Talk:Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)/Archive 1

message: I'm not personally understanding why the "frequent critics" don't understand that just understanding a language would not allow you to fit into a foriegn culture... Seems like Sam had enough trouble instantly assimilating and faking identities without having to do it in a completely unfamiliar country, even if he did know the language (not to mention the problem of dialects). 24.130.61.61 03:39, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Criticism

message: I wonder, does anyone know why the character was given such an odd name? That is, why does he share his name with Samuel Beckett? It seems certain to be intentional.
Matthew Platts 14:39, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Samuel Beckett 

message: Wasn't it Sam that started the project, and then took Al on, effectively saving his life? I seem to recall this being explained. Something about Sam finding Al attacking a vending machine, being just angry at just life in general, and so forth... Ereinion June 30, 2005 09:21 (UTC)
:That is the general gist of it, though I can't recall if the vending machine story is right. --24.177.143.86 02:07, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes if I remember correctly, Al had a fight with (Tina) I believe and Sam found him Drunk and kicking a vending machine becouse it ate his money. --Chad 06:24, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Project Quantum Leap

message: In regards to the line: "However, throughout the series, it has been found that animals and young children can see Al." Mentally unbalanced/disturbed people can see Al as well - This was shown in the "Shock Therapy" episode, if memory serves. (an anonymous lurker)
:Al mentions something about "innocent minds" being able to see him in the episode Last Dance Before An Execution during the church scene with the little girl. I don't remember the exact quote, but it basically comes down to children, animals, and a few select others like the mental institute paitents. Glendale2x 06:46, 1 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  A minor correction 

message: One issue that never seemed to be explained in the show is what happens with the person who switched places with Sam returns to their own time and place. Do they remember everything Sam did as though they had done it? Or do they run around ranting about suddenly appearing in some waiting room, and spending several days there? Emcee2k 00:03, November 5, 2005 UTC
:We've heard from Al that they show are in the waiting room while Sam is in their life.  But you do have a good question.  I think that it would take a trip to the same place and time to ask said person.  I know there were some episodes where Sam was in the same time and place as a different person, but was this ever brought up? Val42 00:27, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  The 'leapee' 

message: I am skeptical about the accuracy of the final sentences in the article: "The 'Quantum Leap: The Complete Third Season' DVD appears to have all of the original songs. However, in the DVD's closed captioning, the song's lyrics aren't shown, implying that the studio may not have had the rights to the lyrics."  I was under the assumption that Season 3 had music replacement as well (see http://www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/mediapages/dvdseasonthree.htm).  It seems that an older versions of this article (early August 2005) specified that Season 3 also had music replacement. (Interestingly, the Al's Place website also notes that the Season 2, Region 2 DVDs (UK) contain the original music.)--GregRM 00:59, 1 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Just a note for the sake of clarity and completeness: I removed the sentences on Dec. 9, 2005 . I forgot to note this on the Discussion page at the time I made the change.--GregRM 23:41, 17 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Season 3 Music 

message: In several places the Quantum Leap Project was described as traveling within one's own lifetime.  It is even mentioned in Futureboy and Al's talk to the politicians that the time period used in the project is from birth to death.  My question is, did Sam ever leap to his own future?  I don't recall that he ever did, and the dates given in the Wikipedia's episode list indicate that he did not.  Did they ever explain why?  Was this a topic they were going to explore but ran out of time when the series came to an abrupt halt?--71.56.109.16 02:12, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I believe that this was mentioned during a Q & A and posted on a site that's linked in the article. Without even looking, I can recall one good explanation - that Sam's objective is to fix what once went wrong. Hence the future is not set like the past is. So any work on correcting any "mistakes" in the future would actually not be known as Al and the Project are in the "present," and it'll be impossible to figure out what affect there's been future if it hadn't been written yet. Not to mention that Sam would be clueless as to what to do if he landed in, oh, 2009 because Ziggy would have no record on anything in the period because it hadn't occured yet. I believe that if he landed in the future, he'd be lost in more than one way. In fact, an alternate ending to the last episode (scripted, but not certain that it was filmed), had Al forcing to leap himself in order to find Sam, as he had leapt into the future. Not sure if that's where they were going to, or if this was a tossed away idea dropped for creative reasons. I hope that helps. --Bacteria 03:30, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Travel to the Future? 

message: I'm watching the first episode and have already made one edit to multiple paragraphs.  I turned on the subtitles for where Al explains to Sam how he (Sam) can see and hear him (Al).  I put in the quotation with the spelling as in the subtitles and made approiate links.  But I haven't found a definition of "otic" or sound-alike spellings.  I'm assuming that it has something to do with hearing (because of context and what it sounds like), so I linked to the appropriate article.  But do the subtitles have the wrong word, or is this just a word obscure enough to not be where I've looked so far? Val42 01:19, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: No, what it sounds like and what the subtitle says is the same thing: "... optic and otic nerve."  I even tried "audic" because that sounds like it is the same root as "audible", etc.  "auric" sounds like it could be it, but it means "of, relating to, or derived from gold".  "audial" or "aural" have the correct definitions, but what was said isn't close enough to either.  What was said definitely sounded like it was the "otic" that they put in the subtitle.  Do we change the quotation because Scott Bakula mispronounced it then they mis-subtitled it?  I think that we could if we had a script, but short of that, I think that we go with what was said and try to make a correct link.  Val42 05:33, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: "Otic" is correct; it's from the Greek root oto-, "ear", as in otolaryngology — the ear, nose and throat speciality.  It is a major nerve involved in the reception of hearing. Canonblack 03:39, 12 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Otic does refer to the ear, but I'm not familiar with an "otic nerve".  Perhaps they were trying for CN VIII, the Vestibularcochlear nerve 76.175.176.156 (talk) 07:23, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Otic nerve?

