This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap episode 7.NBC's Quantum Leap's cliffhanger ending, in which Sam came face-to-face with a mysterious being strongly implied to be God Himself.
NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch stars Sam's successor, Dr. Ben Song, whose task seems to be the same as Dr. Beckett's, and episode 7 strongly implies this mission is God-given as well. Ben leaps into what seems (at first glance) to be a case of demonic possession, but is in reality a horrific act of poisoning. The victim, a teenager with remarkable faith named Daisy, is initially able to see beyond the surface appearance of the priest whose body Ben is possessing, and recognizes him as an angel sent at her time of need. Later, a mysterious mystical experience prompts Ben to realize the Devil is not the villain in Quantum Leap episode 7; although Ben would dismiss this as all being in his own head, the vision of Addison knows things Ben has not figured out. The lighting and texture of the scene is a beautiful white, hinting Ben is having a vision of a real angel. Taken together, all this suggests Ben too is working for God.
Sam Beckett & Ben Song Are Indeed Like Angels
The comparison between leapers and angels is surprisingly appropriate. In the Bible, angels are God's messengers who are sent to help in times of difficulty; sometimes they offer counsel and advice, and on other occasions they fight on behalf of the oppressed. Angels have often been portrayed as having knowledge of the future, and they are associated with the prophecies found in Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature. Even more striking is the fact angels have often taken on the appearance of ordinary people, so men of faith like Abraham had "shown hospitality to angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13: 2, NIV). Ben Song and Sam Beckett really do tick a lot of these boxes, especially if their leaps are indeed divinely ordained.
NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch had hinted at a major shift in the franchise's lore, with previous episodes suggesting Ben's journeys were controlled by a code he had implanted within the supercomputer Ziggy. This, naturally, left the project team trying to figure out what Ben's purpose really was - especially when they discovered he had secretly been working with Janice Calavicci, the daughter of Sam Beckett's closest friend Al. But it had felt like an unsatisfactory explanation, not least because it raised the odd question of what had happened to Sam Beckett when the supercomputer from the first Quantum Leap project was turned off. The reintroduction of a divine mission, establishing a new tension in the show's premise, makes a lot more sense.
Ben's New Mission Hints At Quantum Leap's Future
NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch has already revealed Ben is leaping through time in pursuit of someone else, a leaper from the future. In the original Quantum Leap, Sam discovered he was not the only one traveling through time; he found himself confronted with so-called "Evil Leapers" who were tasked with ensuring history turned down a darker path. If Sam was serving God's will, then they were serving the Devil's; appropriately enough, their leaps tended to be accompanied by a flare of red light, the color of hellfire (and of a mysterious Devil encountered by Sam in one season 3 episode). If Sam and Ben are angels, they are demons, and it's quite possible Ben is working to counter these Evil Leapers, Sam's nemeses. Hopefully NBC's Quantum Leap relaunch will provide some answers in its own season 2.
Episodes of Quantum Leap release on NBC on Mondays at 10 PM ET. Episodes are available for exclusive streaming on Peacock the next day.
