As his ‘Star Trek’ hero Mr. Spock might say, this is ‘fascinating.’ When Chuck Lorre was asked to define Sheldon Cooper’s sexual orientation on ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ his answer wasn’t gay. It wasn’t straight. Not even asexual or nonsexual or unsexual. Lorre settled on the term ‘other,’ for Sheldon.

Lorre told Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly that Sheldon’s focus is not on the physical; it’s on physics. And when Ausiello asked ‘Big Bang Theory’ star Jim Parsons what he thought, Parsons said that the object of Sheldon’s affection would be the Nobel Prize, not another human being. Hearing the word that Dr. Sheldon Cooper has been awarded the Nobel Prize in theoretical physics would be Sheldon’s turn on. “That’s the warm embrace that he longs for,” said Jim.

This isn’t the first time that questions have arisen about Sheldon’s state of being. Last year there were some saying his lack of interest in human interaction was a sign that he had a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. Lorre and co-creator Bill Prady shot that one down, just like Lorre has blasted the notion of Sheldon’s sexuality, in particular his disinterest in women, as a sign that he’s gay.

While Howard, Raj and Leonard are all in need of sexual healing of the female persuasion, Sheldon’s simply unmoved by sexual desire of any brand. “‘Alternate reality’ is another way of looking at it,” said Lorre. “Characters like Sheldon are drawn to an alternate reality that might be more comforting than the ones they live in. And why modify that? Why not let the character be that unique?”

Sheldon is a unique character, and if he’s like any other being we’ve seen and loved on TV, it might be Mr. Spock. If you recall, no matter how Nurse Chapel tried, Spock was simply uninterested in romantic entanglements. He only displayed real sexual urges in the ‘Amok Time’ episode, and that was strictly biological. Still, TV fans wanted to see Spock in love. And, perhaps, that’s what we’re seeing with Sheldon.

Jim Parsons thinks so. He told Ausiello, “People want to see him cared for in a way that those of us a little more average have been able to experience through love.”

Lorre concluded that “…If touching other human beings of any gender is irrelevant to him, why label the thing? Why can’t there be a third gender – male, female and Sheldon?” Why indeed?

As his ‘Star Trek’ hero Mr. Spock might say, this is ‘fascinating.’ When Chuck Lorre was asked to define Sheldon Cooper’s sexual orientation on ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ his answer wasn’t gay. It wasn’t straight. Not even asexual or nonsexual or unsexual. Lorre settled on the term ‘other,’ for Sheldon.

Lorre told Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly that Sheldon’s focus is not on the physical; it’s on physics. And when Ausiello asked ‘Big Bang Theory’ star Jim Parsons what he thought, Parsons said that the object of Sheldon’s affection would be the Nobel Prize, not another human being. Hearing the word that Dr. Sheldon Cooper has been awarded the Nobel Prize in theoretical physics would be Sheldon’s turn on. “That’s the warm embrace that he longs for,” said Jim.

This isn’t the first time that questions have arisen about Sheldon’s state of being. Last year there were some saying his lack of interest in human interaction was a sign that he had a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. Lorre and co-creator Bill Prady shot that one down, just like Lorre has blasted the notion of Sheldon’s sexuality, in particular his disinterest in women, as a sign that he’s gay.

While Howard, Raj and Leonard are all in need of sexual healing of the female persuasion, Sheldon’s simply unmoved by sexual desire of any brand. “‘Alternate reality’ is another way of looking at it,” said Lorre. “Characters like Sheldon are drawn to an alternate reality that might be more comforting than the ones they live in. And why modify that? Why not let the character be that unique?”

Sheldon is a unique character, and if he’s like any other being we’ve seen and loved on TV, it might be Mr. Spock. If you recall, no matter how Nurse Chapel tried, Spock was simply uninterested in romantic entanglements. He only displayed real sexual urges in the ‘Amok Time’ episode, and that was strictly biological. Still, TV fans wanted to see Spock in love. And, perhaps, that’s what we’re seeing with Sheldon.

Jim Parsons thinks so. He told Ausiello, “People want to see him cared for in a way that those of us a little more average have been able to experience through love.”

Lorre concluded that “…If touching other human beings of any gender is irrelevant to him, why label the thing? Why can’t there be a third gender – male, female and Sheldon?” Why indeed?