According to the show's creators, Ray is partially telepathic. In earlier versions of the storyline this was much more predominant. However it is still present in the series as it was made, which explains the bizarre hallucination that he has at one point (which revealed several true facts of the Inbit's history and purpose) and his inexplicable understanding of what the "genesis pit" they fell into was for.
Stig, the main character's name, is common in Scandinavia. The name has origins in Old West Norse Stígr, and derives from the word stiga, meaning "wanderer". Source: Wikipedia