Ernie Hudson as:

 Herbert "Magic" Williams

Introduction

Magic in the Past
Text source:
Magic









Episode Images - Season One
















Introduction:

Herbert "Magic" Williams is a Sailor who served with the SEAL Teams in the Vietnam War. During this time, he was one of the Leapees that Dr. Samuel Beckett leapt into during his leaps into the past. Decades later, Williams serves as the new head of Project Quantum Leap after he restarts the program and takes an unauthorized trip to the past using the Project Accelerator. In his role as head of the Project, Williams constantly has to balance the needs of his team against the wants of his superiors at the Pentagon.

"Magic" Williams first appeared in the Season 3 episode titled The Leap Home, Part II (Vietnam) where the role was portrayed by Christopher Kirby. In the revival series, Ernie Hudson takes over the role of an older Williams, who is one of the main characters in the series. In A Decent Proposal he tells Ian Wright that he knows Dr. Sam Beckett leaped into him.

During the 'Long Hot Summer' of 1967, Magic was on leave and visiting family in Detroit. He and his cousin Phil were stopped at a red light because the cops believed they had stolen the car they were in for no other reason than that they were two black men. The cops pulled them out of the car and onto the ground. Two of the cops put a boot at the back of their neck while holding guns on them, and the other two beat them with their batons. Afterward they were just left there and they barely survived.

During the first two years when Ben Song was missing, Magic became an alcoholic. During that time he began dating Beth Calavicci, whom he credits for helping him get sober. As of One Night in Koreatown he has been sober for 353 days.




























Magic in the past:

Sam leaps into Herbert, or "Magic", a member of Tom Beckett's Navy Seal platoon in Vietnam. Al soon tells Sam that he is there to make sure the mission is successful, which Sam interprets to mean that he is there to try once again and save Tom's life. Magic became Herbert's nickname after he miraculously escaped death twice, which includes the time when he was getting off of a chopper as the unit was facing heavy enemy fire and the fact that the unit, which had been taking heavy hits before his arrival, hasn't had a single casualty since!

As Herbert, Sam quickly adapts to life in his brother's unit and starts using Al and Maggie Dawson, a reporter, to figure out what he should do. Sam talks Tom into bringing her in on their next mission, which is the one where Tom had died in the original order of things.

After some maneuvering by Al Calavicci and Ziggy to get the unit to avoid an ambush put together by a VietCong Spy, Tom's life is saved, but Maggie dies instead.

Sometime after this mission, ‘Magic’ was commissioned as an officer, and was eventually promoted to admiral, when he discovered his name attached to the file describing the original Project Quantum Leap.

According to Magic, he was originally going to be killed in action but Sam saved his life as well.






























Episode Images - Season Two






























































Magic in Vietnam during Sam Beckett's Leap (April, 1970)
During the Original Series episode "The Leap Home: Part II - Vietnam"









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