Sam "travelling within his own lifetime".

Sherminator

Project QL Intern
Feb 21, 2006
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Can someone confirm Sam's DOB? (The ever reliable wikipedia puts it at 08/08/1953)

I am certain that under normal conditions that Sam could only travel within his own lifetime, but the newspaper first shown in "Play It Again, Seymour" is from April 14, 1953, four months before he was born.

Is wikipedia wrong, was there special conditions for that leap, or did the writers pull a Ronald D Moore and create the "traveling within his own lifetime" rule after the 1st season.

And if anybody else has posted this question (and they most likely have), please could you link to that thread or merge this one in with it.
 
Yes, his lifetime is considered to begin with conception.

"The Americanisation of Machiko" is also set in the time after conception but before birth.
 
Mirror Image

Yes, his lifetime is considered to begin with conception.

"The Americanisation of Machiko" is also set in the time after conception but before birth.

Yet "Mirror Image" makes Sam's arrival at around the time he was born a significant point.
 
In "The Last Gunfighter" he says he is 50 years younger than the 84 year old person he leapt into (when discussing his superior reflexes)...yet, that would make him mid-30s in his own time.

Although I'll grant you he could pass for mid-30s in QL, it would make his birth-date about 10 years too late at the very least, as even if the QL project was set as early as 1995, he'd have to be born in 1961, which he patently wasn't. (I think the episode in question was set in 1956)

From this I can only conclude, that I don't think the writers consider his age that important, which is surprising considering the main premise revolves around his only lifetime.
 
Probably so that Al would be able to find him...

Great point. Could also be the Bartender's way of letting Sam finally celebrate one of his birthdays. I had the feeling that the "Mirror Image" leap was a hiatus for Sam to reflect on past leaps as well as considering future leaps, and that the Tonchy and Pete situation was perhaps Stawpah's mission, only he may have kept failing it over and over?