Quantum Leap: Reboot,Reimagining or Continuation

[Nowhere Man]

I've been watching Quantum Leap on Netflix(I just got it) and here is my thoughts. The show stands up pretty good and it could have lasted a few more years. The writting ddn't get stale, but some of the plot lines were kind of dumb. The evil leaper was kind of silly,but could have been developed. The Sammy Joe Fuller thing didn't make sense, how could Sam's genes have been transfered? Besides all that I don't see any problem with the show and I don't remember why it was cancelled, I was 13 at the time. I don't remember the theme song changing, but aparently it did. In conclusion, I loved this show growing up and I guess we were lucky to get 5 seasons in the 80's or anytime for that matter. My question to you is would you reboot,reimagine or continue the series. I would continue the series with it bieng set in 2012 and Sam leaping into himself. Al is not there and niether is anyone else, just Ziggy. Sam is happy to be home,but confused. Sam asks Ziggy about Al, but she dosen't know anything about him. In walks a young man in his twenties. " Dad? " the young man asks. Sam turns to him and say's " Who are you? ". " I'm Johnathan, Johnathan Beckett, your son." Sam turns to the man and say's " I have a son?, oh boy ".
That's how i would start it off, Sam has changed his own future by helping Al get Beth back. Sam has a son from Danna when he leaped back in the fourth season. His son is now in charge of the project. Sam was finally braught home by using the retreaval method, but it still dosen't work 9 times out of 10. Sam decides to leap in order to find Al, but instead ends up stuck in the past agian. He leaps into a firefighter on Sept. 11th 2001. Sam's Son takes over Al's role. Sam is supposed to save a persons life who originally died when the towers went down. I would update the look of the show with Ziggy and the imaging chamber and the handheld device would be more like an iphone or something.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[tharpdevenport]

I had an idea -- I posted this once at TrekBBS, so it'll be a little mroe refined, but...:


Sam never came home, just as the finale stated. With the cold war coming to a close, and projects like remote viewing being discontinued, it was decided that Project Quantum Leap was a huge financial disaster, wasting multi millions in government money, and thus shut down.


Sammy Joe has continued the work her father was in string theory, even teaching a class at a university. She has never given up the hope of finding her father -- a request her mother gave before dying from, say, a fatal car crash.

9/11 has certain top secret projects being funded, and at a paper written by Sammy Joe suggesting one can "quantum leap" into people and control them -- a very useful tool against terrorists and extremists -- has project Quantum Leap re-evaluated. No one is more versed in the project than our Sammy Joe. And no one is more versed in helping a leaper, and wanting to find Sam, than Al -- retirement ends earlier than expected.

This time there is no premature leaping into the quantum excellorator and prparations are made. But SAmmy enters the quantum excellorator ... and vanishes. Though only a day for her, when Al locates her, it's been a week.

Sammy is put into the same position Sam was -- helping what once went wrong, and people. Occassionally, some of these people are familiar, in fact -- Al tells Sammy some of these folk are ones Sam helped before, like the retarded teen. Seems while Sam fixed things, their lives have goen to shit anyway. Cue the Evil Leapers.

Fighting injustice, Evil Leapers, and hunting down her father are Sammy's goals.

 

[Joy]

Weird how you named Sam's son "Johnathan", with that spelling, 'cause that's what I named his nephew in my fan-script! LOL Great minds think alike!

I think it's interesting how 9/11 constantly gets brought up in discussions about a continuation of QL. In fact, the Trey Calloway script for "Bold Leap Forward" involved 9/11.

Personally, I think if they did a continuation of QL, they should stay away from 9/11. I think it'd just come off as cliche and predictable; because either he can change history and completely change the timeline and therefore break his own rules, or he want to change history but can't, yada yada yada.

I say stick with the "small" stuff. I think that's where things went wrong in the 5th season, was the focus on famous people/events/etc. QL was always at its best when Sam helped the "small people" (to quote the Doctor).

Joy

 

[Nowhere Man]

Weird how you named Sam's son "Johnathan", with that spelling, 'cause that's what I named his nephew in my fan-script! LOL Great minds think alike!

I think it's interesting how 9/11 constantly gets brought up in discussions about a continuation of QL. In fact, the Trey Calloway script for "Bold Leap Forward" involved 9/11.

Personally, I think if they did a continuation of QL, they should stay away from 9/11. I think it'd just come off as cliche and predictable; because either he can change history and completely change the timeline and therefore break his own rules, or he want to change history but can't, yada yada yada.

