The Bakersfield Expedition

The Bakersfield Expedition is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired Thursday, January 10, 2013.

Summary
Sheldon and Leonard are preparing for their trip to the Bakersfield Comic-Con and plan on wearing their Star Trek: The Next Generation costumes. Penny gives Leonard some make-up sponges and mentions that he has more and better makeup than hers. Leonard tells her that he loves her, but some things just are shared. Sheldon agrees because he once borrowed his sister's makeup and got a terrible case of pink eye. The upside was that he was dressing as a zombie and the added effect helped him win second place. Penny said that they just went to Sand Diego Comic-Con. Leonard replies that the Bakersfield one is smaller and more about the comic books. San Diego was like that before it went so Hollywood.

The girls are having a Saturday brunch since they are all alone. Penny thinks its great since you can drink booze in the morning without people thinking you have a problem.Amy comments that Sheldon doesn't like brunch since he can't sit at a table where one person is eating an omelet and another is eating a sandwich. Leonard texts Penny that they are heading to Bakersfield at warp speed and she gives him an "LOL" though she thinks it's the mimosa talking. Bernadette says how excited they all were. Penny remarks that how can these super-smart guys who work at a major university can get so excited about something made for twelve year old's. Bernadette thinks that it brings out his inner child, though when he wears his Batman pajamas to bed she thinks he's touching his inner child. Amy replies that since they were bullied when they were kid in a world where you can't fight back  superheroes provide meaningful wish fulfillment. The girl realized that none of them have ever read a comic book and that maybe they should look into it since it is such an important part of their guys' lives  and that the comic book store is nearby. Penny exclaims that that is an amazing idea, though she wonders how many mimosas she has had.

On their trip, Sheldon keeps insisting that they turn on the voice option on the GPS. He has downloaded his voice and "fun" trip facts into GPS software. Raj thinks that its cool, while Howard wants Leonard to drive off the next bridge. Raj then suggests to stop at the  Vasquez Rocks Park, the filming location of several  Star Trek episodes and take some action photos in costume.

Visiting Stuart's store, the girls get stared at by all the male customers. Amy likes the attention and wanders around the store exclaiming "Hi, boys!" Stuart greets them and tells his customers that its nothing they have seen in movies or drawings. Penny told him that they wondering why the guys like them so much and wanted to give them a try. Stuart asked what kind they wanted, superhero, graphic novel, fantasy, mongo.. And then he is interrupted by the other guys walking toward the girls. He says that he swears that he's going to turn a hose on them. Bernadette asks what kind of comics do the guys like and he says that it's mainly superheroes.Amy asks who the best superhero is, and Stuart tells her to keep quiet or she could start a rumble. Penny asks what he recommends and he explains that you have your good guy superheroes like Superman and Spider-man or your darker anti-heroes like Batman or Wolverine. Amy remarks that she does like a bad boy. Penny quips: As evidence by your boyfriend and his fear of hamsters. He recommends Fables to Amy while Penny thinks that Thor looks hot.

THe guys are finished with their costumes. Sheldon  is  Data, Leonard is Captain  Jean-Luc Picard, Howard is a  Borg drone and Raj is  Worf. First they pose in a fight scene.Sheldon looks thoughtful because Data's weapon is his mind. Then they draw their phasers on the Borg and take some Charlie's Angels and glamour shots. Leonard's car is stolen due to the key being left in it along with their regular clothes and cell phones. They try to wave down a car which just passes them. Sheldon remarks that maybe they were better off since they could have gotten into a car with a crazy person. Leonard explodes that they should look at themselves since they appeared to be the crazy people. Leonard tells them that they should head off and find a gas station or something. Sheldon asks if he was taking charge just because he had on the Captain's uniform. Leonard said yes and then Sheldon just agreed.

Back at Penny's apartment, Berandette and Amy are waiting for Penny to finish her comic book. Amy analyzes her comic saying that the plot was full of action, moved along at a brisk pace and overall she found it to be (What is the word?) stupid. They wonder how the guys can get caught up for hours discussing something that doesn't even exist. Penny gaffs at Thor's hammer that was so heavy that no one else can pick it up Thor's hammer. Bernadette says that its some kind of magic from Thor. Amy says that Thor is a god, it's his hammer and only he can use it like Sheldon and his toothbrush or his thin beckoning lips. Wondering if they missed something, they go back to their comics though they give Penny a head start.

Walking through the desert, everyone is complaining. Sheldon tells them to stop it because they are Starfleet officers. Sheldon tells them that it's like they are living a Star Trek fantasy as a landing party lost on an alien world really only on their wits. This scenario lasts until a passing car throws an Icee-like drink at Sheldon. He complains that he hates this planet. After long walk, they went into a diner to get some water and borrow a telephone to call the police. The waitress asks why they don't have Scotty beam them up and Sheldon tells her that they are Next Generation characters

Back at Penny's apartment, the girls continue arguing about Thor's hammer and who can pick it up. They go over to Apartment 4A to go through the guys comics and learn more about the hammer.

