Journeyman (TV Series) - Fictional Cosmology

Fictional Cosmology

Dan's "shifts" through time occur seemingly at random. The only indication he has to an oncoming jump is a feeling in his head which varies from right before he jumps to several seconds of warning. Initially, the feelings were headaches. However, as the series progresses the headaches become less painful. Dan appears to have no control over the shifts. The first jump is several decades into the past; through a series of jumps, he jumps nearer to the present, usually years at a time. Although, because the series lasted only 13 episodes, it is unknown if Dan was meant to go back further in the past rather than going back until he reached the present. When Dan met Evan in the series finale, Evan told Dan that he was a traveler too. It was implied that Evan had traveled to different time periods at random. The same can be inferred with Livia, who claims that she has gone through many jumps of her own. But her jumps are quite different from Dan's.

The jumps manifest themselves with a small blue flash and a ripple as Dan appears to vanish from the present, and appear instantly in the past. He is missing from the present for a period of time unrelated to the period he spends in the past. His disappearances and reappearances are rarely witnessed by anyone else; it is unclear if this is a factor in his jumps, or merely coincidence. Dan does not arrive in the same location he departed, but instead arrives near the person who he is supposed to help. His jumps are typically restricted to the area he leaves from, usually keeping him in the San Francisco area. Originally, when Dan arrives to the past, he is unconscious. But as the series goes on, Dan somehow gets a hold on the jumps. It becomes evident when Dan feels the jumps coming on and as the jump occurs, he is seen walking with the ripples being shown behind him. It is unknown whether the jumps have no physical effect on him anymore, or whether he has mastered the jumps. Dan is also trying to figure out the mechanics of his travels. He has questioned a physicist who seems to have known his father in the past, and has discussed the possibility of tachyon particles being able to cause time jumps. It is now clear that the scientist is aware of Dan's travels, as well as those of others like him. It has also been discovered that those born around the time of a rare passing comet (the fictional "Joseph-Lee" comet) have this ability.

Dan's journeys appear to each have an innate purpose, which is not always apparent to him, but involves positively changing the destiny of a certain person. Likewise, fate seems to conspire against him if he tries to alter other events beyond his current charge. Alterations Dan makes to the timeline affect the present and the memories of everyone in it. However, his own memories are unaltered, and he recalls events as they originally occurred before his interference.

Dan is not alone in his tendency to time-travel. His ex-fiancée Livia, thought to have been killed in a plane crash, actually traveled back to her "home time", 1948, from where she jumps forward in time. Dan meets Livia on his jumps into the past, as she jumps into her future to offer her experience and assistance with Dan's missions. As revealed in the episode "Perfidia", there was at least one other person who also jumps through time, named Evan. However, the death of that individual occurs shortly before Dan experiences his first jump in the first episode, bringing the whole series full circle, making Dan believe that the loss of Evan as a time traveler created a void which Dan filled. Livia and Dan also sensed that Livia's purpose in accompanying came to an end at that point, and that they would not see much of each other after that mission. Due to NBC cancelling the show Kevin Falls was not able to comment on whether this decision was based upon the show ending prematurely, or that Dan and Livia's relationship truly was meant to end. Fans of the show have believed that this was done because of the show's cancellation, but believe that Dan and Livia's relationship would continue had the show continued.