Some Star Trek characters are so unique that they stay with viewers long after a series reaches its end. For fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, many consider Odo the Changeling a standout and memorable character who, despite being far from human, brought heart and relatability to the series.
Played beautifully by the late, great Rene Auberjonois, Odo’s journey from a newly-formed changeling to chief of security on Terok Nor (renamed Deep Space Nine after the end of the Cardassian Occupation on Bajor) is a lesson in growth, questions of destiny, and what it means to fight for the right to become the person you always wanted to be.
Who is Odo?
Odo (or Odo Ital), whose name translates to “nothing” in Cardassian, was found adrift in Bajoran space and taken to a lab run by Mora Pol, who studied him for 7 years. At first, Pol didn’t realize Odo was sentient and subjected him to a variety of tests, many of which were painful. Although Pol finally realized Odo’s true nature, the changeling resented the treatment for many years, even after he left the lab.
After the end of the Cardassian Occupation, Odo regained his title on Deep Space Nine as chief of security and handled a variety of problems on board, including skirmishes on the station’s promenade, keeping visitors safe, and working with Captain Sisko regarding possible security issues that could make the station vulnerable to attack. He used his shape-shifting abilities to overhear conversations and plots by forming into everyday objects. This particularly irked Quark, the Ferengi who ran a bar on the promenade and made deals behind the scenes that weren’t always completely legal.
Odo’s personal growth
When the Cardassian Occupation ended and Odo remained on the station, he wasn’t interested in forming any personal relationships with the Federation staff that came on board to protect the stable wormhole nearby. He was gruff, distant, and rigid, but even so, Sisko and the other station staff came to admire his dedication to justice.
Many of Odo’s friendships were formed out of his sense of duty, even with Quark. He and Worf had the same innate suspicious nature, and he and Miles O’Brien shared a dedication to work and a strong sense of duty. Eventually, the changeling would realize he was capable of deep feeling when he fell in love with Kira Nyres, a former Bajoran freedom fighter during the Cardassian Occupation, and who became a liaison officer for her people. Their relationship is one of the most poignant in the entire franchise.
A link with destiny
When Odo finally found his people, he discovered they all existed within the Great Link, which gave him a feeling of completion and what he initially saw as a shared destiny. However, when Odo discovered his people hated non-changelings (known as Solids by Odo’s people) and allied with those who might destroy them, he reconsidered where his loyalty truly lay.
Breaking away from a community that pressures you to hold and maintain certain beliefs is always difficult, especially once you realize that breaking free and becoming an individual may sever some connections. Odo’s journey of becoming an individual reminds us that the future is as moldable as he is, and that we can grow and change beyond the boundaries of what others expect from us.