Syfy Rewind brings back Quantum Leap, Xena and Battlestar Galactica

Syfy fans, rejoice! Beginning on May 13, America’s favorite basic cable channel focusing on horror, science fiction and fantasy is bringing viewers Syfy Rewind.

What is Syfy Rewind? We are glad you asked that question. Each Friday, starting on May 13 from 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM,  you will be able to watch cult favorites Quantum Leap, Battlestar Galactica and Xena: Warrior Princess, marathon-style.

Each will begin at the beginning, so it’s the perfect opportunity to watch these awesome series if you never got the chance. Let’s take a look at each of them, so you have some background.

Quantum Leap began airing in March of 1989, and ran for five seasons. I am a bit biased here, because it’s one of my all-time favorites. Scott Bakula (Lord of Illusions, Star Trek: Enterprise) stars as Sam Beckett, a physicist studying time travel. He really gets thrown into his work when he accidently “leaps” through time, resulting in him being thrown into the bodies and lives of different people, apparently to correct mistakes they made.

Dean Stockwell plays Al, Sam’s best bud, who appears as a hologram and helps Sam determine how best to complete his leaps and move on; all with the hope of him finally returning home. Quantum Leap was unique in that Sam leaped into so many different types of people: a baseball player, a boxer, a mafia hitman, an elderly Black chauffeur in the segregated South, a P.I., a stuntman, even the occasional woman. In one of the strongest episodes, Sam leapt into Lee Harvey Oswald.

Bakula is an excellent actor, he tackled every single role that was thrown his way 110%, and he and Stockwell had great chemistry together. Syfy announced earlier this month that they are rebooting Quantum Leap, and that it will be “coming VERY soon.” The new series is set 30 years after Sam first leapt, and focuses on a new team of scientist attempting to find out what happened.

Battlestar Galactica was a 1974 television series that was re-imagined in 2004. It was critically acclaimed, and even won a Peabody Award. Set in a different star system, where humans are living on the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, the reboot shows the Cylons launch a sneak attack on the Colonies, leaving only 50,000 survivors, most of whom were on space ships at the time.

The Battlestar Galactica, led by Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos),  was the only surviving military ship, and the crew is tasked with leading the fleet of survivors in search of refuge on Earth. Other actors appearing in the series are Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer.

I don’t know if anyone exists who isn’t at least familiar with Xena: Warrior Princess, but here’s a short breakdown before Syfy airs it, just in case.

Xena (Lucy Lawless) is a very famous warrior who, like many heroes, seeks redemption for her wrongdoings by helping those in need. Aided by her bestie Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor), each episode saw the two on a different mission, always fighting for the greater good.

Throughout the six seasons of Xena: Warrior Princess, our hero had to frequently resist the temptation to return to her former bad self, which makes sense; constantly fighting evil is tiring, after all.

Combining drama, light humor, a large dose of female empowerment and heavy action sequences was a huge success, apparently, because Xena: Warrior Princess remained popular for the entirety of its six-season run. Anyone who had been to a con knows that Xena costumes are plentiful.

The Syfy Rewind marathons will debut with Quantum Leap, and if you find yourself hooked, you may also want to check out Syfy Wire’s video series Everything You Didn’t Know. The series will give you fun facts, references and even easter eggs for Quantum Leap.

Are you interested in watching Battlestar Galactica, Xena: Warrior Princess and Quantum Leap on Syfy Rewind? Tell us why or why not in the comments section.