Help Identifying Random Sci-Fi Chair in the 2023 Season Finale of "Quantum Leap"

[Mark_Nguyen]

(Potential Spoilers for the season finale episode of the 2022-2023 Quantum Leap series, "Judgement Day")

I'm reposting this from the dedicated Quantum Leap thread to get more eyes on it, and will keep this OP as spoiler-free as possible. Please keep the actual show discussion to that thread.

In the finale episode's first couple minutes, a character exits the "imaging chamber" room of the show. On his way out, in the darkness we can see a futuristic chair with a flip-down restraint. I know I've seen it somewhere before but I can't place it. Here's the full screenshot followed by a brightened-up zoom in of the chair in question:

LINK HERE

I'm positive it's a rental from a Hollywood props warehouse and it's not meant to be seen - a leftover from some LA-based production that has since been used as set dressing on other shows like this one. Does anyone have any ideas about where this chair could have been from originally?

Mark

 

[Marc]

(Potential Spoilers for the season finale episode of the 2022-2023 Quantum Leap series, "Judgement Day")

I'm reposting this from the dedicated Quantum Leap thread to get more eyes on it, and will keep this OP as spoiler-free as possible. Please keep the actual show discussion to that thread.

In the finale episode's first couple minutes, a character exits the "imaging chamber" room of the show. On his way out, in the darkness we can see a futuristic chair with a flip-down restraint. I know I've seen it somewhere before but I can't place it. Here's the full screenshot followed by a brightened-up zoom in of the chair in question:

LINK HERE

I'm positive it's a rental from a Hollywood props warehouse and it's not meant to be seen - a leftover from some LA-based production that has since been used as set dressing on other shows like this one. Does anyone have any ideas about where this chair could have been from originally?

Mark

Think it could from a Taelon Jump ships in Earth: Final Conflict - they had the pull down restraint.

My google foo has failed.

searching for taelon shuttle cockpit brings up the space shuttle cockpit.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

I was feeling like this chair was in a sci-fi shuttle of some kind. I just can't place it.

While not unknown to happen, Earth: Final Conflict was filmed in Toronto, and as such their props wouldn't likely make it down to LA easily. Not worth the transport fees only to be occasionally rented out. I think E;FC did have similar seats in the second season onwards though, after some more generic seats + wait restraints in the first one, but I haven't been able to find screencaps online from the other shuttle seats.

Mark

 

[Christopher]

That chair does look familiar, but I can't remember from where.

I tried using Google's Image Search, which apparently is called Google Lens now, and I found this:

https://www.amazon.com/Kirkey-55170-Aluminum-Street-Width/dp/B079Q5T314

It's apparently an automotive seat for drag racers. The seat in the episode looks like it, but with some modifications. I'd guess that some other production bought some of these seats and modified them to look more sci-fi. So that's only half of an answer to your question, I guess.

 

[The Wormhole]

Think it could from a Taelon Jump ships in Earth: Final Conflict - they had the pull down restraint.

My google foo has failed.

searching for taelon shuttle cockpit brings up the space shuttle cockpit.

Are you referring to the Taelon shuttles? That's definitely not the kind of chair they used, where the restraint mechanism was sort of a wraparound one in which when fastened, it also became the back of the chair.

And really, it's been over twenty years since EFC ended, I'd be surprised if anything from that show is still around and ready to be used.

 

[Christopher]

I may have an answer, though I'm not sure. I tried narrowing it down to Universal Television productions, thinking it might be an in-house prop, which led me to Timeless. Here's a photo of the interior of the time machine from that show:

https://www.setdecorators.org/?name...tures&SHOW=SetDecor_features_TIMELESS#group-6

Here are a couple of other shots from Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TimelessSPTV/status/1085670389429096448/photo/1

The seats there are more padded and curvilinear than the one in the QL episode, but they have the same kind of cutouts in the back, so maybe this is what the QL chair is reminding us of, even if it's not the exact same prop.

 

[Marc]

Are you referring to the Taelon shuttles? That's definitely not the kind of chair they used, where the restraint mechanism was sort of a wraparound one in which when fastened, it also became the back of the chair.

And really, it's been over twenty years since EFC ended, I'd be surprised if anything from that show is still around and ready to be used.

Thought they’d used that style at some

I can see the pull down restraint being used but other than thinking of E:FC I’m damned if I can place it

/* edit */

need to check when not on my cell but the shuttles from The Orville just came to mind as the source the for seat in the op.

 

[Christopher]

need to check when not on my cell but the shuttles from The Orville just came to mind as the source the for seat in the op.

The Orville shuttlecraft seats do have similar cutouts in the back, but are much more padded: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/o...re_Finn.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181214101049

I'm starting to think maybe those cutouts are just a common feature in modern automotive seats that get adapted for sci-fi productions, so that's why the seat here looks familiar.

 

[Christopher]

You're not gonna believe this... I found another example of similar chairs without even looking for them. I just happened to spot them in Doctor Who: "The Ghost Monument." https://kissthemgoodbye.net/doctorwho/displayimage.php?album=205&pid=301060

So if chairs with back cutouts like that are showing up in productions made on two continents, they must be a fairly generic item.

 

[Jaster]

Looks similar to the seats in Bubbleships in Oblivion. A few screenshots here: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2013/03/watch-oblivions-bubbleship-in-action/

 

[Non Sync]

I may have an answer, though I'm not sure. I tried narrowing it down to Universal Television productions, thinking it might be an in-house prop, which led me to Timeless. Here's a photo of the interior of the time machine from that show:

https://www.setdecorators.org/?name...tures&SHOW=SetDecor_features_TIMELESS#group-6

Here are a couple of other shots from Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TimelessSPTV/status/1085670389429096448/photo/1

The seats there are more padded and curvilinear than the one in the QL episode, but they have the same kind of cutouts in the back, so maybe this is what the QL chair is reminding us of, even if it's not the exact same prop.

The cut outs are for shoulder harnesses. Provides from body restraint and head protection.

 

[Christopher]

The cut outs are for shoulder harnesses. Provides from body restraint and head protection.

That explains why the cutouts are so common, although in that case it's ironic that the chairs seen in various sci-fi productions never have the harnesses, just the holes. Or if they do have harnesses like the ones seen in the QL chair, they're a different thing that doesn't use the holes. I guess it's an instance of aesthetics overriding practicality.