SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the series premiere of “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” now streaming on HBO Max.
“Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” now available on HBO Max, begins in a post-apocalyptic version of Pasadena. In this alternate reality, the landscape is marked by zombie hands emerging from the ground, giant moths causing chaos, and random tears in the fabric of reality acting as portals to unknown parts of the galaxy. The few survivors trade their remaining canned goods to survive.
The only business still functioning is Stuart Bloom’s comic book shop, a familiar spot from “The Big Bang Theory.” Played by Kevin Sussman, Stuart finds his store no longer typical, as disagreements among customers quickly turn fatal. This chaos sets the stage for a parallel universe’s Stuart to arrive, initiating the protagonist’s journey to save the universe.
According to an alternate version of Stuart, characters Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard from “The Big Bang Theory” created a quantum interference device that altered reality. Stuart, with Bert (Brian Posehn), embarks on a mission to locate this device at Cal Tech. Along the way, they reconnect with Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and find that Kripke (John Ross Bowie) has become a villainous gang leader in control of the San Gabriel Valley. They also encounter Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who has been imprisoned by Kripke and is eager to assist in repairing the device.
Despite being captured, Bert uses his geology skills to make bombs from rocks and water, allowing them to reach the device. However, Kripke kills Raj, and the device activates, transporting Stuart, Bert, and Kripke to another universe.
The scientific basis of the show’s multiverse is questioned, with Sussman crediting co-creator Bill Prady for understanding where science fits in. “There’s a lot of quantum physics in the show,” Sussman says, noting Prady’s expertise in quantum physics theory. “It’s popular theory, but it’s legit,” he remarks, adding that the concept involves not just parallel universes but also a touch of time travel.
Sussman mentions that understanding the quantum physics theory was helpful during filming specific scenes.
“I look forward to people on Reddit dissecting what’s happening,” he adds, acknowledging that everything can be debated. “I would try to poke holes in it on set, and Bill always walked me through. ‘No, see, the reason why this does make sense is A, B, and C.'”
Prady explains that the device built by Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard seems to have shifted the main characters to a universe with a distinct history, including an apocalyptic event occurring between “The Big Bang Theory” and the show’s current timeline.
“The Einsteinian issue that time is a fourth dimension comes into play here,” he says. “The device’s malfunction alters reality, creating a new past. When we meet them in the first episode, the apocalypse is some years ago, a result of the alteration. Both the past, present, and future are altered from what they should have been.”
Prady raises the question of whether the universe they leave behind still exists or is being restructured as they move between universes.
“That’s ambiguous, and they don’t know, and we don’t know,” he says. For instance, with Kripke having killed Raj, this doesn’t seem good. But in Episode 2, it will be suggested that either the universe they just left no longer exists, meaning Raj was never killed because he never existed there, or they are dealing with an infinite number of universes, making the death of one Raj relatively insignificant.
The branching theory of multiverses suggests every quantum event could go one way or another, resulting in a branch where both universes coexist. This theory implies the universe divides at every decision point, leading to an exponentially growing number of universes. This concept touches on the unsettling idea that some infinities are larger than others, mathematically true yet conceptually challenging. Since the Big Bang, infinite parallel universes have been multiplying with each passing moment. This blend of science and pseudoscience forms the foundation of the show’s narrative.”
Prady humorously comments, “How useless is that?”
However, this serves as a reminder that while “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” may be science fiction, it remains grounded in some aspects.
“When I was teaching at USC, and someone had a project involving fantasy elements, I’d say the most important rule in writing fantasy is that the rules you create must be as real as the laws of physics. They must be consistent and always the same,” he explains.
Prady uses “Bewitched” as an example, noting its arbitrary rule that only the witch who casts the spell can remove it. “It’s based on nothing, but it keeps every ‘Bewitched’ episode from being three minutes long,” he says. “Without that rule, Endora would give Darrin donkey ears, and Samantha would remove them, and we’d be done. Now, can your universe be raggedy around the edges? 100%. And that’s ‘Doctor Who.’ The rules are there, but sometimes they don’t quite work out, and the Doctor will explain.”
In terms of multiverses, the concept has been solidified in pop culture by Marvel films, “Rick and Morty,” “Dark Matter,” and more. “The reason multiverses have similar stories is that the notion exists mathematically. Concepts like string theory touch on that, allowing you to build off what has permeated through general consciousness.”
Prady acknowledges that not everything makes sense, and he takes pride in the characters recognizing this.
“An online user conducted a scientific analysis of what must be happening in this show, detailing the various scientific multiverse theories we draw from,” Prady says. “It was dense science. It states there’s an infinite number of multiverses. So, we should send that article to HBO Max and say, ‘look, there’s a scientific basis for additional seasons!'”
