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* Due to the Founders infiltrating the Alpha Quadrant, there was much conjecture about which of the characters might be a Changeling. "''Many people have gone down many different paths with [speculating] who is a changeling and who isn't,''" observed Ira Steven Behr. "''There's some great theories.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 43)
 
* Due to the Founders infiltrating the Alpha Quadrant, there was much conjecture about which of the characters might be a Changeling. "''Many people have gone down many different paths with [speculating] who is a changeling and who isn't,''" observed Ira Steven Behr. "''There's some great theories.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 43)
 
* More Changeling sequences were created in CGI for "The Begotten", involving Odo and the Changeling infant in separate shots. For one scene in which Odo watches the baby Changeling shape-shift into a rough approximation of his face, the two Changeling characters were filmed on either side of a split-screen shot. Also, both footage of Odo transforming into a hawk in "The Begotten" as well as a shot showing the demise of a slowly dying Founder in {{e|The Ship}} were created with CGI done by VisionArt. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, pp. 41 & 42)
 
* More Changeling sequences were created in CGI for "The Begotten", involving Odo and the Changeling infant in separate shots. For one scene in which Odo watches the baby Changeling shape-shift into a rough approximation of his face, the two Changeling characters were filmed on either side of a split-screen shot. Also, both footage of Odo transforming into a hawk in "The Begotten" as well as a shot showing the demise of a slowly dying Founder in {{e|The Ship}} were created with CGI done by VisionArt. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, pp. 41 & 42)
  +
* Several shots of Changelings were also created with visual effects for {{DS9|Chimera}}. In that case, the footage included Laas in the form of a fish-like creature, flying through space, and Odo representing shimmering lights. Both shape-shifting sequences were worked on by Visual Effects Supervisor [[David Stipes]], Visual Effects Coordinator [[Adam Buckner]], and CGI effects company [[Digital Muse]], where [[Matt Merkovich]] participated in rendering the footage as CGI with the computer program LightWave 3D. Stipes was impressed by both of the two sequences. (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, pp. 64, 65 & 66)
   
 
=== Apocrypha ===
 
=== Apocrypha ===

Revision as of 10:21, 27 July 2015

For the TOS episode with a similar title, please see "The Changeling".
For the Earth legend regarding a Changeling child, please see Changeling (folklore).

The Changelings were liquid-based, shapeshifting lifeforms native to the Gamma Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Physiology

Changelings were at least partially composed of morphogenic enzymes, the molecules responsible for their shapeshifting ability. (DS9: "Things Past")

Common characteristics of Changelings included their biomolecular structure and morphogenic matrix.

In its natural state, a Changeling's body was a formless gelatinous mass, to which it had to revert every eighteen hours (Odo's example) in order to regenerate. (DS9: "The Forsaken", "The Storyteller", "The Alternate", "In Purgatory's Shadow") If a Changeling remained in solid form for longer than sixteen hours, their body began to deteriorate and peel or "flake" away.

In "A Man Alone", it was first stated that Odo had to rejuvenate every eighteen hours; afterward, it was consistently stated as being every sixteen hours. Reversion to a gelatinous state was considered by DS9's producers to be "a limitation unique to Odo," due to not having yet mastered all of his abilities. (AOL chat, 1998) This could be proven true, as the Female Changeling claims that she didn't take another form in weeks, when Weyoun suggests that she might relax in her liquid form in "What You Leave Behind".
Since Changelings do not eat, "Robert Wolfe used to theorize," said Ronald D. Moore, "that the Changelings pulled their energy directly from subspace (or some [other] quasi-scientific realm)." (AOL chat, 1997) His theory also stated that "Changelings use some sort of subspace 'pocket' to store additional mass during a morph." (AOL chat, 1997)

Changelings could take virtually any corporeal form, ranging from humanoid aliens to fog to reflective surfaces. They did not seem to be able to exist as or change to forms of energy. (DS9: "Chimera", "The Way of the Warrior") They, or at least the Founders, also had the ability to closely mimic humanoid personalities to the point where even close friends and family often could not distinguish them from the originals. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light", "Apocalypse Rising", "Paradise Lost") They could transform parts of themselves into smaller electrical devices, like a combadge, and make it operational, and were also capable of at least mimicking the shape and operation of a computer. Changelings could also mimic the form of fire and clouds. (citation needededit)

Since it was established many times that any part of a Changeling's body reverts to its gelatinous form if removed, it is unclear how they could take the form of clouds or other vaporous substances; as soon as the cloud moved even the smallest amount, the Changeling would automatically revert to its natural gelatinous form over whatever area the "cloud" had covered.

