Aren't you excited? I'm excited. "What about?" you may be asking. Well, I'll tell you. I am excited about the same thing that probably every Leaper in the world is: Quantum Leap is coming back!

As each day passes, we hear more evidence pointing toward this Quantum Leap movie being every Leaper's dream. We know for certain now that Don Bellisario is in charge of the movie's production, so we can be sure that even if Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell only get cameos, we'll still get a *story* that will quench our thirsts.

But what kind of thirst-quencher will this movie be? Will it be a full cup of water, giving us all that we ask for and more by having Sam Leap home, and that is that? Or will it be a bottle of Gatorade, giving us two-hours of story-packed excitement that will tickle our taste buds, but leave us wanting for more?

Rumors have been circulating since Sci-Fi's July announcement that this developing telefilm will only be the beginning of a whole new chapter of the Quantum Leap saga. Making these rumors seem more like fact is TV Guide reviewer Matt Roush. As an employee and reviewer for TV Guide, I am sure Roush is "in the know" about certain things in Hollywood. In the December 2nd "Ask Matt", Roush is asked to confirm that a Quantum Leap movie and possible series are still in the works. Roush's answer is: "It's still in the developmental stages, and at the moment the plan is still to make a movie, then develop it into a series. The twist this time is that the movie and series may be built around a female Leap-er."

The mention of the new Quantum Leap possibly being built around a female Leaper (yes, I know he put a freaking hyphen) is definitely intriguing. This piece of information was mentioned by Bonnie Hammer herself back in July. Back then, the plan to use a female Leaper was to be a last resort if they couldn't get Scott Bakula for the telefilm. Either Roush was simply referring to Hammer's words in his reply, or there really are plans to have a female Leaper.

Now, this simple phrase "female Leaper" has caused quite a stir among Leapers. So, I'm going to try to theorize and rationalize about how a female Leaper can come into the equation and *still* have Scott Bakula return as Sam Beckett.

There are a number of possibilities when it comes to who from the established Quantum Leap canon could become the female Leaper. From the Project alone, there are: Donna Elesee, Beth Calavicci, Tina, Verbena, Sammy Jo, or any of Al's daughters (for my theory later in this column, I have it be Al's youngest). So, how do we narrow it down to just a few realistic possibilities?

Putting myself in the mindset of a network suit for a moment, I can almost 100% assure you that Beth, Verbena, and Donna (though her Leaping would make for a great storyline) would be out of the question to be the Leaper. This is based solely on age. Yes, it sounds callous, but from a Network Nozzle's viewpoint, "youth sells".

I would also rule out Tina as a possibility for the fact that she only once was seen by the audience in the original series, and was mainly only talked about. Taking such a minor character and attempting to make her a lead would not be a good idea from a networker's view. (also, I'd rather see Tina take part in the PQL B-plots I will mention later)

This leaves Sammy Jo and a Calavicci girl out of the PQL parthenon. So, what situation could be used to send one of these women into Time and Space?

For Sammy Jo, it's probably pretty obvious. She is working on the Retrieval Program (Al told Sam this in Trilogy 3), so she's working in the Control Room quite a bit. She probably also has free access to the Accelerator and free reign to make adjustments to Ziggy's programming. Sammy Jo could get so frustrated with the Retrieval Program not wanting to work or something, that she decides to do something irrational.

Perhaps she has a theory that says that if someone stepped into the Accelerator and Leaped into the exact time, place, and body that Sam is currently occupying, Sam will be forced out. Since Sammy Jo would now be occupying the Leapee's body, the Leapee would transfer to Sammy Jo's body. Either Sam will go back to his own body and time, or he will Leap into someone else and we'll have two Leapers.

Sammy Jo decides that the odds are for her theory that Sam would Leap home, feels the risk that she's wrong is worth taking, and (BTW, credit for the following idea goes to Stephanie [aka TVNewsCam]; her plot in the Leap Continues RPG follows this train of thought) she hijacks the Accelerator. She Leaps, and she becomes lost in Time, looking for Sam.

If we want the Sam Beckett Leaping storyline to come to a close by the end of the movie, Sam will Leap home as a result of Sammy Jo Leaping. If the decision is to have the series chronicle Sammy Jo searching for Sam in Time and not have Sam Leap home 'til the end of the series, Sam will continue to Leap (and to keep Scott from having to commit to the series while he's still on Enterprise, Sam's body will disappear like in "Mirror Image").

