DS9 Stories/News: Dominion Leaders

Site: http://dominion.tvheaven.com/dompers.html#thotgor

Thot Gor

This shadowy and mysterious character joined the Dominion as part of their alliance with the Breen. Thot Gor proved himself a capable and effective leader of the formidable Breen forces allied with the Dominion. The favor which Thot Got found with both Weyoun and the Founder proved a source of distress to Legate Damar and may have preciptated Damar’s betrayal of the Dominion.

Cardassians

Legate Dukat

Unpredictable, savage, and mentally unstable, Dukat commanded the mining station Terok Nor during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor and later went on to help forge the alliance between the Cardassians and the Dominion. However, his lackluster military strategy is considered one of the key factors in allowing the Federation to retake Terok Nor/DS9. The death of his traitorous daughter Ziyal at the hands of Damar led Dukat to mental collapse and imprisonment by the Federation authorities. After escaping confinement, reports placed Dukat throughout the Alpha Quadrant, allegedly proselytizing for the cult of the pah-wraiths. These reports were confirmed by Dukat’s possession by the Costa Mogen, during which he murdered Jadzia Dax and temporarily sealed the worm hole linking the Gamma and Alpha Quadrants. Confirmed reports from reliable Dominion sources indicate that Dukat later transformed himself into a Bajoran through plastic surgery, presumably in an attempt to further infiltrate the cult of the pah-wraiths. Nothing is known of Dukat’s current whereabouts.

Tora Ziyal

Beautiful angel of light and mercy, Ziyal was the half-Bajoran, half-Cardassian daughter of Dukat. Forced to work in a dilithium mine during the early days of her life, Ziyal was eventually liberated from this dreary life by her father. Though initially ashamed of Ziyal for her mixed heritage, Dukat eventually came to recognize her for the perfect creature of goodness that she was. Unfortunately, Ziyal fell in with the criminal element during the Dominion occupation of Terok Nor/DS9 and was persuaded by the members of Colonel Kira’s terrorist cell to assist in the liberation of the criminal saboteur, Rom. For this betrayal of her people, Ziyal was murdered by Damar, sending her father into a void of insanity from which he never emerged.

Legate Damar

Dukat’s successor as commander of the Cardassian forces allied with the Dominion, Damar abandoned the familial fold of the Dominion allies presumably after pollution by the Federation captives, Worf and Dax. After turning against the Dominion, Damar encouraged his forces to do the same with some limited success. He received assistance in his crusade against his former allies from the noted terrorist Colonel Kira Nerys. Damar was killed in an ill-planned assault on the Dominion headquarters at Cardassia Prime.

Legate Broca

This lumbering oaf served as commander of Cardassian forces and liaison to the Dominion following the defection of Legate Damar. An uninspired and uninspiring leader, Broca distinguished himself only in his unswerving loyalty to the Dominion. However, Broca was ultimately executed by the Dominion when the Cardassians unanimously turned against their Dominion and Breen allies.

DS9 Stories/News: Birthday Alert – Colm Meaney’s 3 Day Birthday Special

It’s Colm Meaney’s Birthday

30/May/1953

Colm J. Meaney (Irish: Colm Ó Maonaigh) (born 30 May1953; age 58) is the Irish actor best recognized by Star Trek fans for his portrayal of Chief Miles O’Brien on bothStar Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1987 through 1999. He also played Albert Macklin in the acclaimed episode “Far Beyond the Stars“.

Courtesy of Memory Alpha.org

Here, we’ll concentrate on Mile’s of DS9

O’Brien was a character favorite to DS9 Writers, where they had a recurring motto “O’Brien Must Suffer”

Ira Behr once confessed that while he was persuaded to work on DS9 by Michael Piller, he responded to him that he would only do it if he had a chance to work on O’Brien’s character and have him with a real, true friendship with Julian Bashir.

“The relationship between Bashir and O’Brien is the best relationship… the best friendship in the history of the franchise.”
Ira Steven Behr, Season Six dvd set, Crew Dossier: Julian Bashir”

So, let’s explore those two themes today shall we?