Starfleet sensors, as of 2371, failed to recognize Changelings when they mimicked other forms. The Obsidian Order created a prototype quantum stasis field generator that could prevent a Changeling from shape shifting. (DS9: "The Adversary", "The Die is Cast")

DS9: "Apocalypse Rising" implies that a Changeling is particularly difficult to detect. DS9 Science Consultant André Bormanis commented, "We wanted to sell the idea that detecting a changeling via sensors was a very difficult thing [....] If we made it easy to detect a changeling, then the changeling ability is no great advantage." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 366)

The thoughts and emotions of Changelings could not be read by Betazoids. (DS9: "Fascination")

Changelings could survive in the vacuum of space, and were highly resistant to disruptor fire. (DS9: "Chimera", "Apocalypse Rising")

Changelings have often been portrayed as extraordinarily resistant to things that would be highly hazardous to species composed of cells and requiring metabolic processes to sustain themselves. However, in the mirror universe, 'our' Julian Bashir shattered that universe's Odo into pieces with a single shot. (DS9: "Crossover") In DS9: "Vortex", Odo is shown to have the ability to regroup himself after being shattered. Since neither the Mirror Universe Odo nor the Changeling who took Martok's form reformed, it is safe to say they were dead. In DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River", Odo also talks as if he could die from lack of air or heat, even though he has no metabolism that would need either.

Changelings – or at least Odo – had no sense of smell. (DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses", "Improbable Cause") Laas stated, however, that if his hands had Klingon blood on them, they would emit a stench, showing that after living among solids for years, he was at least familiar with the concept. (DS9: "Chimera")

Even when in humanoid form, Changelings did not need to take in sustenance. Odo noted that he once attempted to eat after assuming humanoid form for the first time, but found the experience not only unsatisfying due to his lack of tastebuds, but 'messy' for reasons he chose not to elaborate. (DS9: "Meridian") Dr Bashir once asked Odo for a sample of himself to replicate organs, which begs the question how he would get that part of himself back, if he never adds matter to his body.

A telepathic energy matrix (which caused the crew of Deep Space 9 to fight for control of the station) was rejected by Odo's lack of a humanoid brain. It did have the ability to warp his face and knock him unconscious, though he retained his humanoid shape. (DS9: "Dramatis Personae")

There was an apparent telepathic aspect to the species, evidenced in Odo's being drawn toward the Omarion Nebula, which was once home to the Founders. (DS9: "The Search, Part II") However, it is possible that the instinctive desire to visit the nebula was "hardwired" into him. Changelings had the ability to sense, in most cases, the presence of other Changelings. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "Homefront", "Chimera") The Jem'Hadar may also have the ability to sense Changelings, though this ability might not be telepathic but an imprinted response to a Changeling's gelatinous state, as a child Jem'Hadar who sensed Odo did not respond to him until he temporarily reverted to that state. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

Further suggestion of a telepathic trait arose when Odo's remaining morphogenic enzymes were stimulated by a plasma field, creating a miniaturized "Great Link" with Benjamin Sisko, Jadzia Dax and Elim Garak. (DS9: "Things Past")

At the very least, there exists a "hive mind" among the species when joined with the Great Link. (DS9: "The Search, Part II", "Broken Link", "Sacrifice of Angels", "Chimera") For instance, Odo once commented, "During the Link, I sensed that the other Changelings were trying to hide things from me... faces, names." (DS9: "Broken Link")

The Founders of the Dominion were Changelings, and made up the majority of the Dominion's leadership. Changelings preferred to think of themselves as a drop (the individual) in the larger ocean (what they called the Great Link). A Changeling, therefore, typically had little sense of individual identity. Being a liquid-based lifeform, in order to link with other Changelings, they simply reverted to this state and the liquid blended together, creating a link between them. (DS9: "The Search, Part II")

It has been suggested that Changelings are biologically immortal and therefore never die of old age. (DS9: "Children of Time", "Behind the Lines") However, it has been proven possible to kill Changelings by a number of means. Severe cases of radiation poisoning can prove fatal. (DS9: "The Adversary") Changelings have also been killed by phaser or disruptor fire, at sufficiently high settings. (DS9: "Crossover", "Apocalypse Rising") A Changeling has also been observed succumbing to trauma following the impact of a ship crashing into a planetary surface (a crash in which the ship's intertial dampeners had failed). (DS9: "The Ship")

The Great link could make a changeling into a true monoform (solid) permanently. Also, an infant changeling once transformed Odo into a changeling again, absorbing itself into his body, but it died in the process. Since it was stated that Odo was not completely turned into a solid in things past, it is unknown if this would work on a being who was always a solid.

