| 100% | LOSE | 4 | This Is How You ___ the Time War (Hugo Award-winning sci-fi novel) |
| 36% | GEMS | 4 | Uncut ___ (Adam Sandler movie with the line "This is how I win") |
| 35% | THREE | 5 | "The ___-Body Problem" (Hugo Award-winning novel by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin) |
| 33% | FORCE | 5 | "May the ___ be with you" ("Star Wars" line) |
| 33% | FORCE | 5 | "May the ___ be with you" ("Star Wars" quote) |
| 33% | FOR | 3 | ___ the time being (temporarily) |
| 30% | SEVERANCE | 9 | Sci-fi thriller series directed by Ben Stiller that won the 2023 Writers Guild Award for Best Drama Series |
| 30% | SCI | 3 | (5/6) "The ___-fi film will cover events in the second-half of Frank Herbert's eponymous 1965 novel" |
| 29% | TIDED | 5 | ___ over (satisfied for the time being) |
| 29% | TEM | 3 | Pro ___ (for the time being) |
| 29% | BOX | 3 | Container (and, in a way, what you will find outlined by this year's clues related to the mega-meta) |
| 29% | SQUIRREL | 8 | *Did you know 14a is related to the ___ (bush-tailed acorn-loving rodent)? |
| 29% | TEM | 3 | Pro ___ ("for the time being") |
| 28% | TEM | 3 | Pro ____ ("for the time being") |
| 28% | STARTREK | 8 | "___: The Original Series," acclaimed sci-fi TV series that was nominated for 11 Emmys but did not win any: 2 wds. |
| 28% | ONE | 3 | "Ready Player ___" (2011 sci-fi novel) |
| 28% | MAUS | 4 | Award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust |
| 28% | BABA | 4 | ___ Is You (video game where the player can physically manipulate words representing rules) |
| 28% | ILL | 3 | "___ Be There for You" (song by the Rembrandts) |
| 28% | COULD | 5 | "___ You Be Loved" (Bob Marley and the Wailers) |
| 27% | TIEATIE | 7 | One of the top how-to searches is how to do this |
| 27% | MEG | 3 | "___ 2: The Trench" (2023 sci-fi film) |
| 27% | TIME | 4 | "Now is not the ___" ("Do this later") |
| 27% | TEM | 3 | President Pro ___ ("For the time being," in Latin) |
| 27% | IROBOT | 6 | Classic sci-fi collection whose title should not be construed as any sort of statement from me, the human author of this puzzle |
| 27% | PAOLO | 5 | Award-winning sci-fi author Bacigalupi |
| 27% | WEDO | 4 | "This Is How ___ It" (1995 hit) |
| 27% | RACE | 4 | ___ against the clock (be short on time) |
| 26% | NOR | 3 | "This is neither the time ___ the place" |
| 26% | WAY | 3 | "This is the ___" (Mandalorian motto) |