How a Shocking On-Screen Death Led to the Birth of ‘The Bionic Woman’

When Jaime Sommers first appeared on The Six Million Dollar Man, she was introduced as a memory. Played by Lindsay Wagner, Jaime was a woman from Steve Austin’s past, someone who existed before everything in Steve’s life became classified and controlled. Jaime was beautiful and kind, and her chemistry with Lee Majors immediately resonated. Then, just as audiences were settling into their love story, the story took a devastating turn.

Jaime had a skydiving accident left her critically injured and near death. In desperation, Steve begged Oscar Goldman to authorize experimental bionic surgery to save her life. The operation was successful, but only temporarily. Jaime’s body began rejecting the implants, and over the course of a two-part storyline, she died. At the time, Jaime’s death was meant to be exactly that: a tragic story designed to deepen Steve’s character and then move on. Instead, it triggered one of the most significant audience responses of the era.