" because it was no longer questioning the leadership of the "Discovery" as was done with Captain Gabriel Lorca in the first season. Kurtzman noted that religion is a controversial topic among "Star Trek" fans, and the series' study of faith was "never about picking on religion as much as it was about faith in each other and in themselves". He felt that protagonist Michael Burnham wrestles with faith because she was not raised with it, but is rewarded for finding it. He interpreted this as saying, "If you believe in yourself, ultimately, the best outcome presents itself."


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Without the first season's Federation–Klingon War storyline, Kurtzman said there would be less focus on the Klingons in the second season and far fewer Klingon-only scenes, but Klingon characters would still appear. He added that the Klingons would grow their hair back to show that they are no longer at war, something he said was always intended and not a response to fan criticisms of the bald Klingons in the first season. The second season has a single serialized story like the first season had, but the writers moved towards a more episodic feel by having a central character or question for each episode. The second season begins where the first season ended, with the arrival of the USS "Enterprise". This ties into a larger story that is the main arc for the second season, involving seven mysterious signals and a mysterious "red angel" figure. Harberts wanted to explore the character Christopher Pike, captain of the "Enterprise", feeling that he had not been seen much in the franchise. Burnham's adoptive brother Spock is also a crew member of the "Enterprise", but Harberts was less interested in exploring him given his many appearances throughout the "Star Trek" franchise. Harberts was also reluctant to have an actor other than Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto portray the character. However, Spock was confirmed to be included in the season in April 2018, and his relationship with Burnham became the most important part of the season for Kurtzman. The writers wanted to tell a new story with Spock that would show him become closer to the Nimoy and Quinto versions over time, visually signified by having the character shave his beard at the end of the season to look more like them. The season also reveals that it was Burnham's relationship with Spock that allowed him to "fully actualize himself" with James Kirk in the original "Star Trek" series, which was an important development for Kurtzman to explore when telling this part of Spock's life.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season finale had to answer all the season's mysteries, complete its character arcs, feature a large battle, and set-up stories for the next season. While planning this, the writers realized that they could not do justice to it all within a single episode's length. It was around this time that CBS added an additional episode to the season's order, which allowed the writers to expand their plans to a two-part season finale. Executive producer Michelle Paradise compared the scope of the finale to a feature film. A goal of the showrunners for the season was to "cement "Discovery" firmly in the timeline" by reconciling some of the apparent continuity errors from the first season, such as why Burnham has never been mentioned by Spock in the franchise or why "Discovery" advanced spore drive technology is not used on other starships in later "Star Trek" series. The season ends with "Discovery" and its crew traveling over 900 years into the future, and Spock recommending to Starfleet that the starship and its crew never be mentioned again to prevent the events of the season from being repeated. Kurtzman said this solution was chosen after months of work with the writers, which included considerations of the future of the series; he compared the decision to the film "Star Trek" (2009) starting a new timeline to avoid established continuity.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season stars the returning Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, Doug Jones as Saru, Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly, and Shazad Latif as Voq / Ash Tyler. Wilson Cruz reprises his guest role of Hugh Culber, who died in the first season, and is promoted to the main cast for the second.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: In April 2018, Anson Mount—who was considered for the role of Lorca in the first season—was cast as Pike, and a young Spock was confirmed to be appearing; Kurtzman noted that casting for Spock took into consideration a balance between Vulcan logic and revealing "emotion in the eyes and in the small gestures". Mount revealed in July that he would star for the full season, and that Rebecca Romijn would portray the original series character Number One. Mount and Romijn both signed one year deals for the series, with their characters included to help closer align the series to the wider "Star Trek" continuity. In August, Ethan Peck was announced as portraying Spock in the season. Kurtzman compared the actor to both Nimoy and Quinto and stated that he believed Peck "would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock's greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning".


