From Nothing to Someone: An Asexual Analysis of Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

 

Image description: Odo the Changeling (portrayed by Rene Auberjonois) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Today's post was inspired by a reader's comment and I've enjoyed diving into Odo's character, analyzing the highs and lows during his time aboard the eponymous space station.

You know, it’s been a rare year on the blog: apart from a few brief mentions, I’ve barely talked about Star Trek thus far! Therefore, I think it’s time to change that by diving into a topic I’ve not yet discussed – the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), and especially its Changeling security chief, Odo. About a year ago, I got a comment on my first Trek post that requested this very thing. The anonymous commenter asked: Would you ever consider talking about Odo from DS9? Every attempt by the writers to make him allo [allosexual] just falls so flat, it’s painful to watch. I’d actually wanted to discuss Odo previously and put it off, in large part because I hadn’t seen DS9 in years. Watching it now, as an aspec adult, would I agree with this reader and their opinion about how the show treated Odo?

I’ve been extremely curious to answer this exact question, so I’ve spent some time going through various DS9 episodes and taking notes in order to talk about our wonderful, grumpy Changeling. What aspec vibes does Odo have and how are they treated? What are his relationships like? And, most importantly, does it feel like the writers are forcing him to be allosexual? I have a lot of thoughts about this topic and am excited to share them with you in this post all about Odo and the complexities of his character across DS9’s seven seasons. And, to my anonymous commenter if you’re reading, thank you so much for reading and suggesting this! I’m only sorry it took me so long to get to it.

Spoiler warning! 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 
(including but not limited to "A Man Alone," "The Forsaken," "The Search, parts 1 & 2," "Heart of Stone," "The Muse," "Broken Link," "A Simple Investigation," "Children of Time," "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," and "His Way")

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An Overview of Odo

Odo, a member of a shapeshifting race called “the Changelings,” is the security chief aboard the space station Deep Space Nine. As such, he is a serious, duty-driven, and sensible man who seeks justice, dedicated to maintaining order above all. While the writers of the show said they wanted him to be a character similar to Spock in The Original Series or Data in The Next Generation – “an outsider who looks in at humanity” – I think Odo has some very unique elements to him. Originally, Odo is the only Changeling we know, and so the gruff, curmudgeonly elements of his personality are highlighted less an element of his species (as it is for Spock) or a limitation (as emotions are for Data), but rather part of his personality.

In many respects, it's also understandable. Because of his unique differences, Odo describes the struggle he has in making friends, and how people often misunderstood him or used him, treating his ability to shapeshift as something entertaining rather than an inherent part of him. He likewise describes the feeling of having no friends, family, or home during his earlier life, during which he was practically a lab experiment. Even after he took on the humanoid shape we see throughout the series, he was left with a bit of a cynical world view towards humans as a result. But, despite these justifiable attitudes, Odo is nevertheless plagued by many of the usual tropes. For instance, it’s common for people to refer to him as cold and dispassionate, something we’ve heard about other non-human characters like Spock, Data, or Seven of Nine. This is problematic and unfortunate when it happens to any of these characters, but it’s also somewhat confusing, especially for Odo. 

While he is a gruff, serious man often dedicated to his work above all, it seems to me like Odo is not unemotional – and, as I said, his cynicism makes a lot of sense given his background. Unfortunately, these types of contradictions make up a lot of Odo’s time in the series and, while he’s an amazing character and brilliantly portrayed, it seems the writers never knew exactly how to handle him. In general, DS9 is a bit darker and more complex than some Star Trek shows, but even as they try to subvert expectations, there are other times in which they fall into usual patterns. We see this throughout the series with Odo as he does things like discover more about himself and his people, develops various relationships, and even explores being human.

Of course, there's one big question: does Odo have aspec and/or arospec vibes? Yes, I believe he does. They first begin in the third episode of the series in which Odo says he never understands the human need to couple, nor does he find it appealing. Later, in “The Forsaken,” he says that humanoid species spend too much time on “mating rituals” (including “sacrificing various plants to serve as tokens of affection”), a sentiment which he expresses again in “Broken Link” when he notes that humanoids are “obsessed with these convoluted mating rituals.” But unfortunately, like many non-human characters throughout Star Trek, these vibes are not often allowed to be taken at face value.

