Moderator presents the speakers with question #17 from Wildman: What gave you the idea for quantum leap? I think it's a great show I watch it all the time.

Don_bellisario says, "Hard to say where ideas come from I always had a love for time travel. I was reading a book called "coming Alive in the Milky Way, which talked about Einstein's theories about time and that prompted me to wake up at 4:00 in the morning with the idea for Quantum Leap"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #38 from Al402: Will they make any more Quantum Leap episodes?

Don_bellisario says, "No, but I wish they would I think Quantum Leap was one of the best shows I've ever done I loved working on that show and had a very special relationship with Scott Bakula who is a terrific actor and a neat guy"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #41 from Xorcist: Mirror Image left the viewers with a lot of questions, will they ever be answered in a movie or in a new QL series ?

Don_bellisario says, "Not in a new series, but the question certainly might be answered in a film at some time in the future and before you ask, one, yes, I'd love to make it Two, it's not even in the talking stage yet"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #59 from Lwaxanna: Who was the barman in Mirror Image?

Don_bellisario says, "Do you mean the actor? The actor was Bruce McGill who looks exactly like my father did in 1953 when he owned that bar. That bar was a mirror image of the coal mining bar in Pennsylvania where I was raised I even put the actual photos from the bar on the walls of the set and since my father created me and I created Quantum Leap it was a story about a bartender who was gone God"

Moderator says, "Wow...that's pretty cool...I didn't know that (and I'm sure not many other people did as well). Thanks for the heads up on that one."

Don_bellisario says, "He was gone too. My dad died in '66"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #57 from Lwaxanna: Why do you always put the lead characters birthday on the same day as your own?

Don_bellisario says, "It's an ego trip"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #87 from Valium: Are you interested in Stephen Hawkins work?

Don_bellisario says, "I have read very little of his work, but find him a fascinating human being"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #79 from Cugal: Why was Quantum leap such a liberal/leftist show?

Don_bellisario says, "I didn't realize it was My personal politics tend to be liberal socially and conservative fiscally and especially conservative when it comes to the military"

Don_bellisario says, "And I always thought that Quantum was a blend of those ideals"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #90 from Quantumfan1: What was your favorite show you've made/worked on?

Don_bellisario says, "My favorite show as an episode was probably Magnum home form the sea But I certainly liked a number of Quantum's and even Jag"

Don_bellisario says, "It's like asking a father what your favorite child is they're each unique"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #124 from Quantumfan1: What do you like on TV now?

Don_bellisario says, "Oh, boy Very difficult to say. When you're making TV you have very little time to watch it I really don't watch any of the sitcoms I think X Files is excellent. Big surprise"

Don_bellisario says, "And I love all the little spin-offs of quantum leap"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #132 from Cov: Wasn't there supposed to be a Q.L. episode where Sam leaps into Magnum?

Don_bellisario says, "Yes, there was And I really wanted to make it But was unable to obtain the necessary clearances form everyone involved"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #134 from Wildebeest: It seems that you have a certain feeling or affinity about places...like Hawaii and the rural countryside in Airwolf. Is that by specific design, or just part of the image of the characters you wanted to develop???

Don_bellisario says, "In the case of Hawaii, CBS wanted a show set in Hawaii. In fact, when I wrote the pilot, I had never been there and since I didn't have time for a scouting trip I wrote the pilot from a tour book and when I got there, everyone was amazed at all the wonderful locations. They knew exactly where they were In the case of Airwolf, I had filmed a number of times in Monument Valley during my commercial days It's a very mystical place and always impressed me in fact, the opening of Quantum originally began in Monument Valley with Sam totally naked, not knowing if he was in some prehistoric age or the present when he woke up with a total loss of memory He was picked up by a sheriff who recognized him, sat him in the car drove him into town and charged him with the murder of the body in the back of the sheriff's pick-up Oh, yes when he first walked around the pick-up, he saw the plate which said 1954 and thought it was just a man who nev3er changed his plates That's what got me started. It's a shame I never made that episode Instead, I started another rewrite and came up with the pilot episode of Quantum Leap"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #143 from Quantumfan1: Settle this question.... Does Sam's body leap, or his mind/soul leap?

Don_bellisario throws his head back, cackling with glee.

Don_bellisario says, "Oh, God! I don't know Let me be honest We debated that often I think probably it was his spirit that leaped Uh, but then again, maybe it was his body No, it definitely was his body You'll have to excuse me. It's been awhile since Quantum and I have to rethink all this The reason I know it was his body is that if Sam leaped into a man with a broken leg Sam did not have a broken leg But if Sam broke his leg and then leaped into someone else's his leg would be broken at the end of that leap Took me awhile to remember that guys and gals"

Moderator presents the speakers with question #112 from Xorcist: Do you think time travel will ever be possible ?

Don_bellisario says, "I hope so and I'm in good company on that Charles Lindberg spent the latter part of his life dedicated to the idea of travelling through space with the mind He said that the physical limitation were so overwhelming that man would never be able to leap from one end of the universe to the other except through his mind and I agree"