Stuart Fails to Save the Universe may finally be revealing how the multiverse device is truly connected to The Big Bang Theory. From confirming the truth about The Big Bang Theory characters’ backstories to revealing the ultimate fates of some of our favorite figures in various multiverses, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has featured plenty of gripping sci-fi action.
There have been some great character returns in The Big Bang Theory‘s Stuart spin-off so far. While we have seen the likes of Kunal Nayyar as Raj and Kaley Cuoco as Penny, we sadly haven’t seen appearances from Simon Helberg as Howard, Jim Parsons as Sheldon, or Johnny Galecki as Leonard. However, the unexpected return of this minor character in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Episode 8 has made me realize that the spin-off may have been foreshadowed way back in The Big Bang Theory Season 10.
The Stuart Spin-off Multiverse Device Could Be the Guidance System From ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Season 10
If you are wondering why Dean Norris’ Captain Williams in Episode 8 of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe looks familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time he’s appeared in the franchise. Dean Norris portrayed Williams (who was a Colonel in that universe) in The Big Bang TheorySeasons 10 and 11, who was the first point of contact for Leonard, Howard, and Sheldon’s top-secret guidance system project for the government. While he officially worked for the Air Force in The Big Bang Theory, Williams now appears to be serving in the Army in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
Something that has bothered me since the beginning of this new Stuart spin-off is that the show keeps specifying that the multiverse device is a creation of Sheldon, Howard, and Leonard’s – not Raj’s. However, Williams’ appearance in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Episode 8 has got me thinking that there is a good reason for this, and perhaps The Big Bang Theory’s multiverses are a direct result of the guidance system from Season 10.
While a little complicated and science-heavy, all you need to know about the guidance system is that it spawned from an idea based on Leonard’s supercooled helium experiments, and that after the Air Force took interest in it, the guys were concerned about it being weaponized, rather than just being used for navigation. Williams refused to tell the guys what he planned to use the guidance system for, and following a lot of back-and-forth involving them being removed from the project, the fate of the system was left vague. However, Kripke did play a part at the very end, but it’s also unknown what role he played in the final version of the system.
I think that the guidance system eventually became the multiverse device, although it’s unclear whether this was developed on purpose or if it was the product of an accident. What started as essentially a high-tech GPS ended up becoming a transportation device, but because Stuart hasn’t dedicated his life to the field of science like The Big Bang Theory’s main characters, he has no clue how the controls work.
Raj notably isn’t one of the creators of the multiverse device, and he made a big deal about not being part of the guidance system project in The Big Bang Theory, too. Also, after the guys were removed from the project in The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon famously went behind Howard and Leonard’s backs to pitch a communication system upgrade, which could be the very thing that is sending Stuart all of these messages about how he needs to save the multiverses.
Of course, this is just a theory at the moment, but it would be rather coincidental if Colonel Williams’ return doesn’t have anything to do with the overarching story. However, we will have to wait for the last two episodes in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s release schedule to air before we find out.
