With three seasons available to watch on Netflix, Travelers is a sci-fi drama that is so well-written that it’s hard to poke holes in it. Sending the consciousness of future humans back into the bodies of people from the 21st century who are about to die, the show follows the journey of several characters who are attempting to change history for the betterment of mankind.
Although a few networks flirted with the notion of picking up the show, season four never happened. Netflix is notorious for canceling perfectly good series after two or three seasons, and Travelers, unfortunately, hit a red light. However, the beloved characters of the show still dazzle viewers.
10 Vince Ingram
As traveler 001, Vince is the first successful transfer of human consciousness into a host body in the 21st century. He takes over the body of a man who was supposed to die on 9/11. However, once he gets control of the body, it is clear that he has plans of his own.
Instead of completing his mission, he escapes the destruction of the 9/11 events. Moving on to lead the largest tech corporation in the world, he lives in constant paranoia that he will be executed by another traveler. Many attempts are made, and he spends much of his time and resources hunting traveler groups down and killing them. In the show, he is a true, despicable villain.
9 Jeff Conniker
Another character who takes on the role of a villain is Jeff Conniker. In the first episode, viewers learn that he is an abusive partner and father. He comes home drunk and beats the mother of his child, Carly. Historically, he killed her that night, but her body was taken over by a traveler.
No longer tolerating his abuse, the new Carly throws Jeff out and refuses to make nice. Throughout the show, Jeff spends most of his time making Carly’s life a living nightmare. He gets her son taken away numerous times, and he is relentless in his pursuit of her.
8 Kathryn MacLaren
As the wife of FBI Agent, Grant MacLaren, Kathryn is first introduced as very supportive and loving towards her husband. The couple seems to have a picture-perfect life. However, things begin to change after Grant’s body is taken over by a traveler.
Suspecting that something is not right with her husband, Kathryn begins to get suspicious. She also turns to the blame game and accuses Grant of never making time for her even though she is fully aware of his stressful – and busy – job. Kathryn becomes the stereotypical nagging wife and even resorts to following him to see what he’s up to.
7 Carly Shannon
As one of the main travelers, Carly is a mother and estranged partner who is the victim of severe domestic violence. With all of this history in mind, the traveler’s consciousness that takes over her body before Jeff can kill her decides to no longer put up with any abuse. Her entire character changes demeanor for her benefit.
Like a phoenix, she rises to the occasion to become a fierce mother who will do just about anything for the well-being of her young son. She even attempts to put on a good show with Jeff in front of a social worker to get custody of her son again. She’s also a sharpshooter, which is incredibly cool.
6 Grace Day
Although she often displays narcissistic behaviors, Grace means well. She breaks several rules by taking control of a body that was not about to die, jumping into the past without permission from the Director, and rebooting the AI system. She also wipes Marcy’s memory to save her life.
All of these things are extremes, and she does them without hesitation. She demonstrates her level of intelligence every chance she gets, and most of her actions end up having severe consequences that she doesn’t seem to be concerned about. However, her skills and lack of empathy are ultimately what save the day during the final climactic episode.
5 Philip Pearson
Inhabiting the body of a drug addict, Philip Pearson is the historian of the traveler group. Although he has a difficult time coping with the withdrawals from being in a heroin-addicted body, he displays a lot of empathy in many situations.
Because he knows what happens in the future, he can predict winning horse races for his team to keep their money flow going. He also goes off-mission to save the life of a child when the Director had already ordered the team to not interfere.
4 Trevor Holden
Taking over the body of a high school football star, Trevor Holden has the consciousness of a very old man in a young body. He immediately shows his manners and politeness with his interactions with his parents, girlfriend, and close friends. He is always calm in stressful situations.
As the engineer of the group, he is responsible for building a lot of gadgets that are necessary for the team to carry out their missions. He also has a strong moral alignment and a lot of compassion for humankind.
3 Grant MacLaren
As an FBI Agent and leader of the traveler team, Grant MacLaren has a lot on his plate. He is constantly having to keep his team in check, deal with other traveler groups, and maintain his cover while being put under the microscope at work and home.
Because of all of this, he does a few questionable things like wiping the memory of his wife, Kathryn. This leaves her feeling empty and a bit crazy, and he doesn’t help the situation by further gaslighting her when she brings it up. However, everything he does is for the greater good of mankind, and he more than makes up for his actions in the end.
2 Marcy Warton
As the team’s doctor, Marcy is dealt the shortest hand in the deck. Put into the body of a woman with brain damage, she is stunted by random seizures. Although she tries to work out her health issues on her own, she realizes that she will soon die if drastic measures aren’t taken.
She is eventually reset by Grace, which wipes her memory and removes all empathy she had before. The issue with this is that her love for David – her lover/former social worker – has been erased. Marcy spends a lot of time trying to rekindle the relationship with David while tending to the medical needs of her team.
1 David Mailer
A social worker and all-around good guy, David is the best character on Travelers. He falls in love with Marcy after her body is taken over by a traveler, and he shows her nothing but support throughout the show. His compassion and kindness are shown through his words and deeds. He is very giving, and he even lets a homeless man have his bicycle to get to work.
In the end, David gets to be the ultimate hero. Stuck inside a vault with a nuclear bomb, he disarms it by hand to stop the eradication of the city. This leaves him with radiation poisoning, and he dies in extreme pain. However, after the team figures out how to stop 001, David and Marcy get another chance at life after the reset.
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About The Author
Darby Riales (11 Articles Published)
Darby is a freelance writer with Screen Rant with a BA in Creative Writing. She loves fantasy, science fiction, and horror films. Some of her favorite fandoms include Harry Potter, LOTR, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Gotham, and – most recently – Shadow & Bone. She works remotely with her two cats, Luna and Piper.