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Humanoid from the distant planet Tau Alpha C. The Traveler possessed the ability to manipulate a previously unsuspected relationship among space, time, and thought, serving as a "lens", focusing the energies of thought in himself and others. Those energies could be translated into reality, although 24th-century science has yet to grasp these principles. He was a student of humanoid behavior, and sought passage on Federation ships as a means of observing humans, posing as an assistant to Starfleet propulsion specialist Kosinski. When the Traveler and Kosinski were aboard the Enterprise-D, a slight miscalculation caused the Traveler to send the ship first to Galaxy M-33, then an even greater extragalactic distance. During that time, the Traveler befriended young Wesley Crusher and encouraged Picard to support Crusher's unusual talents in mathematics, engineering, ans science. The Traveler returned to the Enterprise-D in 2367 when a static warp buble, accidentally trapped Dr. Beverly Crusher in an alternate reality. The Traveler helped Wesley use his mental abilities to establish the stable gateway through which Beverly was able to return, just before the bubble collapsed. In 2370, the Traveler assumed the identity of Lakanta, a colonist on Dorvan V. In this guise he introduced Wesley Crusher to the concept of vision quest, and helped Wes to see that he had a future not only beyond Starfleet, but beyond human reality as we know it. The Traveler offered to be his guide in this new plane of existence. Traveler was first seen in "Where No One Has Gone Before" (TNG). |
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