Before I get into the questions, I do want to say that my minimum wish for this series, the prerequisite for me to even watch it, is that this must be "season 6." It cannot be a reboot, there must be homage and connection to the original series and at least one "connecting character" who can span both series. I was pleasantly surprised though this new faster-paced version will be tough to get used to. I thought the 1985 part of the pilot was too rushed and slapped together. But on to some thought questions, with the understanding that some of these may take a few episodes...
1. What happened with the original project? Did Sam get "lost"? Maybe they lost track of him after Mirror Image because he was leaping as himself so no one could find him. I can't believe that Al and the rest would simply close up shop. Besides, that's the only way the project could shut down because they couldn't do so if people from the past kept leaping into the imaging chamber. The first one to see that there was no one around and leave would trap Sam back wherever he was. So I'm going on the assumption that anything after Mirror Image was Sam leaping as himself with an empty Waiting Room.
2. What about Sam's friends and family? What about Donna? Would she just give up? Sounds hard to believe that everyone back in 1999 would just throw up their hands and abandon Sam. Even going back to the original timeline, from the perspective of his mother, Kate and Tom, did Sam just "vanish" for 30 years? They had to have been told something, and if not they still have to be actively trying to find out where he is which should bring one of them into the series. Incidentally this is not canon, but we've heard one potential Season 6 arc would be that Al would leap back looking for Sam...
3. ...but if Sam fixed Al's marriage to Beth, it occurs to me that this itself should be a major paradox! Because then Al probably never develops a drinking problem or goes on Starbright, probably never meets Sam or becomes involved in the project, and it's only through PQL that their marriage was saved.
3. "Magic" Williams as many people know is a former leapee. It cannot be a coincidence that he's leading the project now. There's got to be another backstory there. I'd like to know how Magic came to head the new project. He and Al were both naval officers. In fact, they would have met when the young Magic was in the Waiting Room in "Leap Home Part 2"
4. Will Deborah Pratt come back as Ziggy? Why did we not hear from her?
5. The new apparent "L.A." location really doesn't make sense. Why would they re-build the entire project, including the imaging chamber, waiting room, accelerator and control room completely from scratch? Is the old project completely abandoned in New Mexico? How could they even do that if it was top-secret? Especially with leapees still coming in how can you just pack up and leave PQL New Mexico? I'd like to hear more about what happened to Donna and Gushie and Beeks and the others. I cannot believe that they're just out of the story now. We need a deeper explanation for what happened at the original PQL.
6. Are we going to see Sammie Jo or other of Sam's potential "offspring"? It would make sense and be a good connection to the original. In fact... here's my major prediction, I'm calling it right now: Ben, as far as we know, was born in San Francisco around 1985. Hmm.... I wonder if he was born around November 1985 as Ben Matsuda. The timing certainly fits. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!
1. What happened with the original project? Did Sam get "lost"? Maybe they lost track of him after Mirror Image because he was leaping as himself so no one could find him. I can't believe that Al and the rest would simply close up shop. Besides, that's the only way the project could shut down because they couldn't do so if people from the past kept leaping into the imaging chamber. The first one to see that there was no one around and leave would trap Sam back wherever he was. So I'm going on the assumption that anything after Mirror Image was Sam leaping as himself with an empty Waiting Room.
2. What about Sam's friends and family? What about Donna? Would she just give up? Sounds hard to believe that everyone back in 1999 would just throw up their hands and abandon Sam. Even going back to the original timeline, from the perspective of his mother, Kate and Tom, did Sam just "vanish" for 30 years? They had to have been told something, and if not they still have to be actively trying to find out where he is which should bring one of them into the series. Incidentally this is not canon, but we've heard one potential Season 6 arc would be that Al would leap back looking for Sam...
3. ...but if Sam fixed Al's marriage to Beth, it occurs to me that this itself should be a major paradox! Because then Al probably never develops a drinking problem or goes on Starbright, probably never meets Sam or becomes involved in the project, and it's only through PQL that their marriage was saved.
3. "Magic" Williams as many people know is a former leapee. It cannot be a coincidence that he's leading the project now. There's got to be another backstory there. I'd like to know how Magic came to head the new project. He and Al were both naval officers. In fact, they would have met when the young Magic was in the Waiting Room in "Leap Home Part 2"
4. Will Deborah Pratt come back as Ziggy? Why did we not hear from her?
5. The new apparent "L.A." location really doesn't make sense. Why would they re-build the entire project, including the imaging chamber, waiting room, accelerator and control room completely from scratch? Is the old project completely abandoned in New Mexico? How could they even do that if it was top-secret? Especially with leapees still coming in how can you just pack up and leave PQL New Mexico? I'd like to hear more about what happened to Donna and Gushie and Beeks and the others. I cannot believe that they're just out of the story now. We need a deeper explanation for what happened at the original PQL.
6. Are we going to see Sammie Jo or other of Sam's potential "offspring"? It would make sense and be a good connection to the original. In fact... here's my major prediction, I'm calling it right now: Ben, as far as we know, was born in San Francisco around 1985. Hmm.... I wonder if he was born around November 1985 as Ben Matsuda. The timing certainly fits. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!