Roger’s Big Time Travel Question In Outlander Season 7 Makes No Sense

Warning! Spoilers for Outlander season 7, episode 9 ahead!

Roger pondered over a worrisome question in Outlander season 7, episode 9—but his big concern made absolutely no sense. The mid-season premiere saw Roger again head through the stones, but his time-traveling adventures have gone differently this time around. Rather than jumping back to the 1770s (Jamie and Claire’s present), he landed around 1739. This makes searching for his son Jemmy far more challenging since Roger has to navigate a time he’s never been to before. Still, this Outlander character seems to be making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Roger isn’t alone in the search for Jemmy in Outlander season 7, episode 9. William MacKenzie (AKA Buck), Roger’s ancestor, has joined him. Buck is originally from the 18th century, but accidentally traveled 200 years into the future when he stopped to rest by the stones of Craigh na Dun in 1782. Buck grew close to Roger’s family during his time with them, which is why he volunteered to help look for Jemmy through space and time. Unfortunately, Buck fell ill shortly after they arrived in 1739, prompting Roger to worry about what would happen if his ancestor were to die.

Roger Questions If He & Jemmy Would Still Exist If Buck Dies In Outlander Season 7

Roger Doesn’t Seem To Understand Time Travel Yet

Throughout Roger’s adventures in Outlander season 7, episode 9, his internal dialogue was heard as a narration, making audiences privy to his every passing thought. When Buck complained of pain in his chest, Roger became anxious and wondered what would happen if his ancestor died—would he and Jemmy suddenly stop existing? It’s understandable that, with everything going on, Roger might not be thinking clearly, but this really made no sense at all.

Buck’s son and Roger’s three-times-great-grandfather, Jeremiah, was already born before his father jumped through time. Therefore, nothing that happened to Buck in 1739—a time before this man was even born—would change that. There has never been any concern in Outlander that Brianna and Jemmy would suddenly stop existing if Jamie died, so why would it be any different for Buck? What’s more, Buck’s year of death has already been recorded in history since he was presumed dead when he went through the stones in 1782. Roger’s a smart guy, but his thought process here doesn’t add up.

Outlander Follows A Paradoxical Time-Travel Model

This Isn’t Back To The Future

Roger’s worry would make more sense if he had gone back in time and met a young version of Buck. If the man became ill in his own past, Roger might have some anxiety that his ancestor’s death would change the timeline, and he himself would cease to exist. However, even this is not how things have worked so far in Outlander. The fantasy series uses a paradoxical time-travel model, which enforces the idea that people who travel back in time can’t change anything. An example of this is Brianna going back in time to stop the fire at Fraser’s Ridge, only to turn out to be the one who caused it in the first place.

Of course, given the fact that Roger has just lost his son and is traveling through a brand new portion of time (to him), he can be forgiven for his irrational thought. It’s also fair that he might be upset at the idea of Buck dying since he has grown reluctantly close to the man. Still, time travel is confusing enough without Roger throwing more needlessly complicated anxieties into the mix in Outlander season 7.