Though it had been seen previously in
The Boogieman - October 31, 1964 (1990),
Miss Deep South - June 7, 1958 (1990), and
Black on White on Fire - August 11, 1965 (1990), the new "Tetris Block" handlink is officially introduced here, after Al "kills" the older "calculator" handlink during the courtroom scene. This would seem to indicate that
The Great Spontini - May 9, 1974 (1990) was produced first and aired out of order.
This new style handlink, which looks like a mash of flashing "Lego" pieces with no readable controls, was used for the duration of the series. In "The Complete Quantum Leap Book" it is explained that while series creator Don Bellisario did not design the new handlink, he was very pleased with it, as it made another part of the sci-fi aspect of the show as vague as possible.