The Planetarium Collision

"The Planetarium Collision" is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, October 18, 2018.

Summary
When Amy doesn't have time to work on super-asymmetry, Sheldon goes to great lengths to ensure she's available to work with him even it if means accidentally {{w|sabotaging her {{w|career}} in the process. Also, Koothrappali doesn't want Wolowitz to join him in hosting a show at the {{w|planetarium}}.

Extended Plot
Raj is finishing up his lecture on the {{w|moons of {{w|Jupiter at the {{w|Griffith Planetarium as Sheldon and Amy pass {{w|notes back and forth. Penny finds out that the Coopers were working on Sheldon’s {{w|Asymmetry {{w|String Theory project. Howard goes up to Raj to {{w|congratulate him on the show even though he slept through it. He gets to meet the director of the {{w|planetarium who learns that Howard is an {{w|astronaut and then invites him to join Raj doing one of the shows. Raj goes not like that idea.

Amy has student {{w|volunteer whom she is checking his {{w|sensory reactions while his head is isolated in a {{w|box. Sheldon comes in and asks if she is busy to talk string theory. Amy says that she is really excited about their paper, but she is in the middle of her {{w|experiment. He just gives her one clue, “Lambda {{w|calculus” and then touches her nose saying, “poop.”

In the Wolwotiz bedroom, Bernadette is trying to start something with Howard who is distracted that Raj is mad at him. Howard thinks that it would be fun, but Bernadette feels that he wouldn’t want some {{w|sexy-assed astronaut sharing the stage with him. How sexy? {{w|Thor sexy and then Bernadette gets what she wants.

Sheldon is explaining his string theory to Penny!?! Leonard comes in and immediately decides to leave. Penny calls him back and is proud that Sheldon came to discuss {{w|science with her. Leonard reminds Sheldon that he’s not supposed to bore other people’s {{w|wives. Sheldon then complains about how little time Amy has been able to work with him on super-asymmetry. He finds her work with the {{w|brain so boring. Penny then leaves so that Sheldon can talk science with Leonard and she can get away.

Howard goes to talk to Raj in his office, to discuss about them working together. Howard feels that that would be like doing {{w|karaoke with a {{w|rock star. Raj doesn’t have to feel {{w|intimated. Raj replies that he is also very accomplished in his field. And even though he has fears, one is not sharing the {{w|spotlight with an astronaut.

Sheldon goes to see President Siebert, who may be a {{w|physicist, but Sheldon doesn’t think he knows anything. He has a Doctorate from {{w|Indiana University which causes Sheldon to go very slowly. He explains that Amy was helping him and is distracted by her own work. And she was helping him conceptualize the differences between {{w|symmetry and a-symmetry. After throwing in a comment about their {{w|sex life, President Seibert says that he does not enjoy their little {{w|conversations.

Amy enters her lab and finds her {{w|colleague Dr. Park going through her research. He explains to the unaware Amy that he was taking over her project while she was on a {{w|sabbatical doing other work. Sheldon runs in with the exciting news that they will be working together full time. Amy is not happy. He learned that Amy was very difficult to replace. Amy is {{w|incensed since she has been years on her projects and that Sheldon has no right to request her removal.

In Apartment 4A, Raj comes in with {{w|Chinese food to talk about Howard. Raj folded to let Howard join him and he is afraid that Howard will make it all about himself. Penny tells him to cancel, but Raj doesn’t want to look {{w|insecure. Leonard tells him that he is insecure and that he walked up three flights of stairs for nothing. Penny insists that it is four flights since they are on the fourth floor and leaves to check it out.

Sheldon and Amy both go into to see {{w|President Seibert. Amy says that he had no right to reassign her project which Sheldon agrees with. Didn’t Sheldon ask him to do it? Amy tells her husband that it is his fault. The President tells Amy that it’s not that easy to move her back to her project due to {{w|manpower considerations. Sheldon tries to interrupt that and ends with giving Amy a “poop” on the nose.

Back at the planetarium, Penny and Bernadette are waiting for the show. She asks Bernie when he last saw Howard in his astronaut uniform. A week ago during {{w|Date Night sex where she is a sexy Russian {{w|cosmonaut who is an expert on {{w|physics and {{w|sex. Penny doesn't want to hear anymore about Howard's sex life. Raj starts the show and introduces astronaut Howard Wolowitz. Instead of topping each other, they spend the time overly complimenting each other and finally embracing declaring the love for each other. Now Bernadette looks worried.

Sheldon and Amy are asleep in Apartment 4B, as Sheldon dreams about another encounter with his {{w|Jedi mentor, the spirit of Professor Proton. They are in a {{w|deli on the Star Wars planet of Dagobah. Professor Proton does not recommend the {{w|Rueben. Sheldon wants advice after having upset Amy and he wants to make it better. Sheldon knows the advice is coming from his own {{w|self-conscious, however, it sounds better from someone older and who is glowing. Professor Proton: Rule number 1: Never go to {{w|bed angry. Rule number 2: If you don’t recognize the {{w|shoes under the bed, they are not your shoes. Sheldon thinks that they are her shoes, so the Jedi master tells him not just go with rule number one.

Sheldon wakes up and then gets Amy to wake up too. Sheldon doesn’t want them to go to bed angry; while Amy wants him to go back to {{w|sleep. She turns over and he goes, “Amy, Amy, Amy!” She doesn’t want to talk now! “Fine,” says Sheldon. He just wants her to know that he wasn’t doing anything malicious. Amy defines it as {{w|selfish, like not letting her sleep. Finally Amy joins him and admits that she enjoys working with him, but she finds it scary and that "she" doesn’t want to get lost in the “we” of their relationship. When Sheldon had her taken off her own project, she felt that her fear was coming true. Sheldon doesn’t want her to feel lost. They make up and turn over to go back to sleep, but not before he checks under the bed for strange shoes. Sheldon feels that when you favorite {{w|ghost tells you to do something, you must do it.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Bob Newhart as Professor Proton
 * Joshua Malina as President Siebert
 * Eddie Shin as Dr. Park
 * Alison Martin as Andrea
 * Hermie Castillo as Colin
 * Teleplay: Steve Holland, Maria Ferrari & Tara Hernandez
 * Story: Eric Kaplan, Andy Gordon & Alex Ayers

Critics

 * Caroline Preece at Den of Geek! - Of all the various relationships present on The Big Bang Theory twelve years in, there’s one that’s been there from the beginning and never really faltered. Howard and Raj have had their differences, but their friendship has managed to endure right up until the end...Their disagreement in The Planetarium Collision is a familiar one, but its resolution shows how far the two of them have come...Over in Shamy land, the couple have had their first proper marital spat. It doesn’t feel nearly as contrived as the one in the season premiere... but he genuinely doesn’t know Amy will be upset. Most satisfying is her reaction, as she tells her husband that she doesn’t want to sacrifice her individuality for the relationship.
 * IMDb user reviews

Trivia

 * Professor Proton appears in a deli on the planet Dagobah which he had asked for the last time he and Sheldon met.
 * President Siebert reveals Sheldon is taking the paradigms of supersymmetry, but removing the limitations of obeying the, in his superasymmetry theory. With Amy serving as his conceptual sounding board, Sheldon considers utilizing in his theory.
 * Siebert has a doctorate in physics from {{w|Indiana University Bloomington.
 * Bernadette role plays a Russian cosmonaut-physicist in the bedroom. Recall she would have gone into physics (or ice dancing) if she did not become a microbiologist as per "The Gorilla Experiment".

Quotes
Colin: I smell baby powder.

Amy: That's just my husband!