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William Shatner became a pop cultural legend when he starred as Captain James T. Kirk in theStar Trekseries. 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 inT.J. Hooker.
Star Trekis widely celebrated but no one has as much as the CBS comedyThe 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 inThe Big Bang Theoryseemed 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.
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WhileThe Big Bang Theory’s lead four are massiveStar Trekfans 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 toThe 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 episodeThe D&D Vortex.
William Shatner Had Turned Down A Cameo OnThe Big Bang TheoryMultiple Times
Sheldon and Co.’s obsession withStar Trekprobably 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 Shatnerwas still due.
“Why would I be jealous if I’m not interested in this guy?”: Kaley Cuoco Was Questioning Herself When Her Big Bang Theory Crush Kissed Another Actress
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 theT.J.Hookerstar wanted a better way to integrate him into the sitcom. He toldDigital 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 Theoryis available to stream on Max.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
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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Kaley CuocoThe Big Band TheoryWilliam Shatner