message: Why is the big section on whether it's Sam's mind or body that leaps under the section on "Criticism"? The show makes it fairly clear that it's his body, not his mind, that leaps, and none of what appears in that section appears to contradict that.
Similarly, why is his leap into the younger Al mentioned under there? It has no connection. Kimpire
Added: Heck, pretty much *nothing* under the "Criticism" section is actually critical of the show... it's more like "Liner notes". -Kimpire
- Agreed. The latest ("Sam leaped into Al") is not a criticism... I'm going to RV that. Lordwow 15:16, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Criticism

message: The section about leaps being outside of Sam's lifetime is presented as a criticism.  However, it talks about it "only" happening two times.  I would suggest either moving it to the Trivia section or remove the word "only" if it is being presented as a criticism.  (I'm not sure which would be more appropriate.)--GregRM 02:05, 2 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Paragraph about leaping outside of Sam's lifetime under Criticism 

message: Some mention should be made to this.  In the Lee Harvey Oswald episode, Al says that Sam's swiss-cheesed brain doesn't remember that in the original history, JFK's wife was also killed in the assassination, and that Sam leapt in to protect her.  Thus, we must be living in the universe which contains only Sam's corrections, and the universe in which the series is set must be an alternate.  This would also conform nicely to Hawking's Chronology Protection conjecture:
"In layman's terms, anyone travelling into the past would actually travel into the past of an identical and alternate universe; thus, any change they make would not affect the universe they came from (preserving the chronology of subsequent events), but only the alternate universe, where any 'changes' would be part of the original timeline."  Discuss. Burns flipper 11:08, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: There are many theories of time travel.  Unless it was said in the context of the series, we can't put it in the article. Val42 04:48, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Quantum Leap inhabits a different universe 

message: A bit of explanation for the changes I'm making now:
1) Because nobody objected, I've changed the heading to "notes". Changing bits of the paragraphs that directly mention "critism" is to make it more in line with the rest of the subject ("one common criticism" instead of "another" because there hadn't been any.)
 
2) I updated bits about him leaping out of country (it was missing an example). I removed the bit about it having nothing to do with any deity because, even with Al the Bartender, says who?
3) I redid some parts of the "why doesn't Sam contact himself and prevent Quantum Leap from taking place". I took out a lot of the overly-speculative bits, added some of my own, and changed factually-incorrect bits and some bad grammar. The bit about "everyone has to believe Sam is who he is" is proved incorrect in later episodes, such as the one with the psychic and the serial killer in San Francisco (Sam is a TV journalist in the episode; I don't remember the title offhand but it had "Eyes" in it.) I still feel the paragraph should be removed altogether, as it's speculative to the extreme.
4) I moved the brushes-with-history paragraph into the notes section.
If anybody doesn't like something I did, let me know, we can work something out :) Kimpire 21:52, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Changing "Criticism" 

message: Regarding the following paragraph from the "Notes" section:
:However, despite the fact that Al usually sees Sam as Sam and not the leapee, there have been instances where Al changes the frequency in the holographic chamber to see Sam as the leapee. This was mostly seen in the episode What Price, Gloria!, where Al becomes smitten with Sam's appearance as a woman.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Al essentially always saw Sam as the person he leaped into.  Likewise, I thought the person in the waiting room appeared to be Sam (except to the audience).  Can someone who has recently seen the relevant episodes confirm or refute the existing description in the article?--GregRM 23:43, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I just found this description from Al's Place that seems to clarify the issue somewhat...the relevant questions in the FAQ are #17 and #18. --GregRM 23:51, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  How Al sees Sam 

message: I recently read an MSN blurb entitled "Lost before 'Lost'" by Robert Isenberg. In the article, the author discusses "Past shows about stranded people and how they got back to civilization." The following quote comes from the paragraph about Quantum Leap:
     Critically acclaimed and widely beloved, "Quantum Leap" actually
     earned a true finale, when Sam finds his own body, but long 
     before he met his wife and fathered his daughter -- a real 
     shocker for the series' fans.
This description of the finale appears to be at odds with Wikipedia's description.  Could someone clarify this for me??
:It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, to be honest. The reference about how he "finds his own body" maybe related to how he doesn't leap into anyone in the last episode. I'm assuming that the "shocker" is the information given in the last frame, written onscreen, about how it states that Sam never returned home. Not sure what they mean exactly concerning how it occured "long before" his wife and daughter, unless they're talking about an actualised timeline, as the bulk of the episode takes place on Sam's day of birth. At least that's how the finale happened, regardless of how Mr. Isenberg interpreted and/or remembers it. --Bacteria 21:20, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Finale confusion 

message: I remember a series of comics and also some Quantum Leap novels.. could someone add a paragraph talking about them?
203.113.239.139 07:42, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I just added a section on the comics, with brief synopses and a cover image. HalJor 01:45, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comics and Novels? 

