The world became a little grayer after the passing of Stephen Hawking. Despite the terrible effects of his disease and the ominous original diagnosis, the renowned physicist managed to share his knowledge about the universe for more than five decades. Naturally, film and television had no choice but to bow to his genius, exploring his life and welcoming each of his special appearances. Today we take a look at the most important ones.
Stephen William Hawking left us yesterday to explore the cosmos. He was 76 years old, having spent 55 of them bound to the chains of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that according to his doctors would only allow him two more years. It wasn't easy, and as several portals have pointed out, his condition placed enormous pressure on his family. But what remains for us is Stephen Hawking the physicist, the author, the communicator, the professor, and why not, the joker. Hawking was known for his good humor and his willingness to participate in different projects. How about we take a look at some of them?
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Legend has it that Leonard Nimoy learned of Hawking's desire to appear in TNG during the launch party for the home edition of "A Brief History of Time". Nimoy made the necessary connections, and so Hawking became a luxury presence within the Star Trek universe, playing poker with Data, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein.
The Big Bang Theory
Despite our opinion on the show's current state and the quality of its scripts, Hawking's contribution to The Big Bang Theory was quite extensive. In total, he participated in seven episodes (108, 117, 155, 173, 200, 216, and 232), and some of his exchanges with Sheldon are unmissable.
The Simpsons
Stephen Hawking's debut in The Simpsons happened in the penultimate episode of the tenth season, "They Saved Lisa's Brain". He later returned for seasons 16, 18, and 22, and in 2004 Matt Groening presented him with a version of himself as a toy, including a boxing glove and a personal folding helicopter.
Futurama
Logically, his time on The Simpsons led him to be part of Futurama in one of the DTV movies ("The Beast With a Billion Backs") and in two episodes (02x16 and 06x26), first as a member of the "Vice Presidential Action Rangers", and later with his head stored in the classic jars.
Anyone Can Quantum and Quantum Is Calling
And to finish, let's not forget that at the end of 2016 we talked about the professor's role in the two science fiction shorts "Anyone Can Quantum" and "Quantum Is Calling" alongside Paul Rudd (whom he faces in an epic game of quantum chess), Zoe Saldana, and Keanu Reeves.
Obviously the list goes on, but these examples had Hawking's direct participation. If we move to other media, we discover that he lent his voice to the first transmission of the last book of the series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on BBC Radio 4, and the band Pink Floyd used it in two of their songs, "Keep Talking" and "Talkin' Hawkin". Do you think we should add another entry? Feel free to share it by leaving a comment.
