*Be aware that Season 7, Episode 1 spoilers are discussed*

From showrunner Jason Rothenberg, The CW’s post-apocalyptic dystopian series The 100 has taken quite a journey and seen many character deaths, over its previous six seasons. Now in its seventh and final run of episodes, it’s going to be up to Clarke (Eliza Taylor) to hold everyone together and keep humanity from tearing each other apart.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, executive producer/writer Jason Rothenberg talked about Clarke’s Season 7 journey, what viewers can expect from Bellamy (Bob Morley), exploring the Anomaly, the biggest threats this season, and whether fans will be satisfied with the series finale.

Collider: Like usual, Clarke has been through a lot, and she clearly isn’t fully dealing with what she’s been through. What can you say about Clarke’s journey this season, and where she’s at emotionally?

JASON ROTHENBERG: Clarke has been through a lot, you’re right, and she’s gotten damn good at compartmentalizing her emotions, when horrible things happen, and continuing forward and persisting. This season definitely starts out that way, as well. Her mother has just died, and rather than grieving and mourning for her, she’s driving forward and trying to hold Sanctum together. She has another mission. But this time, we do see that it’s simmering beneath the surface, and there will come a moment when it all explodes out of her.

Fans of the show are clearly very interested in Bellamy’s journey this season. It seems like he’s the character that we know the least about, in regard to what his final journey will be. Has that been intentional? Did you want to hold some of that back, at least at the beginning of the season?

ROTHENBERG: The truth is that Bob [Morley] chose to take time off, this season. I know that he was grateful that the studio worked it out, in a way that he could do that. Narratively, we were able to create a season and craft a story around that, that has all of the twists and turns and the emotional intensity that our story has become known for. It is something that really does give shape to the season, and forms a narrative and emotional drive for so many of the characters, and his journey, as well. His journey, this season, isn’t over, and I think it’s one that will surprise people. Will everybody love it? I don’t know. It’s definitely emotional and intense. Bob bring a level of emotionality to everything he does, that is really something to behold, and this season is no different.

You’re really digging into the Anomaly this season and what it’s capable of, which really changes things up with the series, in an interesting way. What made you want to explore the possibilities that come with transporting people through time and space?

ROTHENBERG: What made me want to is that I’m a science fiction fan and science fiction writer, and it’s a sci-fi concept that allowed us to tell story this season, in a way that we hadn’t before. Every year, we like to do something different and add what’s usually another layer of science fiction. Last season, we made a journey across the universe to another planet, which turned out to be a moon, as we now know. Throughout the series, we’ve really dealt with one sci-fi subject after another and, to me, it fits naturally into that wheelhouse. It definitely challenged all of us as writers. If one planet wasn’t hard enough, this season, we’re going to five or six more. It’s an epic adventure that comes to an emotional and satisfying conclusion.

Who and what would you say is, is the biggest threat this season?

ROTHENBERG: In the episodes that you’ve watched (Episodes 701 - 704), I’m not sure that we’ve fully met the biggest threat, although everything with us is about perspective. The bad guys always have an agenda that makes sense to them, and usually isn’t some kind of mustache twirling, world domination idea. Sheidheda comes close to that. He’s definitely a big threat in Sanctum, but there’s a bigger threat out there. It may just be humanity’s propensity to fight, that is the biggest threat that. If they can’t master that and get over that, then they might all be doomed.

Since there’s obviously no way to make everyone happy with the ending of his story, what are you hoping for with the series finale? Do you think fans will at least feel satisfied?

ROTHENBERG: I hope so. You’re right, you can’t satisfy everybody, and I think we’ve proven that, time and time again. But definitely, this series and this season ends in a way that is emotionally satisfying and resonant, and gives us what the moral of the story is. The way the story ends is what the story means. I think people will be able to take that with them when it’s over and, years from now, when it exists only on Netflix, or wherever, and you’re streaming it as a standalone block of entertainment, it’ll all make sense and it’ll all fit together, like a puzzle.

The final season of The 100 airs on Wednesday nights on The CW.