Quantum Leap

A reasonably popular TV series, Quantum Leap still has an active fandom, with an annual convention and fandom awards. 
It featured the characters Sam Beckett and Al Calavicci.
== Canon ==
From the opening voice-over: 
As with any time travel show, deciding canon can be tricky, because one episode might negate events of another episode. This is complicated by Sam's "swiss-cheese" memory - he doesn't remember a lot about his former life, so even if he changes his own history, he might not remember the differences. Take Donna Eleese, for example. In one episode, she stood Sam up at the altar. In a later ep, she's his wife, patiently waiting for him to come home. In most episodes, Sam appears to believe that he is single.
Canon also showed Sam leaping into the bodies of people of different ages, genders, and races, giving rise to a host of possibilities for fanfic.
See the Crack Van overview of the show .
== Fandom ==
QL was one of the earlier online fandoms, especially active in newsgroup communities, first on rec.arts.sf.tv, then, after years of fighting, rec.arts.sf.tv.quantum-leap was created in early '94, just as QL was going off the air. The newsgroup (and its alt relation, alt.ql.creative) stayed active into the mid-2000s.2005 was the last year to average over 30 posts a month on rec.arts.sf.tv.quantum-leap (Accessed 16 Sept 2009) QL still has an active fandom, having a 20th anniversary con -- the Leap Back 2009 Quantum Leap Convention -- in March 2009.
QL always had a stronger gen fandom than slash fandom (possibly because a significant number of the fans and fan-writers on the newsgroups were male?), and early on, there was some friction between the two groups, the so-called "QL slash wars"; including some zine editors supposedly refusing to print gen stories by fans who were slash writers in other fandoms, and the by-then usual threats to "send slash to the actors, if people don't quit writing it." 
Accelerate was a QL convention.
As an older show, QL was a big zine fandom, and there are still plenty of old zines available to buy.
Many fans of Quantum Leap refer to themselves as Leapers.
Fans of Al's character sometimes jokingly referred to themselves as Al-coholics (a double pun since Al was canonically a former alcoholic.)See QLAA (Quantum Leap Alcoholics Anonymous): "An Unofficial fan site dedicated the character of Admiral Albert Calavicci from the cult television series Quantum Leap!" (Accessed 16 Sept 2009)
===The Elusive "Anti-Slash" Rumor===
The topic of slash in this fandom was, as in other fandoms, sometimes a subject of controversy and conflicts among fans. 
Fans periodically brought up the Quantum Leap actors' supposed dislike of slash as warning to other fans to: a) not write Quantum Leap slash, b) keep fans from keep fans from showing slash fanworks to actors, c) control and shame fans for other things. 
Fans outing slash fanworks to the actors and other showrunners to quell them had been done in other fandoms, such as Kirk/Spock (TOS) fanworks and those in early Starsky & Hutch fandom. A precedent for not creating slash fanworks due to the request of TPTB also had precedent. See Open Letters to Star Wars Zine Publishers (1981) and Robin of Sherwood Fandom and Slash Fanworks.
While direct "proof" of this anti-slash attitude by TPTB and actors popped up periodically, it has never been verified. 
A fan in 1993 wrote: 
Another 1993 account: 
===Fandom Protesting Cancellation===
As Quantum Leap ended its fifth year, fans worked closely with the producers on a protest campaign to save the show for another year. On May 5, 1993 fans scheduled rallies to take place in front of NBC Studios in New York and Los Angeles. Fans also raised funds to place an ad in US Today newspapers in the form of a 'coupon' they could be cut out and mailed to NBC.The Monitor (McAllen, Texas), 01 May 1993, Sat, Page 21 The show remained canceled. Video footage of the Los Angeles rally can be found on the Internet Archive: here.
== Fanfiction Trends ==
While most episodes of the show featured a new cast of characters every week, assisted by Sam & Al, much QL fanfiction focuses more on exploring Sam, Al, and the other members of Project QL than original characters. Other fics leaped Sam into historical or contemporary events.
Sometimes Al would leap as well as Sam, a rare event in canon but fairly common in fic.