First, The Whole “O’Brien Must Suffer” Thing

…

Luck of the Irish? The Tragedies of Miles O’Brien

by Ryan Britt

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day and that means celebrating the best Irishman in space: Chief Miles Edward O’Brien from The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine! Played by noted Irish actor Colm Meaney, O’Brien always came off as one of the most relatable and down-to-earth (put intended) characters in all of Star Trek. But, this likability and good-heartedness is often rewarded with bad luck and sorrow for poor O’Brien and his family. He certainly has the Irish gift of gab, but not the luck of the Irish. How does he suffer so? Let me count the ways.

John Lennon’s little-known protest song “The Luck of the Irish” points to the irony of this famous phrase by outlining just how incredibly unlucky the people of Ireland have been throughout the years. And when it comes to the 24th century, all the unluckiness of the Emerald Isle seems to be heaped all on the shoulders of Miles. And we’re not just imagining this. According to both the special features on the DS9 DVDs and the book The Deep Space Nine Companion writers of the show actively sought to make sure at least one episode a year would feature an “O’Brien must suffer” plotline.

According to Ira Steven Behr, “If O’Brien went through something torturous and horrible, the audience was going to feel that, in a way they wouldn’t feel it with any of the other characters.”

While this is certainly true, it’s also possible that the tremendous acting chops of Colm Meaney allowed us to really believe that what he was going through was real, as opposed to the stiffer characters in the series. (Or, for that matter, all Star Trek series.) But another important reason why O’Brien’s various plights seem particularly relatable is because there are actual stakes for his character. Unlike a lot of other Trek regulars, O’Brien has a family, and fairly normal”one at that. When things on the Enterprise or Deep Space Nine go pear-shaped, it feels really scary for O’Brien. Sure Sisko has a family too, but his son Jake is a little older and savvier. Miles’s daughter Molly is just a little kid!

In DS9’s “Time’s Orphan” the notion of the O’Brien family getting seriously screwed up by a science fictional premise is particularly heartbreaking. Due to a freak time vortex showing up and ruining a perfectly good picnic, a feral 18 year-old Molly suddenly replaces little kid Molly. Despite their efforts at reintegrating Molly back into civilized society they make no headway and Miles and his wife Keiko eventually send the feral version of Molly back into the vortex in hopes of swapping her for Molly’s younger self. Basically, Miles exiles a version of his daughter. Heavy.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s also been tortured, held captive, betrayed and possessed a whole slew of times. In the TNG episode “Power Play” O’Brien is one of three crewmembers whose body is occupied by malevolent aliens hell-bent on taking over the Enterprise. With bad-O’Brien pointing a phaser at his wife Keiko for pretty much the entire episode, it’s a minor miracle they stayed together. In fact, Keiko must be some kind of saint for putting up with O’Brien. Now, I’m not saying O’Brien isn’t a stand-up guy and good father and good husband. He totally is.

And though she does suggest moving back to Earth a few times, Keiko is a pretty good sport about pretty much everything that happens to her family. Though when she was turned into a little kid in “Rascals” you could really feel O’Brien’s pain in just how weird that relationship was going to be.

However, the whole spouse-possessed by really mean aliens thing gets switched in the DS9 episode “The Assignment. “Here, the Pah-wraiths take over poor Keiko’s body and tell him he has to do what they want or Keiko gets it. This is made even worse by the fact that not only does O’Brien have to try and destroy the wormhole against his will, but also that he rarely even gets to see Keiko. Life-threatening, space station-destroying stakes AND their quality time taken away!

 

Oh no! Somebody stop him!

 

Basically, every member of the O’Brien family has to be put through some kind of time-futzing shenanigans. In “Hard Time” Miles himself experiences 20 years in an alien jail cell, even though almost no time has passed at all. With all the perspective shifts in this guy’s life it’s amazing he keeps it together at all. Which is why he has a drinking buddy: Dr. Bashir. And even though we all love Kirk and Spock, Miles and Julian just might be the best Trek bromance of them all. Actor Alexander Siddig backs me up here by saying “…O’Brien and Bashir are the only real friendship that’s ever happened on Star Trek. Those two are really friends…”

Even in a bizzaro universe, Miles O’Brien can’t escape from being the nice guy who sort of gets screwed over all the time. In the various mirror universe episodes on DS9, “Smiley” might seem more hardcore than our Miles, but he’s still an everyman and stand-up person, despite kidnapping the regular-universe version of Sisko. Notably, the alternate version of drinking buddy Bashir is a total jerk in the bizarro universe.