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: An alternate ending to the first season was revealed in March 2018, introducing a Section 31 agent named Leland who is portrayed by Alan van Sprang. The producers confirmed that Van Sprang would be portraying the character in the second season. Van Sprang had worked with Berg and Harberts on the series "Reign", and they had been trying to find a character for him to play throughout production on the first season. The actor said his role was a "massive part" of the second season. The alternate ending saw Leland approach Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou about joining Section 31, and, in February 2018 ,Kurtzman said that it was possible for Yeoh to reprise the role in the second season along with Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca. Yeoh was confirmed to be appearing in the season to continue the Section 31 storyline in October 2018, while in January 2019, Kurtzman said Isaacs would not be appearing but could still return in the future.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Tig Notaro was cast in the guest role of Denise Reno in April 2018. She later revealed that this would be a recurring role for the season, and that she had been able to rename her character to Jett Reno. That October, Martin-Green announced that her husband Kenric Green had been cast for the season, and would be making an "indelible contribution". He portrays Burnham's father Mike in a flashback in the episode "Perpetual Infinity", while Sonja Sohn portrays her mother Gabrielle. The latter is revealed to be the "Red Angel", a character seen throughout the season. Several other recurring guests also return from the first season, including James Frain as Sarek, Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson, Mary Chieffo as L'Rell, and Jayne Brook as Katrina Cornwell. Introduced in the season are Bahia Watson as May Ahearn and Rachael Ancheril as Nhan. Kenneth Mitchell, who had a recurring role in the first season as the Klingon Kol, appears in the second season as Kol's relative Kol-Sha. He also portrays the older version of Tenavik, the son of L'Rell and Tyler.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Hannah Cheesman took over the role of Airiam for the season, with original actress Sara Mitich recast in the role of Nilsson. Other returners include Emily Coutts as Keyla Detmer, Patrick Kwok-Choon as Gen Rhys, Oyin Oladejo as Joann Owosekun, Ronnie Rowe Jr. as R. A. Bryce, Ali Momen as Kamran Gant, and Julianne Grossman as the voice of "Discovery"s computer. David Benjamin Tomlinson also appears throughout the season as Linus. Hannah Spear and Yadira Guevara-Prip respectively reprise their "" roles of Saru's sister Siranna (from the short "The Brightest Star") and Tilly's friend Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po (from the short "Runaway"). The episode "If Memory Serves" begins with archival footage from the original "Star Trek" pilot "" featuring the original actors for several characters seen in the series, including Spock, Pike, and Number One, as well as Vina and the Keeper, portrayed in "Discovery" by Melissa George and Rob Brownstein, respectively.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Costume designer Gersha Phillips and her team created over 180 different costumes for the season. For the "Enterprise" costumes, Phillips applied the colors from the costumes seen in the original series to the design and style of the "Discovery" uniforms. She noted that the collars on the "Discovery" uniforms already evoked the v-shape design of the original uniform collars. The difference in uniforms between the "Discovery" and "Enterprise" crews is explained when a character remarks that the more colorful uniforms are new and being introduced to Starfleet starting with "Enterprise". Phillips and her team overlooked the fact that the "Discovery" uniforms identify rank through pips on their Starfleet badges which are not present on the "Enterprise" uniforms, and so there was no identification of rank on any of the "Enterprise" characters. The mistake was pointed out by John Van Citters, the vice president of "Star Trek" brand management at CBS Studios, and the solution was to add stripes to the sleeves of the uniforms. Visual effects were used to add these stripes to footage from before the mistake was discovered.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Phillips was asked to make the Section 31 costumes black, and to not give the characters a uniform. Phillips made sure these costumes were different from the cleaner style of the main Starfleet uniforms to highlight the different types of people hired by Section 31 and their different approach. She noted that this was appropriate for Georgiou, who Phillips felt "wouldn't wear a uniform, because she's not going to conform". Kurtzman's directions to Phillips regarding the Talosians was to look at the costumes from the original series and "revamp" them. After seeing her first designs for the costumes, Kurtzman asked her to take them further. Phillips used fabrics with puffy textures printed onto them for the costumes. The Talosians also wear necklaces that were designed in collaboration with jeweler Dana Schneider. The Red Angel suit was inspired by Scarlett Johansson's costume from the film "Ghost in the Shell" (2017), with "Discovery"s prop master Mario Moreira contributing to the design. It was created with companies Plassens and By Design using 3D printing. Phillips stated that all the actors who wore the suit said it was one of the most comfortable to wear, noting that this is not usually the case for actors wearing complex costumes.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: For the Klingons, Phillips was excited to depict the species in a time of peace, and was able to produce several different costumes that were not warrior-based. Phillips noted that in previous appearances groups of Klingons were often depicted as wearing the same costume, but on "Discovery" there was a mandate to have more diverse looks within groups of aliens. L'Rell's costumes are provocative to show the character as "just being the woman that she [is] and have her feel more of a full character". Phillips was inspired by various Klingon costumes from "" for the season. One of L'Rell's dresses was created from a jumpsuit bought from Gelareh Designs, a clothing company that Phillips calls "the Klingon store". A cape for the dress was made from leather pieces that were lifted from the jumpsuit and painted.