Warning: This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap episode 5.Quantum Leap episode 5 seems to have made the show's biggest-ever change to history. The original Quantum Leap series started out as more of a social commentary than anything else - until season 5, that is, when the show indulged in some rather more high-profile adventures. Sam Beckett leaped into the likes of Dr. Ruth, Elvis Presley, and even Lee Harvey Oswald, giving episodes a major hook. Still, for all that's the case, Quantum Leap tended to avoid making too many major changes to history.
NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch has changed that, though. The new Quantum Leap project has broken the show's oldest rule, with new leaper Dr. Ben Song finding a way to consistently leap back in time to the distant past. In Quantum Leap episode 5, Ben finds himself in the year 1879, where he must save the fictional town of Salvation. In the original timeline, the locals were forced to abandon their town; Ben must put that right, preventing a group of outlaws harassing them out of their homes. His mission is successful, meaning an entire town now exists that did not originally. It's probably the biggest change Quantum Leap has ever made to the timeline and could have extremely serious consequences.
Why Salvation's Change Is So Important
The ability to travel a long way back into the past is one of the biggest changes in the show's format, opening up so many potential time travel stories to distant historical events. But Quantum Leap episode 5 reassures viewers it hasn't forgotten its social edge, because it swiftly becomes clear Salvation is no ordinary town. Quantum Leap has used time travel to preserve a unique town, one that was centuries ahead in terms of equality and treatment of minority ethnic groups. It's fascinating to imagine what the continued existence of such a town would mean when it comes to the 20th century - particularly to the civil rights movement. The name of the town seems symbolic, representing a brighter vision of what the U.S. can be.
It's interesting to note that, continuing these themes, it's not Ben who saves the town in this case; rather, he is the one who persuaded the remaining townspeople to work together. This is followed by an A-Team style montage as they get ready to take on the outlaws (Ben makes this explicit by tossing out the iconic line, "I love it when a plan comes together"). One of the greatest problems with the very idea of Quantum Leap has always been tied to agency - that leapers like Sam Beckett and Ben Song tend to enter somebody else's lives and sort their problems out for them. In this case, Salvation is saved when its residents work together; Ben is a catalyst that gives the people agency, rather than a foreign presence removing it. The message is clear; this kind of U.S. can still be created, if people will only come together.
What Other Changes Will Quantum Leap Make To History?
Most episodes of Quantum Leap operate on a smaller scale, with just a handful of lives changed by the leaper's actions. Now, an entire town has been saved, and the ripple effects through history must be enormous. Quantum Leap is going where Sam Beckett never could, establishing a mechanism for routine exploration of the more distant past (Sam Beckett only managed this once, and it was stated as being due to a genetic anomaly). The further back Ben leaps, the greater the ripple effects could be. Quantum Leap has saved Salvation - and anything could happen next.
Episodes of Quantum Leap release on NBC on Mondays at 10 PM ET. Episodes are available for exclusive streaming on Peacock the next day.