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Sam Beckett prematurely steps into the project accelerator and vanishes. 1956: Suffering from partial amnesia, Sam cannot remember his own identity, nor Al's. There are two things he is sure of, though: He is not the Air Force pilot who everyone thinks he is, and he cannot fly. 1968: Sam must prevent a baseball team from losing the season in last place, but first takes a break to call home.

Summary[]

Al is driving along an isolated highway in the desert. He stops his car to flirt with an attractive woman standing at the side of the road and offers her a lift. The woman notes distant blue flashes in the sky and remarks that this was the same location where the first atomic bomb was tested. Al attempts to distract her until he is interrupted by a call from Gooshie, who frantically informs him that Sam Beckett has stepped into the accelerator and is "leaping." Al says Sam can't because the project isn't ready yet. He warns Gooshie not to interfere with the process, as this could kill Sam, and races back to the project. Sam, meanwhile, revels in the moment, just before disappearing.

Sam awakens in the year 1956, suffering from total memory loss. He is confused to discover that his name is "Tom" and that he has a pregnant wife named Peggy, or "Peg" for short, as Tom calls her and a son named Mikey. He is further shocked by his reflection in the mirror, which he insists is not him. Sam begins to convince himself that he is dreaming and that, as long as he goes along with the dream, he will soon wake up.

Sam further discovers that his complete identity is Tom Stratton, an Air Force test pilot, and that his best friend is Capt. Bill "Bird Dog" Birdell, a cocky, womanizing pilot. Birdell pulls over the side of the road to chat to an attractive young woman and brags about how he and Sam are the only pilots "brave enough to fly the X-2". Sam tells Birdell he cannot fly, but Birdell thinks he is playing a gag and decides to go along with it. When they reach the Air Force base, Birdell and the other pilots pretend that flying has affected their memory, convincing staff Doctors "Weird Ernie" Ernst and Berger to conduct a research project studying the matter.

Al shows up as the meeting disperses, but Sam does not recognize him. Sam and Birdell suit up into their pilot outfits and prepare to take off. Sam notices Al standing at the back of the plane and asks Birdell if everyone on board is secure. Birdell looks around but cannot see anybody. Birdell leaves Sam alone in the cockpit, and Sam begins to panic, unable to steer the plane. The plane spins on its side and begins to descend. Birdell returns to the cockpit and resumes control. Sam insists he cannot fly, but Birdell is still convinced that he is joking.

A third pilot, Capt. Tony LaMott, enters the X-2, which is lowered from the plane Sam and Birdell are piloting. Tony intends to race the X-2 up to Mach-3. However, before it is able to reach the desired speed, the X-2 spins out of control and is moments from exploding. Just before the X-2 erupts into flames, Tony is able to eject and safely glide back to land.

That evening, the pilots and their spouses socialize at a local bar. Peg notes that Sam is uncharacteristically quiet and is puzzled when he asks her to dance, something Tom cannot do. Sam notices Al yet again, standing at the other side of the room. Sam asks Peggy is she can see him but she is unable to. Sam realizes that Al must be the key to finding out who he really is and approaches him. He asks Al if he is dead and has been reincarnated as Tom Stratton. Al cannot believe that Sam has no memory of who he is, though when Al calls him "Sam" he knows that's his real name, but nothing more. Al leaves the bar and walks outside, disappearing into thin air through an invisible door.

Driving back home, Peg is worried about Sam, as he is behaving oddly. Sam tells her he is not Tom Stratton and that he is not a pilot, nor does he have any recollection of her or Mikey. Peg becomes upset, and Sam decides to recant his confession, pretending that, in fact, it is all a joke he is perpetrating. Peg is relieved, but Sam remains unsure of what to do.

Sam awakens in the middle of the night and recovers a portion of his memory. He recalls that he grew up on a farm in Elk Ridge, Indiana with his parents and sister, Katie. He also remembers that his father died in 1974, but that being 1956, his dad must still be alive. Sam attempts to phone his family but he cannot remember his last name, thus is unable to reach them.

Mikey enters the room carrying a fishing rod and reminds Sam that they had a fishing trip planned for the day. Sam takes Mikey fishing and, while leaving him to fish further upstream, encounters Al again. Sam tries to touch Al, but his hands go through him, as Al explains that he is a man in the present day but appears to Sam as a neurological hologram. Al also explains that Sam is part of a time travel experiment that "went a little caca" and that he has traded places in time with Tom Stratton. He says Ziggy attempted to retrieve Sam in the morning, but Sam was unreachable. In order for Sam to leap, everyone in this time zone must believe he is Tom Stratton. Ziggy will next attempt to retrieve Sam on Tuesday, however, this is problematic for Sam as he is scheduled to fly the X-2 on Monday.

