 Dr. Benton Quest , age 55 , retired from government research and operated from the " Quest Compound " on the coast of Maine . Driven by curiosity , he was " consulted by individuals , governments and corporations " to investigate enigmatic events . Described as " single @-@ minded — almost to the point of obsession — in his pursuit of knowledge " , he often encountered trouble as " his drive to learn blanks out more basic instincts like self @-@ preservation . " Jessie appreciated his ponderous sense of humor . The show 's promoters summarized him as the " benevolent king " archetype . Bandit the family dog also appeared in the series . Lawrence removed Bandit 's clownish origins , stressing that Bandit could not understand English , nor reliably save the family from perilous situations . Summarizing the group 's behavior , Lawrence wrote , " Jonny 's response to danger will be close to Race 's . Jessie 's intrigue with mysterious , unexplained phenomena will be close to Dr. Quest 's and Hadji , with his roots in a different culture and a more spiritual approach to life , is different again . " 