 

True Love

 

What’s also demonstrated here is how unjudgemental the character of O’Brien is. It’s not that he’s amoral about bizzaro Sikso having a mistress, it’s just that he sort of looks past it. The same goes for O’Brien’s relationship with his former Captain, Benjamin Maxwell in the TNG episode “The Wounded.” Despite the terrible things that Maxwell has done, you really get the sense that O’Brien will be able to separate his fond memories of Maxwell from the crazy person the rogue captain eventually became. It’s not just that O’Brien is crazy loyal, it’s that he gets people. Space station Deep Space Nine didn’t really need a counselor for six years because most of the characters probably just went and got plastered with Miles. (We see Worf do this at least once.)

But despite the massacre on Setlik III, his family being screwed with by time vortices and jerky aliens, getting captured and tortured over and over again and not even having a name in “Encounter at Fairpoint,” Miles O’Brien endured. Did he have the luck of the Irish after all? Whatever the answer is, it’s clear we certainly needed him. And on this St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll be lifting a glass in a toast to the one and only Chief O’Brien!

DS9 Stories/News: So You Want To Watch Star Trek: DS9? – Season 2

Source: http://directgeek.com/2011/11/so-you-want-to-watch-star-trek-ds9-season-2/

Previously: A primer on the series, and a guide to season 1.

At first glance, the second season seems like a bit of a mixed bag.  For good reason, though! The first season introduces you to the cast, the governments, and the societies of the show. The second season asks you to question your assumptions about them.  Cowardly Bajorans, socially progressive Cardassians, brave Ferengi, and at one point Jake wears a good-looking jumpsuit.

LOL, j/k.

It’s gonna blow your mind.

2×01-03: The Homecoming, The Circle, and The Siege

Internet, I tried. I watched them again with an eye to “can I let the Internet skip these? Can I really?” And I couldn’t decide. I leave you to make your own choice, but I want it to be an informed decision.

The cons:

• Garak isn’t in these episodes.
• You have to watch Vedek Bareil, and he’s really boring. Plus he wears a lot of orange. He shouldn’t do that.
• Bajoran politics and Bajoran religion are deeply intertwined, and Bajoran religion is insufferable.
• The events in these episodes do not permanently affect the status quo on the station. Things end up pretty much where they began.

The pros:

• There are some Cardassians.
• Hollow folk heroes are the best folk heroes! I’m a big fan of the way these episodes deal with the willful misinterpretation of history.
• 
• The Siege is an actual siege, and a siege episode is always fun.

Choose wisely. If you only watch one of them, I’d say watch 1×03. It’s got the least yadda yadda and the most action.

2×04: Invasive Procedures

Also known as The One Where Lionel Luthor is a Trill. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then consider me duly embarrassed for admitting to you that I watched Smallville.

If you don’t have the benefit of years of Smallville knowledge and experience, then you may not realize that this episode establishes many of its themes and life lessons. Namely:

1. Don’t date a Luthor.
2. Don’t allow a Luthor to undergo any sort of medical procedure whatsoever.
3. Your friends will one day shoot you.

2×05: Cardassians

I swear I’m gonna skip some episodes soon, but come on. Come on. It’s called Cardassians. I’m constitutionally incapable of skipping it, and furthermore it’s rather worthwhile.

I want to point out two important things about this episode. First, the people who are milling around in the background during the opening scene.

This is why I love you, Star Trek.

The second is the fact that you should never, ever bite Elim Garak. There is an entire book written about why you should never do this.

In any case, this is the first of many episodes about why Garak is the best. He survives a biting, conducts political shenanigans, changes out of his watermelon outfit, does volunteer computer maintenance for an orphanage (what a guy!), surreptitiously trains Dr. Bashir to be a vicious political operative, and then he changes back into his watermelon outfit. It’s a busy day for him.

2×08: Necessary Evil

This is about how Odo got his job during the Cardassian occupation. I don’t consider it a particularly strong episode, but if you’re super into Odo (he has his puddingy appeal), then this is an episode for you. But, to be frank, you should really just skip to 2×12.

