TBBT Theory Explains Why Sheldon Never Mentioned Sturgis or Linkletter

The Big Bang Theory spin-off, Young Sheldon, aired alongside its parent show for two years, expanding on Sheldon Cooper's family history and providing explanations for some of the events in the character's past and present.

While the original show is now over and the prequel is in its sixth season, fans are still waiting on a few details mentioned in TBBT to be addressed in Young Sheldon. And people are also noticing some plot holes that the writers could possibly mend in the prequel.

Recently, one of the fans brought up a theory to explain the fact that Sheldon never mentioned his mentors, Dr. John Sturgis and Dr. Grant Linkletter, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in TBBT. While the character thanked his friends and family for being there and supporting him in his scientific endeavors, Cooper failed to pay tribute to the two professors without whom he probably wouldn't have achieved such heights in his career.

Sure, at the time of writing the episode, the creators of TBBT most likely didn't know these characters would play such a pivotal role in Sheldon's life. But fans love consistency, so it was only natural for someone to come up with a plausible explanation.

We know that Sturgis and Linkletter were instrumental in getting Sheldon to go to Germany, and though this study trip was a huge boost to his career, this was also a time of tragedy for the Coopers.

In the Young Sheldon Season 6 finale, Sheldon will go to Germany with his mother while the rest of the family will face a terrible tornado back home. This may cause George Sr. to feel a sense of resentment towards Mary for leaving him, leading to a moment of infidelity on George's part and his subsequent death from a heart attack.

'Sheldon may think that everything happened because he left for Germany and who sent him there? Sturgis and Linkletter,' the fan's explanation goes.

Not only does this theory sound plausible, it also allows the writers to correct the injustice and show how Sheldon has grown, overcoming his childhood traumas over the years. Since the Young Sheldon narrator is the post-TBBT adult Sheldon, this plot twist would give him a chance to realize his mentors had nothing to do with his grief and then act on this realization.

'It would be so cool [if] Adult Sheldon makes a cameo at the final episode, to maybe visit Sturgis' grave with his Nobel Prize and thanks him for his contributions,' the fan concluded.

The fan theory sounds compelling and covers the important aspects of TBBT and Young Sheldon that the prequel failed to address so far. Hopefully, the idea will reach the writers, and they'll make use of it for the series' next season.

For now, we are excited to see how Young Sheldon Season 6 ends in the two-part finale, which is set to air on May 18.

Source: Reddit.