"We quarians live on a great flotilla of ships. It's not actually the best way to live, but we make do. The Pilgrimages are part of that," Tali explains. "When a young quarian comes of age, she must leave the Migrant Fleet behind and seek out something of value, like a new ship, or resources, or useful technology. Then she can present this gift to the captain of a ship she wishes to join. It is how we earn our place in a new crew, by proving that we will contribute to the ship and the flotilla instead of being a drain on scarce resources."