The show finale, "Mirror Image," had a mixed reception (mainly negative), and inspired multiple "fix-it" fics"Whatever It Takes" by Debbie Martinez has Al leaping to change Sam's fate. (Accessed 16 Sept 2009) or denialfic ignoring the presented ending."Not so much pre-MI as ignoring MI altogether..." - from the notes for "Lost Causes" by Anne-Marie T. (Accessed 16 Sept 2009)
Not all fans disliked the ending, however. From a fan in 1994: 
=== Gen ===
Much of the gen focused on the Sam-Al friendship dynamic. Some Hurt/comfort scenarios hinged on the dramatic element that Al could not physically touch Sam.Such as Katherine F.'s "A Time to Hurt, A Time to Heal," in which Al (literally) sees Sam through drug addiction withdrawal. 
=== Het ===
The majority of het fanfic involved canon relationships, particularly Al with his first wife, Beth; and Sam with his sometimes-wife Donna. Sometimes these het pairings would appear as secondary elements of Sam-and-Al friendship-focused stories; whether such fics should be considered het or gen is a matter of debate.
=== Slash ===
Even a lot of fans who usually read slash seemed to prefer gen in QL, perhaps because the setup of the universe made slash so difficult. The three basic scenarios: 
* Pre-Leap--this is a little difficult if you go by the canon universe, since in the episode "Running for Honor" it's clear that Al is a bit on the homophobic side, but since the show deals with time and changing thereof, anything goes, really.
* Post-Leap--This is by far the most flexible way to go. Sam comes home, finds Al and there's the rest of the story to write. But it doesn't let you use any of the fabulous canon that Sam jumps into.
* In-Leap-- 
:Possibility 1: Since they can't touch, you're basically talking Phone Sex: Sam prone in some way, and Al talking dirty to him.
:Possibility 2: Yet another weird leap where they both end up back in time together. The problems there are manifold: too busy trying to fix what went wrong to get it on, the possibility of observers from the future watching everything, etc.
====Fan Comments: Slash====
===1993===
===1994===
===1995===
=== Donna Eleese===
Sam Beckett's wife, Donna Eleese, was a popular fiction topic.
Most fans disliked her, and her role in the show. 
Others tried to "humanize" her, stating that she got a bad rap. 
===Crossovers===
Because Sam Beckett leaped into other characters to solve a problem or avert tragedy, fanfiction often utilizes him as a character in crossovers. 
He is tailor made to solve problems or be in fix-its for shows popular at the time. Two examples are Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast (TV).
File:Playitagain2-11.jpg|Al and the Real Ghostbusters, artist is Sheila Paulson, the zine is Play It Again #2 (1992)
File:Playitagain2-10.jpg|Sam and Remington Steele, artist is Kate Nuernberg, the zine is Play It Again #2 (1992)
File:Quantummechanicskennedy1-8.jpg|Sam and Beauty and the Beast (TV), the artist is Deborah Base-Smith, the zine is Quantum Mechanics #1 (1992)
File:Quantummechanicskennedy1-9.jpg|Sam and Al in Beauty and the Beast (TV), the artist is Nola Frame-Gray, the zine is Quantum Mechanics #1 (1992)
===Genderswitches===
The show itself had Sam Beckett leap into the body of female characters, and many fans ran with that canon in their gen fiction and art. 
This trope was one way to play with gender and sexuality without directly addressing and side-stepping a relationship between two male characters.
File:Ohboy3-2.jpg|by [[ <=minds-i-view=> ]] from Oh Boy #3 (1992)
File:Lookbefore1-7.jpg| by Juanne Michaud from Look Before You Leap #1 (1991)
File:Greeneggs10.jpg|the artist is RAG cover of Green Eggs and Ham #10 (1996)
 
===Portrayal of AIDS in Quantum Leap Fanworks ===
Because the construct of the show had Sam Beckett "leaping into" the bodies of other people, there was a subset in gen fanworks that focused on male homosexuality and by the extension of the time, AIDS. At that time, AIDS was pretty much a death sentence. 
While these gen stories can be clumsy (sometimes very) by today's standards, they are examples of fans' desire to address the topic (usually empathically) and understand and defuse some of the cultural assumptions of the time. 