message: Will Season 5 be released on DVD?
:Yes, I expect that Season 5 will be released on DVD (in Region 1/US anyway; I don't know about the other regions).  Season 4 had a coupon insert for Season 5, which expires Dec. 1, 2006, suggesting that Season 5 will be released before then.--GregRM 22:10, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I should emphasize however that my expectation is based on the presence of the coupon; other than this, I am not aware of any official announcement or confirmation that it will be released.--GregRM 22:20, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

text: According to here, amazon.com, and here, the fifth season (Region 1) will be released November 14, 2006.--GregRM 20:54, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Season 5 DVD? 

message: Rather than edit war between a questionable word and an equally questionable phrase ("themself" vs. "them self"), I've changed the wording to use something else entirely: "him- or herself".  It's awkward but less so than reverting back and forth between the others.  For the record, "themself" has a long history of usage, while "them self" doesn't really make sense (one wouldn't say "him self", "her self", or "one self" in this context).  See Singular they.  Powers 02:07, 28 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  themself 

message: The episode where Sam encounters the Devil is not a dream. Though it shows Sam being knocked unconscious in the beginning, it also shows him covering consciousness shortly thereafter. He defeats the Devil (in his physical manifestation as Al, Sam can hurt him) and leaps back to the beginning of the leap. He successfully saves a man who would have fallen to his death had Sam not known what was going to happen from his encounter with the Devil.
In the episode where Sam encounters Al's wife, Al does not give up trying to change history for his own benefit. Sam makes Al tell him what his true mission is when he realizes that Beth is Al's wife and (inconveniently) remembers that one of the rules of Project Quantum Leap is that its participants will not change history for their own benefit. His swiss-cheese memory prevents him from remembering that he has made changes that personally benefit him such as getting the woman who left him at the alter to marry him.
Though I agree with the claim that God is shown to be controlling the project, I would not say "MIA" supports this. Beth doesn't keep showing up by chance. Al keeps egging Sam on to return to her and not leave her with "that nozzle."
Again, though in general Sam leaps with his body and his mind, "8 1/2 months" is an unclear example because Sam goes into labor. Al refuses to believe this could happen but Sam says, "I'm having this baby!"Zziggyyy 01:57, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Regarding the Devil episode ("Yin and yang...good and bad...God...in the flesh so to speak"), I feel the same way. Sam can touch him, Al even says "Sam, if you can touch him, you can hurt him". It was not a dream, he was just sent back to the beginning. The only question I have is...how does he go back to the beginning? Does God save him, or does some other phenomenon occur? -- RattleMan 05:53, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

text: Adding a new section to the middle of a talk page makes it hard to find.  Please place them at the end.  Also, please sign your talk posts with ~~~~.  Thanks!  Powers 14:36, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  More corrections 

message: Sorry for my error regarding 1999 vs. 1995 for the year for the first leap, and thanks to Jsteph for correcting and explaining it. I could have sworn there was text saying 1999 at the bottom of the screen for the first scene of the pilot episode, where Al is driving in the "present". However, I rewatched the episode on DVD and saw that it didn't say anything like this. Was there perhaps an episode in a later season where it said 1999 on the screen for a scene in the "present"? (Besides "Mirror Image", the final episode.)--GregRM 00:47, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: this FAQ answer explains the dates pretty well. Lordwow 00:50, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Year for First Leap 

message: Someone who remembers the details needs to add an item about this... During the series' original run, it was one of the series chosen by the network to do a ratings-building gimmick in which the repeats were shown EVERY night for a week in the summer (this would have been summer 1988, based on my visual recall of where I was living). This is, incidentally, how I got interested in the show. ABC did a similar thing by showing "Full House" twice a week. Does anyone know of an article on this (type of) gimmick? I can't remember if it had a name; in the case of QL, they may simply have called it "Quantum Leap Week" or something like that. Lawikitejana 18:55, 16 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Multiple showings in one week 

message: Add  * Support  or  * Oppose  on a new line followed by a brief explanation, then sign your opinion using ~~~~.
* Support.  Quantum Leap should redirect to Quantum leap, which already has a redirection notice to Quantum Leap, but should be changed to redirect users to Quantum Leap (TV series) after this page is moved there.  --Serge 16:28, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Survey

message: Nice to see my thoughts were taken into account with the move.  Though I have to ask, if Quantum Leap now redirects to Quantum Leap (TV series), what the heck was the point of the move?  The original proposal was to have Quantum Leap redirect to Quantum leap, which would at least have been grounds for moving.  Powers T 03:11, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: If anyone is interested, i have now put this up on the Quantum Leap talk page. Simply south 17:21, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Move: why?