Outlander season 7 has quietly introduced another time traveler—but can he be trusted? At this point in the series, Claire has encountered a handful of people who, like herself, can slip through the standing stones and travel across time and space. She passed this trait along to her daughter, Brianna, who met and married another time traveler, Roger. Roger gained his ability to travel in time from his ancestor Geillis, which means another of her descendants, Buck MacKenzie, can also travel through time. However, Outlander has included far more time travelers than just this.
Other characters in the Outlander TV show have been confirmed to be time travelers in the books or revealed so by author Diana Gabaldon. This includes Master Raymond, whom Claire met in France, along with Comte St. Germain. Wendigo Donner is another time traveler who happened to cross Claire’s path—though he was killed when he accidentally blew up the house on Fraser’s Ridge. Now, Outlander season 7 has brought yet another character into Claire’s life who, like her, was not born anywhere near the 18th century.
Captain Ezekiel Richardson Is Another Time Traveler In The Outlander Books
Author Diana Gabaldon Has Confirmed His Motives
In Outlander season 7, episode 10, a man named Captain Ezekiel Richardson comes to the house of Lord John Grey to inform him that Claire Fraser would be arrested as a spy. It was for this that Lord John proposed to Claire, knowing that marriage to a respected British loyalist would take the heat off her. Captain Richardson returned in Outlander season 7, episode 11. He took Claire aside and revealed that he was actually a rebel posing as a British captain and asked that she serve as his own personal spy in the Grey household.
It’s pretty clear that Captain Richardson has much to hide in Outlander, but this goes far beyond which side of the American Revolution he is on. The books reveal that this man is actually from a different time. Gabaldon has since confirmed in an interview with The Dipp that Richardson’s goal is to foil the Revolution so that the colonies remain under British rule. This way, slavery would have been abolished, and the American Civil War would have been avoided entirely. The extent of Richardson’s methods, or details regarding when and where in time he originally came from, has still yet to be revealed.
Can Captain Richardson Be Trusted In Outlander?
What Does This Mean For Claire & The Rest?
It’s currently unclear whether the Outlander TV show will take Gabaldon’s approach with Richardson’s character. After all, the series’ final two seasons will have to divert somewhat from the author’s plan since the Outlander books aren’t finished yet. Still, Richardson’s story seems to be aimed in this direction in season 7. Just as in the books, he has positioned himself on the side of the loyalists and appears to be pretending to be on the side of the rebels to sabotage their efforts. This isn’t because he is against independence entirely. Instead, he aims to ensure this doesn’t happen until slavery is abolished in England and all its territories.
Richardson’s goals in Outlander are certainly honorable. England ended slavery several decades before the United States, and ensuring the colonies lost the Revolution would certainly keep the Civil War from ever happening. Still, this isn’t to say that Richardson is a true friend to Claire Fraser. The man doesn’t care who he hurts to achieve his goals, which goes against everything the protagonists of Outlander believe. So, while not entirely corrupt in intention, this time traveler is someone to keep a close eye on.