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The Big Bang Theorymade being a nerd more popular and with the four lead stars, being obsessed with films and shows likeStar Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who,and more became more mainstream. The number of references to popular IPs made the show memorable and closer to fans of geekdom, and even led to cameos from the stars of these IPs.
While many actors from theStar Trekfranchise have made appearances on the CBS sitcom, Wil Wheaton has had the largest role. The actor has played himself in the series and has appeared on the show multiple times. When asked about his favorite moments from the series, he recounted an improvised scene that left the cast and crew in stitches.
Wil Wheaton’sStar TrekReference InThe Big Bang TheoryEpisode Had The Crew In Splits
While he was young when he played Wesley Crusher inStar Trek: The Next Generation,Wil Wheatonbecame a memorable character in his 30s inThe Big Bang Theory. Playing an exaggerated version of himself, Wheaton appeared in a number of episodes since debuting in season 3 and had an arc as the nemesis of Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper.
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Being an actor onStar Trekand part of theTBBTgang put Wheaton in a great place as he could constantly get close to the main stars. The actor ran into the gang many times, with his feud against Sheldon forming most of the storyline. He even showed up in an episode of the last season, completing their arc and resolving their feud.
When asked about some of his favorite memories on the set ofThe Big Bang Theory, Wheaton recounted an improvised scene in season 9. As the gang goes to theStar Warspremiere, Wheaton shows up in aStar Trekcostume and reportedly says, “Live long and suck it” to the crowd who boo him.
According to Wheaton, the cast and crew were unaware of his appearance and their reactions were genuine. He said toExpress UK,
So I come out and the explosion of like pants-s******g laughter that comes out in that moment was genuine and it came from the entire cast and crew. When you can make the crew laugh. When you can kill the crew on a sitcom, it feels really, really, really good. It’s like hitting a home run.
The actor also mentioned that his final appearance in the series was also a memorable moment for him.
Wil Wheaton Initially Wanted To Play A Different Character inThe Big Bang Theory
Jim Parson’s Sheldon Cooper and the gang have expressed their love forStar Trekon multiple occasions. Many of the franchise’s actors, including Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, have appeared in the show. However, it wasTNG’s Wil Wheaton who became part of theThe Big Bang Theoryfamily after his cameo in season 3.
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However, Wheaton’s journey in the series would have been different had he not trusted series co-creator Bill Prady’s vision for the show. When the showrunner reportedly approached him with the offer, Wheaton apparently urged him to give him a character. He said toExpress UK,
I wanted to play a character because I felt that playing a character had more legs and was a little bit more of a challenge, and would give me an opportunity maybe to become sort of a minor cast member on the show.
The actor mentioned that he felt like playing himself would be cheating. However, Prady finally convinced him and the rest is history.
The Big Bang Theoryis available to stream on Max.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2415
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Jim ParsonsThe Big Bang TheoryWil Wheaton