2×10: Sanctuary

The “Dominion”, you say? Why, that does sound menacing!

2×12: The Alternate

In case you didn’t guess this within one minute of meeting Odo, I’ll spoil it for you: Odo’s pseudo-dad is a creepy asshole.  In this episode we meet creepy dad, and Odo’s distant cousin, Plant-Mold-Thing! Plant-Mold-Thing is reportedly silicon-based, canonically proving that Odo is related to the Horta.

Captain Kirk meets Mrs. Odo.

2×17: Playing God

You don’t absolutely have to watch this one, I just want you to know how cute Cardassian voles are.

?

Okay but for real, this is an episode about how Jadzia Dax would be the best, were it not for Garak. As it stands, she is a very, very close second best.

Oh, also the station adopts a baby. A baby universe. As you do.

2×18: Profit and Loss

You need to believe me when I tell you that Quark is the romantic lead of this series. The main event of this episode, however, is Cardassians.

Cardassians.

Because, while Bajoran politics are as much fun as single barrel of dead monkeys, Cardassian politics are twenty barrels of AMAZEBALLS.

Whatever, Garak, you know what I mean.

Romance! Dissidents! The threat of imminent interstellar war! Subterfuge! Garak hitting on Sisko! Betrayal! The longest, most stretched-thin fashion-as-politics metaphor you will ever witness! Garak doing things! Garak saying things! Garak standing around silently! Speaking of which…

2×22: The Wire

This episode is better than the entire television series of the same name. [Ed. note: Gabby has never seen the HBO series "The Wire".]  

When beginning this post, I was aware of the danger of writing a thousand-word love letter to this episode. So I’m just going to tell you to focus on the way Andy Robinson (Garak) enunciates “stimulate”.

Stiiiiiiimulate.

Watch this or else, Internet.

2×23: Crossover

If you’re new to Star Trek, then you may not be familiar with something we locals call The Mirrorverse.  It’s a lot like the universe you’re already familiar with, only with more dramatic lighting and orgies. Ever seen the episode(s) of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer in which they visit an alternate universe where everyone is really slutty? It’s like that. Everyone is really slutty in Mirrorverse.

Everyone.

2×25: Tribunal

I care about Miles O’Brien once a season. This episode is that once.

2×26: The Jem’Hadar

Second time I’m gonna say this: a strange choice for a season finale. I promise the third season finale makes more sense in tone. Except for Jake’s outfit.

Spoilers: nobody knows wtf is wrong with Jake.

Technically speaking, you should watch this episode. It explains some basic Gamma Quadrant stuff, and Sisko and Quark are forced to hang out together for an entire episode. There is some space battle, and you get to see ships shaped like beetles.  It’s okay. It’s the gateway to the third season.

In the next post: Planet: Pudding! Quark’s wife! Species-swap! Sex pollen! Time travel! Dreamscape! Moar Mirrorverse! Garak’s daddy issues! Quark’s mommy issues! Jadzia’s Curzon issues!

DS9 Stories/News: Captain’s Log – The Best of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Source: http://trek.fm/captains-log/2011/10/14/the-best-of-star-trek-deep-space-nine.html

by Christopher Jones

Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Quark which Rules of Acquisition are the best. There are too many that lead to profit to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the best episodes from DS9.

The Visitor

The only episode of Deep Space Nine to be nominated for the Hugo Award, “The Visitor” is a story that works with or without the Star Trek elements, and that makes it pure science fiction at its best. This account of Jake Sisko’s life following the apparent death of his father tugs on the heartstrings and effectively conveys to the viewer that enormous sense of loss, anguish, and guilt. Feeling responsible for the accident that caused Captain Sisko to lose his life, Jake spends years looking for a way to bring him back. He studies science at the cost of his writing career, his marriage, and his health. In the end he comes to find that only his own death can restore things to the way they were, and he sacrifices himself to save the person he loves most.

