August 25, 2026

Title: MARS ROVER 

Constructor: Emily Biegas

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• MARSHMALLOW PEEP (20A: Easter basket treat)
• VEAL MARSALA (38A: Trattoria menu staple)
• VERONICA MARS (55A: Teen drama starring Kristen Bell)

MARS ROVER: The word MARS is found in each theme answer. Its location is moving from left to right: MARSHMALLOW PEEP,  VEAL MARSALA, and VERONICA MARS.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• SHARON (3D: Singer Jones who fronted the Dap-Kings) SHARON Jones (1956-2016) was the lead singer of the funk and soul band, SHARON Jones and the Dap-Kings. The group's debut album, Dap Dippin' with SHARON Jones and the Dap-Kings was released in 2002.  

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DIP (29A: Muhammara or baba ghanoush) Muhammara is a DIP associated with Syrian cuisine. It consists of bell peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs, as well as garlic and olive oil. Baba ghanoush is a DIP associated with Levantine cuisine. Its main ingredient is roasted eggplant.
• KIM (52A: "Sex and the City" actress Cattrall) On the TV series Sex and the City (1998-2004), KIM Cattrall portrays Samantha Jones. She reprised the role for the movies Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010).
• VERONICA MARS (55A: Teen drama starring Kristen Bell) VERONICA MARS (2004-2007, 2019) is a TV series whose title character (portrayed by Kristen Bell) is a teenager who moonlights as a private investigator for her detective father. I feel like I'm often writing, "I've never seen this show," so I would like to state for the record that I have seen the first season of VERONICA MARS! (I'll watch the rest of the seasons someday...)
• ASIA (62A: Where most of Russia is located) Our crossword friend ASIA is making back-to-back appearances in the puzzle. We saw it yesterday clued as [Bhutan's continent].
• MAMMAL (1D: The blue whale is the largest one) The blue whale is not only the largest MAMMAL, it is the largest animal on Earth. A blue whale can reach lengths of 100 feet and weigh as much as 165 tons.
• ICE AGE (2D: Cold period that was dominated by megafauna) Megafauna are large animals (such as blue whales). Megafauna – including wooly mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths – thrived during the ICE AGE.
• YOSHI (5D: Dinosaur introduced in "Super Mario World") In the video game Super Mario World (1990), the dinosaur character YOSHI is Mario and Luigi's ally, and a rideable character. YOSHI has since appeared in many of the Mario games, and also in his own series of games.
• BELLA (8D: "The Last of Us" actor Ramsey) I have previously written about The Last of Us, a TV series based on a video game of the same name. On the show, Pedro Pascal portrays Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenager across the country. That teenager, whose name is Ellie, is portrayed by BELLA Ramsey.
• COOKIE (45D: Bake sale treat) Okay, now I want a COOKIE!
• BERET (51D: Hat recently sported by John Travolta at Cannes) At this year's Cannes Film Festival, John Travolta was presented with an Honorary Palme d'Or (an award presented since 1997 to those in the world of cinema who have distinguished themselves in the art). A movie that John Travolta wrote, co-produced, and directed – Propeller One-Way Night Coach – had its premiere at the festival. And although those two events received media coverage, so did the fact that John Travolta showed up at Cannes sporting a BERET. 
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• ACHOO (14A: Sound sometimes followed by "Gesundheit")
• GPS (37A: Tech that helps you not get lost)
• PIANO (30D: Instrument that's hard to move)

To date, there have been six successful MARS ROVERs, five managed by NASA (Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance) and one managed by China (Zhurong). The Curiosity and Perseverance MARS ROVERs are still active. Those facts aren't really relevant to today's puzzle, but I find the exploration of MARS fascinating. Thank you, Emily, for this interesting puzzle.

One more thing today: Emily Biegas is one of the constructors for the third annual Midwest Crossword Tournament, which is October 3, 2026 in Chicago and online.