Sammy Jo's plight is the most plausible storyline (and most-suggested by fans) to use shoud Sci-Fi decide to make the Leaper indeed be female. It also allows for Scott to do the movie with either ending and still be able to stay on Enterprise (unless it [or more likely, UPN as a whole] gets axed before then).

Another plausible--though not as likely to be chosen--storyline is this: DPB uses the original scripted ending of "Mirror Image" as the basis for the movie, having Al Leap into the future to find Sam. One of Al's daughters (I'll address her as Ruthie) also has high clearance in PQL. Perhaps with Sammy Jo's help, Ruthie Leaps using Sammy Jo's theory (discussed above). Al bounces back, and Ruthie is now stuck in Time. Sammy Jo feels guilty, so she offers to be Ruthie's Observer.

Let me revert a moment back to the "youth sells" viewpoint. Depending on what exact year DPB decides to set for the "current date at PQL", Sammy Jo would be in her late thirties (early forties if it is after 2007). Ruthie, being Al's youngest daughter, would probably be in her early twenties. Thus, with the "young Leaper" and "older Observer", we would be back to the original formula of the series, with a twist: the Beckett and Calavicci personage's switch roles, and the two are female instead of male.

The above idea would allow Scott Bakula to be on the show in only guest-star capacity, only doing episodes when his schedule allows. It also sets it up to allow Dean Stockwell to be on the show full-time, as I think the episodes should have B-plots involving characters at PQL--the way it was done in the novels. Perhaps the government could be a more visible presence on the new Quantum Leap, and maybe PQL will take on more of a Stargate Command ("Stargate SG-1") type of feel--with Al being put in a role similar to General Hammond.

The only problem I can see with having a female Leaper is what I call the "humorous embarrassment factor". Guys are not normally seen wearing women's clothing. So seeing Sam as a woman always gave TPTB an opportunity for humor based on Sam's situation. Sam wearing a dress is FUNNY! But because women are more likely to don male-type clothing (pants, etc.), the humor factor of a female being in a man's shoes is nothing... nada... zip, zero, zilch.

Also... I'm sure this was discussed on one of the QL boards, but I can't remember which one now. If it is true that the Leaper's body Leaps, there's a bit of a problem concerning certain things that a Leaper must sometimes do. What if a situation causes the female Leaper to become pregnant? That would present a completely new set of problems. Unless they make it so that a female who Leaps is somehow rendered infertile during the process. We know that male's don't have this problem (Sammy Jo is evidence of that), but it could be just a female problem, something in the makeup of a woman's DNA/genes. There is also the unspoken discrimination of "if a guy sleeps with numerous women, he's a man, but if a woman sleeps with numerous men, she's a wh*re." That could hinder the credibility of the situation of having a female Leaper.

Besides those two things, though, the thought of having a female Leaper raises anticipation, and as long as Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell have even just a one-scene cameo, I will be open to *almost* anything that DPB throws our way.

Oh, you know, there's also the possibility that the female Leaper is Alia or an Evil Leaper... but that is for another day.

I will close my debut GuestVision with my latest QL song rewrite.

"Leaper" (a rewrite of Enya's "Pilgrim")
original lyrics: Roma Ryan
rewritten lyrics: R. Joy Helvie (tina_als_girl)

Leaper, how you journey
on the path God chose
to make right what once went wrong
or so the story goes.
Yesterday is today
that's how your life goes.
You always change what's over
but can't change where you go.

There've been Leaps for family
There've been Leaps for friends
There were Leaps when you could not
break the rules you had set.
In your heart you wonder
why this you must do.
There are Leaps leading nowhere
Where's the one leading home?

Will you find the answer
through all you say and do?
Will you find a way back
to home?

Your soul is a pilgrim,
and it wants to know
the reason why you must Leap
or so the story goes.
Leaper, in your journey
you have travelled far,

Leaper, it's a long way 'til
you're back to who you were...
(REPEAT 3x)

Keep the Leap Alive, Leapers of the World!

R. Joy Helvie

(I am tina_als_girl on the Al's Place board)

Contact me at: tina_als_girl@hotmail.com