Far Beyond the Stars

In 1998, during Black History Month, DS9 aired one of the most creative stories in Star Trek history. Under the stress of the Dominion War, Sisko loses consciousness and finds himself in 1953 New York working as an SF writer named Benny Russell. “Far Beyond the Stars” is the tale of Russell’s struggle as a black writer in the 1950s who must conceal his identity and who fights to publish his story about a future space station and its black commander. More than just another commentary on racism, “Far Beyond the Stars” explores the feeling of insiginificance humanity faces as we learn how vast the universe really is, and delivers one of DS9’s most memorable quotes when the Preacher tells Benny “You are the dreamer—and the dream.” Without a doubt one of Star Trek’s finest moments.

Past Tense

Halfway through DS9’s third season came this two-part episode that was a glimpse of the greatness to come. Like “The City On the Edge of Forever” 28 years earlier, “Past Tense” tackles the issue of homelessness and poverty. But unlike TOS’s foray, “Past Tense” delves into the societal and governmental reaction to the problem, revealing the cold shoulder that most of the “haves” of the world turn on the “have-nots,” and the possible long-term consequences. The story is set in the year 2024—Sisko, Bashir, and Dax having been thrown back in time by a transporter malfunction—and thus says something about the urgency of the problem as it faces American society. Thrown into special “districts” of San Francisco—essentially walled prisons—people whose only crime is not having a job finally reach the breaking point and revolt. Caught in the middle, it is up to Sisko to protect the timeline when a historical figure is killed prematurely. Forgetting all the nonsense about the transporters and the timeline, no viewer can fail to stop, if only for a moment, and think about this injustice of our society. Effective storytelling.

Sacrifice of Angels

What appeared to be the culmination of the Federation-Dominion War proved to simply be one of several turning points in the conflict. Nevertheless, “Sacrifice of Angels” is about as exciting as they come and features special effects of a quality rarely seen on television (in those days). But beyond these fun superficial elements is a story a love, betrayal, and loss. As the long-lived tension between Gul Dukat and his daughter reaches its apex, it appears that a happy resolution is at hand when she admits that she loves him. At that moment we are granted a glimpse into the heart of an evil man, and see a tiny, flickering flame of goodness. But when it becomes clear that the title refers not to the destruction of the Prophets and the wormhole, but to the death of Ziyal at the hands of Dukat’s assistant, Damar, the house of cards comes tumbling down. In the end, one of the most powerful scenes in the Star Trek canon comes when a broken, dejected Dukat morosely returns Sisko’s baseball, saying only “I forgive you.”

Trials and Tribble-ations

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Trek, both DS9 and Voyager produced special episodes. And while Voyager’s “Flashback” was great, it was “Trials and Tribble-ations” that had its cake and ate it, too. Marrying the best of the past with the best of the present, DS9 used techniques perfected in Forrest Gump to send Sisko and crew back to Deep Space Station K-7 where they witness firsthand the events of the classic TOS episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.” The original Enterprise never looked so beautiful, and comic moments abound. One of the many highlights is when Worf is questioned about the difference in appearance between current Klingons and those of TOS. His response? “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” If you’ve never seen this one, do yourself a favor and watch it tonight. A fabulous tribute.

Other Favorites

In addition to these five, here are some other episodes that I consider the best of Deep Space Nine:

“A Time to Stand”
“Babel”
“Badda Bing-Badda Bang”
“Call to Arms”
“Crossover”
“Defiant”
“Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”
“Homefront”
“If Wishes Were Horses”
“In the Pale Moonlight”
“Little Green Men”
“Paradise Lost”
“Playing God”
“Rapture”
“Rejoined”
“Shattered Mirror”
“Tears of the Prophets”
“Through the Looking Glass”
“Visionary”
“What You Leave Behind”
“Whispers”

So those are my picks for the best of DS9. Certainly there are many others that I love and that are great examples of Star Trek. Think of this as a starting point. No doubt you’ll disagree with some of my picks, and you may even think I’m a Cardassian vole for leaving your favorite off the list. But that passion and debate is what has allowed Star Trek to endure for 45 years. So feel free to add to the comments* below and let me know which episodes are your favorites and why you love them.

