Quantum Leap’s Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula reunited on Star Trek

Quantum Leap’s Dean Stockwell guest-starred on Star Trek with Scott Bakula.

If you’ve been involved in science fiction and fantasy of any sort over the last 30 years, you surely know who Dean Stockwell is. Most famous for his role on Quantum Leap, Stockwell focused a lot on science fiction in his career, especially late into it. Yet, it was his time on Quantum Leap alongside Scott Bakula, that arguably made him the most fans.

Part of it was due to the show’s ever-changing nature, thanks to its premise, while the other part was due to the chemistry that Stockwell and his co-star Bakula had while on screen together. It was hard to deny the genuine bond that the two cultivated during the show’s run.

The two became close, and when Bakula landed a role on Star Trek: Enterprise, Bakula started brainstorming ways of getting Stockwell onto the show for a guest-star spot.

Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula reunited on Star Trek: Enterprise

Stockwell and Bakula would once again share the screen together for the first season episode, “Detained” (S1, E21). In the episode, Stockwell played Grat, a Tandaran military officer who’s running the detention center that Bakula’s Captain Jonathan Archer and Ensign Travis Mayweather are detained in.

While the role was limited, as Grat was nothing more than a villain of the week type, seeing Stockwell and Bakula sharing the screen once again in a very well-received episode of Enterprise, was a treat to many long-time Quantum Leap and Star Trek fans. It’s a moment fans of both men, and both franchises get to have forever.

The reunion was originally brought to Bakula by executive producer Rick Berman, who described it to Star Trek: Communicator magazine (issue 138) as something that everyone was on board for.

"We always thought it would be fun to get the two of them together, and I spoke to Scott, and he thought it would be a great idea […] [Stockwell] was delighted to do it [too]. It was a lot of fun."

This wouldn’t be the only time a Bakula-led series brought on Stockwell for a post-Quantum Leap region, as both men shared the screen once again in Bakula’s NCIS: New Orleans series.

Stockwell passed away over the weekend, he was 85.