What Star Trek Characters Would the Cast of The Big Bang Theory Be?

The lovable nerds of The Big Bang Theory filled their show with Star Trek references during the series’ twelve-season run. The cast even cosplayed as Star Trek characters in several episodes, showing how closely they identified with their sci fi heroes.

However, when it comes to which Star Trek characters the TBBT characters actually resemble, not every member of the cast gets to be his or her personal idol. Here are the Star Trek characters that actually fit the gang’s real personalities.

10 Dr. Leonard Hofstadter – Doctor Leonard McCoy (Star Trek: The Original Series)

Leonard once cosplayed as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but that doesn’t mean he fits the characteristics of this Star Trek captain. Instead, Leonard has much more in common with Dr. Leonard McCoy, the irascible ship’s doctor of the original Enterprise.

Both Leonards have grumpy (but affectionate) relationships with seemingly emotionless men (Spock and Sheldon). Like Dr. McCoy, Leonard is often thrust into the role of caregiver for his friends, and while he seemingly resents it, he often proves to be the best person for the job.

9 Dr. Sheldon Cooper – Lieutenant Commander Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Sheldon cosplayed the android Data, showing how much he identifies with this Star Trek character. However, his connection to Data runs deeper than mere fan boy interest. Like Data, Sheldon is highly intelligent – outclassing all of his friends in IQ points – but lacks an understanding of social niceties, which can make him appear clueless in his interactions with others. At times his bluntness reveals an arrogance that makes him resemble Data’s “evil twin” Lore.

Despite this, Sheldon – like Data – wants very much to be part of the group and often makes efforts to perform decent acts, even if he doesn’t always understand why he should. By the end of the show, Sheldon is comfortable expressing his love for his wife and friends, showing how much he’s grown emotionally – not unlike Data, who also gains a clearer understanding of humanity.

8 Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali – Lieutenant Reginald Barclay (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali is arguably the most socially awkward member of the gang. In the early seasons, he can’t even talk to women unless he’s drunk. His neurotic behavior gives him a lot in common with Reginald “Reg” Barclay, a fan favorite character from Star Trek: The Next Generation who goes on to have a recurring role in Star Trek: Voyager.

Both Raj and Reg suffer from social anxiety and compensate with a rich fantasy life (Reg programs elaborate holodeck fantasies while Raj once had a “Bollywood”-style musical dream sequence with his best friend’s then-girlfriend Bernadette). However, both characters grow more confidence throughout the show, even if they never completely lose their trademark awkwardness.

7 Howard Wolowitz -Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Howard may fancy himself a Captain Kirk-type ladies’ man in the show’s early seasons, but his dismal success ratio with women gives him more in common with a different Star Trek character. Like Howard, Geordi LaForge is a brilliant engineer whose skills earned him a job in space (although Howard’s stint as an astronaut had him maintain space toilets instead of warp cores).

However, it’s Geordi’s poor success with women that gives him the most in common with Howard. At one point, Geordi actually fell in love with a holographic woman he unwittingly created. At least that wasn’t as bad as the time Howard programmed a robotic arm to help him in the bedroom…

6 Penny – Leeta (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Penny starts out as a beautiful but seemingly shallow woman when she first appears in the pilot of The Big Bang Theory. Over the course of the series, however, she reveals she has a shrewd, street smart personality which serves her well when she becomes a highly paid pharmaceutical salesperson. Moreover, she develops very deep friendships with her nerdy neighbors and ends up falling in love and marrying Leonard.

This closely mirrors the fan favorite Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character Leeta, a Bajoran Dabo girl who initially appears unintelligent but later reveals she has very good business sense. Like Penny, Leeta also ends up falling in love and marrying an unlikely match – the Ferengi engineer Rom.

5 Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz – B’Elanna Torres (Star Trek: Voyager)

Howard’s girlfriend (and later wife) Bernadette displays a demure personality in her initial appearances. Later seasons, however, show she has a darker side that is fiercely competitive and domineering.

This is similar to B’Elanna Torres, the half-human, half-Klingon engineer of Voyager, who once claimed her Klingon side was like having a “monster” in her. While Bernadette’s nasty side was usually played for laughs, she could definitely be monstrous.

4 Amy Farrah Fowler – Nurse Christine Chapel (Star Trek: The Original Series)

When Amy was first introduced, she was basically a female Sheldon, displaying a blunt, frequently prickly attitude. As the series progressed, her character softened and became more affectionate and understanding – much like Nurse Christine Chapel, a character from the original Star Trek series. Intelligent and compassionate – but able to stand up for herself when she needed to – Chapel was also in love with Mr. Spock and could see the feelings beneath the Vulcan’s seemingly emotionless exterior. This reflects Amy’s own attraction to her series’ Spock-like character Sheldon.

Amy actually dons a Star Trek outfit similar to Nurse Chapel’s when she plays a Star Trek-style game of “Doctor” with Sheldon. Sheldon’s positive response to the role play indicates that Amy has more than a few things in common with the fan favorite character.

3 Stuart Bloom – Quark (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

The owner of the gang’s favorite comic book store, Stuart gives the nerds a regular place to hang out – not unlike the Ferengi Quark, who runs a popular bar on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

While penniless Stuart doesn’t seem to share Quark’s business acumen, in the episode “The Deception Verification,” Stuart shows he’s actually a master salesman when he cons Sheldon into paying $1200 for a worthless Aquaman statue!

2 Wil Wheaton – Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Wil Wheaton played Star Trek character Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation before landing a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory. Unlike goody-two-shoes Wesley, “Evil Wil Wheaton” is a master manipulator who regularly outsmarts Sheldon Cooper to the point where Sheldon declares him one of his “mortal enemies.” Wil later softens and becomes good friends with the entire gang by the end of the show.

This version of Wil actually has more in common with Elim Garak, a Cardassian spy masquerading as a tailor on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Both “Evil Wil” and Garak display friendly exteriors that mask their true intentions. However, Garak – like Wil – are also loyal to their friends and display acts of great generosity.

1 Beverly Hofstadter – The Borg Queen (Star Trek: First Contact)

Leonard’s domineering mother Beverly Hofstadter is a cold, narcissistic, and controlling figure – eerily identical to the Borg Queen first introduced in the movie Star Trek: First Contact. Like the Borg Queen, Beverly sees her children as drones or lab rats for her research and destroyed their childhoods by conducting experiments on them.

This resulted in Leonard developing a massive inferiority complex, although he later stood up to his mother (which oddly gives Leonard something in common with liberated Borg drone and Star Trek sex symbol Seven of Nine).

Source: www.cbr.com