Quantum Leap

Format	Science fiction
Run time	45 minutes per episode
Creator	Donald P. Bellisario, Paul Brown, Deborah Pratt, John Hill, and Tom Blomquist.
Starring	Scott Bakula Dean Stockwell
Country	United States
Network	NBC
Original run	March 26, 1989 – May 5, 1993
No. of episodes	97

This article is about the TV show. For the quantum physics effect, see quantum leap.

Quantum Leap was a science fiction television program which ran from 1989 to 1993 on NBC. It followed the adventures of Dr. Samuel Beckett (played by Scott Bakula), a brilliant theoretical scientist who finds himself abruptly and uncontrollably jumping in time, temporarily switching places with diverse people at various times within his own lifetime, the second half of the 20th century. Logo for the television show Quantum Leap. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania) is an American television producer and scriptwriter. ... Scott Bakula in the 1980s Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer Scott Stewart Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American television actor most famous for his lead role in the series Quantum Leap. ... Dean Stockwell (born March 5, 1936 in North Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... The 1986 Peacock logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... In physics, a quantum leap or quantum jump is a change of atom from one energy state to the next. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The 1986 Peacock logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar. ... Scott Bakula in the 1980s Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer Scott Stewart Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American television actor most famous for his lead role in the series Quantum Leap. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Sam's unintended travels begin when his time travel experiment gets mysteriously co-opted by an unidentified higher power, which uses him (for unknown reasons) to avert tragedies in ordinary people's lives. Sam also suffers from an uneven amnesia, called Swiss-cheesing or (as a technical term in the show's universe) magnafluxing, which prevents him from remembering most of the details of his own life. His only link to his own time is a holographic projection -- usually visible only to Sam -- of his friend Al (played by Dean Stockwell), a U.S. Navy admiral who was the creator and director of the time travel project. The catch phrase used at the beginning of every episode was "Oh boy..." The show's ninety-seven episodes aired on NBC between March 1989 and May 1993. Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... Amnesia is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... This article is about the photographic technique. ... Dean Stockwell (born March 5, 1936 in North Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... An episode is to television and radio what a chapter is to a book: a part of a sequence of a body of work. ... The 1986 Peacock logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

The term holographic projection is taken from the program, although it is not the same as real holography. The show's "hologram" is a three dimensional projection; Al enters an Imaging Chamber in which the image of Al and anything he is touching, e.g., a person or cigar, are visible to Sam and Sam can hear Al speak, and correspondingly events in the past are visible and audible to Al. However, throughout the series, it has been found that animals and young children can see Al. This has been used to Sam's advantage on a few occasions, such as Al soothing a crying child or leading a dog away from Sam. Holography (from the Greek, Όλος-holos whole + γραφή-graphe writing) is the science of producing holograms, an advanced form of photography that allows an image to be recorded in three dimensions. ...

In early episodes of the series, it is unclear whether it is only Sam's mind that leaps (into other people's bodies) or if Sam's mind and body leap together. Subsequent episodes made it clear that both Sam's mind and body leap, and that an 'aura' surrounds him, making him look and sound like whoever he's leaped into (back home, the 'leap-ee' is suffused with a similar aura, and looks/sounds like Sam). Some examples of this include:

• "Nowhere to Run". Sam leaps in as a Vietnam vet who has no legs. However, Sam can still walk, and actually does so in the episode (to outside observers he appeared to be floating in midair).
• "Blind Faith". Sam assumes the life of a blind concert pianist. Sam, however, can still see, and must pretend to be blind in order to complete his mission.
• "8 1/2 Months": Sam poses as a pregnant teenage girl. Sam incredulously asks Al how he could possibly be giving birth, to which Al replies that this is impossible - "it's your body, not hers".
• The conclusion of the 'evil leaper' episodes had a person leaping out, but nobody leaped back in to replace them - they appeared to vanish without a trace (bit difficult to do if it'd been only their mind that leaped). This also happened in the series finale with the character 'Stawpah'.
• If Sam leaps in as somebody who is physically a different size than is Sam's own body, Sam is 'refracted' and temporarily made larger or smaller to fit (similar to the effect of light being refracted through a prism). However a simpler explanation of this would be mere dramatic license.

