Scott Bakula up for a Quantum Leap return and… is he returning as Captain Archer in Star Trek?

If there’s one thing the world needs right now, it’s a hero. A real, genuine hero that the world can get behind. A hero like Sam Beckett from the hit 90s series Quantum Leap, played by one of our all-time favourite people, Scott Bakula.

And now, we’re wondering if, with CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans coming to an end (more on this later), could we see Beckett back for one of TV’s most iconic rolls? After all, there’s a rumour going around that a Qunatum Leap continuation may be on the cards; this is hardly the first time this has surfaced – we discuss this later.

The original series aired from 1989 to 1993 and saw Sam leaping through time, solving cases that a higher power had sent him to, putting things right that once went wrong, as the opening to the show told us. Sam leaped around for four years, selflessly saving lives and helping people before the heartbreaking finale in which we learned ‘Dr Sam Beckett never returned home’.

Almost 30 years later and I’m still not over that final revelation.

But maybe I can yet find the catharsis I and countless others have sought for those three decades.

In a recent interview, the actor was asked what would be the most important thing for him if he returned to project Quantum Leap, to which he replied: “Oh, my goodness. What would be most important…? That show is very special to me, obviously, so I would wish whoever did it luck. I mean, the idea of walking in another man or woman’s shoes is so relevant and so important right now. We’ve become so divided in our world that the ability to cross that line of politics and just deal with the humanity and the individual person who’s sharing a moment on the planet with you is really relevant.

“There was also a quaintness about the show, because it had this period feel because Sam traveled anywhere within his own lifetime. That made it feel a little old fashioned, but I would hope that they get the truth of it and the sentiments of it right, and not try and make it slick. Sam was this naïve kid who just happened to be a brilliant scientist who stumbled on something and all of a sudden was thrown into all of these different lives and worlds and people and situations that he never could’ve imagined growing up in. I would just hope that they would try and keep that, but you know, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

If the legend of Quantum Leap is to be believed, there was at one point in the 90s, plans to make a sequel series which would see Sam’s daughter entering the time vortex to find her father.

Indeed, the idea was actually set up in the show’s fifth season when he fathered Samantha Josephine ‘Sammy Jo’ Fuller with Abigail Fuller in the episode Trilogy Part II: For Your Love (episode). In the episode Sam was in the body of Will Kinman but it was established he was actually himself in the episode, not the man he leaped into. In the third part of the trilogy of episodes Al (the legendary DeanStockwell) informed Sam there was a 91.9% chance Sammy Jo was his daughter as she has a high IQ and a photographic memory like Sam and it was then revealed that Sammy Jo is working on Project Quantum Leap and is trying to find a way to bring Sam home – though she didn’t know Sam was her father.

But would Bakula like to see his daughter try to bring him home and maybe spinoff into her own series with Bakula?

“Yeah, those ideas have been pitched a lot,” said Bakula.

“That’s one of the ideas, and it seems like a good idea. We all know that Sam’s still out there, and I always tell people that should be comforting — that he’s still out there fixing things that once went wrong.”

Indeed,  as I said above, a year ago, Bakula addressed a reboot of the series, saying: “I know the fans would love to have a reboot. There are so many things going on right now that need to be put right, that are currently going wrong, that [Beckett] would be very, very busy. Lots to do.”

Around the same time it was reported (here) that a Quantum Leap reboot was being discussed although Bakula (as discussed above) being on NCIS was touted as a problem while the other was the great Dean Stockwell, Al in the original series, is in his 80s now and has retired from acting, sadly… but that doesn’t mean the show cannot go on, focuing on where Sam is now and how he might get home.

On top of this, show creator Donald Bellisario said in 2017 that he had just written a movie to wrap up the series: “I just finished writing a Quantum Leap feature… I don’t know what’s going to happen with it, but I did write it.”

Continuing, he gave some details on the writing of the movie: “I write things exactly the same way. I just start writing and I let them take me wherever it’s going to take me. I’m entertained the same way the audience is. So I just put Scott and Dean [Stockwell] in my head, kind of rebooted them, and went from there.”

So, let’s be honest, a reboot of Quantum Leap that ties up the original series and sets up a new series would be a very welcome development for the legions of fans that are still out there – myself included – so, in a time of reboot, relaunches and reimaginings, I would imagine that someone somewhere is having that conversation and, if it happens, they better call Bakula – heck, and Stockwell – before they make a single move.

Sadly, I’d imagine Ziggy would give me worse odds than a live canadian casino that this reboot will happen… but we can – and will – hope.

But Quantum Leap’s not the only way we may see more of the great Scott Bakula.

Another rumour has popped up that as Paramount+ sets out all its new plans for the Star Trek franchise (here), we may see Bakula back as Captain Archer, left, from the series Star Trek: Enterprise.

While not the most popular of the pre-CBS Trek  shows, Bakula was never less than great in the series (is he ever?) and he has remained a fan favourite.

Now the word is that Paramount want Bakula’s Archer to appear in another series, with the plan being to give him his own series down the line. Of course, with Star Trek: Picard season 2 currently in production, it would be entirely feasible that he could appear there – after all, rather controversially (if you know, you know), the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation appeared in the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Of course, given that Enterprise was a prequel of sorts to the original, set 100 years earlier, but with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds set to explore the Enterprise’s life before James T Kirk, it could be in this show he pops up too… Star Trek is a bit fuzzy when it comes to characters’ lifespans, so who knows?

If he does return, with Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway set for Star Trek: Prodigy (here) and us hearing thin rumours that a new Star Trek movie is currently looking like it’ll move forward again and William Shatner may appear as James T Kirk (lord knows how that would work after Star Trek: Generations) than that would leave only the great Avery Brooks as DS9’s Captain Sisko still to appear in current Trek canon.

Anyway, would you like to see Bakula back in either role? Is there a legacy Trek character you want to see return? I want to hear all your thoughts, folks…

Source: Giant Freaking Robot and TVLine