William Shatner became a pop cultural legend when he starred as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek series. Playing the lead role in the original series, Shatner became a global sensation after starring in three seasons and multiple movies. He also became a household name after starring as the eponymous police sergeant in T.J. Hooker.
Star Trek is widely celebrated but no one has as much as the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom’s lead characters are positioned as huge fans of the franchise and many stars have made cameos. However, it reportedly took a lot of convincing to get Shatner on board and the makers finally made it happen because of Kaley Cuoco.
Kaley Cuoco Played William Shatner’s On-Screen Daughter
In a series filled with all things nerdy, Kaley Cuoco’s Penny in The Big Bang Theory seemed to be the oddball that brought them all together. Beginning as the hot neighbor of Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, Cuoco’s character slowly became one of the most irreplaceable characters in the sitcom.
While The Big Bang Theory’s lead four are massive Star Trek fans and go to the extent of going to specific conventions, the oddball Kaley Cuoco seemed to have first gotten the chance to share the screen with Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner. The two reportedly starred together in Priceline commercials, where Cuoco played The Negotiater’s Daughter.
Cuoco expressed her excitement at working with the star. The two reportedly developed a repertoire between them which finally convinced Shatner to appear on the show. Executive producer Steve Holland said to The New York Post,
I think what changed going into the final season is that he knows [series co-star] Kaley [Cuoco] from doing [Priceline] commercials together and they’re friendly. When I got on the phone, one of the things he asked was, ‘Will I get to play a scene with Kaley?’
The actor finally made a cameo on the twelfth season episode The D&D Vortex.
William Shatner Had Turned Down A Cameo On The Big Bang Theory Multiple Times
Sheldon and Co.’s obsession with Star Trek probably increased the fanbase of the franchise. The number of references the gang made to the space opera series warranted a cameo from the original series stars at some point. Though other stars such as Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, and even Leonard Nimoy had appeared on the show, William Shatner was still due.
While he finally came on board in the final season, it was not due to lack of trying. According to Shatner, the makers had approached him several times but the T.J.Hooker star wanted a better way to integrate him into the sitcom. He told Digital Spy,
I’ve had several conversations with the creators, and what they wanted me to do, didn’t seem to be exactly right, so I said ‘Find something that’s better’. They may have taken umbrage at that, I’m not sure…They wanted me to play myself a little obliquely, and they said it would work out, but I needed more assurance on that.
In the end, the crew finally got their wish in the last season as Shatner appeared as himself, meeting Sheldon on Wil Wheaton’s Professor Proton show.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
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