Outlander Season 6 mostly takes place in one time period. There are two flashbacks that takes us to further in the past. Here’s a look at the timeline.
While Outlander Season 6 starts with a flashback to explain who Tom Christie is to Jamie and includes a flashback to Bonnie Prince Charlie, the rest of the season takes place over the course of three consecutive years. It’s one of the easiest of seasons when it comes to the time period.
There aren’t many events that set the time period for the season, though. There is a mention of the Boston Tea Party in the newspaper and the arrival of Flora MacDonald help to make it clear when this season is supposed to take place.
Of course, we know the American Revolution is just around the corner. It’s a lot sooner than you would expect. It’s worth noting that A Breath of Snow and Ashes takes place between 1773 and 1776, but that doesn’t mean the show would have to follow that timeline.
When is Outlander Season 6 set?
The sixth season does mostly take place between 1772 and 1776. We’re not quite at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but we are getting so close to it.
The mention of the Boston Tea Party in the newspapers helps to set the date for the story. That took place on Dec. 16, 1773. The newspapers in North Carolina likely covered in in 1774, so it pushes us into that year when Claire finds out that it’s happened.
What about the flashbacks? There are two in the season, with the first one happening in the opening moments of Outlander Season 6. It’s necessary to explain who Tom Christie is to Jamie Fraser, and it takes us back to Ardsmuir.
We are looking at around 1753 for this storyline. Jamie has only just arrived at Ardsmuir Prison in the flashbacks based on the conversations that have happened. The Catholic members of the prison want Jamie to stand up against Tom, who is leading the Protestant side.
Then there’s a flashback to explain who Flora MacDonald is. Based on history, we know that this took place in June 1746, so we can safely say that this is when the flashback takes place.