“The Big Bang Theory” lasted 12 successful seasons and during that time, the comedy introduced several characters from Sheldon Cooper’s (Jim Parsons) life. His sister, brother, and sister-in-law appear on screen, and his late father is mentioned. That being said, not everyone who impacted Sheldon is recognized in the nerd comedy. Paige Swanson (McKenna Grace) from “Young Sheldon” doesn’t appear on “Big Bang Theory” even though she was an important part of his formative years, while Dr. John Sturgis (Wallace Shawn) is even ignored despite having a relationship with Meemaw (Annie Potts) and being his mentor.
Case in point: Sheldon’s speech about the Nobel Prize in the finale of “Big Bang Theory” brought tears to the viewers, showing it to be an emotional moment. In the speech, the socially awkward physicist thanks the most important people in his life for supporting him throughout the years, marking a rare expression of gratitude from the character. However, Sheldon doesn’t mention Sturgis during his big speech despite the influence he had on his childhood and academic development in his youth. Taking this into consideration, there is an episode in “Young Sheldon” that suggests that the young titular character doesn’t hold Sturgis in high regard, thus denying any obligation to mention him in “Big Bang Theory.”
Sheldon Cooper lost respect for Dr. John Sturgis’ opinions about young Sheldon
Sheldon Cooper is quite egotistical throughout “The Big Bang Theory.” In fact, his aforementioned speech in the series finale is possibly the only time he realizes how lucky he is to have friends. At the same time, it’s not surprising that Dr. John Sturgis was excluded from his big moment, as Sheldon didn’t always agree with his mentor.
In the sixth season episode of “Young Sheldon,” “Green Means Go and the Woman of Science,” the young prodigy Sheldon and Sturgis disagree on the concept of extraterrestrial life. In a theory proposed by ScreenRant, it is observed that Sheldon dismisses his mentor’s ideas, which could have led him to lose respect for the scientist’s opinions. However, it’s also strange that Sheldon didn’t even mention him negatively in “Big Bang Theory,” as he was known for exaggerating stories about people who bothered him during his childhood, as evidenced by the times he remembered his former neighbor. Billy Sparks (Wyatt McClure) is a bully, though he is not.
That being said, sometimes this franchise comes up with ideas and characters as it progresses, which means that some of the finer details are overlooked. “Big Bang Theory” creator Chuck Lorre even regrets killing off George Cooper (Lance Barber) as it meant “Young Sheldon” was beholden to the ideas presented in its parent show. As such, it’s very possible that the spin-off’s creatives wanted to avoid further unwanted crossovers between the two series.