You need to watch the most enchanting time-travel epic ever on Netflix ASAP

Unexpected time travel is one of science fiction's most compelling motifs. While many time travel stories have time machines and other mechanisms that allow you to maneuver into the past or future, the most interesting are when the characters spiral out of control. They fall into mysterious pits , are born with erratic genetic abilities, or accidentally come into contact with ancient portals .

Falling Through Time aptly describes the momentum behind one of the most famous time travel stories of the past three decades. Capturing hearts for the first time in 1991, Diana Gabaldon's series of science fiction and fantasy books gives readers the love of the stars (time travel?) Through the ages. It would eventually get a huge following and attention from Hollywood, most notably Battlestar Galactica producer Ronald D. Moore.

Since his release on Starz in 2014, Moore has grown to be a fan of the TV adaptation of Outlander . The TV series has become one of the most popular cable network shows, thanks in part to the fact that Outlander is also available to stream on Netflix. With season 5 starting a big stream this week, there's no better time to hear about the best time travel epics on TV.

THE RULES OF TRAVEL is a special issue of Inverse magazine, dedicated to the evolution of the most imaginative subgenre of science fiction. From Marty McFly to Avengers: Endgame .

Outlander begins in 1945 with Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), a former British Army nurse, honeymooning with her husband (Tobias Menzies) in Scotland. As Claire takes on the role of a tourist and explores the area, she finds the standing stones in Craigh na Dun. When they called him, he touched one of the stones and suddenly took him back to the last two centuries.

Now, in 1743, Claire soon finds herself in dangerous territory, creating political tensions between Scotland and England. Meet Captain Jack Randall, a British officer who is the same as her husband (also played by Tobias Menzies) in appearance but not in demeanor. Eventually, he is saved by the evil Jack and taken over by the Scottish clan. That's how she meets Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), and their romance begins slowly but surely.

Although Claire and Jamie's romance was a big part of Outlander , the series developed further after its first season. Once Claire informs Jamie that she has traveled from the future (and she thinks so), the two join the journey to test the limits of time. As for what will come of Claire in the 1840s, in this case the Battle of Culloden , the couple are looking to change the course of history. This Outlander is most interesting when it completely merges with the idea and mystery of Claire's ability to travel through time.

As the series progresses, Outlander 's time travel rules become a little clearer but more complex. As (and should be) the case with time travel, manipulating time is not easy. Outlander 's time travel requires certain conditions, which I won't describe here, to make it possible. However, it doesn't always come out as expected. It maintains an excellent narrative game, as time travel has no less solutions and no more problems.

But beyond real-time travel, the series also finds clever and tight ways to connect Claire's past and present together. Sometimes the science fiction concept of Outlander gets lost between the show's characters and the show's evolving subplot, but then an episode will give us a fantastic timeline and remind us that this is nothing more than a rich historical drama. said: there is a miracle. even for that.

Outlander comes from a nine-book series and has other parts along the way. As season six has just reunited on Starz and is producing season 7, there's a lot to tell about Claire and Jamie. And that includes more time travel mysteries that will complicate life in unexpected ways.

Their journey isn't always fun (season 5 is supposed to be particularly tough), but the spirit of the show is when Claire and Jamie are so perfect. As fantastic and exciting as science fiction, it's the characters that fascinate you and make you feel like you've stepped back in time.

Outlander seasons 1-4 will air on Netflix with season 5 arriving on May 10th.

The sixth season is currently airing on Starz.