Bester was born Stephen Kevin Dexter. He was found and raised by Psi Corp, who renamed him Alfred Bester. Growing to a P-12 psychic state (The highest human psychic level), Bester began tracking down resistance members and Psi Corp runaways.

After surviving the Telepath War, Bester spent several years on the run for war crimes until he was tracked down by Michael Garibaldi. He was convicted for his crimes and sentenced to life in prison, were he was given Sleeper drugs that blocked his telepathic abilities.