Odo and Relationships

Although Odo is a bit of a grumpy character, that doesn’t mean he’s friendless. In fact, whether it’s his often-enemies-sometimes-begrudging-friends vibes with Quark, the mutual respect he has with Worf, or the working relationship he shares with O’Brien, Captain Sisko, and others, Odo has many interesting relationships. But Odo also has a few romantic and sexual relationships – including one with Major Kira, which begins as a friendship and turns romantic with time (more on that later). Odo’s established aspec and/or arospec tendencies make these romantic/sexual relationships an odd choice, especially due to their prevalence; not counting Kira, there are three major relationships we need to discuss.

First is the one-sided dynamic with Lwaxana Troi, which starts when she takes a shine to him in “The Forsaken” and pursues him. Odo is uncomfortable with these advances, but when he complains, Sisko dismisses his concerns; in fact, he even suggests Odo engage in “a little romance.” Because Lwaxana’s affections are often played for humor, Odo’s discomfort is clearly not meant to be taken seriously, and I think we’re encouraged to find it funny that he’d rather focus on his job. Naturally, much of his behavior here has aspec parallels – for instance, being uncomfortable with sexual advances is a common aspec shorthand – so to see his concerns be dismissed is especially cringeworthy, such as when he says these things are irrelevant to him and Sisko responds, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Despite this, the episode has many sweet moments. When he and Lwaxana eventually get stuck in a turbolift, Odo tries to comfort her, and they later have a heartwarming interaction when he needs to return to his liquid form and is upset because no one has ever seen him in that state. To make things easier for him, Lwaxana takes off her wig to likewise show her true self. I love that they both accept the parts of each other that they don’t want other people to see and that, rather than the boisterous flirt we’re used to Lwaxana being, she instead shifts to someone who is willing to care for and comfort Odo.

The pair also have several cute interactions in “The Muse,” in which Odo helps Lwaxana leave her new husband, figuring out that if he marries her, her problems will be solved. She understands this is a big deal for Odo and her concern for him is sweet (in fact, if it weren’t for the show already establishing his secret feelings for Kira, his response that he doesn’t plan on marrying anyone else could be seen as extremely aspec). Later, he gives a beautiful speech about being different and the fear that people will be disgusted by his differences, but that Lwaxana not caring about those things made a positive change in his life.

Image description: Odo and Lwaxana's "wedding" ceremony in "The Muse." Although their beginning is rocky, and I find the way Lwaxana parts with Odo a little disappointing, the dynamic between these two characters is extremely unique and special.

I think the events of “The Forsaken” were an important step in Odo’s own journey out of self-loathing, and that Lwaxana became special to him because of this fact. This is supposed to be a convincing love declaration for the marriage plot, but what he’s speaking of is a very sweet and platonic love which I believe we can really see throughout this episode. There’s even a scene where the two are in Odo’s quarters, literally playing shapeshifting hide-and-seek, something I don’t think he would feel comfortable doing with anyone else. But because Lwaxana saw his real self and accepted him and he did likewise for her, they share a trust and regard for each other that is unique to them.  

Sadly, Odo’s next relationship is more two-sided but also significantly worse – his relationship with another Changeling known only as the “Female Changeling”, a main villain throughout the series. Characters like Odo having relationships with villains is nothing new (for example: Data and the Borg Queen), but his dynamic with the Female Changeling is more long-lasting and thus its implications are far worse. In fact, apart from Kira, this is probably Odo’s biggest romantic/sexual relationship, and in my opinion, it isn’t just incongruous with his established character, but is actually an insult to it.

For a start, Odo and the Female Changeling often meld together in an act called “linking,” and in my opinion, this is an example of the contradictions I mentioned earlier. Ostensibly, linking isn’t automatically sexual; in fact, there are episodes that seemingly establish it as more of a communal or spiritual thing. However, when Odo links with the Female Changeling specifically, it’s often directly said or heavily hinted at being a sexual thing. This has implications a few seasons later in the Dominion War arc, during which the Female Changeling leads the Dominion in a war against “solids” and Odo is swayed to remain by her side in large part because the two of them repeatedly link.

