This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap episode 5.The villains of NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch could be the evil version of Sam Beckett. Unlike Sam Beckett, Dr. Ben Song entered the Quantum Leap accelerator for a reason, actually choosing to get himself lost in the timestream. He's been traveling a preprogrammed course, as though seeking out a specific destination, and there's even been speculation his Quantum Leap journey is leading him to rescue Sam. The dramatic end of Quantum Leap episode 5 changed everything, though, when what seems to be another time traveler warned Ben to stop following him through time, right before Ben leaped once again.
This raises the possibility Ben Song is not pursuing Sam Beckett at all; rather, his mission could be about a group called the Evil Leapers, who were introduced in Quantum Leap season 5. The polar opposite of the Quantum Leap project, this group was tasked with traveling through time and ensuring things went as badly as possible; where the cliffhanger ending of Quantum Leap implied Sam was working for God, the Evil Leapers were presumably working for the devil. The project was run by Lothos, Ziggy's evil supercomputer counterpart, and it was implied to have multiple teams scattered across the timeline. The Evil Leapers' time travel followed roughly the same pattern as Sam Beckett's, but they leaped to a flare of red light rather than blue.
The Evil Leapers Are A Loose Thread From The Original Quantum Leap
Sam and Al encountered the Evil Leapers three times, but they didn't manage to learn much about them - not even where they fit in the timeline. Given the Evil Leapers are time travelers, they could conceivably have originated from the distant future. Alternatively, their version of the Quantum Leap project could have been secretly established by the time of NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch; Ben and Janice Calavicci could be working together to expose the Evil Leapers, and shut them down. This would be a fascinating twist, because it would inevitably draw the entire cast of Quantum Leap into the conflict. Disturbingly, the mysterious time traveler who appeared in Quantum Leap episode 5 knew who Ben was, suggesting they have access to Quantum Leap's secrets.
Quantum Leap's Evil Leapers Could Provide A Structure To The Series
NBC is taking a different approach to Quantum Leap. The original series rejoiced in its episodic format, with each episode standing on its own. In contrast, NBC's relaunch has an ongoing narrative weaving through it; this narrative has been focused on events in the present day, but episode 5 suggests that's about to change. Ben is traveling through time in pursuit of another time traveler, and a hostile one at that, meaning these two characters will cross paths again.
This, coupled with allowing Ben to travel outside his own lifetime, means the NBC relaunch is evolving into something new. It's even possible this will result in a sort of time war, as conflicting time travelers attempt to rewrite history according to their own desires. It remains to be seen whether such an approach, which would be a dramatic departure from Quantum Leap's core concept, will appeal to viewers.
Episodes of Quantum Leap release on NBC on Mondays at 10 PM ET. Episodes are available for exclusive streaming on Peacock the next day.