Sam?s Life Line ??

MexTraveler

Project QL Intern
Aug 3, 2005
3
0
0
45
Puebla, M?xico
Just one question. if Sam can leap in all his Life line, why he never has leaped in the future? He is alive in 2010, why we never saw him in an episode in that year? ("Leap Back" doesn?t count, you know what I mean) Another question, why he always leap just in the USA ????? he leaps only in his life time, that I understand, but why just in America (exept in Vietnam as "Magic") ??? just something to think about !!
 
I think the reason why they never had a future episode (not including the season four opener) was due to the fact I think Sam has to actually live in that time. Like for example my lifetime is 1982 - 2005 and if I'm still kicking about next year then it's extended to 2006. That's my just opinion. As for traveling outside of the USA I often wondered why that he never lept outside the country that often except for the couple of times when he did.
 
Leaping locales

MexTraveler said:
Just one question. if Sam can leap in all his Life line, why he never has leaped in the future? He is alive in 2010, why we never saw him in an episode in that year? ("Leap Back" doesn?t count, you know what I mean) Another question, why he always leap just in the USA ????? he leaps only in his life time, that I understand, but why just in America (exept in Vietnam as "Magic") ??? just something to think about !!

Actually, he leaped outside the States more than the once -
England in Blood Moon, Russia in LHO...

There are probably two practical reasons why most of his Leaps remained Stateside - the writers etc are all American, so they write what they know, and the scenery is easiest to approximate, and also the audience was mostly American (at least initially) so they were setting the stories in places the audience could identify with. The States are vast enough to give variety after all.

As a British writer, I naturally set one of my Leaps in the area I know best - Bedford, and London (Run for their Lives, posted at www.fanfiction.net).

I agree though, it would be great if the new series explored other areas.
 
MexTraveler said:
Just one question. if Sam can leap in all his Life line, why he never has leaped in the future? He is alive in 2010, why we never saw him in an episode in that year? ("Leap Back" doesn?t count, you know what I mean) Another question, why he always leap just in the USA ????? he leaps only in his life time, that I understand, but why just in America (exept in Vietnam as "Magic") ??? just something to think about !!

I would agree that one of the reasons for this was because from Sam's point of view, the future hasn't happened yet. But there also may be more to it than that. God, Fate or Time seems to want Sam to make his changes far enough into the past that Ziggy can detect the changes in his present. At least that's my way of explaining why Sam never leaped into the 1990s aside from his present. If Sam had leaped into the future, Ziggy would in effect be useless in terms of gathering information to help Sam on his leaps.

There would be no way for her to check the National Archives for example, and she wouldn't be able to make a brainwave connection between Sam and Al. Fortunately, Sam's theory only allows travel within the confines of his own lifetime (besides the few episodes he leaped outside of it), so Ziggy only has to search through 46 years of time (as opposed to the origins of the universe). However, the alternate ending to "Mirror Image" shows that Al ends up in the future, but I suspect that that was a new phase of leaping, or the "difficult new assignment."

As for primarily leaping in America, from the show's storyline perspective, I always figured that GFT figures that leaping is tough enough without leaping to another country where English isn't the main language for example. Yes, Sam leaped to Vietnam, but with the Navy SEALs. While Sam is constantly landing in ridiculous and seemingly impossible situations, he is always able to complete his mission. And the reason for this, I believe anyway, is that GFT wouldn't place Sam in a situation that he could never handle, although some leaps are pretty tough. So, I think the bottom line is that it's simply more practical for Sam to leap primarily in America.
 
As to why he never leaped to the future, I am reminded of a line from the movie Time Cop

"You can't go forward because the future hasn't happened yet."

There would really be no reason for him to leap to the future because it hasn't happened yet. If it hasn't happened, there are no wrongs to put right.

As for why his leaps took place mainly in the United States, I agree that it was so that Sam's job would not be any tougher than it had to be. There is no culture shock. So he wouldn't make people suspisious by not knowing something that he should.