I say stick with the "small" stuff. I think that's where things went wrong in the 5th season, was the focus on famous people/events/etc. QL was always at its best when Sam helped the "small people" (to quote the Doctor).

Joy

Johnathan was his fathers name, right? Yhat's why I picked it. The reason I picked 9/11 was not to prevent it. QL taught us that certian things can't be changed, Sam couldn't stop Kennedy or Marylin Monroe from dying, but he just happened to be there for other reasons. The episode I came up with would be a firefighter who is there a day before 9/11 and Sam knows nothing about 9/11 until his son informs him. Naturally Sam would want to stop 9/11, but can't and is only there to save a person caught in the rubble or is there to help someone who didn't get evacuated originally. He then saves them and leaps into someone else, thus starting the cycle all over except there is 20 more years of history to play with and a you could have more arcs. Ignoring 9/11 would be almost impossible. I would not do anymore after that. I would also do an Iraq episode where Sam has to stop someone from bieng killed.

 

[tharpdevenport]

I would use 9/11 as a reason to restart, but would NOT have it as a plot in any episode, including leaping into people. No one's going ot want to see him leap into someone and fail to rescue someone from a Twin Tower, or do rescue someone; what makes that person so special than anybody else that died? You want to talk about angry letters to a network...

 

[Agent Richard07]

Personally, I think if they did a continuation of QL, they should stay away from 9/11. I think it'd just come off as cliche and predictable; because either he can change history and completely change the timeline and therefore break his own rules, or he want to change history but can't, yada yada yada.

They could treat 9/11 the way they treated JFK's assassination. What they did there was a good twist.

Spoiler: Quantum Leap and JFK

Kennedy's death wasn't prevented, but Jackie, who originally died, was saved. Maybe in a 9/11 scenario, some other disater could be prevented.

I say stick with the "small" stuff. I think that's where things went wrong in the 5th season, was the focus on famous people/events/etc. QL was always at its best when Sam helped the "small people" (to quote the Doctor).

I was sick and tired of the small stuff and seeing the 1950s and 60s south week after week, year after year. I thought the show only got good in season 5. I haven't seen the show all the way through since it went off the air though, so I don't know how I'd feel about the changes now.

I do, however, maintain that giving Sam a mysterious counterpart with the "evil leaper" was a fantastic idea. It was far from silly.

 

[Reverend]

They could treat 9/11 the way they treated JFK's assassination. What they did there was a good twist.

Like have him leap onto Flight 93 and be the one that instigated the cockpit rush? I don't know, I think even now it's a little too soon for that.

As for reboot vs. continuation, with all the changes Sam's made to the timeline a new one can be both. Hell, if you don't mind dodging the paradox, Sam's version of 1999 could have never happened (hence the distinct lack of holograms and funky light up accessories) and spin it off from "our" early 21st century.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Like have him leap onto Flight 93 and be the one that instigated the cockpit rush?

I like the idea of working in real events like that, but then again it could also be seen as diminishing the efforts of real people. Creating some other 9/11 related disaster and stopping that might be the way to go.

I don't know, I think even now it's a little too soon for that.

You're right. That's another big concern.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The Sammy Joe Fuller thing didn't make sense, how could Sam's genes have been transfered?

The same way it always happens. Sam is the biological father of Sammy Jo.

Contrary to what you may have thought, Sam did not leap into other people's bodies. He kept his, all the time.

As for QL itself: Continuation. You cannot have QL without Scott Bakula. The show depends on his nice-guy image. There's no other actor who can do it like he can. Also, I don't see him having the kind of friendly chemistry with anyone other than Dean Stockwell. Fortunately, they both seem up for the idea of a QL reunion. I think they'd gladly do one if asked.

I would use 9/11 as a reason to restart, but would NOT have it as a plot in any episode, including leaping into people. No one's going ot want to see him leap into someone and fail to rescue someone from a Twin Tower, or do rescue someone; what makes that person so special than anybody else that died? You want to talk about angry letters to a network...

In fact I think that's already been done:

Spoiler: a show

AFAIK, Fringe takes place partly in an alternate universe where 9/11 never happened.

 

[Nowhere Man]

The Sammy Joe Fuller thing didn't make sense, how could Sam's genes have been transfered?

The same way it always happens. Sam is the biological father of Sammy Jo.

Contrary to what you may have thought, Sam did not leap into other people's bodies. He kept his, all the time.

