Colour photograph of Stephen Hawking with Jim Norton, as Albert Einstein, and John Neville, as Sir Isaac Newton, in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. 1993. In a silver frame.

In an episode of Star Trek, the android Data invites Hawking, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein to play a poker game. Data hopes to witness meaningful conversations about humanity, but instead the three scientists poke fun at each other.

The playful portrayal of Hawking as one of history’s ‘greatest minds’ is a recurring theme throughout his numerous cameo appearances in series such as The Simpsons, Futurama and The Big Bang Theory.

In another episode, in an alternate future experienced by Jean-Luc Picard, Data held the same position at Cambridge University that Hawking and Newton had in previous centuries. He had a copy of Hawking's book, "A Brief History of Time," in his library.