It's been more than two years now since the series finale of CBS' acclaimed sitcom, The Big Bang Theory aired. Titled 'The Stockholm Syndrome,' the episode garnered a mammoth audience of nearly 19 million, which - alongside the preceding, penultimate 'The Change Constant,' made it the most-watched TV episode of 2019.
The passage of time since Big Bang made its exit from our screens has not stopped super fans from continually studying it with a fine-tooth comb. A few hawk-eyed ones, in particular, think they have uncovered a plot hole that revolves around the friendship of central characters Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter.
The Big Bang Theory's log line on IMDb reads, "A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory."
The two physicists referred to in this logline are Sheldon and Leonard. Their new neighbor is Penny, an aspiring actress at the time working as a waitress. Leonard immediately becomes obsessed with Penny and sets out to charm her, a task which Sheldon is convinced will end in futility.
The beginnings of the friendship between Sheldon and Leonard were revisited in the 22nd episode of Season 3, titled 'The Staircase Implementation.' The two roommates are involved in an altercation, which forces Leonard to move temporarily into Penny's apartment. By this time, they are in a relationship.
Leonard reveals how he and Sheldon first met. Sheldon was apparently renting out a room in 2003, and he put out an advertisement which Leonard responded to. However, before Sheldon could allow him in, he had to pass a test: pick out a favorite Star Trek character, between Captains Picard or Kirk.
By choosing Picard, but also adding that Kirk's Star Trek: The Original Series was a better show than Picard's Star Trek: The Next Generation, Leonard duly passed the test and was allowed into the room. Thus also began a unique, peculiar friendship between him and Sheldon.
In 'The 21-Second Excitation,' the eighth episode of Season 4, the odd pair are planning to attend a screening of the classic film, Raiders of the Lost Ark alongside their friends Rajesh Koothrappali and Howard Wolowitz. As the show time draws near, Sheldon reminisces of a time when apparently, he and Leonard queued for 14 hours at the premiere of Star Trek Nemesis.
The only problem with this particular part of their backstory is that the Stuart Baird film premiered in the United States on 9th December 2002. This of course directly contradicts Leonard's version a season earlier of when the two met.
Whatever the case, Sheldon would always insist that his version is the truth. After all, one of his most iconic lines on the show is, "Don't you think if I were wrong I would know it?"