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Glenn Hetrick and Neville Page of Alchemy Studios, who provide prosthetics and armor for the series, teased in May 2018 that the season would feature a "truly alien" character for which they had to figure out new ways to reduce the weight of the prosthetics and make it breathable for the actor, as well as try improve the actor's vision because the eyes of the creature did not align with where human eyes are positioned. Hetrick said there would be more interesting prosthetics for extras, while the pair were able to use a species from earlier "Star Trek" canon that had not been in the first season after producing a of species they would like to use for the executive producers.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Several new sets for the "Discovery" were built for the season, adding to the ones constructed for the first. These included a new "loop corridor" and new entrances to the mess hall and sick bay sets. The engineering set from the first season was also renovated for the second, with production designer Tamara Deverell explaining that the cinematography department had issues with the large amount of light coming from the spore chamber in contrast to the rest of the room. Additionally, some season one sets were repurposed for the second season, with Lorca's season one ready room becoming a new science lab for Burnham in the second season.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: John Eaves and Scott Schneider, designers of the starships for the series, were required to redesign the USS "Enterprise" for "Star Trek: Discovery", making it 25 percent different from Matt Jefferies' original design due to legal concerns regarding the ownership of different "Star Trek" elements. CBS ultimately confirmed that they were free to reuse Jefferies' design in "Star Trek: Discovery", but stood by the changes made by Eaves and Schneider as creative improvements that took advantage of modern visual effects. These changes included adding elements that could realistically be removed or replaced in the time between this series and the beginning of the original series. The visual effects department made further adjustments to the design after Eaves and Schneider completed their work. The final version of the ship seen in the series also adopts some of the characteristics of the "Enterprise" from the films, such as being "a little bit fatter, a little bit bigger", to fit into the aesthetic of the series. Elaborating on this, Kurtzman explained that the original designs for the "Enterprise" would look out of place in the series due to the far more advanced modern technology being used to produce the show. He added that any sets designed for the "Enterprise" would bridge the look of the original series and "Discovery" while still trying to adhere to canon.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: There had been plans to show the interior of the "Enterprise" during the first-season finale, but this was ultimately saved for the second season. Deverell did extensive research on the original sets before trying to recreate them using "Discovery"s style, including searching through the CBS archives to do color tests on the original bridge sets which feature a distinctive red that sometimes appeared to be orange on the original series ("Discovery" includes a joke about the bridge being orange, though Deverell insisted that it is red). The "Enterprise" bridge set was built on a new soundstage specifically for the two-part second season finale, rather than being a repurposed set. James Cawley, owner of the "Official Star Trek Set Tour", provided reproductions of the buttons from the original bridge set for Deverell to base hers on.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Filming for the season began at Pinewood Toronto Studios on April 16, 2018, under the working title "Green Harvest". Production was set to take place at the studio until November 8. At the time of Berg and Harberts' firing, production was underway on the fifth episode of the season, and a hiatus in filming was planned to follow that. This allowed Kurtzman to take the time to "regroup" the writing staff without delaying the season's production. The production was ultimately delayed enough that it needed to extend its time at Pinewood in order to complete the season, and to amortize these costs CBS added an additional episode to the season's run, which pushed the end of filming on the season to December 21. Due to the delay, episodic director Jonathan Frakes ultimately directed the ninth episode of the season instead of the originally planned tenth.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Kurtzman hoped that if the series was projected in a theater it would appear indistinguishable from a feature film, and chose to use anamorphic lenses for the season to "immediately [convey] a sense of scope and scale". He also pushed the lighting and design departments to use color in ways that are not traditionally considered for television, and challenged the episode directors to each shoot a scene where they would not use the same shot twice; this was to encourage them to use more inventive shot choices rather than just typical "coverage", which is when a master shot of the scene is filmed plus whatever extra angles from different sides there is time to capture. Kurtzman wanted as many options available to the editors as possible during post-production. Addressing the fact that "Star Trek" was originally inspired by naval tradition, Kurtzman said that the season would be leaning further into that than the first did, especially in the way that they filmed the bridge scenes and a funeral sequence. He named "Crimson Tide" (1995) as an influence for the filming style. Frakes reiterated the cinematic approach to the series, especially comparing the camera work to the style of the "Star Trek" films directed by J. J. Abrams. He added that Osunsanmi encouraged the episodic directors to "express ourselves visually in as exciting a way as possible".


