The Hawking excitation

I've got to love a man that can laugh at himself.

Case in point: Stephen Hawking.

Professor Stephen Hawking, known for being a theoretical physicist, has played himself on numerous television shows and has been portrayed in even more.

My favorites? Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory, of course.

At the beginning of the ST:TNG Season 6 cliffhanger, "Descent, Part 1," Lt. Commander Data is seen playing poker with holographic depictions of Hawking, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein. Hawking portrayed his own hologram for this episode, making him the only guest in any Star Trek series to play himself.

(When taking a tour of the set, Hawking allegedly paused at the Warp core, smiled, and said, "I'm working on that." He also requested, and was allowed, to sit in the captain's chair of the Enterprise-D.)

And tonight he will be appearing as a guest star on The Big Bang Theory! When Howard Wolowitz gets to work with Hawking, Sheldon Cooper (above) is willing to do anything to meet his hero.

Me too!