The Sliders “Holy Grail”? Lost Script from Series’ Original Creator Explained

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For five seasons spanning from 1995 to 2000, the TV series “Sliders” on SYFY (currently available for streaming on Peacock) transported us to numerous alternate realities scattered across a vast multiverse. Each of these worlds shares many similarities with our own, but they differ in one or more striking aspects.

In one universe, San Francisco serves as a sanctuary for dinosaurs, wandering through its forests. Meanwhile, other universes feature humanoid robots taking over, a pulsar endangering the planet, or antibiotics being nonexistent. Each episode transported us to a distinct reality, but only certain ones actually got aired.

During the show’s run, Tracy Tormé conceived some alternate reality journeys that didn’t make it onto our screens, such as the never-made episode called “Heat of the Moment”. This lost episode was initially noticed by fans at DragonCon in 1997. However, it wasn’t until much later that Tormé shared the plot details for this elusive episode.

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Sliders creator Tracy Tormé wrote an unproduced Sliders episode with a surprising twist

While rummaging through old storage containers, Tormé unearthed several mementos from his writing past, including some concept outlines for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and an unrealized “Sliders” script. In a conversation with Earth Prime, he expressed, “I’ve managed to shake off the dust; from a fan’s point of view, this could very well be the ultimate treasure.

The episode was penned during a challenging phase for the show, with events backstage proving quite rocky. Sadly, personal issues drew Tormé away from the production, and this coincided with John Rhys-Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, and later Jerry O’Connell departing from the series. Cleavant Derricks was left as the lone cast member from the original Sliders team by the show’s conclusion.

In the third season, “Heat of the Moment” was initially planned, focusing heavily on Professor Arturo. However, by the time they were prepared to produce the episode, Rhys-Davies had already left. Faced with either heavily revising the script or discarding it, Tormé chose the latter and stored it away. Later, it was contemplated as a comic storyline for “Sliders,” but that didn’t materialize either. It appeared as if this episode had vanished between dimensions, but not permanently.

What the lost Sliders episode “Heat of the Moment” would have been about

In “Heat of the Moment,” the Sliders find themselves on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, with the sun blazing bright, towering large in the sky. Upon exploration, they uncover that an asteroid impacted the planet with such intensity that it disrupted its orbit. Now, the planet is spiraling towards the sun, and the timer refuses to activate another portal until it’s already too late.

In the face of impending doom, Rembrandt sets out to make peace with his brother’s doppelgänger. Simultaneously, Quinn and Wade confess their feelings for each other, while the professor concocts a last-ditch attempt to save the planet. Arturo joins forces with this world’s equivalent of Jason Gaffney (referred to as Bennish here), combining their intellects in an effort to rescue mankind. In this universe, Quinn and Bennish collaborated on sliding technology, but contrary to the initial series episode, they inadvertently built an antigravity machine that exploded the lab’s roof. Now, Arturo is pinning his hopes on gravity technologies to reposition Earth into a safe orbit.

Previously, The Sliders found themselves in similar predicaments where they were cornered, with the destiny of a world at stake, but this instance stands apart. Rembrandt is slain by the sibling he yearned to bond with, and the professor can’t save the planet. Quinn and Wade exchange vows in haste, only to perish alongside everyone else. It seems as though all hope is gone until Tormé presents a surprising turn of events.

A sudden doorway appears, revealing that the Sliders we’ve been tracking aren’t actually ours. Freshly arrived, our Sliders will quickly exit within the next two minutes, beating the next commercial break.

Perhaps, if the rumored revival of the show Sliders ever becomes a reality, we might finally have a chance to watch it authentically.

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2025-07-11 20:16