How Quantum Leap’s Transgender Youth Episode Is “Restoring Life” to Those We’ve Lost – E! Online

Quantum Leap is telling one of its most important stories to date.

The Feb. 6 episode, written by actress and trans activist Shakina Nayfack (Difficult People, Connecting…), is titled “Let Them Play” and marks Nayfack’s directorial debut on the hit NBC drama.

After Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) jumps back to 2012, he finds himself in the midst of the Mendéz family as they help their transgender daughter, Gia, who dreams of playing on her high school basketball team amid backlash from other parents and school administrators.

“I created the character based off, in part my own life story, and in part the story of two dear friends who are trans who unfortunately took their own lives in their early years,” Nayfack exclusively told E! News. “So I was integrating a lot of the things that I had been through as a young person.”

In the episode, Song must prevent Gia from running away to a life that ends tragically and instead attempt to give her story a happy ending.