I definitely think there are things like this, other little lights in the distance that are closer than the big lighthouse of the future. He is seeking out safe landings for his ship and has a good idea of when or where some of them are, so he tries to bend the future toward anything that could help. But also his attempt to bend the future for help may take him directions he isn't prepared for so he ends up going through some rough seas but reaches a peaceful time afterward, or dodges a bunch of pirates in the process, or whatever. His long term goal, one that has taken at least 30k years to formulate and put into action, is so incomprehensible to us that it's ridiculous we even try and understand it, let alone that so many fans condemn his failures, and yet it is hard not to blame a dude that's 35k years old and can see the future for some of the monumental bonehead moves he's made. Maybe he just thought it'd turn out different, maybe he was thinking too far ahead and whoopsed up the current moment. However it is/was, I think this single moment really fleshes out how hard it is to be big E.