The writers say they didn’t conceptualize this linking to be sexual, but later came to see it as such, even referring to it as an act of seduction. It makes things even murkier – and makes Odo’s role in this arc even worse. By implying that linking with the Female Changeling is not only sexual, but also seduction, this entire arc for Odo essentially becomes him being so easily manipulated that he willingly collaborates with a group of genocidal oppressors. During this arc, he and the Female Changeling even have sex the way “solids” do, further enforcing the idea that he’s falling for her machinations because of their sexual relationship. It would be a disappointing arc for any character, but it’s especially disappointing for Odo.

Image description: The Female Changeling (left) encourages Odo to link with her

Finally, we have the relationship that is arguably the least pronounced, but also perhaps the most bizarre. In the episode “A Simple Investigation,” Odo meets and subsequently falls in love with a woman named Arissa. The entire episode is clearly played similarly to a noir story, with Odo in a similar role to a classic hard-boiled detective and Arissa as a femme fatale, but I find these things very difficult to buy for his character or in this context. For example, when they first meet, Arissa tells him he has “bedroom eyes,” something that actually seems to have an effect on him. But why would it? In general, something I find confusing about Odo is the question of whether he experiences sexual attraction. Later in the series, it’s confirmed that indeed he does and is sexually attracted to Kira, but before this point, it seemed to me like his love for her was based more on emotional connection. Even his relationship with the Female Changeling, questionable though it may be, originally seemed like it was based on his feelings of wanting to understand his people and where he comes from. But when it comes to Arissa, the level of attraction he feels for her seems like it comes completely out of left field, especially because the two have sex during the episode.

In general, one of the only positive things I can say about this episode is that at least it didn’t happen earlier. Early in season five, there’s a plot point where Odo is made human by the Changeling’s “Great Link” in punishment, a situation that lasts about nine episodes. If this episode had happened then, it would have been another example of sex being conflated with being human. At least with Odo having sex as a Changeling, it doesn’t reinforce the trope that being human was the thing that gave him the ability to feel sexual attraction in the first place. However, the writers actually did want Odo to have a sexual relationship during his time as a human because it would have “carried a little more weight.” Although this attitude did not make it into the final product, I think it gives us a glimpse into the mindset of the writers. Therefore, although they don’t treat Odo exactly like Voyager treats Seven or TNG treats Data, there’s still hints that romance/sex are what make Odo more “normal.” Indeed, it seems the writers feel romance should be a primary goal for him – especially one romance in particular and his repeated pursuit of it. There are both highs and lows to this romance, but from my perspective, there is also the essential question: is this romance necessary or is it an attempt to normalize Odo?

Odo’s Relationship with Kira

It’s impossible to talk about Odo without also talking about his relationship with Kira Nerys. This is where Odo differs from characters like Seven of Nine or Data, because how these characters’ romances are portrayed and how Odo’s relationship with Kira is portrayed are quite different. In Voyager, Seven’s romance with Commander Chakotay is, in my opinion, an extremely trope-filled eleventh-hour attempt to give Seven the supposed “final metric of humanity”; in TNG and its related films, Data’s romantic/sexual relationships are nearly all bizarre or played horribly. These things don’t exactly set a high bar, but if nothing else, Odo and Kira’s romance does manage to be better than they are.

For a start, Odo’s feelings for Kira begin rather early in the show, which is an improvement over Seven’s supposed feelings for Chakotay, which only occur in the last few episodes of the series. Because of that, it’s tempting to see Odo and Kira’s relationship as a slow burn, and while I usually enjoy this concept, I struggle to see their romance as a well-executed slow burn in large part because of the inconsistent writing. In some episodes, it’s clear that Kira’s friendship is very important to Odo and cherished by him, while in other episodes, things are played almost as if she's “friendzoning” him. I find these moments unfortunate, because I love Odo and Kira’s friendship and hate it being treated as “less than” romance. This is something that happens throughout the development of their bond, wherein the writing usually frames platonic friendship as unfulfilling, which strikes me as completely contrary to Odo’s character and his bond with Kira in the first place. There are so many episodes that could play up the genuineness of their friendship, but often use it as an opportunity to highlight Odo’s buried feelings instead.

Image description: Kira and Odo later in the series after their romance becomes mutual

When it comes to this romance’s explicit development, two of the most important episodes are “Children of Time” and “His Way.” In “Children of Time,” the crew (including Odo) discovers they will soon crash land on a planet and that, 200 years in the future, their descendants will form a thriving society. