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 (Al Calavicci)

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

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• A significant amount of Sam's past is revealed in this episode, including not only one of his past romances, but where he met Donna and Al (Project Star Bright), where he attended college (MIT), how he came up with his theory of time travel, and the fact that he speaks and can read several languages, including Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Characters

• The character of Donna Eleese is introduced in this episode. Donna would have one more appearance, in the episode "The Leap Back".

• 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.

Kiss with History

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

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.