A policeman taking their stolen vehicle report about the stolen car, clothes, makeup and cell phones. Then he asks if he can call someone like their mothers. Howard enters telling them that his mother has gotten them a rental car. While Raj is still hyped about continuing to Bakersfield, the other three are tired and wants to go home, even Sheldon, who has lost his earlier Star Trek euphoria and in a rare moment of self-awareness, confesses to having felt like an idiot since the drink was thrown at him. Raj still insists at least they call the car The Enterprise.

Now the girls are sitting in the living room eating Chinese food arguing comic books just like their guys. Bernadette proposes that if Thor picked up the hammer and the Hulk picked up Thor by the rule of transit of properties of picking things up, he picked up the hammer. Penny counters that if she picks up a guy in a bar who picked up a girl and we all leave together, does that mean that she picked up the girl. Amy asks her if that ever happened. As the tired Star Trek enthusiasts return, they hear their ladies arguing and wonder if they have tumbled into an alternate universe where the girls appreciate great literature. If they are in a different reality, they figure that a Star Trek landing party should investigate. Thinking that they might be hostile, they pull out their phasers. Leonard orders to set the phasers for stun because if they vaporize them, he'll never find another girlfriend as pretty as Penny. The guys charge through the door.

Finally the car thieves are driving down the highway loving Sheldon's comments and the quizzes he was giving through the GPS.

Reception
This episode was met with mostly negative reviews from critics.

Oliver Sava of The A.V Club gave the episode a D

Jesse Scheeden of IGN gave the episode a mediocre rating: 5.8 out of 10

Dhruv Rao of The DR Club gave the episode a D+

Trivia

 * The guys portray characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation, specifically in the years 2365 – 2370, as follows: Leonard is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Sheldon is Lieutenant Commander Data, Raj is Lieutenant Worf, and Howard is a Borg drone. Note Sheldon's collar has the appropriate pips of a Lieutenant Commander.
 * Apparently, Brent Spiner's place on Sheldon's mortal enemies list established in The Russian Rocket Reaction did not preclude Sheldon from portraying his android counterpart Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In that episode Leonard revealed Sheldon loves Mr. Data, though, his anger at Brent Spiner prevented him from accepting a signed Data doll.
 * The android Data's quest for humanity contrasts with Sheldon's wish to become an artificial lifeform. Now emulating Data's form as such, Sheldon last appeared as a 'droid', C-3PO, in The Holographic Excitation.
 * Sheldon did not hesitate to refer to Leonard as the Captain of their landing party in The White Asparagus Triangulation.
 * A waitress references "Beam me up, Scotty," with Sheldon retorting, "Scotty was on The Original Series and we're Next Generation, so joke's on you." In The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary, Raj similarly told Sheldon, "You know you keep quoting Wrath of Khan, but he was in Next Generation. It’s a totally different set of characters."
 * Raj jokes they should go with Enterprise Rent-A-Car as the characters they are dressed as served aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D).
 * Leonard, Howard and Raj have once gone to Vasquez Rocks Park in The Adhesive Duck Deficiency (S3E08) with the initial intention to observe meteor shower. The name of the Park is not directly mentioned that time, but Raj reported their location to be 34.48 N, 118.31 W, which exactly set them in this Park.
 * Penny was familiar with the Norse god Thor in The Middle-Earth Paradigm, but this is the first time she acknowledges the Marvel Comics incarnation of Thor. Aside from Sheldon and Howard's reference to the Avenger in said episode, in The Excelsior Acquisition, Leonard stated, "I can’t decide whether I want Stan Lee to autograph my Journey into Mystery 83, first appearance of Thor, or my Fantastic Four number five, first appearance of Dr. Doom."
 * Amy states Thor is a god. While an Æsir in Norse mythology, in the Marvel Universe, he is half-Asgardian, half-Elder God.
 * Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, carries the inscription: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of ... Thor." This indicates the worthiness enchantment. (Refer to the article Drawing Crazy Patterns – Other Characters Lifting Thor’s Hammer and the book Thor: Official Index to the Marvel Universe.)
 * Stuart recommends Fables number one for Amy, saying "...it doesn't objectify or stereotype women". This is probably a reference to Amy's request for "A comic that depicts a woman whose bosom can't be used as a flotation device" in The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition (S5E10).
 * Leonard tells Penny directly that he loves her for the first time since The Wheaton Recurrence 'when she broke up with him partly because he told her. 
 * The painting on the wall behind Penny in the comic book store is The Pandorica Opens, the fictional Vincent van Gogh painting that foretold the explosion of the TARDIS in the Doctor Who episode of the same name.

Reference:
Tapiong Report [1] by Kyzzx.