Outlander is an epic tale of romance with time travel at its core. Time travel has been a subject of wonder and curiosity since the beginning of mankind and thus it is quite evident that fans of the show have lots of questions around it. The lead protagonist Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp falls through an unknown time portal and discovers a world of wonders. While the show focuses more on the romance and historical aspect, the books delve deeper into the science behind the travel. Today we shall be sharing ten such facts that the show left out.
One Timeline
The most basic mechanic of the time travel from the books is that the timeline is single and progresses at the same rate irrespective of where one is, during that interval. If someone is in the past for three years and comes back to his (or her) own time, three years will have passed in the current time too.
This mechanic also means that one can travel through time in a non-linear fashion. One can move back or forwards to any point of time as they wish, but, time will continue to move at the same rate.
Why Are Gemstones Required?
The series does not say much on why gemstones are required, except that they are important. Geillis always makes sure she has gems before she makes her travel plans. In the first few episodes, Claire was just shown traveling without any aids, but, later on, Jamie starts saving gems for her too. The books explain that the time portals have some ley lines, meaning lines of power. They form a lake of power where they all converge, i.e., at the portals. When someone wears gems before entering, the lines channel the energy towards the gemstones burning them in the process, instead of burning the body.
Comte St. Germain Is A Time Traveler!
If fans noticed carefully, in the first season, when Claire goes to meet Geillis at her house, she sees some old books on a shelf. One of the books is L'Grimoire d'le Comte St. Germaine. He appeared later in the second season as a new villain after Jonathan Black and Jack Randall.
While the show fans are left guessing whether he is a time traveler, the book readers already know from the short story The Space Between, that he is a time traveler and quite proficient at that. He is known to have a deep interest in finding fellow time travelers and trying to make babies with them.
Some Specific Locations
The series mentions here and there, that time travel is possible from certain specific locations, but, it revolves around just Craigh na Dunn for most of the part. The books have explored this in much detail. According to the novels, there are several locations from where one can enter into the time portals. Some of these are Craigh na Dunn of course, Stone circle at Ocracoke, Abandawe cave in Jamaica, tunnel under Lock Errochty, Rhododendron hall stone circle, stone circle near Hadrian’s wall, etc.
Can Time Travel Change History?
Unknown to Claire, there have been and still are, many other time travelers. Some of them have fallen through unintentionally like her, but, some have other motives that are too far-reaching and could be dangerous. For example, Geillis Duncan traveled to the past to help Jacobites and her favorite bonnie Prince win the war. For that, she sacrificed a ton of other people. Claire is trying to change history too, in the later seasons. But, as hinted in the books, history can not possibly be changed. What has happened, has happened. Little do they know that by trying to change, they are just helping history to run the course the same way, through their actions.
How Could Claire And Frank Hear Each Other Through The Stones?
In the series, when Claire traveled for the first time, she knew nothing about time travel or even if it's possible. She just fell through into a distant world and figured out later that if she could somehow reach the stones again, she would be able to return to her own time. She ditched Jamie and the highlanders while they were on a hike and reached Craigh na Dunn, but before she could touch the stones, she heard the voice of Frank like he was calling out to her.
This was not mentioned in the books, but can be explained with the help of something mentioned in the books. Diana Gabaldon has written this a few times that the veils are thinnest at the portals and probably that made it possible.
How Did Geillis Know About Time Travel
Geillis is a person who is very interested in folklore and myths. She is quite a history nerd and had been investigating the disappearance (and death) of several people around the stones and the stone circle, which is how she came to know that the folklore is true actually. She had several diaries with records of the events(one of which even mentioned Claire's disappearance). She could be a descendant of a time traveler of course, which is why she could travel.
You Can Only Travel On Certain Times
Just like some specific locations have the key to time portals, only some specific time of the year can activate them. Apart from Samhain or Beltane shown in the series, there are other occasions too, for example, Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Lughnasadh, Autumnal equinox, Imbolc and Vernal Equinox.
Even if someone somehow reaches one of these locations and has the required genes to travel, the time should be appropriate too.
Prerequisites For Time Travel
Aside from the correct location and appropriate time of the year, there are other prerequisites that need to be ticked off in order to make a successful time travel. Gemstones are very important for travel. They aid in steering the wheel to the desired time in the past or future. Blood is necessary for secure passage. It has been mentioned several times, throughout the books, that many people trying to travel through the portals, were found dead later, near them. It is a risky business. Sometimes, fire is required too and can help with arriving at the desired point of time safely. That was probably the reason why Gillian Edgars killed her husband by setting him and his car up on fire, before vanishing off into the stones.
Rules About Safe Passage
Usually, the shows do not have much room to show all the things mentioned in the books. This is the case with Outlander too, that’s why fans have so many questions about the time travel and it's protocols. Brianna and Roger take an initiative and start recording everything they knew or were told, in a guide. They called it the Hitchhikers' guide jokingly. They think geomagnetism could be a possible reason why time portals exist. Genetics decide if a person could hear the stones sing and hence, travel through them. Of course, the author DG delves much deeper with occasional scientific explanations in her novels, novellas, and short stories.