But leaps where he leapt outside the country were Blood Moon (As someone mentioned, that one took place in England.) Also, Ghost Ship took place over The Bermuda Triangle. LHO had parts in the US, Russia, and Japan. The Curse of Ptah-Hotep took place in Egypt. TLH part 2 was in Vietnam. Leaping of the Shrew took place somewhere in the middle of the Central Aegean Sea. It's not alot, but it is something
 
the language barrier wouldn't be an obstacle since he spoke something like 7 langauges and 4 ancient ones. It would have to have something to do more with culture shock as suggested before (easier to act when he has a basis for some cultural assumptions)
 
I have a DVR on my tv, and it automatically records QL for me. Its really nice cuz I can fast forward through the commericials when I watch QL. I can even rewind when I'm watching a live show and I happen to miss a line. It really does have me very spoiled in many respects. On the rare occassions I get to watch QL at 2am, I am stuck in the habit of trying to fast forward through the commercials. What I'm trying to get at, is that since I'm watching the show "live", the commercials havent even happened yet for me to fast forward through them. This is the same reason Sam shouldnt be able to leap into the future. PQL works kinda like my DVR; I can rewind, play at normal speed, or even fast forward, unless, of course, it gets to the point where fast forwarding is impossible.

Just hoping thats an analogy some people can understand, as I know the whole "time travel" business can get a tad confusing to people, especially in terms of specific "canon" for shows like QL.
 
gourmetmcvay said:
I have a DVR on my tv, and it automatically records QL for me. Its really nice cuz I can fast forward through the commericials when I watch QL. I can even rewind when I'm watching a live show and I happen to miss a line. It really does have me very spoiled in many respects. On the rare occassions I get to watch QL at 2am, I am stuck in the habit of trying to fast forward through the commercials. What I'm trying to get at, is that since I'm watching the show "live", the commercials havent even happened yet for me to fast forward through them. This is the same reason Sam shouldnt be able to leap into the future. PQL works kinda like my DVR; I can rewind, play at normal speed, or even fast forward, unless, of course, it gets to the point where fast forwarding is impossible.

Just hoping thats an analogy some people can understand, as I know the whole "time travel" business can get a tad confusing to people, especially in terms of specific "canon" for shows like QL.
Actually, that's exactly how I've always been able to make sense of time travel; by imagining Time as a videotape that can be rewound, fast-forwarded and recorded over, copied, etc. Concepts don't always seem so obscure when you imagine them from different perspectives like that. :)

Damon
 
That's a great analogy. I'm like Damon....I need analogies sometimes to make sense of stuff. I'm always making analogies in Sunday School, for instance. <g>
 
Ok, ok, I agree with most of you....:) but my question remains, if Sam is alive in 2010, then he can?t leap into the year 2015 for examlpe, because it hasn?t happened yet:heybaby , but he does can leap into year 2009.... and for us tath?s the future, so...???, ok ok, it was just a question:wacko , I know that would be difficult for the writers..... anyway, a great great show. I just can?t stop watchig it:nut .
 
MexTraveler said:
Ok, ok, I agree with most of you....:) but my question remains, if Sam is alive in 2010, then he can?t leap into the year 2015 for examlpe, because it hasn?t happened yet:heybaby , but he does can leap into year 2009.... and for us tath?s the future, so...???, ok ok, it was just a question:wacko , I know that would be difficult for the writers..... anyway, a great great show. I just can?t stop watchig it:nut .
Ah, ok, I understand what you're saying. Yes, what you're suggesting would make perfect sense (we've done that kind of stuff in The Virtual Seasons); it's just that we haven't reached that point in time in the QL universe yet (in either TV or TVS). When the original series first aired in 1989, it was 1995 for Sam and Al when Sam first leaped (presumably early May), and by the time the final episode aired in 1993, it was either 1999 or 2000. So back then, their present was the near future for us...but now, supposedly, their present will be the same as ours; whereas 12 years have passed for us in real time since the events of "Mirror Image," only 5 or 6 years have passed for Sam and Al.

MJ and AJ started The Virtual Seasons in 1999 and picked up right where "Mirror Image" left off as well, so if you use that as an example, the timing worked out perfectly so that PQL's "present" was the same as ours (since then, it's actually been stretched out a bit; we're currently one year ahead in mid-2006).

