Omni

The brass Omni used by Phineas Bogg and his companion Jeffrey Jones with a red light indicating current history is proceeding wrong

## Meta Data

### Featured in

From the television series Voyagers!

The Omni, or Omnichron, was a small time travel device that resembled a brass, or sometimes silver, pocket watch. The device was used by an organized group of time travelers known as "Voyagers" to traverse history and "correct" events that weren't proceeding the way history originally recorded it. The device would deposit the time travelers somewhere in human history and indicate if things were unfolding correctly or not. If not, the Voyagers would remain in that time period and seek to fix it. Frequently this meant setting major historical events on their correct course though direct interaction with famous historical figures.

## Description

Created and/or distributed by an enigmatic group of researchers and historians from Voyager Headquarters, the Omni time travel device was a brass or silver fliptop handheld unit small enough to fit inside a pocket and bore a striking resemblance to a common pocket watch. When opened, however, its more complex functionality was evident. The outside was etched with a stylized "V" symbol in the center along with the quote "Time waits for no man" etched across the bottom, and featured a prominent button easily accessible by the holder's thumb. This button would activate the device. Inside the unit was a series of five nested dials surrounding a glass trackball globe map. The globe map was used to set the destination of the time traveler, where the outer rings were used to set the time period. The innermost ring was a locking mechanism used to hold the globe in place. The subsequent rings, going outward, were then used to set the month, day, year and century respectively,

In addition to the manual settings, two indicator lights above the rings would tell the Voyager whether history was proceeding properly. A red indicator light on the left indicated that history was not happening as originally documented. A green indicator light on the right would mean it was unfolding properly, or that history had been corrected going forward.

Omnis were typically limited by their available settings, allowing a user to travel no farther into the future than 1999 AD, and some were further limited by hard set date ranges. However, more advanced versions of the Omni were known to have no limitations and even those with hardwired settings were known to malfunction and travel outside the scope of the settings. For instance, Voyager Phineas Bogg accidentally found himself in 1982, but states his Omni was limited to travel no later than 1970. Additionally, despite not having the ability to physically set a date earlier than 0 AD, the Omni then transports him and his companion to Egypt in 1450 BCE. The reasons for this are not explained.

## Depiction of Time Travel

The Omni is shown to have one of the more unique methods of transportation through space/time. When the activator button is depressed, anyone holding the Omni or in physical contact with that person instantly vanish, accompanied by a sound of rushing air or a "whoosh". The Voyagers would then materialize out of an explosion in a vast starscape and hurtle rapidly through space past a series of textured light walls. At the destination time and location, a whistling sound akin to one made by the doppler effect could be heard, and the Voyagers would be dropped from a seemingly great height with an unceremonious crash. To an observer, it would appear as if they fell from the sky. It's unclear why this type of landing was necessary or if the Omni knew to deposit them in a relatively safe manner and surface. But, outside of some minor physical discomfort, the process didn't seem to inflict any permanent injuries, breaks or sprains.

The series *Voyagers!* was presented from the perspective that all this history had already unfolded and that it now needed protecting to stay on course. No reason is given for why or how history sometimes diverges from its original path, the origin of the Voyagers or how they developed or came into possession of the Omni time travel devices. Voyagers were seemingly plucked from history and charged with randomly traversing time looking for errors to correct. A guidebook was the standard companion piece issued with an Omni, which was essentially a history book giving the Voyager information needed to set time aright. Although one Voyagers lost his guidebook and relied on the historical knowledge of his young companion, who he accidentally absconded with on their first meeting.

## Additional Functionality

The Omni was also capable of recording the full extent of a Voyager's travel both audibly and visually. These recordings were accessible by placing the Omni in a larger device called an Omni Memory Recorder. This contraption was comprised of a wide array of gears, cogs and a Watt governor along with a central clock face, above which was a brass plate with four prongs where an Omni could be placed. The mechanism rested in a tray surrounded by a large brass latticework that suspended a round mirror. Once activated, the machine could then respond to voice prompts pulling up recorded events and displaying them in the rounded mirror through a fine haze. Any attempt to remove the Omni from the machine unauthorized would result in a powerful shock that engulfed the person in vibrant blue energy.

Omins were also capable of having their functions remotely accessed, allowing Voyagers to be traced or have their destinations altered.

## Gallery

An open Omni with a green light indicating history is correct or has been corrected.