 
The author of the 1991 gen story, Troubled Waters, wrote: 
A fan commented on "Troubled Waters": 
AIDS was also a springboard for message fic and safer sex as portrayed in stories. From comments about a 1991 gen story, "A Lesson Learned" in Oh Boy #1 that addressed AIDS and an intimate relationship between a man and a woman, a very rare topic: 
Another fan comments on "A Lesson Learned": 
"Straight and Narrow" by Michael Ruff" is a 1992 gen story in Look Before You Leap #2 in which Sam leaps into a gay man, and addresses AIDS. A fan commented: 
A fan wrote about a 1992 gen story, "Physician, Heal Thyself" in Green Eggs and Ham #3 : 
Another fan wrote about "Physician, Heal Thyself," and talked about what, and how, the topic could be seen on the actual show: 
In 1995, the topic of homosexuality and AIDS was a topic that some editors felt the need to warn for. The gen story River of Hope in Play It Again #5 (1995) had this summery: "In the San Francisco of 1973, Sam discovers a new lifestyle and the reality of AIDS." The editor prefaced it with: 
A fan in 1993 wrote about the topic in regards to slash fanworks: 
==The Little Black Dress of Crossovers==
Because Quantum Leap's premise made it easy to leap Sam into pretty much anyone, anywhere; the show was the little black dress of crossovers. Most of the shows that were fannishly active at the same time as QL have multiple QL crossovers, and plenty of more obscure shows, movies and books do as well.The archive for alt.tv.quantum-leap.creative has 6 X-files crossovers and 10 Star Trek crossovers, as well as crossovers with series as diverse as Forever Knight, Animaniacs, and Ranma 1/2. (Accessed 16 Sept 2009)
Slash and het QL crossovers tend to have Sam fixing whatever went wrong in the other series's relationships, putting the characters on track to get together romantically, which some fans find repetitive.
Below is a TINY sample:
*The Ultimate Quantum Leap Crossover Zine (Starsky & Hutch, WKRP in Cincinnati, Shadow Chasers) (unknown date)
* Quantum Beast by Lee Kirkland (Beauty and the Beast (TV) (1990)
* many, many in CrosSignals #3, #4, #5, #6 (1990-1992)
* "Quantum Force" in Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny? (Harry/Johnny) (1991)
* "Take a Quantum Leap off a Short Tardis" Banzine #2 (Doctor Who) (1991)
* "Partners in Time" in Good Guys Wear Fangs #1 (Vampire Files, series by P.N. Elrod) (1992)
* "Leap of Faith" in Liaisons #2 (Man from U.N.C.L.E.) (1993)
* Multiple Personalities in Scorpion Files #2 (Tour of Duty) (1993)
* "The Plane and Simple Raid" in Lines in the Sand #2 (Rat Patrol) (1993)
* Leap into Knight by Sharon Wisdom and Sandy Hall (Forever Knight) (1994)
* The Grasshopper Leaps Tonight in Splinters of Light #3 (Kung Fu: The Legend Continues) (1995)
* Leap of Faith and "The Road Untraveled" by Livengoo in The Mole (crossovers with The X-Files) (1995)
* "A Meeting of Minds" in That's What Friends Are For #1 (Starsky & Hutch) (1996)
* Third Times a Charm by Rhonda Hailstrom and Deb Parizek (Kung Fu: The Adventure Continues) (1996)
* "Leap into the Shadows" in Tales from the Shadows (Dark Shadows) (1997)
* "Something's Odd in Eastbridge " in Plans, Scams and Vans #4 (The A-Team) (1997)
* Adam's Rib by Agnes Joseph in The Angel and the Dreamer #3 (Highlander) (1998)
*Aliqauntum Salio by Heather Markham (X-Files) (1998)
* Junk by Gail Feldman (The Professionals) (1998?)
*Brothers in Limbo by Emilie Renée Karr (The Sentinel and The Real Ghostbusters (1999)
*The Present Crisis by Sandman (SG-1) (2002)
* To Then and Back Again by Jeff Davis (Star Trek: TNG) (2005)
*Leap to Your Senses by Psychgirl (Sentinel)(slash) (2007)
==Vids==
Oh Boy by California Crew was an early VCR vid that gently mocked Sam's habit of saying "Oh Boy" each time he found himself in a new body/situation, and showed amazing synchronization of the song's repeated "Oh Boy" line with Sam's mouth movements. 
Virtually any multifandom vid featuring men crossdressing will include clips of Sam from one of the four episodes where he jumped into women (see Hot! Hot! Hot!, among others).
A list of VCR-era fanvids cane be found at the List of Quantum Leap Early Songvids. Other songvids by fans can be found under the vidder's name here on Fanlore. A few VCR-era songvids are listed below where the vidder's name cannot be identified
*Through The Years by Kenny Logins
*Has Anyone Ever Written by Stevie Nicks
== Notable QL Zines and Stories ==
* The first Quantum Leap fiction fanzine, Quantum Beast was published in 1990.
