How The Big Bang Theory Paid Tribute To Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy After His Death
Leonard Nimoy's influence is all over "The Big Bang Theory." After all, the show's core group of nerdy scientists are obsessed with Star Trek, and Nimoy's iconic character, Spock, is mentioned numerous times. In one famous example, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) acquires the actor's DNA and plans to clone it. Considering how much Nimoy's legacy informed storytelling on "The Big Bang Theory" when he was alive, it isn't surprising that the creators paid tribute to him after he passed away in 2015.
Season 8's "The Colonization Application" concludes with a black-and-white photo of Nimoy in place of Chuck Lorre's trademark vanity cards, which he often uses to send messages to his show's viewers. The accompanying caption for the Nimoy tribute reads, "The impact you had on our show and lives is everlasting."
Of course, this wasn't the last time "The Big Bang Theory" paid tribute to Nimoy after his death. A subsequent episode features one of his family members, who sits down with Sheldon to discuss his love of Star Trek and Spock.
The Big Bang Theory was featured in a Spock documentary
Following his father's death, Adam Nimoy made a documentary called "For the Love of Spock." The film examines Leonard Nimoy's career and Spock's everlasting influence on pop culture. It also informs an episode of "The Big Bang Theory." Season 9's "The Spock Resonance" sees Adam interview Sheldon about his childhood memories of watching "Star Trek" and why Spock appeals to him. The episode is also one of the rare occasions where Jim Parsons' character has nice things to say about another person.
The interview is included in "For the Love of Spock." While speaking to Digital Spy, Nimoy said he originally wanted to interview "Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady and Parsons for the documentary, as he credited the sitcom for helping keep Spock's memory alive. Prady then proposed writing the aforementioned episode, and the rest is history.
Nimoy said that the "Big Bang Theory" creators allowed them to use the footage they shot during the episode's production, benefiting everyone involved. "It was a wonderful experience — they were just a fabulous group of people to work with, so it was sort of a win-win all round, and I'm just so grateful to them for welcoming us."