The series very rarely addressed real historical events, though it often used its "ordinary people" plots to address particular social, political, and spiritual issues. Many episodes depicted Sam dealing with issues characteristic of particular periods, such as civil rights, racism, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. The series strongly favored messages of tolerance and understanding others, aided in large part by the story format, which had the protagonist literally walking in another man's (or, in later episodes, woman's) shoes. In one instance, Sam found himself back in his own childhood in Indiana, with a chance to improve his own family's life. Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... A Black person drinks out of a water fountain designated for black people in 1939 at a streetcar terminal. ... The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War (Vietnamese Chiến Tranh Chống Mỹ Cứu NÆ°á»›c, War Against the Americans to Save the Nation) was a conflict between the [National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam|National Liberation Front]] (NLF, or Viet Cong), which was allied with the... For the generic term for a high-tension rivalry between countries, see cold war (war). ... State nickname: The Hoosier State Other U.S. States Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Governor Mitch Daniels (R) Official languages English Area 94,321 km² (38th)  - Land 92,897 km²  - Water 1,424 km² (1. ...

Only a few times did Sam "leap" into an actual historical figure, the first being Lee Harvey Oswald and the last being Elvis Presley. All these leaps were in the fifth (final) season and were widely believed to be efforts to boost the show's ratings and looked down upon by some fans. However, throughout the series it was common for Sam to leap into a character or situation based fairly obviously on a real person and/or event. Also common were so-called "brushes (or kisses) with history" where Sam would briefly encounter someone famous or a well-known event in a manner usually irrelevant to the story. [1] Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, according to the conclusions of two government investigations into the assassination. ... Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock and Roll or The King, was an American singer and actor. ...

The series (created by Donald Bellisario) was somewhat unusual in that it had a science fiction premise, but little science or fantasy oriented storytelling, instead focusing on the personal journeys of Sam Beckett and those he encounters. Even in its final episode, the show refused to resolve many of its own technical and holistic questions, choosing instead to leave things open-ended and focus tightly on what is arguably the series' overarching message: that a single person can change the world one life at a time. Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania) is an American television producer and scriptwriter. ...

The final episode was in fact intended to be an end-of-season cliffhanger, but after the series was not renewed by the network, it was re-edited to function as the final episode. This may account for some of its ambiguous nature. The original ending had Sam leaping to tell Al's first wife, Beth, that Al was coming home. His Vietnam-era picture begins to "leap" (this is were the final episode cuts off), and then we see a modern picture of Al sitting with Beth and their four daughters. This ending somehow made it out of the studio and has been circulated on the Internet. In the ending that was actually broadcast, we are told that Al was reunited with Beth, that they remained married, and that Sam never returned home. Fans have speculated that this would have erased Project Quantum Leap, Sam and Al's relationship, or Sam himself from the altered timeline; however, the original script and subsequent statements by Bellisario leave all of these intact. Series finale is a promotional/advertising term used to describe the final episode of a television series, usually a sitcom or a drama. ... A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation (for instance, hanging from the edge of a cliff). ...

The Sci-Fi Channel is projected to begin airing a sequel, supposedly called "A Bold Leap Forward" series sometime in 2006. Sci Fi is an American cable television channel, launched in 1992 and currently owned by corporate conglomerate NBC Universal, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In an interesting nod to QL fans, when series star Scott Bakula arrived on the set of his most recent show Star Trek: Enterprise, he jokingly suggested that the middle name of his Trek character (Captain Jonathan Archer) might be Beckett... Scott Bakula in the 1980s Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer Scott Stewart Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American television actor most famous for his lead role in the series Quantum Leap. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... Captain Jonathan Archer Captain Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula, is the captain of the starship Enterprise (NX_01) in the fictional television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ...