Sam is enjoying a family barbecue with friends. He notices that Peg appears nauseous, but she insists that she is fine.

Sam is walking around the hangar at the Air Force base, inspecting the X-2 he is scheduled to fly on Monday, when Al appears. Al explains to Sam the "string theory of time travel," how the Imaging Chamber functions and who precisely is controlling Sam's leaps - an unseen force, whether it be God or time or fate. Al also tells him that in the original timeline, Tom Stratton was killed while attempting to fly the X-2 to Mach-3, so all Sam has to do in order to leap is survive the flight. Despite Sam's reservations, Al assures him that he himself was once a pilot and that he will help guide him through the entire exercise. Sam begins to accept the plan.

As Monday arrives, Sam returns to the Air Force base to submit his memory test. Doctors Ernst and Berger inspect the submission and find that it is filled with bizarre answers that suggest Sam is from the future. The two conclude that the entire memory loss theory was simply a joke all along.

As Sam steps into the X-2, he becomes nervous as Al is nowhere to be seen. The X-2 is lowered from another plane and launched into the sky. Sam starts to panic and attempts to tell his operators that he cannot fly, until Al shows up and instructs him on how to steer the X-2. As it starts to speed up beyond Mach-1 and Mach-2, the X-2 begins experiencing turbulence. Suddenly, Sam and Al hear a bubbling noise, and they realize the heat from the engine is boiling the plane's fuel. The warning light flares on the instrument panel, informing Sam he has a fire. Al urgently tells Sam to eject.

Moments later, the X-2 explodes in the sky, and the debris crashes to the ground. The sound of the distant explosion shocks Peg, who is in the kitchen of her home, worried for her husband. Sam, however, managed to eject from the plane in time and floats safely to earth in a parachute. An entire crew of Air Force paramedics rush out to collect him. Sam is frustrated that, despite accomplishing his mission, he has still not leaped.

Sam is taken to the hospital, where he is told that Peg went into premature labor after hearing the X-2 explosion. The hospital doctors tell him that, once labor begins, it cannot be stopped, so that the baby will need to be delivered prematurely even though it is unlikely to survive. Sam, remembering that he has medical knowledge from the future, knows this notion has been proven false and instructs them to administer an alcoholic solution intravenously to Peg. The procedure works successfully. Peg is inebriated, but the labor stops. Sam gives the thumbs-up to Mikey and Birdell, assuring them that Peg and the baby are okay. Then, suddenly, he leaps.

Sam finds himself in 1968, having leaped into baseball player Tim Fox. He is soon joined by Al and learns that while no time has passed for him, for everyone else, it's been six days since he leaped (with the team at Project Quantum Leap spending most of the time celebrating). Al explains that Fox is a minor league player who was sent up to the majors but was sent back down after an injury to recover and wasn't picked back up afterwards. His team is playing the final game of the season and, according to Al, are destined to lose, which will make Fox retire. Sam asks Al why he didn't leap home, but Al and Ziggy are still unsure. Al tells Sam that he did manage to change history in regards to Tom Stratton; not only was he not killed, but the stress caused Peg not to give birth to a stillborn daughter. Having saved Tom, Sam also saved his daughter (who, funnily enough, was named Samantha) with Al noting that someone wanted the two to survive. Sam does know now, however, that he is a medical doctor. Al says that, actually, Sam holds six doctorates, one of which is indeed medicine, and his specialty is in quantum physics. Al reveals that Sam was a prodigy, touted as the next Einstein, and Quantum Leap is his own project. He also wryly notes that Sam is the only person who could have figured out how to get himself home. Sam is despondent, as he can't even remember his own last name. Al takes pity on Sam and disobeys Ziggy's orders by telling him his name is "Sam Beckett."

Armed with his knowledge, Sam is able to call home to Elk Ridge, Indiana and have a tearful conversation with his father, John Beckett. Sam now realizes that his ability to travel in time is a gift, and ponders what greater things he might be able to accomplish in his travels.

As Sam returns to the field to bat, the coach tells him it is his last game and he is badly hoping they will win. Sam is now determined to change history and win the game. Sam does not manage to hit the ball, though due to unexpected fumbling and mishaps from the opposing team, Sam does manage to score on a dropped third strike, and three throwing errors to win the game. His entire team laud Sam as a hero, and Sam leaps.