* The first fan produced publication was The Imaging Chamber, a Quantum Leap letterzine.
* Probably the most recommended slash novel in QL was The Last Measure of Devotion by Sue Walker, a very complicated timetravel story wrapped around Al realizing that there is literally nothing he wouldn't do for Sam, and Sam realizing there is nothing he wouldn't forgive Al for. link to The Last Measure of Devotion (accessed 19 Aug 2009)
See also: List of Quantum Leap Fanzines
==Fanwork Awards==
* Quantum Leap Fandom Awards (2004-08)
==Conventions==
* Accelerate (1993-1996?)
* many Creation Cons had Quantum Leap programming
* EastLeap (1994)
* IndyLeap (1993?-1997?)
* Leap (2003)
* Leap Back 2009
* Leap Con (the first one was called Quantum Con) (1992-1996, 2009-?)
* Leap Weekend (1992, possibly 1993)
* Orlando Leap (2001)
* QuantumCon (1994)
* SiliCon (1994)
* Stallion's Gate (1995)
==Fan Clubs==
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* by Dana_Kujan (Sam Beckett/Al Calavicci) (1995)
*Mirror Image Revisited by unknown (slash Circuit Story from 1995)
*Like as a Child by Ann Marie Tajuddin (1996) (gen)
* 'Twas the Night Before by Laurie Slicer (1996) (gen)
*A Time to Hurt, A Time to Heal by Katherine Freymuth (1997) (gen)
* In Circles by A.M. Tajuddin (1997) (gen)
* Paradox Illusion by Christine Wirick (1997) (gen)
* by Tarlan (Sam Beckett/Al Calavicci) for MMOM2009 (2009)
=== Fanart ===
=== Zines ===
:For a full listing of zines recorded on Fanlore, see :Category:Quantum Leap Zines
* As Time Goes Bye
* Beyond the Firmi Suit
* Oh Boy
* Quantum Cuisine - a QL themed cookbook
* Leaplog: The Complete Quantum Leap Episode Guide
=== Meta ===
* "Twin Peaks," "Quantum Leap" fans are undeniably devoted by Bob Wisehart for McClatchy News Service, The Sun (1991)
* Once More, With or Without Feeling You, OR: Running QL Into the Ground by [B T] (1995)
== Fandom Resources ==
*Al's Place (probably most extensive QL site currently online, includes fanfic, virtual seasons, links, fan-produced radio plays) (last updated 24 June 2009)
* Outpost Mâvarin Karen Funk Blocher talks about the early days of cons and fan fiction (specifically Doctor Who and Quantum Leap via the newly-born internet)
*The Quantum Leap Information Kiosk (ep guide, fanfic) (last updated 4 Sept 2002)
*The Accelerator Chamber (ep guide, faq, sound and image files) (one of the earlier sites; most material from 1990s)
*Quantum Leap Revival Initiative Campaign"The members of the Quantum Leap Revival Initiative are dedicated Leapers who are striving to "put right what once went wrong" by lobbying for Quantum Leap to be revived in a movie, series, or maybe even both!" - tina_als_girl on front page ((Accessed 18 Sept 2009) (last updated 8 March 2007)
*`Quantum Leap' Handlink (Ian Collier's instructions for building Al's handlink, including circuitry for light and sound)
*dr_beckett (livejournal comm)
* Quantum Leap Roadmap, a 1995 cornucopia of old Quantum Leap links
=== Archives ===
*QL-Archive.org (formerly an ftp archive on ziggy.cisco.com) (fic and posts from the newsgroups)
*The Quantum Leap Slash Archive (last updated 27 Sept 2003, 229 stories)
*Keeping the love alive... (slash)
===QL Newsgroups and Mailing Lists===
* The Quantum Leap Mailing List (founded in 1995)
*alt.tv.quantum-leap
*alt.tv.quantum-leap.creative
*rec.arts.sf.tv.quantum-leap
* Quantum Leap Ladies Club, first all-female fannish mailing list, founded in 1991
*Quantumleap mailing list (hosted on YahooGroups starting 29 Apr. 1998)
*Stallion's Gate (mailing list) - slash mailing list that started in 1996
== References ==
Category:Quantum Leap