Wil Wheaton Filmed Fewer Episodes Of The Big Bang Theory Than You Might Think

Wil Wheaton is a personality that exists comfortably between 1980s nostalgia and everything great about intellectualist humor. Ever since his first significant role in 1986's "Stand by Me," the actor, writer, and narrator has maintained a unique and engaging presence thanks to projects within the mainstream and more niche, artistic spaces, such as extensive work as a narrator of books (via Audible). While traveling through time as Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he forever became part of a celebrated fandom that still explores the opportunities and potential for the human race.

Many celebrities have starred as themselves on TV shows. Still, Wheaton's appearances on "The Big Bang Theory" are so memorable and his rivalry with Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) is so bitingly funny that it's easy to think he was a regular player on the show in hindsight. But Wheaton's total number of episodes of the series is fewer than you may think. So how many episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" did the "Star Trek" alumnus star in?

Wil Wheaton filmed just 17 out of 279 episodes of "The Big Bang Theory." His first appearance on the show was Season 3, Episode 5, "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary," while his last was Season 12, Episode 16, "The D&D Vortex." In his early episodes, Wheaton was cast as a nemesis of sorts to Sheldon simply because the latter holds a grudge against the star for failing to show up to a "Star Trek" convention in 1995. The two eventually become friends as the series progresses but not before giving viewers one of the best ongoing rivalries in recent sitcom history.

What's unique about Wheaton's role on the show is that he plays a fictionalized version of himself. In a 2014 interview with PopSugar, the actor commented, "It wasn't until this last season that I finally achieved after, I think, four years the emotional and intellectual separation from myself as Wil Wheaton the human from Wil Wheaton the character that I play." Fans of the actor can rest assured that not everything they see on "The Big Bang Theory" is 100% Wheaton in his everyday life — "Big Bang Theory" Wil Wheaton is certainly not someone you want to create a rivalry with.