Episode credits[]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest starring[]

Co-Starring[]

  • Barbra Horan as Tina
  • David Trent as Captain Doug Walker
  • James F. Dean as Doctor Blaustein
  • Lela Ivey as Lucy
  • Dennis Wolfberg as Gooshie
  • Lydia Cornell as Sally
  • Christine Poor as Jeanie
  • Doug Cox as Dougie Ibold
  • Christian Van Dorn as Mikey Stratton

Featuring[]

  • Hank Robinson as umpire
  • Patrick Cranshaw as old man
  • Brent Chalem as bat boy
  • Adam Affonso as Sam Beckett (young)
  • Mike Greenwood as Matt
  • Dave Duensing as Clyde
  • David Dawson as Barnes
  • Kevin Johnson as Pepper
  • Ken Martin as Tim Fox
  • Layne Beamer as Tom Stratton
  • Bob Smith as Buffalo Bob Smith (archived footage)
  • Dean Denton as Captain Tom Jarret (uncredited)
  • Darren VanCleef as teacher (uncredited)
  • Jamie Walters as Max (uncredited)

Production staff[]

  • Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
  • Associate Producer: David Bellisario
  • Unit Production Manager: William Beaudine, Jr.
  • First Assistant Director: Tom Connors
  • Second Assistant Directors:
    • Jim Turley
    • Bob Webb
  • Casting by: Maryann Kohler
  • Set Decorator: Robert L. Zilliox
  • Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
  • Costume Supervisors:
    • David Rawley
    • Donna Roberts-Orme
  • Make-Up: Steven Gautier
  • Hairstylist: Virginia Kearns
  • Sound Mixer: Ronald L. Collins
  • 2nd Unit Director: David Jones
  • Sound Editor: Vic Lackey
  • Music Editor: Susan Mick
  • Panaflex® Camera and Lenses by: Panavision®
  • Air Force Technical Advisor: Chuck Davis
  • "Howdy Doody" Courtesy of: National Broadcasting Co.
  • Titles & Optical Effects: Howard Anderson Company
  • with grateful appreciation to:
    • The Flight Test Center,
    • Edwards Air Force Base
  • Belisarius Productions
  • and Universal®, an MCA Company

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

  • This is a two-hour pilot film of Quantum Leap. The original script was titled merely "Quantum Leap" and no other on-screen title appears in the episode. Official materials use the names "Genesis" and "The Pilot Episode" to describe the episode.
  • No on-screen date is given for the episode, merely that it's a Friday in 1956. Numerous online sources use the date September 13, which was a Thursday, not a Friday.
  • The scenes that show the actual planes flying are stock footage from old film reels. The quality is not as good as the rest of the episode.
  • Tom Stratton is loosely based on two Air Force Test Pilots Captain Milburn G. "Mel" Apt, who died during the actual testing of the X-2 crash in 1954 at Mach 3, and Captain Iven C. Kincheloe, who was another X-2 test pilot, who later died testing the F-104A, leaving behind a young son, pregnant wife and unborn daughter.
  • Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Bruce McGill and Dennis Wolfberg are the only actors to appear in both this episode and the series finale Mirror Image. Bakula, Stockwell, and Wolfberg all played the same characters, while McGill played Al the Bartender.
  • Actor W.K. Stratton, who plays Doctor Berger, appears in four more Quantum Leap episodes.
  • Lela Ivey, who played Peggy's friend Lucy, would later play the role of Chloe in the episode Permanent Wave.
  • Tina's actress, Barbra Horan had her voiced dubbed by Deborah Pratt.
  • The sound effects on Al's car were also used for KITT on the television series Knight Rider.
  • The episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series.
  • Sam leaps into Tom Stratton exactly 2 weeks before the Bell X-2 crashes on September 27, 1956.
  • In 1956, The Howdy Doody Show was broadcast on Saturday mornings at 10 AM and would not have been on the TV that particular morning.
  • When the episode was rerun on September 13, 1989, just before the second-season premiere, it was edited down to 90 minutes and retitled Genesis. When released on home video in 1992, the cover read The Pilot Episode. When the episode was shown in reruns on the USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel, the show was called "Genesis" again, though much of the missing footage was restored, and the episode aired in 2 parts.
  • Roku prints of both parts use the intro sequence from the fourth season, while part 2 also used the opening narration from that same season.
  • Bakula's own voice is overdubbed over the actor playing young Sam. The same actor would return to play young Sam as the mirror reflection in the episode The Leap Back, but the actor playing Sam's father would not return for that episode; Bakula would play that character himself in a dual role.

International airdates[]

Home video[]

  • In 1992, MCA/Universal Home Video released a VHS of the full, uncut premiere episode. At the advent of DVD, Universal released this episode as a stand-alone purchase. It is also available as part of the first-season DVD box set.
  • In spring of 2009, nbc.com added this episode and several others to its online streaming video site.

Music[]

  • Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera) by Doris Day
  • Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
  • Moonglow/Theme from Picnic by Morris Stoloff
  • Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love) by Pat Boone
  • Ooby Dooby by Roy Orbison
  • Yellow Rose Of Texas

Podcast Recaps/Reviews[]

Fate's Wide Wheel: A Quantum Leap Podcast

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