Worlds Apart
When Earth Prime first connected with Sliders writer and producer Paul Jackson, he admitted that the arc for Logan St. Clair in the third season was partially-formed, at best; they anticipated two additional episodes, with the final confrontation ending with Logan sacrificing herself to save Quinn for reasons unknown.
“Fox killed Logan because they didn’t think she was ‘hot’ enough,” he says. “Another smart network move, yes? She was a great character and we had just started to think about her return (obviously she was coming back!) when they told us to forget it.”
But what about that second encounter? How far had the writing staff gotten in planning the follow-up to Double Cross? As it turns out, there was a plan in place—and it was written less than two weeks after Jackson and writing partner Tony Blake submitted their first draft of (what should have been) the season premiere. The outline for that episode, titled Worlds Apart, is available below.
The Outline
The episode opens with Quinn, Rembrandt, and Arturo arriving on a tropical world—without Wade. Before they’re able to register surprise or grief, another wormhole opens and Logan immediately begins pursuing them through the jungle. The hunt is on.
Act One
Logan chasing the Sliders through several jungle adventures.
Act Two
The Sliders realize that, if they had Logan’s timer, they could track their wormhole and backtrack to the last world and reunite with Wade. So they change tactics and begin to chase Logan. Something then happens to thwart the plan and sends them in another direction: “maybe one of our guys is hurt, captured, or lost in an Ancient Civilization trap.”
Act Three
The unexpected problem is solved, and the team and are back to tracking Logan. They corner Logan and she attempts a bridge crossing the Sliders know to be unsafe from an earlier scene. With no other avenue for escape, Logan heads across event as Quinn tells her not to. Predictably, the bridge snaps and Logan falls, saving herself from death with a last-minute grab of the bridge: “Quinn can’t let her die. He rushes back and tries to save her.”
The only way Quinn can pull her up is if she frees up a hand by dropping her timer. Logan refuses and she begins to lose her grip. Quinn begs her to let him help, but Logan is too stubborn to accept. Eventually, gravity wins out and Logan drops the timer to the river bed below. Quinn continues trying to save Logan, ultimately losing his grip; Logan falls, “hitting the bridge and managing to hold on about fifty down the cliff’s face.”
Act Four
Arturo and Rembrandt realize Logan is alive and that they must be the ones to retrieve her timer as it’s the only way to get to Wade. Now the race is on to the river bed below; Logan has the advantage since she’s half way there, but she’s also injured. “The guys race through the jungle, bypassing some jungle dangers.”
The Sliders arrive at the river’s edge, but not in time: “Logan is there with gun. We’ll struggle, we’ll win.” Is this the last they’ll see of her? “She’ll end up in the river whitewater, floating away… or does an alligator get her?”
Quinn gives Rembrandt and the Professor their timer; there’s an hour left. He tells them to continue dodging dangers and then slide when necessary. What about Quinn? “He’ll go back to Wade, but he’ll only have so much time to find her. If he doesn’t, he’ll try and catch up with them using the tracking function in Logan’s timer. It’s all a risk.
Quinn returns to the world Wade was left on by accident. He finds her in time and there’s “a sweet moment with the two Quinns and Wades and the baby.” [Editor’s Note: this is not elaborated on.] Quinn is able to see via Logan’s timer that Rembrandt and Arturo have slid; he tracks their wormhole, sets their coordinates, and leaps into the vortex with Wade.
A “cool optical” effect shows their two wormholes merging interdimensionally. All four exit together, reunited—it’s a joyous reunion. Where are they? “We’ll decide if it’s the jungle, Wade’s world, or a new world.”