A crossover with Magnum, P.I. (also produced by Donald P. Bellisario) was planned, in which Sam would leap into Thomas Magnum himself. Plans for a Magnum, P.I. movie led to the crossover being cancelled, although some footage was filmed, including the initial leaping in sequence, usually put at the end of the preceding episode (the "Oh boy..." bit). This featured Scott Bakula, dressed in Magnum's classic red Aloha shirt, turning towards the camera and comically raising his eyebrows, just as Tom Selleck does at the end of the opening credits to Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. was an American television show that followed the adventures of Thomas Magnum (played by Tom Selleck), a private investigator living in Hawaii. ... Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania) is an American television producer and scriptwriter. ... Scott Bakula in the 1980s Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer Scott Stewart Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American television actor most famous for his lead role in the series Quantum Leap. ... Authentic Aloha shirts are dull in color and are adorned with traditional Hawaiian quilt patterns. ... Selleck at a formal affair, sans his trademark moustache. ...

Home video releases

The front cover of the DVD of the first series of Quantum Leap.

In the 1990s, a few of the episodes were released on VHS. In the United States, these included "The Pilot Episode" ("Genesis"), "Camikazi Kid", "The Color of Truth", "What Price Gloria?", "Catch a Falling Star", "Jimmy", "The Leap Home", "Dreams", and "Shock Theater". In the United Kingdom, they were mostly released in pairs, selling as "The Pilot Episode", "The Color of Truth" and "Camakizi Kid", "Catch a Falling Star" and "Jimmy", "The Leap Home" and "The Leap Home Part II - Vietnam", "The Americanization of Machiko" and "What Price Gloria?", and "Dreams" and "Shock Theater". The front cover for the DVD of the first series of television show Quantum Leap. ... The front cover for the DVD of the first series of television show Quantum Leap. ... // DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... Top view VHS cassette with US Quarter for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed The Video Home System, better known by its acronym VHS, is a recording and playing standard for video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by JVC (with some of its critical technology under lucrative...

1998 brought the DVD release of "The Pilot Episode", containing only the episode "Genesis" and chapter selection. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... // DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

In 2004, the first two seasons of the series were released on DVD. The Region 1 version of "Quantum Leap: The Complete First Season" came out in North America on June 7, 2004, much to the delight of the fans. Containing all of the episodes as they originally aired (except for "Play It Again, Seymour"), along with some bonus features, those who purchased the set were very happy and greatly anticipated the release of season two. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The following is an excerpt of the article entitled DVD. For the sake of convenience, the terms Region 0, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7 and Region 8 redirect to this page. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west...

Unfortunately, Universal was unable to obtain Music Rights for some unknown reason, and many of the songs for "Quantum Leap: The Complete Second Season" were stripped and replaced with generic instrumental music. This outraged many fans and started a letter-writing campaign, demanding such a tragic error to be dealt with. The most devastating aspect was the removal of Ray Charles's Georgia on My Mind from the season-two finalé, "M.I.A.", while Al danced with his first wife, Beth. Season 3 Also Contains replaced music. Universal has several meanings: For the concept of a universal in metaphysics, see Universal (metaphysics). ... Music Rights are legal issues that are encountered when TV Shows or Films using copyrighted music are released on DVD When a song is cleared for usage on a TV Show, the clearance typically only applies to television airings of the show in question. ... Ray Charles at the piano. ... Georgia on My Mind is a song written by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael; it has become the state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. ...

See also: List of Quantum Leap episodes This is a list of Quantum Leap episodes in the order in which they were released. ...

External links

• Quantum Leap at the Internet Movie Database
• A fan-maintained FAQ about Quantum Leap
• Al's Place - A Quantum Leap Fan Site