History

According to the Founders, the Changelings were once peaceful explorers, but they were persecuted by some of the solids, and they came to believe that the only way to protect themselves was to conquer those around them. Solids (mono-form solid species) called the Founders "Changelings" as an insult, but the Founders took the name for themselves as an act of defiance. (DS9: "The Search, Part II")

Long ago, the Founders sent out one hundred infant Changelings in order to gather information and explore, to return later and share what they had learned. The Founders did not expect any to return until the late-27th century. Odo and Laas were among the hundred. (DS9: "The Search, Part II", "Chimera")

No Changeling ever harmed another until Odo killed one to save his crewmates in late 2371. (DS9: "The Adversary")

The Great Link was infected by a morphogenic virus that threatened the Changelings with extinction. This was cured by Odo. (DS9: "Extreme Measures", "What You Leave Behind")

The Changelings seemed proud of their heritage and considered themselves subtly superior; in contrast, Odo (who had been separated from his people for most of his existence) was almost their polar opposite, experiencing self-doubt and internal conflict regarding his people's warlike nature. (citation needededit)

Mirror universe

In the mirror universe, the Bajoran wormhole remained undiscovered as late as 2375, therefore Changelings and other species native to the Gamma Quadrant remained unknown to the peoples of the Alpha Quadrant. The only exception was Odo, who was killed on Terok Nor during a workers' revolt in 2370. (DS9: "Crossover")

Most likely, Odo was, like his counterpart, one of the hundred and was found in the Denorios belt.

People

Apocrypha

Background information

Examining the species

  • The writers of DS9 believed there was a common "rigidity" among both the Founders and Odo. Robert Hewitt Wolfe described this characteristic as basically being "an obsessive-compulsive control freak." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 300)
  • DS9: "Chimera" suggests Changelings have a lifespan of at least two hundred years, although if Odo was indeed two hundred years old when he traveled back with the USS Defiant in an alternate timeline in DS9: "Children of Time", that would indicate Changelings could live for at least four hundred years. It has also been suggested that Changelings might be immortal, with the Female Changeling remarking (in "Favor the Bold"), "You are a Changeling, you are timeless" – a logical assumption, given that Changelings don't appear to have any cells that might decay over time.
  • Though Odo and Laas have been described as male and the Female Changeling as female, it is unclear what anatomical differences, if any, exist between male and female Changelings. Also, although an infant Changeling appears in DS9: "The Begotten", it is never made clear exactly how Changelings reproduce. The most popular theory is that they reproduce asexually, and simply maintain a male or female form to make it easier for other species to relate to them. At one point, Odo assumed the form of the Female Changeling, which would support this hypothesis. (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind") Odo did display romantic affection for some female humanoids, most notably Kira Nerys, and was capable of sexual intercourse with humanoid species, but wasn't able to reproduce with them. He even had a sexual encounter with the Female Changeling, suggesting that two Changelings can mate in humanoid form, though the Female Changeling considered this version of intimacy unnecessary for their race, and pale compared to the Great Link. (DS9: "A Simple Investigation", "Favor the Bold")
  • The Changelings frequently assumed a form similar to that of Odo; however, Odo's unique appearance was the product of his difficulty with assuming convincing humanoid forms, not mandated by his racial makeup. Other Changelings have no difficulty with assuming convincing humanoid forms. The first time this was established was in "Heart of Stone". "Not only do they look like you, but they copy your brain and know what you know. That's very dangerous," said René Echevarria. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 91) As the Changelings other than Odo are capable of looking identical to humanoids, they must therefore assume an Odo-like form out of choice. This may be because, before meeting Odo and the races of the Alpha Quadrant, they had no need to reveal themselves individually to outsiders, and thus had no need for a unique humanoid form to differentiate themselves from other species. Odo would have provided them with a useful template. Ronald D. Moore commented, "Odo modeled his look after Dr. Mora and the Founders then modeled their look after Odo. They did this initially as a compliment and way of reaching out to their long-lost Changeling, and later they kept doing it as a dig and reminder to him of his own limitations." (AOL chat, 1997) Although much older than Odo, Laas also seemed to have similar facial features, probably because of the same reason. Having been found by the Varalans, it can be assumed that the unique bumps on his forehead are typical Valaran features. (However, Odo doesn't have the Bajoran facial features of Mora Pol and other Bajorans; he comments in DS9: "Past Prologue" that he always had trouble with their noses.)
  • The Female Changeling appears to be left-handed in "What You Leave Behind". However, Odo seems to be right-handed during the course of the series. It is unclear whether a Changeling has a dominant hand when assuming humanoid form, or simply chooses which hand to use for different tasks.
  • Odo assumes the shape of a computer in "Paradise Lost", but it is unknown whether he could simply mimic the computer's form or whether he could actually perform the complex calculations a computer makes.
  • Changelings do grow physically, to a point; as Changelings don't eat or drink, it is unclear exactly where the 'new' mass and energy come from. Julian Bashir asked Odo for a sample of his liquid form, and Odo only agreed on the condition that he would get it back after Bashir's tests were complete. (citation needededit)

