Every Star Trek Actor Who Appeared on The Big Bang Theory

Created by Chuck Lorre in 2008, hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory was, at its heart, a show for and about nerds! Over an impressive 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory became famous for its fan-culture references, weaving in nods to everything from Star Wars to Doctor Who. Owing to its popularity, the show even gained attention from and featured some impressive cameos from icons in both the Science and Science fiction fields such as Stephen Hawking, and even legend of Marvel Comics Stan Lee.

However, no doubt owing in part to Jim Parsons’ (Sheldon’s) personal love of the show, few fandoms were as lovingly — and frequently — celebrated in The Big Bang Theory as Star Trek. From conversing in Klingon to donning costumes and quoting scenes verbatim, the show became something of a love letter to Gene Roddenberry’s creation. And The Big Bang Theory didn’t just reference Star Trek — it brought in some of its most legendary stars for some truly memorable appearances. From legends of The Original Series to recurring guests from the Next Generation, here are all the Star Trek actors who made their mark on The Big Bang Theory.

1) Wil Wheaton

No Star Trek actor has joined The Big Bang Theory cast quite so frequently as The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton! Known for playing Wesley Crusher, the son of ships Doctor Beverly Crusher, Wheaton seemed all grown up playing a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory, becoming a favorite recurring guest star and appearing across all but three seasons of the show.

His appearance in the Season 3 episode “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary,” was the first of many to delight fans. Sheldon however, is less impressed to see the actor as it turns out Wheaton is his sworn nemesis after failing to turn up at the ‘1995 Dixie Trek Convention’ where a young Sheldon had been waiting to meet him. Sheldon decides the comic book store’s ‘Mystic Warlords of Ka’a tournament’ in which Wheaton is participating, is the perfect setting for revenge. Although the animosity between the pair turned into a long running gag, they did eventually become friends in later seasons. Wheaton’s appearances on The Big Bang Theory are so frequent that he is the only Trek actor to have something of an arc on the show, blending sitcom storytelling with real-world fan culture.

2) William Shatner

Despite his lengthy career and many credits, William Shatner is still probably best remembered for his role as the legendary Captain James T Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series. After constant clamouring for him to make an appearance on the show, fans were delighted when Shatner finally joined The Big Bang Theory in Season 12’s “The D & D Vortex.” In this delightful episode, Shatner joins a star-studded Dungeons & Dragons game hosted by fellow Trek actor Wil Wheaton, which Leonard, Howard, Raj, Sheldon and Stuart desperately scheme to get an invite to!

The episode was notable for its inclusion of many other high-profile guest stars including Joe Manganiello, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kevin Smith. Sheldon of course, is barely able to contain himself upon finally meeting his hero Kirk. Shatner plays it cool, delivering some hilarious meta-humor about his own fame and Trek legacy. His fending off Sheldon’s awkward fanboy attempts at friendship made for a truly hilarious scene. It was a long-awaited appearance that had been teased for years, and it didn’t disappoint!

3) Leonard Nimoy

While Leonard Nimoy, the infamous Mr Spock, never actually physically appeared on The Big Bang Theory, his presence was certainly felt in the Season 5 episode “The Transporter Malfunction.” In the episode, Sheldon and Leonard (the character, not Nimoy) are gifted a mint condition Spock action figure and transporter toy each by Penny. After succumbing to temptation and opening and subsequently breaking Leonard’s, then panicking and switching the toys, Sheldon has a dream where his ‘Tiny Spock’ action figure, voiced by Nimoy, lectures him on the ethics of his behavior!

Hearing Nimoy’s iconic voice interact with Jim Parsons’ Sheldon created a perfect blend of Star Trek gravitas and sitcom absurdity — and a hilarious and poignant reminder of Nimoy’s warmth and humour. Interestingly, Leonard Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, also appeared on the show in the Season 9 episode, “The Spock Resonance,” in which he conducts an interview with Sheldon while supposedly in the process of creating a documentary about his late father.

4) LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton is best known for his role as Geordi La Forge on The Next Generation and subsequent Star Trek films and most recently in Star Trek: Picard. He was also the host of the PBS series Reading Rainbow, from the 1980’s to the early 2000’s. But the actor still found the time to delight fans with several cameos on The Big Bang Theory. Burton’s first appearance came in the Season 4 episode “The Toast Derivation,” where he unexpectedly shows up to Sheldon’s (admittedly dead) party after an invite via X (formerly Twitter) only to leave immediately upon arrival.

