Outlander's boss Matthew B. Roberts has disclosed Diana Gabaldon's thoughts on his bold deviation from her original work, after he envisioned Claire Fraser's (played by Caitríona Balfe) parents surviving the car crash and possibly time-travelling as some fans had theorised, reports the Daily Record.

This narrative twist diverges significantly from the Outlander books, where Gabaldon had plainly stated that Claire's parents perished in a car accident when she was merely five years old, with no further mystery attached.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Roberts divulged Gabaldon's impression of the substantial alteration for Outlander: Blood of My Blood, following teases of a potential reunion between Claire and her parents during the panel.

He remarked: "Well, we wouldn't be sitting here if she thought otherwise. She said to me it was a good idea. She didn't want to explore it herself, but at least she said, 'Go for it.' I thanked her and I went for it."

Roberts added: "But she's so on board. She actually wrote on the show, so you're going to see her episode too. So, I think she's fully committed to the show."

Not only did Gabaldon write the ninth episode, but she also collaborated with Roberts on scripting the season one finale of Blood of My Blood.

In a similar vein to Outlander, Gabaldon is involved with Blood of My Blood as a consulting producer.

Roberts delved into the challenges faced by the writers with the show, which was initially centred on Jamie Fraser's (Sam Heughan) parents Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy).

He confessed: "I really couldn't figure out a way to tell that story more than what it is in the book, in the sense it's just they get married and move to Lallybroch and have kids. One of them is Jamie.

"I was kind of a little struggling with it and I did the what if game."

Roberts pondered the possibility of Claire's parents surviving the accident and discussed this angle with fellow executive producer Maril Davis.

He recounted how Davis "got a look on her face" and he realised they had struck gold with the Outlander prequel concept.

The showrunner further detailed: "So we went back and started working on it and just not show what if they lived. What if they were integral to having Jamie and Claire meet?".

"And so that's when it really took off and we started to really explore. We talked to Starz and Sony and they really liked the idea."

Roberts also teased that there would be Easter eggs and special tidbits for Outlander aficionados, while newcomers to the franchise would find plenty to captivate them.

Outlander season 8 will premiere on Starz and MGM+ via Prime Video in early 2026

Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on Starz on August 8 and on Prime Video via MGM+ on August 9