As for QL itself: Continuation. You cannot have QL without Scott Bakula. The show depends on his nice-guy image. There's no other actor who can do it like he can. Also, I don't see him having the kind of friendly chemistry with anyone other than Dean Stockwell. Fortunately, they both seem up for the idea of a QL reunion. I think they'd gladly do one if asked.

I would use 9/11 as a reason to restart, but would NOT have it as a plot in any episode, including leaping into people. No one's going ot want to see him leap into someone and fail to rescue someone from a Twin Tower, or do rescue someone; what makes that person so special than anybody else that died? You want to talk about angry letters to a network...

In fact I think that's already been done:

Spoiler: a show

AFAIK, Fringe takes place partly in an alternate universe where 9/11 never happened.

I was never under any other impression other than Sam did Leap into other people's bodies hence the image he saw in the mirror and what other people saw. That what alway's the idea throughout the show and even in the opening monolouge. What gives you the idea that Sam kept his body? how could it work when he lept into Women and kids and even a monkey. It was more like his soul or his essence bieng transfered. I do agree that Bakula and Stockwell work well together I think they would have to find someone else instead of Stockwell because of his age. Bakula could work well with another actor I think.

 

[Nowhere Man]

Personally, I think if they did a continuation of QL, they should stay away from 9/11. I think it'd just come off as cliche and predictable; because either he can change history and completely change the timeline and therefore break his own rules, or he want to change history but can't, yada yada yada.

They could treat 9/11 the way they treated JFK's assassination. What they did there was a good twist.

Spoiler: Quantum Leap and JFK

Kennedy's death wasn't prevented, but Jackie, who originally died, was saved. Maybe in a 9/11 scenario, some other disater could be prevented.

I say stick with the "small" stuff. I think that's where things went wrong in the 5th season, was the focus on famous people/events/etc. QL was always at its best when Sam helped the "small people" (to quote the Doctor).

I was sick and tired of the small stuff and seeing the 1950s and 60s south week after week, year after year. I thought the show only got good in season 5. I haven't seen the show all the way through since it went off the air though, so I don't know how I'd feel about the changes now.

I do, however, maintain that giving Sam a mysterious counterpart with the "evil leaper" was a fantastic idea. It was far from silly.

The thing that made it somewhat silly was the thought of where did the evil leaper come from? Was some other project that just so happened to have the same exact idea , but instead thought that you had to do evil things in order to leap home. One way it could make sense is if the future was so messed up that they thought they needed to change things in order to make the future better. It would be interesting to see Alia and Sam run into each other and eventually go home together. sam's wife would have to leave eventually and the GOV. would lose interest too.

 

[TemporalFlux]

was never under any other impression other than Sam did Leap into other people's bodies hence the image he saw in the mirror and what other people saw. That what alway's the idea throughout the show and even in the opening monolouge. What gives you the idea that Sam kept his body?

There was actually a season five episode that clearly showed Sam kept his body, and the characters talked about it. The episode "Nowhere to Run" had Sam leap into the life of a Vietnam vet who had both legs amputated; but Sam jumps out of the wheelchair to save someone, and to the onlooker's perspective, they saw a legless man suddenly floating in mid air.

The episode with the chimp also talked about Sam having to be careful not to reveal he could do things the chimp shouldn't be capable of; and the pregnant woman episode had repeated comments from Al about how it was physically impossible for Sam to feel the baby or have a baby (even though Sam claimed he was).

The concept of leaping was that Sam kept the "aura" of the person he was replacing. Personally, I've always speculated that when Sam activated the Quantum Leap Accelerator, he tanlged himself up with an actual guardian angel that was nearby (possibly even one that was trying to save Sam from the consequences of activating the Accelerator).

The angel idea would go along with the concept of the poem "Footprints in the Sand"; in the walk of life with God, a person's footprints in the sand disappeared during times of great trouble, and God explained it was because during those times He carried the person. Another way of looking at it is those times in your life when you make it through a serious trial and look back amazed that you were able to do it. Did you truly do it alone?

The guardian angel thought would also explain why Sam seemed to keep entering someone's life at a pivotal point. Coincidence? Even Sam believed God was guiding him.

In any case, it's always fun to imagine ways to fill in some blanks; but the series did explicitly say that Sam kept his body during a leap.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ There was also that early episode where Sam leaped in as the blind concert pianist. He could still see, though. (It wasn't until a camera flash went off in his face that he was temporarily blinded.)

 

[tharpdevenport]

I do, however, maintain that giving Sam a mysterious counterpart with the "evil leaper" was a fantastic idea. It was far from silly.

