Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Legends of Tomorrow season 7
Legends of Tomorrow's time travel has been a staple for the past five years of the show, but with season 7 leaving the Waverider crew stranded in the 1920s, its temporary abandonment of it proved the right choice, albeit a risky one. The CW show has long relied on time travel, with season 1 having the Legends make trips to a different time in the past or future in almost every episode. Through the years, Legends of Tomorrow has introduced other variables, somewhat reducing the show's dependence on it, such as Greek mythology and magic, the latter with the arrival of John Constantine, which even let Lucifer's own Lucifer Morningstar appear on Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, despite time travel's previous preeminence, the emphasis in season 7 makes for an ultimately more rewarding viewing experience.
When Legends of Tomorrow season 7 started with another Waverider appearing out of the blue the day after the Zagurons' foiled invasion in 1925 in Texas to destroy the Legends' own Waverider, the possibility of time travel was destroyed with it. Despite the Legends having been stranded in a time period without it before, it had never felt as definitive as this time. The bump in the road prompted a search for a way back to their original timeline, resulting in the Legends having to deal with the challenges of the era they were left in without time-traveling expedients. However, this gave Legends of Tomorrow the chance to let what makes it stand out from other shows truly shine.
Time travel may have initially been what appealed to viewers, but it's clearly not a necessary part of Legends of Tomorrow's identity. It was particularly obvious at the start of season 7, when the nature of the show was still the same, despite it being unavailable. The Legends' unity and willingness to find a solution against all odds together were unchanged. Although Sara is the only member from the original group still on the Waverider, and the members have changed multiple times over the years, their closeness is lasting. The show even had various episodes where the story seemed not to advance to let its characters bond, overcoming their conflicts.
Another strength of Legends of Tomorrow that has only become more prominent over the years is its characters' individual progress. They not only always support each other as a group but also leave room for personal storylines and development. This can be seen with the latest introductions to the crew, Astra (Olivia Swann) and Spooner (Lisseth Chavez). Both characters were hesitant to be part of the crew and questioned their input to the group's workings multiple times. They made mistakes and doubted their place there, yet, in the end, they felt accepted. The Astra and Spooner of Legends of Tomorrow season 7 are more comfortable with being part of a whole and have found their purpose within it, and they are very different characters from who they were at the beginning of their journey. Moving away from the time travel focus allows this strength to shine through even more effectively.
Another peculiarity of Legends of Tomorrow resides in its approach to characters' fights and adventures. They rarely take themselves as seriously as other characters of the Arrowverse universe, such as The Flash, Arrow, or even Batwoman. Despite having a difficult job to do, fixing the timeline that they have often disrupted, they tend to choose the least sensible and silliest way to solve problems. Whether they use a giant Beebo or change the history they were supposed to protect to get to the invention of time travel in time in order to rid themselves of the mess they're in, as it happened in Legends of Tomorrow season 7, the Legends can be counted on to make a mess, work collectively and have fun in the meantime. This highlights how, despite its central role, time travel is not the only thing that makes Legends of Tomorrow a success.