Raj Koothrappali
The Big Bang Theory history
Rajesh “Raj” Koothrappali is a New Delhi-born astrophysicist who studied at the University of Cambridge before moving to Pasadena to work at Caltech. He came from a wealthy family and often spoke with his parents by video chat from India.
During the early years of The Big Bang Theory, Raj was unable to speak to women unless he had been drinking due to selective mutism. He eventually overcame this, but continued to struggle with confidence, loneliness and his search for a lasting relationship.
Raj’s closest friendship was with Howard Wolowitz, and he remained a regular presence in Howard and Bernadette’s family life, helping during Bernadette’s pregnancies and becoming godfather to their daughter Halley. When Howard was in space, Raj became closer to Stuart, helping bring Stuart further into the group beyond his role as the comic book store owner.
Professionally, Raj received attention for his discovery of a planetary object beyond the Kuiper belt and later hosted shows at the Griffith Planetarium. By the end of The Big Bang Theory, Raj was the only one of his friends who remained single.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe history
101 “Spoiler: Gary Dies”
When we meet Raj in 101 “Spoiler: Gary Dies”, he is being held prisoner inside Caltech. Stuart, Denise and Bert encounter him locked in what was once Bert’s geology lab after they are captured trying to infiltrate the university. With a heavy beard, an unkempt appearance and a paranoid manner, Raj has clearly been altered by his years in captivity.
Raj explains that Sheldon, Leonard and Howard built a vari-state quantum interference device, which malfunctioned and altered reality. He believes the world can be set right if they can reach the device, but warns that Caltech is controlled by the “Evil One”, eventually revealed to be Barry Kripke, now the Grand Caliph of South Pasadena. Raj’s imprisonment and the harsh realities of this universe have left him cynical and fatalistic, especially after his wife was eaten by one of the giant moths that haunt this reality on their honeymoon.
After Bert realizes they can use the geology samples in his old lab to escape, Raj joins Stuart and Bert on an explosive mission through Caltech to find the device. When the group finally gets to the machine, Raj attempts to reconfigure it, but Kripke shoots him before he can finish. In this universe, Raj dies before he can tell Stuart how to reset reality, leaving the others to continue the mission without him.
106 “Spoiler: Corn is Delicious”
When we meet Raj in 106 “Spoiler: Corn is Delicious”, he is living in a reality that closely resembles the “before times”, except that humans evolved from cows. The astrophysicist has become a street-corner doomsayer, standing on a soapbox and warning passers-by that the universe is collapsing.
Stuart and Denise, who have decided to remain in this “close enough” reality rather than continue their universe-hopping mission, are pleased to discover that Raj is alive here. After Stuart asks what he is doing, Raj steps down from his soapbox and recognizes the pair as his friends.
Raj asks whether they are familiar with GN-z11, which he describes as the most distant galaxy visible through the Hubble Space Telescope. When Raj explains that the entire galaxy has disappeared, Denise asks how that is possible. Stuart suggests that the telescope might have some “schmutz” on it, prompting an indignant Raj to insist that the Hubble does not have schmutz.
According to Raj, GN-z11 is not the only thing missing: the Triangulum Galaxy and the Hyperion proto-supercluster have also vanished. He has tried warning JPL, NASA and the White House, but they all dismissed him as crazy. Raj says that entire star systems are disappearing from the edge of the universe and that everything they know and love will eventually be gone.
When Denise asks how much time remains, Raj answers that they have only three or four hundred years. Stuart is unconcerned, pointing out that everyone alive now will be dead by then anyway. Raj implores them to consider their “great, great, great…” grandchildren. Although Raj fails to instill his sense of existential dread in Stuart and Denise, the conversation does prompt them to consider starting a family in this universe.
After Raj insists that the universe is ending and there is nothing anyone can do about it, Stuart and Denise remain unbothered. They tell him that it was good to see him before continuing on their way. Raj returns to his soapbox and resumes warning the public, shouting, “We’re all going to die!”
Although Raj’s warning does not initially sway Stuart, its significance becomes clearer after Stuart Prime confronts him. Stuart comes to accept that abandoning his mission and allowing the multiverse to collapse would mean an infinite number of lives being lost across an infinite number of universes. He eventually decides to resume his mission and venture into the next reality.
This page has been updated up to episode 106 Spoiler: Corn is Delicious