The days following Leonard Nimoy’s death last week have seen all forms of celebrities offering heartfelt messages and tributes for the Star Trek actor. And there’s no surprise that Chuck Lorre, creator of the Nimoy-loving hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, paid his respects on national television through the personalized vanity cards he puts up at the end of each episode. Instead of a wordy affair, Lorre kept it simple and meaningful for tonight's episode.
Is there a way to say “Bazinga” in a morose tone? Nimoy starred in a plethora of TV series over the years, and one might think he was a regular on The Big Bang Theory, given Sheldon’s abject love for him. Here’s how the series paid respects to Nimoy after his death, via Twitter.
The actor never actually made a proper physical appearance on the show, but that isn’t to say that his presence wasn’t felt, or that his voice wasn’t heard. For the Season 5 episode “The Transporter Malfunction,” Nimoy lent his voice to an action figure of Mr. Spock that serves as Sheldon’s conscience. I pity the fool that breaks a transporter and tries to switch it with another one. Wait, that’s Mr. T. In any case, check out the memorable scene below.
Nimoy references popped up in earlier episodes as well, with one focusing on Sheldon being gifted a Cheesecake Factory napkin signed by the actor. (He didn’t get to clone Nimoy’s DNA like he wanted to, though.) Another episode saw Sheldon showing off a restraining order that Nimoy had placed against him. We’re assuming that order is no longer legally valid.
Nimoy died on February 27, 2015, due to complications with COPD, and his passing will be felt in pop culture for many years to come. Maybe Fox will bring Fringe back for Season 6 just to pay their respects. Out of the question?