Episodic developments

  • Apart from Odo, Changelings were first mentioned in DS9: "Vortex". In DS9: "The Alternate", it is suggested that a malevolent Changeling (who turns out to be Odo) is responsible for several attacks on space station Deep Space 9, although Ira Steven Behr was unimpressed with this plot point. "The red herring didn't quite work for me all that much," Behr commented, "but it's window dressing [....] It doesn't annoy you because you're buying the package." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 68) Changelings other than Odo were referred to again in DS9: "Shadowplay", before being introduced in DS9: "The Search, Part I".
  • In that episode and "The Search, Part II", Michael Westmore was required to create the makeup for the Founders as well as Odo. For the non-speaking Founders, Westmore simply used foam latex appliances from the exact same molds as were used for Odo. The makeup designer specifically requested casting, for these parts, actors whose faces were similar in size to Odo actor Rene Auberjonois. For each of the Founders with dialog, a mold was taken of their face then an Odo-like mask was sculpted over it. Explained Westmore, "It's all one solid piece that glues down around the mouth and eyes. The problem with that face is it has to line up perfectly with the mouth and eyes." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 113) Another issue with the Changeling makeup during the making of the "The Search" two-parter was that each mask could be accidentally broken by its wearer laughing. (Starlog, issue #222, p. 30) Although the makeup department attempted to use the Odo mask for other Changelings as they started appearing, some of the faces of the performers portraying main Changeling characters were so unique and different that Auberjonois' mask couldn't be a one-size-fits-all prosthetic appliance. Consequently, the makeup department ultimately had to craft new masks for principle Changelings. A typical example of such makeup (Odo's) usually took two hours to apply. (Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts, pp. 137 & 139)
  • Morphs performed by Changelings in DS9: "The Adversary" were actually designed by Visual Effects Supervisor Glenn Neufeld and executed with CGI by VisionArt Design & Animation. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 114) "We had a ton of morphs," said David Livingston. "You're never going to see more morphs in forty-three minutes than you will on this show." The extreme amount of morphs in "The Adversary" resulted in the episode having an unusually long production period. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 99)
  • Due to the Founders infiltrating the Alpha Quadrant, there was much conjecture about which of the characters might be a Changeling. "Many people have gone down many different paths with [speculating] who is a changeling and who isn't," observed Ira Steven Behr. "There's some great theories." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 43)
  • More Changeling sequences were created in CGI for "The Begotten", involving Odo and the Changeling infant in separate shots. For one scene in which Odo watches the baby Changeling shape-shift into a rough approximation of his face, the two Changeling characters were filmed on either side of a split-screen shot. Also, both footage of Odo transforming into a hawk in "The Begotten" as well as a shot showing the demise of a slowly dying Founder in "The Ship" were created with CGI done by VisionArt. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, pp. 41 & 42)
  • Several shots of Changelings were also created with visual effects for DS9: "Chimera". In that case, the footage included Laas in the form of a fish-like creature, flying through space, and Odo representing shimmering lights. Both shape-shifting sequences were worked on by Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes, Visual Effects Coordinator Adam Buckner, and CGI effects company Digital Muse, where Matt Merkovich participated in rendering the footage as CGI with the computer program LightWave 3D. Stipes was impressed by both of the two sequences. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, pp. 64, 65 & 66)

Apocrypha

In the novel Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 3, Odo learns from an elder Changeling that there are no 'infant' Changelings, but just Changelings that were kept separate from the rest of the Great Link, as Changelings cannot reproduce since the departure of the ancient Progenitor centuries ago; Odo, Laas and the rest of the Hundred were sent out to find the Progenitor. During the novel, Odo discovers what appears to be the corpse of the Progenitor, prompting the rest of the Link to disperse, leaving Odo and Laas as the only two Changelings left to manage the Dominion.