DS9 Stories/ News: Odo & Kira Relationship Review (7)

“The Search Parts 1 & 2″

Review Originally printed in ORACLE

Newsletter July 2010

  ______________________________________

Review written by Mary Shaver

Binding and Breaking Links:

Kira waits for Odo in the Changeling garden. Presently, a large bird lands nearby and  morphs into Odo. The look on his face is one of pure joy and ecstasy. It’s a look we hardly ever see. Kira happily shares in his joy and then they sober as the realization that they will soon be parting company, probably forever, hits them both. But she needs his help on last time. She’s tracked down the interference preventing her from contacting Commander Sisko but it’s located behind a door, which both find puzzling. Why do shapeshifters need a door?

Odo manages to unlock the door and they are greeted by armed Jem’Hadar soldiers who march them into the depths of the underground cavern where they find Sisko and the Defiant bridge crew (I haven’t reviewed the “dream sequence” part of this episode. Basically, this is a mind probe exercise being performed by the Vorta in attendance and is designed to gauge the level of resistance to an attempt by the Dominion to gain a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant. This plot device may have worked when viewed for the first time – although I personally doubt it. The dream scenario involved the death of Garak, a recurring character and the collapse of the wormhole, a major “character” in its own right. That simply wouldn’t have been done if this was the “real thing”. What salvages the dream sequence in my mind is the highly entertaining Admiral Necheyev, whom I always think of as a the secular version of Kai Winn. Deliciously wicked).

Shock follows upon shock for Odo and Kira, as the Female Shapeshifter appears in the cavern. Odo is astonished to discover that she knew about the experiment but Kira cottons to it almost immediately. “You’re part of the Dominion, aren’t you?” Kira says, in a voice that isn’t really a question at all. When the Female Shapeshifter confirms that the Changelings are the Dominion, the scales fall from Odo’s eyes as he says in an agonized whisper,  “You’re the Founders.”

After a lifetime searching for a people he had imagined to be a paragons of virtue, Odo learns the devastating knowledge that they are in fact, the evil, malevolent Dominion. Any mere mortal would have been crushed by this discovery.

We learn years later, through Odo’s changeling brother Laas, that the only reason Odo isn’t with his people in the Great Link is because of his love for Kira. Whether at this time it was principle, or love, or a combination, Odo makes one of the most gut-wrenching decisions of his life, rejecting his people for the Solids. Odo uses an interesting choice of words as he addresses the Female Shapeshifter. “I admit this Link of yours is enticing. But you see, I’ve already formed a Link… with these people.”

What does this say about Odo’s capacity to forgive? Remember, the one anchor in his life – his job – has been effectively ripped away from him. At the beginning of this mission, he was angry and bitter and consumed by a sense of betrayal. Yet, he has somehow managed to overcome those feelings and reestablish his Link with the Solids. Remarkable. Or perhaps it was only ever Kira all along.

(One of the loose ends never cleared up, either in “The Search” or in subsequent episodes, was the way things were ultimately resolved with Odo’s position as Chief of Station Security. Lt. Commander Eddington remained as a recurring character on the series for another two years but Odo returned to his job and there was no further comment or conflict between the two. We can only assume that some sort of delegation of authority was hammered out that was acceptable to Odo).

While Sisko and the others beam up to the Defiant which has been in orbit over the planet, Kira and Odo stay behind, Odo to bid farewell to his newly found and rejected people and Kira to make sure Odo is safe. Notice how Kira has stuck to Odo like glue.

The final scene when Odo takes his leave of the Founder, shows us the very best of Kira, fine tuned to the needs of her friend. Not one normally given to physical displays of affection, Kira understands intuitively that if there was ever a time when Odo needed to feel the warmth and comfort of a friend, it was now. Odo’s initial look of surprise as she takes his hand and presses it between her breasts is replaced by gratitude and the oddly intimate gesture she makes in pressing his commbadge when they are ready to beam up to the ship seems completely appropriate to the moment. There is also a look in Kira’s eyes that goes beyond affection, compassion and the fierce pride she feels for her friend. I have no canonical evidence to support this claim but I believe this is the moment when Kira fell in love with Odo. It only took her three-plus years to realize it!

The Founders:

“Ever since the day you crossed paths, she’s lied to you, tricked you, sat in judgement of you – I don’t trust her. And I don’t understand how you can“

Kira to Odo, speaking of the Female Founder from “Behind the Lines”.

