Traban was born and grew up on Denobula. He comes from a large extended family. His father, Zolex has two wives other than his mother, Fesilan, who also has two other husbands. Traban has 10 biological siblings. While it is customary for Denobulians to be polygamous, Traban is currently single. Both of his parents are teachers at the Denobula Science Academy.

After completing secondary school on Denobula, much to his parents dissapointment, he attended the Academy of Science on Deneb IV. He received a degree in physics with a minor in social sciences. Shortly after getting his degree, he joined Star Fleet.

In his spare time, he likes to practice tai chi chuan. Traban prefers solitude and can often be found in his quarters watching old earth western theme movies or building robotics from spare parts he finds. Because of his intrest in social sciences, he does engage socially with other crew members.