Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Return of QL?

Oh, boy. Quantum Leap may be coming back.

Even with the misspelling (Becket) on the series’ final screen leading fans to hope the words were false, Dr. Sam Beckett unfortunately “never returned home.”Thus, it seems he can’t be in the proposed new QL movie. Even more unfortunately, Scott Bakula told a Comic-con crowd that his leaping days are over.

I’ve loved Sam Beckett—the TV time traveler one—for 21 years. My wish for more QL has finally come of age. In an era of dark SF TV heroes (and Heroes’ parodies), having a lead character “make right what once went wrong” is inherently appealing. It’s not naïve, simplistic, or unrealistic to want to believe in a hero who wants to improve people’s lives—and often fight for (and win) human rights and dignity in the process. Perhaps that’s what I’ve missed most since QL’s demise, and whether a younger “Sam” leaps into action or older, more experienced, always-sexy Sam fits into the story in some way, society needs a Quantum Leap these days. This time I hope the movie is made and honors the original.