Completely agree. I think the writers handled it a be too campy, but with some seriousness, it would have worked wonders for later episodes, had the series continued.

Even the producers of "7 Days" had the Devil come in.

 

[KB24]

Why not leave it alone? I think there are plenty of viewers out there who never discovered the original. Dont' taint them with a bad remake. Everything is being remade or rebooted or copied from something foreign. How about a new time travel show that's maybe has a similar premise. Oh, wait, NBC blew that chance with Journeyman.

 

[felixofgolden]

It *was* "rebooted/reimagined", it was called Journeyman.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

I wonder if something more could be done with the "Evil Leaper" concept though.

At some point farther in the future (maybe 10 years from "present day" or so) Project Quantum Leap ran out of funding, was shut down and subsequently taken over by some corrupt organization/government agency/corporation. They managed to develop the technology further. Now they're able to control the leaps to some extent. They can can more or less determine to which year someone leaps (although sometimes this still goes wrong) and they can bring their leapers back home. And they start to use the technology to change history for their own purposes.

Sam's (or an other lead character's) mission would be to thwart the "evil leapers" attempts to manipulate history. He would also try to change the timeline in a way that Project Quantum Leap is never taken over by the bad guys in the first place. To raise the stakes a bit, let's say that Al (or whatever the lead character's companion is) will be murdered by the bad guys when they take over the project ten years from "now". That's the "big" wrong he tries to right during the course of the show.

The problem is that Sam and Al don't even know who is gonna takeover the project. So while leaping through history, Sam still tries to find out who will be responsible in the beginning of the show. Another concept would be that leapers are somehow connected and drawn to each other. This is to explain why Sam and an evil leaper often end up in the same time and place.

Of course, there would still be room for standalone episodes not involving the "evil leapers" in any way. It's a matter of debate how story arc-driven the show should be exactly... should it be more like "Lost" or more like "Fringe"?

 

[Nowhere Man]

I wonder if something more could be done with the "Evil Leaper" concept though.

At some point farther in the future (maybe 10 years from "present day" or so) Project Quantum Leap ran out of funding, was shut down and subsequently taken over by some corrupt organization/government agency/corporation. They managed to develop the technology further. Now they're able to control the leaps to some extent. They can can more or less determine to which year someone leaps (although sometimes this still goes wrong) and they can bring their leapers back home. And they start to use the technology to change history for their own purposes.

Sam's (or an other lead character's) mission would be to thwart the "evil leapers" attempts to manipulate history. He would also try to change the timeline in a way that Project Quantum Leap is never taken over by the bad guys in the first place. The raise the stakes a bit, let's say that Al (or whatever the lead character's companion is) will be murdered by the bad guys when they take over the project ten years from "now". That's the "big" wrong he tries to right during the course of the show.

The problem is that Sam and Al don't even know who is gonna takeover the project. So while leaping through history, Sam still tries to find out who will be responsible in the beginning of the show. Another concept would be that leapers are somehow connected and drawn to each other. This is to explain why Sam and an evil leaper often end up in the same time and place.

Of course, there would still be room for standalone episodes not involving the "evil leapers" in any way. It's a matter of debate how story arc-driven the show should be exactly... should it be more like "Lost" or more like "Fringe"?

That would work, I alway's look at the Evil leapers as a currupt government/corperation program that also went wrong and they thought they had to ruin peoples lives in order to get home. It seemed like Zoey had more at stake than Al did as if her life was at stake too. What I mean is if Sam is lost Al will not be,but Zoey may have had her life on the line because the currupt corperation wanted things done thier way. I think the time should be 2012 and the evil leapers have brought about the break down of civilization and armagedon is looming on the horizon, so in a sense Sam has to change the past in order to save the future and undo all that the evil leapers have done. I also think Sam should be able to leap outside of his own lifetime more,not all the time,but some times.

 

[bluedana]

Where did the Evil Leapers come from? I have a theory...

In the episode "Starlight, Starbright," Sam, under sodium pentothal, reveals his true identity to some shady government agents. What if that information made its way to an alternate project, and that project were used for evil purposes (or even hijacked by the "Devil" the way Project Quantum Leap was hijacked by GodTimeFateWhatever)? Then you'd have Leapers going back in time specifically to mess things up, in contrast with Sam who goes back in time to set them right.

 

[Nowhere Man]

^ sounds like a good explanation except what does Satan need a time machine,I prefer to think of the evil leapers as a currupted government project. What does God need a time machine for also? I like the explanation though.