A suitably bemused looking Burton returned to help Amy and Sheldon on their web-info series in the episode “The Habitation Configuration.” His final appearance came in Season 8 in “The Champagne Reflection” where he’s once again a ‘Fun with Flags’ guest for Sheldon, playing himself with tongue-in-cheek charm. Both appearances leaned into his iconic status and showed off the actors comedic timing.

5) Brent Spiner

Best known as Data, the lovable Android from The Next Generation, a role which he reprised in Star Trek films throughout the 1990’s, Brent Spiner certainly gets around, having also acted in the Independence Day Movies as well as providing the voice of the Joker in Young Justice. Spiner’s cameo in the Season 5 episode “The Russian Rocket Reaction” sees him attend a party thrown by Wil Wheaton, much to the delight of Sheldon and the gang.

However, he accidentally incurs Sheldon’s eternal wrath by ripping open a signed limited edition collectible action figure of Wesley Crusher that had been gifted to Sheldon by Wheaton, instantly drastically reducing its value. Despite offering a signed Data figurine in its place, he is firmly placed on Sheldon’s sworn enemy list! The appearance highlighted Spiner’s playful willingness to poke fun at himself — and at Star Trek fandom’s obsession with collectibles!

6) George Takei

George Takei, who plays the legendary helmsman of the Enterprise, Hikaru Sulu, in The Original Series, proved he is up for anything when he appeared in a Season 4 episode of The Big Bang Theory “The Hot Troll Deviation” — and not in the way you might expect!

When Howard (Simon Helberg) breaks up with his girlfriend Bernadette, he attempts to fill the gap left by her absence with ahem… suitably nerdy fantasies. In one such erotic fantasy, Takei himself shows up, much to Howard’s surprise as he briefly questions his sexuality! The addition of Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica, dressed as her character Kara Thrace, makes for comedy gold as her and Takei enter a debate on type casting. Takei’s signature wit and impeccable delivery made this surreal sequence one of the show’s funniest moments, proving that his comedic chops are just as sharp as his sci-fi credentials.

7) Brian George

Brian George may not be as easily recognizable to Star Trek fans, as he’s better known for his role on Seinfeld as restaurant owner Babu Bhatt. Or you might recognise him as the voice of Guru Pathik in Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, the actor does in fact have a couple of Star Trek credits, having appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the father of Julian Bashir in “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?”, and in Voyager as Ambassador O’Zaal in “Drive”.

On The Big Bang Theory, he played Dr. V.M. Koothrappali, Raj’s father, in 16 episodes spanning from Season 1, Episode 8, “The Grasshopper Experiment” onwards. Despite mostly only appearing over video call accompanied by Raj’s mother (played by Alice Amter), he does in fact appear in every season of the show. George’s dry comedic delivery helped make Raj’s overbearing (yet oddly charming) parents a reliable source of laughs, and his repeated appearances gave him one of the largest roles for any Star Trek alum on the show.

8) Mark Harelik

Mark Harelik’s acting career spans popular shows such as Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, and Bones. Harelik appears in The Big Bang Theory, in a total of 5 episodes across the show’s first two seasons as Dr. Eric Gablehauser, head of the physics department at CalTech where Sheldon and the guys (reluctantly it would seem) work. The most notable thing about the character is probably the unexpected romantic interest he develops for Sheldon’s no nonsense mother Mary (Laurie Metcalf) after she comes to the office to mediate a conflict between him and Sheldon, though nothing ever came of the pairs surprising connection.

Harelik’s Star Trek appearance is admittedly also somewhat brief. He appears as Inspector Kashyk for a single episode of Star Trek: Voyager, “Counterpoint,” But none the less, he makes our list. Harelik brought an unamused, deadpan to his interactions with Leonard and Sheldon, demonstrating how utterly exasperating Sheldon must occasionally be as an employee and playing perfectly against Jim Parsons chaotic energy as the genius-nerd.

Which Trek cameo on The Big Bang Theory was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

All seasons of The Big Bang Theory are streaming now on Max. Star Trek series are available on Paramount+.

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