Star Trek: The Next Generation

Tam Elbrun was a Betazoid Starfleet first contact specialist, whose telepathic abilities led him to be assigned to many first contact situations. Whereas most Betazoids only gained their telepathic abilities at adolescence, when they where able to control them, Tam was born with them switched on without the natural Betazoid ability to tune out background thoughts from others. Tam suffered from a history of mental instability and spent time as a psychology patient at a university on Betazed and was one of Troi's patients.

Elbrun gained infamy following his involvement in the Ghorusda Disaster, in which 47 Starfleet officers from the USS Adelphi were killed. Tam later blamed the incident on his over-involvement with the Ghorusdans and failing to adequately advise Captain Darson of Ghorusdan customs.

In 2366, Tam stationed on Chandra V was transferred to the USS Enterprise-D from the USS Hood to establish mental contact with the alien intelligence of an organic starship codenamed "Tin Man", discovered near a dying star Beta Stromgren. The objective was to establish contact before the Romulans, who had dispatched two warbirds to claim the alien.

Elbrun also developed a friendship with Data, who had no thoughts that he could read, providing him with needed relief.

Upon the Enterprise's arrival at the star, a Romulan Warbird fired on it before heading into the system. Tam sent Tin Man, real name Gomtuu, a telepathic warning, to which the being responded by emitting an energy wave that destroyed the Warbird and caused damage to the Enterprise.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard asked Elbrun to coax Gomtuu into returning with them to the safety of Federation space. Elbrun explained Gomtuu's desire to commit suicide after the long-ago death of its crew, and asked to be transported aboard to establish personal contact. However, Picard was hesitant, questioning the loyalties that had caused Elbrun to protect Gomtuu at a risk to the Enterprise.

When the second Romulan vessel arrived to destroy Tin Man, Picard sent Elbrun and Data to communicate with the being. Once aboard, Elbrun established full mental contact with the ship. Gomtuu returned Data to the Enterprise and sent both the Federation and the Romulan vessels hurtling away from the star. Shortly afterward Beta Stromgren went supernova, but Gomtuu was nowhere to be found. Data explained that Elbrun chose to remain with Gomtuu, having found at last the mental peace that he had searched for all his life.