The Star Trek franchise officially became defined by the nerds when its references were featured extensively in The Big Bang Theory. The four main stars of the show, especially Sheldon Cooper, were vocal fans of the franchise, to the point where they cosplayed as some iconic characters from different shows.
The popularity of this quirk of the characters eventually led to many Star Trek actors making cameos in The Big Bang Theory. Actors like Wil Wheaton and George Takei had hilarious guest roles in the sitcom, and the legendary William Shatner also made an appearance. However, actor Brian George, who was in Voyager, featured in 16 episodes of the sitcom.
Star Trek: Voyager’s Brian George played Raj’s father in The Big Bang Theory
One may recognize Brian George best for being the unlucky restaurateur Babu Bhatt in Seinfeld. In fact, he has played many Indian and Pakistani parts in various shows and films, appearing in supporting roles. However, one of his most memorable (and recurring) roles has been the father of Kunal Nayyar’s Raj Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory.
Dr. V.M. Koothrappali is mostly seen via video chat, sometimes with Mrs. Koothrappali, alone, and a few times with Raj’s sister Priya. The elder Koothrappalis have a hilarious interaction with Leonard while he is dating Priya and mistakes a family video call to be an erotic date night call. Brian George’s performance is hilarious in that.
George was in sixteen episodes of the series and is surprisingly one of the few Star Trek actors to make it to the show. The Big Bang Theory is known for its innumerable Trek references, as the main characters are huge fans. Other stars have also made cameos, such as Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, William Shatner, George Takei, and Brent Spiner.
Brian George first played Richard Bashir, the father of Dr. Julian Bashir, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode, ‘Dr. Bashir, I Presume’ also features Robert Picardo’s the Doctor. George then played O’Zaal, an Anterian ambassador in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, ‘Drive’. He appears in full make-up as he plays an Antarian species.
William Shatner reportedly had a specific condition to appear on The Big Bang Theory
Star Trek has always been an irreplaceable part of The Big Bang Theory as the gang, i.e., Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard, are such huge fans. Sheldon, especially, is so well-versed in the lore that he dismissed his initial awe of The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton and began to feud with him over several seasons.
However, the series truly got its fanboy moment when Captain Kirk, William Shatner himself, made a cameo as one of Wheaton’s D&D buddies in the season 12 episode ‘The D&D Vortex’. While the appearance was great, a cameo was being planned ages ago but did not happen due to various reasons.
When the time came for Shatner to finally appear on the show, he reportedly only had one condition. Showrunner 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 veteran star did get a scene with Kaley Cuoco, and the legendary Star Trek icon finally got to be a part of the show in its final season.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
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