Outlander‘s eighth and final season looms on the horizon, but before fans dive into the last chapter of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) love story, they’ll get a glimpse at the past as their parents’ parallel romances unfold in Starz‘s upcoming prequel spinoff Outlander: Blood of My Blood.
After the spinoff’s trailer was unveiled, though, we can’t help but wonder, is the new show setting up a crossover for Outlander Season 8? As fans have seen by now, the series, which was originally teased as following the love stories of Claire’s parents, Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine), in World War I England, and Jamie’s parents, Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Brian (Jamie Roy), in 18th-century Scotland, will see time travel play a role.
It appears that Claire’s parents, Henry and Julia, are about to cross paths with Jamie’s parents after they travel through the standing stones at Craigh Na Dun. And the implications of that are huge. For those less versed in Outlander, the flagship series follows World War II combat nurse Claire as she’s sent on a journey through time, traveling back to 18th-century Scotland at the standing stones. Upon Claire’s arrival in the past, she meets and falls in love with Highlander warrior Jamie.
Starz
When the Battle of Culloden threatens the life of their unborn child, Jamie forces Claire to leave him in the past, believing he’s incapable of time-traveling. Ultimately, they are reunited decades later, and recent seasons have followed their story after settling in America amid the Revolutionary War.
While Starz maintains that the new show is a standalone prequel, meaning you can watch Blood of My Blood without prior knowledge of Outlander, we can’t help but feel like the twist paves the way for a potential crossover before Outlander calls it quits.
If fans recall, Claire and Jamie’s daughter, Brianna (Sophie Skelton), found herself further in the past than her own parents, crossing paths with her grandfather Brian (Andrew Whipp), above, after she went in search of her husband Roger (Richard Rankin) at the end of Season 7.
After plenty of exciting surprises in Outlander Season 7, like the resurfacing of long-dead Geillis (Lotte Verbeek) and Dougal (Graham McTavish) and introduction of Roger’s father Jeremiah (Nicholas Ralph), as well as the insinuation that Jamie and Claire’s stillborn daughter Faith had actually survived decades after her traumatic birth, we feel like perhaps the show is gearing up for a crossover.
Again, it’s merely speculation, but we want to hear from fans. Do you think Outlander‘s final season will have some kind of crossover with the upcoming prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood? Especially after the time-traveling twist from Blood of My Blood was revealed? Cast your vote in our reader poll and sound off in the comments section below, and stay tuned to see how Outlander: Blood of My Blood plays out in the weeks ahead as we await the new show’s arrival.
Outlander, Season 8 Premiere, TBA, Starz
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Series Premiere, Friday, August 8, Starz