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: During filming in August 2018, Mount was involved in an "on-set physical altercation" with a director when he touched them while rehearsing a pointing action before beginning a scene. The incident was reported to CBS's HR department who reviewed it and decided against any disciplinary action for Mount. The actor had apologized to the director at the time. The incident had no effect on Mount's involvement with the series, as work on the season continued without interruption and the series production was believed to be interested in working with Mount further despite his contract being only for the second season.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season's visual effects were provided by CBS Digital, Crafty Apes, Filmworks FX, Fx3x, Ghost VFX, Pixomondo, and Spin VFX. They include digitally created environments and set extensions to portray new planets, the starships, and space visuals, as well as digital enhancements to Saru's threat ganglia, and adding holograms and external visuals to the "Discovery". Completely digital sets created for the season include "Discovery"s hangar and the mycelial network, with the actors performing in front of green screen for these. An on-set prop was used for Tyler and L'Rell's baby son Tenavik, with a digital head added that was animated using performance capture.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Composer Jeff Russo planned to begin work on the second season in May 2018, after receiving the first script for the season. He did not expect to significantly change the tone of his music for the season, feeling that so much work in the first season had gone towards creating a unique sound for the series within the "Star Trek" franchise which he would like to continue moving forward. Russo did feel that the score for the second season would focus more on the "swashbuckling" aspects he wrote at times for the first season. Russo generally works directly with the showrunners rather than any of the episodic directors but discussed his score for the season's second episode with director Frakes. A soundtrack album for the season was released digitally by Lakeshore Records on July 19, 2019. It includes three cues from Russo's "Short Treks" score. All music composed by Jeff Russo:


