Quantum Leap/Star-Crossed

Star-Crossed
Season 1, Episode 3
Airdate	March 31, 1989
Production Number	65003
Written by	Deborah Pratt
Directed by	Mark Sobel
← 1x01/02 Genesis	1x04 → The Right Hand of God
Quantum Leap — Season One

Star-Crossed is the third episode of the first season of Quantum Leap

Starring: Scott Bakula (Sam Beckett)

and Dean Stockwell (The Observer)

Guest Starring: Teri Hatcher (Donna Eleese), Leslie Sachs (Jamie Lee), Michael Gregory (Col. Wojohowitz), Michael McGrady (Oscar)

Co-Starring: Charles Walker (Frank), Ken Gibbel (Harry)

with John Tayloe (Gerald Bryant), Anne Leyden (Waitress), Kort Falkenburg (Gas Station Attendant), Stacey Adams (Space Cadet Student), Tonya D. Pullman (Student with Afro), Mary Boessow (Pragmatic Student), Lisa Meddin (Student in Headband)

Plot Overview

Sam leaps into a dirty old college professor who must prevent a smitten student from eloping with him and ruining her life. But Sam isn't interested in his mission after he runs into Donna Eleese, the woman he (Sam) fell in love with and who later left him at the altar...and who's a student at the same university that the professor teaches at.

Sam tries to prevent Donna from ever leaving him, much to the consternation of Al and the government--especially since the latter may shut down Quantum Leap forever if Sam doesn't start playing by the rules.

Notes

Leap Date

• June 15, 1972

Location

• Marion, Ohio

Music

• Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
• Don McLean - "American Pie"
• The Stylistics - "Betcha By Golly Wow"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sam learns that it was himself that established time travel shall not be used to improve the traveller's own life.

• Al tells Sam that if he breaks the rules again, the committee's threatening to remove him from the project. He's busted for trying to help Sam, but there appears to be no consequences.

Characters

• Sam recounts that he fell in love with a woman named Donna Eleese and were to be married, but she left him at the altar. Sam believes that if he can reunite her with her father, it will fix her issues that led her to leave him. However, she left another man before him, leaving it unsure if Sam's effort will result in their marriage.

• While assures Sam that he doesn't hold any doctorate in psychology, he does hold one in ancient languages.

• Al mentions Tina, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, for the first time in this episode. Though she would only ever be seen in the episode "The Leap Back", Al continues to mention her throughout the end of Season 5.

Referbacks

• Al mentions breaking the rule by giving Sam personal data (Genesis).

Trivia

The Show

• The show begins airing on Friday starting with this episode.

• This and all future Season 1 episodes featured an introduction to the show voiced by Sam, along with clips from early episodes, followed by a very different opening credits montage than is familiar to most viewers.

• When the Season 1 episodes were rerun in the second season, NBC dubbed the newer Saga Sell and opening credits onto the episodes. When the reruns moved to the USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel in 1992, the openings were again dubbed, this time with the then-current Season 4 openings dubbed over all episodes.

Behind the Scenes

• This was the first script written by Deborah Pratt, then the wife of show creator Donald Bellisario. Pratt would go on to write many of the show's best scripts, including "The Color of Truth", "What Price Gloria", and "Shock Theater". She would also guest-star in the episode "A Portrait for Troian", provide the voice of Ziggy the computer in a handful of episodes, and narrate the opening Saga Sell from the middle of Season 2 on till the end of the series.

Kiss with History

• Sam inadvertently causes the discovery of the break-in at Watergate.