The Traveler
- Thread starter Thanos007
- Start date
I don’t think he was considered creepy until modern eyes re-evaluated.
This was around the same time Bart Simpson spent all night in his room with a mental patient and nobody found it odd.
This was around the same time Bart Simpson spent all night in his room with a mental patient and nobody found it odd.
The actor, I think. He just managed to sound nasally whiny even when he wasn't trying.
he always seemed a bit strange, alien, and creepy, yes. I think it was intentional, and mostly works, making a very memorable character and highlight of early TNG. That episode rocked. Not only does the Traveler make a Wesley episode bearable, but he also is responsible for eventually taking him out of the series.
It spoke well to alienated teens at the time, weirdos and freaks
It spoke well to alienated teens at the time, weirdos and freaks
In the 80s weird loners were considered misunderstood geniuses more than pedos.
The reason they allowed Kascinski to do his experiments was they thought his equations were nonsense that would do nothing.
The reason they allowed Kascinski to do his experiments was they thought his equations were nonsense that would do nothing.
It wasn't their call, either. Somebody somewhere had decided that giving Kosinski a try or two would be a good idea, presumably because the Traveler made him achieve good things; every starship skipper and XO had probably felt the same as Picard and Riker, until Kosinski actually improved their ships.
Timo Saloniemi
Timo Saloniemi
Yeah, but it's implied that if they had any reason to think his experiments posed a danger to the ship they could have made the call against.
Picard specifically asks the chief engineer if they pose a threat to the ship and he says "How could they, they're nonsense!"
I'm willing to give the Traveler some credit. From beginning to end of the series, Q had said humanity had all kinds of potential, but when it came down to it, this only amounted to 2 things: Picard's realization of the time paradox (which was really all thanks to Data's insights), and Wesley's apprenticeship under the Traveler, culminating with him stopping time and ditching everybody. That was the extent of the fulfillment of Q's exhortations (unless I'm forgetting something), so the Traveler deserves a little credit, even if it was largely irrelevant to the larger TNG scheme.
^^ Responding to the post above
Basically every episode can be seen as something that Q is using to "judge" humanity, crew's reactions and actions on different situations.
Basically every episode can be seen as something that Q is using to "judge" humanity, crew's reactions and actions on different situations.
Well, between Riker's short stint of hearing Deanna's thoughts, & Picard mind-melding with Sarek, I'd say TNG somewhat gives notice that telepathy is probably on the agenda for humanity someday. It's not that far a trip from someone sharing thoughts with you to being able to share yours back, I'd think.
They're also headlong into tampering with time themselves (See also Paul Manheim), which is probably why Q is so preoccupied with giving Picard two separate tests that deal with it (The other being Tapestry), maybe even more, if you want to think Q had anything to do with Time Squared or Cause & Effect
I think what they were going for back then was "enigmatic".
However, combined with the "pedo" vibe, the threshold of triggering this in us is now much lower than 30 years ago, this results in "creepy" in modern eyes.
I mean, if you look at it as inocuously as possible, without preconceptions "normal" to our days and age, you can see a somewhat mysterious, withdrawn, (but friendly) character with a special interest in Wesley simply because he is exceptionally gifted in certain areas, a trait he supposedly shares with said Traveler.
However, combined with the "pedo" vibe, the threshold of triggering this in us is now much lower than 30 years ago, this results in "creepy" in modern eyes.
I mean, if you look at it as inocuously as possible, without preconceptions "normal" to our days and age, you can see a somewhat mysterious, withdrawn, (but friendly) character with a special interest in Wesley simply because he is exceptionally gifted in certain areas, a trait he supposedly shares with said Traveler.
Agreed. I didn't find the Traveler creepy at all. A compassionate character who I sympathized on what was happening to him. Another unique addition for Star Trek: The Next Generation; this show was reaching for something new, it's hard to believe fanboys back then when the series first started were so ignorant at what the series was trying to be. Attempting to distance themselves from the fan service and boldly create a new world to separate themselves from TOS movies.
Watching as a kid, the Traveller wasn't creepy at all. Watching as an adult shows exactly why kids get suckered in because in retrospect it's extremely creepy.
Strange older man beams up, takes unhealthy interest in teenage boy. 6 years later he comes back and they run away together. Seriously.
Strange older man beams up, takes unhealthy interest in teenage boy. 6 years later he comes back and they run away together. Seriously.
Wow, we’ve gone from him being a bit creepy to suggestions of the Traveler being a paedophile.
Mysterious? yes. Very odd and not fitting into the norms of society? yes. Why do people try and compare something aired 30 years ago to today’s society, which incidentally sometimes people are quick to judge, mock and label people?
Can anybody define creepy anyway?
Mysterious? yes. Very odd and not fitting into the norms of society? yes. Why do people try and compare something aired 30 years ago to today’s society, which incidentally sometimes people are quick to judge, mock and label people?
Can anybody define creepy anyway?
When I looked it up in the dictionary, it was just a picture of The Traveller. Dare I say, "Creepy!"
Here's the story. Back when it was first on myself and my friends who watched thought it was creepy but couldn't quite put our fingers on it.
Cut to a few weeks ago when I began my rewatch of TNG. Ever since it went off they air I haven't been able to watch it. It all just seemed so boring. Just, I don't know, it was just bad. Not the episode but the whole series which was odd because I liked it when it was first run. Anyway I'm watching with my son and this episode comes on and when the Traveler and Wes begin their first interaction my son turns to me and says, "Holy shit! Is that guy trying to f*** Wesley?"
Cut to a few weeks ago when I began my rewatch of TNG. Ever since it went off they air I haven't been able to watch it. It all just seemed so boring. Just, I don't know, it was just bad. Not the episode but the whole series which was odd because I liked it when it was first run. Anyway I'm watching with my son and this episode comes on and when the Traveler and Wes begin their first interaction my son turns to me and says, "Holy shit! Is that guy trying to f*** Wesley?"
He was certainly a strange fish
I never thought the Traveler was creepy. In fact for the longest time I thought he was one of the most interesting aliens on TNG. Now in hindsight he became kind of boring, but I never found him creepy. Now Kosinski on the other hand? What a Jerk.
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