Outlander Season 5: Should Jamie try to change history again?

The Outlander Season 5 trailer is here and one of the big takeaways is Jamie trying to change history again. Is this something he should do?

Hands up if you’ve already watched the Outlander Season 5 trailer a million times? You’re not alone, and it certainly does give goosebumps. I’m still working through the biggest takeaways, but one of the parts that stands out is Brianna talking to Jamie about changing history. Is this even something he should try to do?

It’s likely in reference to the Battle of Alamance. Jamie clearly wants to stop it, and part of that will be due to his loyalty to Murtagh. However, Brianna has some information that will make him question his actions. It makes us wonder whether Jamie is right in trying to change history.

If Alamance doesn’t happen, the Revolutionary War doesn’t start. At least, not in the way it did and possibly not ever at all. That could mean America never becomes America. What does that mean for Brianna, who was raised in Boston? What does it mean for centuries of people?

It makes you wonder whether it is right to even try to change history. We already know from Outlander Season 2 that history can’t really be changed. Jamie and Claire tried to prevent the Jacobite revolution, but that didn’t happen. Then they tried to make sure the Jacobites won Culloden, but it all failed. The Battle of Culloden played out just like it did in history.

This suggests that no matter what Jamie tries to do, history can’t be changed anyway. All he’ll end up doing is getting himself in trouble.

And if he does change history, it’s not necessarily for the better. Sure, it gets him out of a current tight situation with family and duty, but it has a dangerous knock-on effect for centuries in the future, directly affecting his own daughter.

What I do love about the moment in the Outlander Season 5 trailer is that Jamie clearly respects Brianna’s knowledge of the future. He listens to her and takes her words on board. Many men, even knowing Bree was from the future, would laugh off a woman’s words in that time. Jamie knows, just like Claire, Brianna is thinking about the years to come and knows what she is talking about.

So, can Jamie change the future? Should he try? If you’re read “The Fiery Cross” and beyond, you know exactly how it all plays out. But for those who haven’t, hang on to your hats for this coming season.

Do you think Jamie should try to change the course of the future? What do you think he’ll do when hearing the truth about the battle that must take place? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 on STARZ.