“The Search” provides us with perhaps the single largest body of information about the Founders, their society, their philosophical outlook and their history. This information comes by way of the Female Shapeshifter, answering the questions Odo puts to her as he struggles to understand more about himself and his people. The answers appear to be deliberately vague, contrived and contradictory.

Color me jaded but I simply don’t believe most of what Odo is told. With the benefit of hindsight, we know that every encounter Odo had with his people was marked by treachery, deceit and manipulation. That deceit beings in this episode. Despite linking with the Female Shapeshifter, Odo remains ignorant of the Changelings’ real identity – the Founders of the Dominion. He is also not told that the Defiant bridge crew is imprisoned on the planet. Not the most auspicious start to a relationship that will ultimately shape the futures of the two quadrants. Below are some examples of what Odo is told that was either ring hollow or simply don’t make sense:

• Odo is told he is one of one hundred Changelings sent out in the galaxy to act as “explorers” after the Changelings retreat to the isolation of their homeworld in the wake of their “persecution” at the hands of the Solids. Odo: “Tell me, why was I sent away?” Female Shapeshifter: “Because even in our solitude, we desired to learn more about the galaxy. You were one of a hundred “infants” sent off to gain that knowledge for us” —— This is perhaps the most patently disingenuous statement the Founder makes. If it were true, why does the Founder taunt and belittle and deride Odo at every opportunity for his link with the Solids?  Wouldn’t they be picking his brain, learning all that he knows about the people he spent his whole life with? His knowledge of the Solids is dismissed entirely. The Founder even goes as far as to say the time he spent with the Solids has “damaged” him. This comes up later when Odo defends Sisko and the Defiant crew, comparing them to the Changelings in their mutual quest to explore the galaxy for the purpose of gaining knowledge and the Founder’s dismissive reply, “The Solids are nothing like us.” A better explanation is that Odo and the hundred were sent out as scouts, so the Founders would have a better idea of what species posed the greatest threat to them. This way, they had the luxury of planning a war strategy long before any hostilities would be declared. It might even make it easier to send in Changeling infiltrators later, to destabilize alliances the Dominion wanted to weaken prior to any military action. This explanation, if true, would doubtless distress Odo and so he was given a fabricated story instead.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

•  Odo is the first of the one hundred to return to the Link. According to the Founder, they weren’t expected back for another three hundred years. Yet, over the objections of the other Changelings, the Female Founder offers Odo a taste of the Link almost immediately, with the justification that, “He’s been away too long. He needs to remember.” She also makes several references to how “damaged” Odo is from his time among Solids and how he has lived with Solids for “too long.” How much more “damaged” would he have been after three hundred years? Again, the more logical explanation is that the Founder sensed Odo’s strong bond with Kira. Offering him the Link and deriding the Solids, was the most effective means of enticing Odo into her Link.

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• The Link is evidently the normal way Changelings live. It is a completely communal existence where they don’t exist as separate entities But when the Founder first explains this to Odo and Odo confesses that he’s led a “very solitary Life,” the Founder says that was “necessary.” Later, in the Changeling garden, when Odo is encouraged to shapeshift into the various objects and that “to become a thing is to know a thing,” he is confused and asks how such a thing could be possible. The Founder’s answer again contradicts the very nature of Changeling. “This too, is a journey you must make alone.” The only way any of this makes sense is if this represents another strategy by the Changelings to further undermine Odo’s sense of self-worth and make him more vulnerable and therefore more receptive to their Link.

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These are just a few examples but they demonstrate a pattern of behavior that the Link will employ with Odo again and again with surprising success. Perhaps deception is hereditary characteristic of Changelings (after all, isn’t that what they are doing every time they morph into a shape other than their own?). I suspect that the deliberate vagueness and ambiguity used with Odo during this initial meeting was designed to keep the truth from him about who the Changelings really were (The Founders) and what their real motives were (Conquest and Domination of the worlds around them). Whatever the reasons or motivations behind the Founder’s ambiguous statements, it leaves the viewer with an unsettling feeling that congeals into a real sense of dread when the Founder suggests she will be “visiting” Odo and the Alpha Quadrant. It appears the fleeting time of peace in the Bajoran sector will not be lasting long.