THE BIG BANG THEORY INSIDE JOKES ― "S11"

Alphabetized By Kimberly Potts

Tuesdays are thai takeout night. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS  

They love comic books, costumes, video games, and sci-fi in all forms of media, but what are the other recurring themes, jokes, and life experiences that make up Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, Raj, Penny, Amy, Bernadette, Stuart, and their Big Bang Theory characters we’ve been following for nine seasons? Just as each of those characters can be largely defined by his or her eccentricities (we could write a book on Sheldon alone), some of those quirks also point to how much each of them has evolved throughout the seasons (even if some of them still have a significant way to go). Here’s our rundown. 

Spock

Hands down, Sheldon’s favorite Star Trek character — Spock’s commitment to all things logical resonates deeply with Sheldon, who watched the show as a child genius surrounded largely by people who thought he was a giant weirdo. One of the series’ greatest scenes — from season two’s “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis” — revolves around Cheesecake Factory waitress Penny gifting Sheldon with a napkin used and signed by restaurant patron Leonard Nimoy. Germaphobe Sheldon isn’t at all grossed out by the soiled napkin. “I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?” he shouts. “All I need is a healthy ovum and I can grow my own Leonard Nimoy!” Sheldon further ignores his aversion to germs and touching other humans when he gifts Penny with an awkward hug (and multiple bath-product gift baskets).

Nimoy’s son Adam, a TV director, author, and teacher at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, will guest-star in season nine’s “The Spock Resonance” episode of TBBT.