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season was promoted at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2018, with Notaro moderating a panel that featured Kurtzman, Martin-Green, Jones, Latif, Wiseman, Rapp, Cruz, Chieffo, Mount, and executive producer Heather Kadin. The first trailer for the season debuted at the panel before being released online. Scott Collura at IGN highlighted the lighter tone of the trailer compared to the first season, as well as the "Enterprise" uniforms seen in the trailer. A second trailer for the season was revealed by Kurtzman and cast members for the season at a panel at New York Comic Con in October, providing a first look at the series' version of Spock.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: After the season had completed airing, an exhibition for the series was held at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California from May 8 to July 7, 2019, titled "Star Trek: Discovery – Fight for the Future". It covered the creative process for the season, including production and concept art, models, props, and costumes used during production, pieces from the set such as the USS "Discovery" captain's chair, and full prosthetic makeup busts. The installation covered two floors of the Paley Center building, and was free to the public.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season premiered on CBS All Access in the United States on January 17, 2019. Bell Media broadcast the season in Canada on CTV Sci-Fi Channel (English) and Z (French) on the same day as the U.S., before streaming episodes on Crave. Netflix released each episode for streaming in another 188 countries within 24 hours of its U.S. debut. In September 2020, ViacomCBS announced that CBS All Access would be expanded and rebranded as Paramount+ in March 2021. Existing episodes of the season remained on Paramount+ along with future seasons of the series. In November 2021, ViacomCBS announced that it had bought back the international streaming rights to "Discovery" from Netflix effective immediately.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The episode "The Sound of Thunder" was made available to stream for free on "CBS.com", "StarTrek.com", and PlutoTV for a week beginning June 17, 2020, as part of a CBS All Access event titled #StarTrekUnited. The episode was among 15 of the "most culturally relevant" "Star Trek" episodes that were chosen to be included as part of the event, which served as a fundraiser for several organisations including Black Strategy Fund, Movement for Black Lives, and Black Lives Matter. For the fundraiser, $1 was donated to one of those organizations by CBS All Access for every fan that tweeted using the hashtag #StarTrekUnitedGives on the day of June 17.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season was released on DVD and Blu-Ray formats in the U.S. on November 12, 2019. The release includes two hours of bonus features, including featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and cast and crew commentaries on four episodes, as well as two shorts from the "Star Trek: Short Treks" companion series: "" and "". On November 2, 2021, a home media box set collecting the first three seasons of "Discovery" was released, with more than eight hours of special features including behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, audio commentaries, and gag reels.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 81% approval rating for the second season, with an average rating of 7.3/10 based on 208 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The second season of "Discovery" successfully—if stubbornly—cleans up the problematic storylines of "Trek" past while still effectively dramatizing new takes on the lore." The average rating for each of the season's individual episodes is 82%. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Many reviews of the season premiere highlighted its lighter tone and focus on adventure compared to the darker, war-focused first season. This included Rob Owen, writing for the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette", who praised the episode for having "a little fun along the way", as Pike says. Verne Gay at "Newsday" called the episode "much more fun and energetic", scoring it three stars out of four. Gay also highlighted how expensive the season looked, comparing it to the production value of "Game of Thrones", as well as the returning cast and new additions such as Notaro and Mount. "Vox"s Emily VanDerWerff also called the premiere fun, attributing that to Mount as well as the season's central mystery, new cast members like Notaro, and the more episodic style of storytelling. She expressed concern about the season's focus on previous "Star Trek" elements, but felt this would work if it used those elements to further explore the series' own characters. At "Newsweek", Andrew Whelan thought the premiere was promising, highlighting its action scenes and the ensemble cast (especially Mount and Notaro). He was critical of the continued focus on Burnham's backstory rather than developing her character based on present actions.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: Reviewing the full season, Jordan Hoffman of "Polygon" praised Mount and Peck, expressing disappointment that they would not be returning for the third season, and suggesting their stories be continued in some other way. Despite this, he was positive about the way the season still focused on Burnham and its other main characters rather than letting the existing "Star Trek" characters take over the series. Hoffman was also positive about the efforts made in the season finale to align the series with the existing "Star Trek" canon, and praised the decision to have the "Discovery" travel to the future believing that was "where they should have been in the first place". "Vulture" Devon Maloney praised the season-long story arc and how the various mystery elements all came together in the finale. He described the changes made in the finale episode to line up with continuity as an "annoyingly clever retcon", and also highlighted the season's cinematic visuals and music which he compared to the "Star Wars" films. Scott Collura at IGN also praised the jump into the future, but felt the attempts to fix the franchise's continuity were less successful. Overall he felt the season was both "sloppy" and "pretty effective, offering up nice character interplay, crazy visuals and effects, and some 'whoa' moments of "Star Trek" grandeur". Collura also expressed interest in a new series following Spock on the "Enterprise". Darren Franich was critical of the season at "Entertainment Weekly", grading it a 'C−'. He felt the serialized story was too stretched out, said Burnham's character did not receive interesting development, and described the efforts made at the end of the season to tie-into existing continuity as "dumb". He did praise Mount and Notaro, and felt the next season could only be better than this one.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: In addition to critics expressing interest in seeing Mount and Peck continue on in a new series after the end of the season, fans also began calling for such a series, including through online petitions. Mount and Peck both responded positively to the idea, as did Kurtzman, who said in April 2019, "The fans have been heard. Anything is possible in the world of "Trek". I would love to bring back that crew more than anything." CBS All Access officially ordered a spin-off series focused on the "Enterprise" crew, titled "", in May 2020. Mount, Peck, and Romijn all reprise their roles in the spin-off.


title: Star Trek: Discovery (season 2)

text: The season is one of 21 television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the 2018 to 2019 season. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame as a "mark of distinction" for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight critical areas of their production.


title: Texas annexation

text: The Texas annexation was the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States. Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845.


title: Texas annexation

text: The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico on March 2, 1836. It applied for annexation to the United States the same year, but was rejected by the Secretary of State. At the time, the vast majority of the Texian population favored the annexation of the Republic by the United States. The leadership of both major U.S. political parties, the Democrats and the Whigs, opposed the introduction of Texas, a vast slave-holding region, into the volatile political climate of the pro- and anti-slavery sectional controversies in Congress. Moreover, they wished to avoid a war with Mexico, whose government had outlawed slavery and refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of its rebellious northern province. With Texas's economic fortunes declining by the early 1840s, the President of the Texas Republic, Sam Houston, arranged talks with Mexico to explore the possibility of securing official recognition of independence, with the United Kingdom mediating.