Season seven of Outlander is expected to shed further light on the character’s past.
Season seven of Outlander is just over a month away now with the new episodes expected to be taking material from A Breath of Snow and Ashes and An Echo in the Bone.
There will be a total of 16 episodes with the new run split in half across this year and 2024.
Season six spent a whole episode looking at Young Ian’s (played by John Bell) life during his time with the Mohawk and why he eventually returned.
What happened to Young Ian’s daughter?
In the show, Young Ian and his wife Emily (Morgan Holmstrom) struggled to have children with their daughter being stillborn.
Young Ian was sent back to Fraser’s Ridge by the natives after it was deemed his spirit wasn’t strong enough to overcome his wife’s and successfully have a child.
Emily remarried and went on to have children with her new husband, leaving Young Ian devastated.
The seventh Outlander novel An Echo in the Bone tries to explain what happened to Young Ian and Emily’s stillborn daughter.
In scenes between Young Ian and his aunt Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe), the 20th century doctor tried to get details about the child.
From what Young Ian told her, Claire deduced it was a genetic problem which meant the couple couldn’t fall pregnant together and it wasn’t a failing on his part.
Young Ian hoped to marry again but not if it meant he couldn’t have children with his future wife.
Claire’s theory was Emily had an Rh-negative blood type while Young Ian’s was Ian Rh-positive, this meant the foetus could be affected and hence the child was stillborn.
She went on to say most European women were Rh-positive and so this shouldn’t affect him.
Although Young Ian didn’t seem to fully comprehend what she was saying, Claire’s words brought him some comfort.
Outlander fans are rooting for Young Ian to finally find some happiness after going through such a heartbreaking period in his life.
Whether the Outlander writers will include this detail in the show remains to be seen but it would certainly give Young Ian some closure.
