The Mind-Blowing Connection Between Young Sheldon Season 6's Database Subplot and a Long-Lost TBBT Storyline

Summary

Both Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory focused on Sheldon's academic successes and social ineptitude, rarely addressing his career or university failures.

In terms of securing funding, the subplot in Young Sheldon season 6 involving Sheldon's grant database mirrored his failed experiment in The Big Bang Theory season 11. Despite Sheldon's progress in distancing himself from his collectibles, it was his teenage self who ultimately succeeded in completing the grant database project in Young Sheldon, revealing a noticeable continuity issue between the two shows.

Young Sheldon season 6 showcased a surprising twist with Sheldon's journey to Germany, which was preceded by a captivating subplot involving the failure of his grant database. Interestingly, this parallel storyline echoed a similar theme explored in a previous episode of The Big Bang Theory. Both shows consistently highlighted Sheldon's academic accomplishments and social ineptitude, rarely delving into his career or university-related mishaps. While The Big Bang Theory occasionally depicted Sheldon's struggle to make progress in his research, leading him to switch specialties, outright failures were infrequent. However, Young Sheldon season 6's database subplot meticulously revisited one of Sheldon's rare setbacks in The Big Bang Theory.

Despite its unexpected emergence in a field unrelated to science, Sheldon's concept for a grant database became the focal point of Young Sheldon season 6. The storyline documented the development of the database against all odds and its ultimate failure due to a lack of users signing up. Nevertheless, this subplot effectively propelled Sheldon towards the conclusion of Young Sheldon season 6, where he embarked on the long-awaited trip to Germany, a topic frequently referenced in The Big Bang Theory. Notably, many aspects of the grant database narrative in Young Sheldon season 6 had already been explored in The Big Bang Theory season 11, specifically concerning another experimental idea conceived by Sheldon.

The Big Bang Theory Season 11 Showed That Sheldon Got Better At Finding Funding

In The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 22, titled "The Monetary Insufficiency," Sheldon's theory sparks an experiment idea after a conversation about university mixers being wasteful. Similarly, in Young Sheldon season 6, Sheldon also generates a concept for a grant database by discussing the benefits of a comic book database for collectors. Both Sheldon's attempts to secure funds for their experiments involve selling collectibles or seeking private investors.

Unfortunately, Sheldon fails to obtain funds for his microscopic black hole experiment in The Big Bang Theory due to financial constraints. However, his subsequent attempts become more successful. In Young Sheldon season 6, episode 20, Sheldon organizes a yard sale but struggles to part with his beloved trains to finance a trip to Germany. Conversely, in TBBT season 11, episode 22, Sheldon successfully contributes a portion of his comic book collection to Stuart in order to fund the micro black hole experiment, an accomplishment he couldn't achieve as a younger version of himself in Young Sheldon.

TBBT & Young Sheldon Season 6's Experiments Both Failed, But 1 Actually Got Made

Despite Sheldon's efforts to detach himself from his collectibles and explore alternative means of acquiring money, such as applying statistics to his choices while gambling in Las Vegas, the experiment that ultimately came to fruition was not his own design as an adult. While both options appeared viable, the micro black hole experiment proved to be prohibitively expensive. Season 11 of The Big Bang Theory showcased a more resourceful Sheldon in his pursuit of funding, but it was his teenage self in Young Sheldon season 6 who successfully completed the grant database project.

Both projects, however, ended in failure. The micro black hole experiment featured in TBBT failed to materialize, while Young Sheldon's grant database failed to attract users, essential for the project's sponsoring company to generate revenue. Nonetheless, the involvement of Dr. Sturgis in its development provided assurance to private investors that it was a legitimate undertaking and that Sheldon's idea, despite his youth, held merit. In contrast, Sheldon's inability to secure funds in TBBT season 11 stemmed from the absence of this same guarantee, which would have necessitated a significant monetary investment that Sheldon was unable to obtain.

The Stories' Similarities Highlight A Young Sheldon Continuity Problem

With Young Sheldon's storyline involving a database and The Big Bang Theory's short micro black hole plot line occurring many years apart, it is understandable that the prequel series did not mention Sheldon's scientific failure as a teenager. However, the similarities between the two stories highlight Young Sheldon's continuity issue. Despite The Big Bang Theory revealing multiple stories from Sheldon's childhood, most of them have yet to be shown in Young Sheldon, even though some of them should have already taken place based on the timeline between season 6 and George's death.

The reason behind Sheldon's three knocks was revealed in The Big Bang Theory season 10, episode 5. This episode firmly established that Sheldon never discussed his father's infidelity, which was one of his biggest regrets, as George died soon after. However, Young Sheldon avoids addressing Brenda and George's alleged affair and does not show the Cooper family's reaction to its discovery. While the similarities between the two experiments may be a lesser oversight compared to the omission of significant events that shaped Sheldon's life, it further emphasizes Young Sheldon's continuity problem, especially considering how The Big Bang Theory introduced the story.