Destiny Lore: Origin of the Traveler
Preface: No official reason or process of how the Traveler came into existence is stipulated in the accredited lore of the Destiny universe. Such a pivotal and unexplained origin warrants an attempt at the explanation of how a celestial body can emit life, and grant inexplicable power to those who "deserve" it. A mass analysis of the focus of the Destiny universe is important, and I will aim to address it. The Books of Sorrow, explaining the origins of the hive race, source from the game itself and are therefore trustworthy and accurate. This apocryphal origin of the Traveler is unofficial, and only an attempt to solve it. Enjoy.
I : Purpose.
The Traveler itself is a symbol of light and power, and represents an equal battle between both good and bad. It favors neither, and is indifferent towards both.
The Traveler empowers those with good intentions, and encourages those with bad.
The Traveler aids the oppressed and the oppressors.
The Traveler supports all life.
The Traveler wields godly light.
II : Origin.
The Traveler is clearly supernatural, and godlike. A simple and superficial explanation for its creation is that it's forged by a deity. It seems to favor the earth, as in the timeline of Destiny 1 and 2 it is seen providing for the human race more than any other. In a universe such as Destiny's, ancient races must exist and have seen something similar to the traveler or the power within it. The idea that the Traveler is the only of its kind is improbable, and ignorant. Infinite forms of life similar to the human race who experience alike forms of oppression have lived. Why would the human race be unique in these? Why wouldn't a power similar to the Traveler that exists to promote balance between good and evil, only aid earth? Along with these rhetorical questions, a crucial one must be asked: "When did the traveler come into existence?" In accordance with the fact that the Traveler existed before the human race, mankind is not a factor to the origin of the Traveler, unless a supernatural force orchestrated this concurrence.
The Traveler features infrastructure similar to creations of the human race. The Traveler was created by an ancient race similar to mankind who came upon the blessings of light upon their birth. This race understood the power of this light, and sought to distribute it to those in need. This ancient race constructed massive planet-like vessels, capable of realizing and addressing the need of light. They sent them off into the universe, and they found their way to those oppressed and distressed. This ancient race died off, either due to a catastrophic event or a uniformitarian process. Over millenia these vessels found those in need, and supported them. One of many, the Traveler found the human race. It recognized the future turmoil imposed upon the human race by barbaric forces, much stronger than the average man. As I stated in I.I, the traveler strives to create a balance between good and evil. In the instance of earth and its inhabitants, this is clearly shown as it attempts to create a harmony between the former and the latter in the case of mankind. A clear observation is that the traveler was discovered during the time of man's own golden age, leading to the fact that its purpose might have been to create a balance between man's own corruption, and its pure qualities. Foreseeing the future is a supernatural power, which is demonstrated in the explanation that the traveler understood what earth was soon to come upon, and sought to enact its light upon them for their own defense. If you prefer believing that the traveler holds less of a power, dissimilar to a god, then an explanation involving man's innate turmoil being quelled by the traveler is more feasible. Ulan-Tan, a warlock who proposed controversial ideas during his time states "…look around. You see light. You see darkness. There could not be one without the other." This simple statement is core evidence for the purpose and existence of the traveler. For something that emits and distributes godly light, it must acknowledge it calls upon an equal amount of darkness to balance it.