But, I understand what you're asking: why didn't Sam ever leap into, like, 1995, for example. Well, one obvious reason, as you said, was that the writers were likely trying to stay as far away from our actual future as possible to avoid the possibility that something might happen that would be inconsistent with something that was written about (I think this has happened once or twice in TVS as well); two, at the time I think Don wanted the series to focus more on the distant past (50s, 60s, 70s, early 80s) and not so much on the more recent past (which would have been the late 80s, early 90s), because then it wouldn't have really been a "history lesson" for the viewers. Plus, having Sam leap too close to the time he created Project Quantum Leap (which was in either 1989 or 1990) could possibly jeopardize the events that led him to leap in the first place, which as Doc Brown would say would be disastrous to the space-time continuum. :p

Now, however, you could have a leaper go back to the 80s and the 90s and have it be somewhat historical. I mean, I'm now starting to hear several songs on NYC's "classic rock" radio station, Q104.3, by bands and artists such as Guns 'N' Roses and Bon Jovi that were new rock songs when I was in grammar school and high school! Kinda makes me feel a little old! :lol

Damon
 
Writing ahead of time

*Warning, major plugosity alert!

My first attempt at Quantum Leap fan fiction - Terror Firma - was written in 1994 and set in 1995, so I guess you could say I tried to tackle the idea. How successful or otherwise I was I'll leave for my readers to decide.
It was published here at Al's, but seems to have got lost in the great pre-move crash. It can now be found at www.fanfiction.net

At the time, I had not even seen all the episodes, and took as my frame of reference the date Sam gave in "Star Light, Star Bright of May 1st 1999. Instead of thinking of that as the date back at HQ at that time, I took it as the last date he remembered, the date he Leaped.
Hence, in the timeline I created, or alternate universe or whatever you want to make of it, 1995 was the past to Sam, it was even pre-Leap. The main concern I had at that time as a writer was what would happen if Sam Leaped to a date after he'd already Leaped? Would it mean that somehow there were two Sam's out there? It is one of those conundrums I never really got my head around.
 
I think the most telling thing is from the final episode, Mirror Image. Al the Bartender tells Sam that his leaps are now going to get much more difficult. From what we know of Donald P. Bellisario's interviews, he had intended to make Sam leaps into the future.

So from this, we can assume with some confidence, that GTFW felt that Sam wasn't ready for future leaps because he still needed and Al and Ziggy. Also, Sam needed to understand that he controls his own destiny and leaps. So once Sam understands this, or begins to understands this, Al the Bartender then feels that Sam can leap to the future.

As it turns out, season 6 never came, so we never saw this play out.
 
ziggysego said:
I think the most telling thing is from the final episode, Mirror Image. Al the Bartender tells Sam that his leaps are now going to get much more difficult. From what we know of Donald P. Bellisario's interviews, he had intended to make Sam leaps into the future.

So from this, we can assume with some confidence, that GTFW felt that Sam wasn't ready for future leaps because he still needed and Al and Ziggy. Also, Sam needed to understand that he controls his own destiny and leaps. So once Sam understands this, or begins to understands this, Al the Bartender then feels that Sam can leap to the future.

As it turns out, season 6 never came, so we never saw this play out.
good point i never thought of it like that
 
leaper1 said:
Actually, he leaped outside the States more than the once -
England in Blood Moon, Russia in LHO...

There are probably two practical reasons why most of his Leaps remained Stateside - the writers etc are all American, so they write what they know, and the scenery is easiest to approximate, and also the audience was mostly American (at least initially) so they were setting the stories in places the audience could identify with. The States are vast enough to give variety after all.

As a British writer, I naturally set one of my Leaps in the area I know best - Bedford, and London (Run for their Lives, posted at www.fanfiction.net).

I agree though, it would be great if the new series explored other areas.

he also leaped into Vietnam for Leap Home Part two, we can't forget that, and in one of the novels he leaps into British Colombia, although i guess that doesn't really count, hehe. jst thought i had to mention it.

as for Sam leaping into the future, it hasn't happened yet in Sam's present so Ziggy would have no informtion on it, or, i don't know maybe she would, just a guess, i really am not sure.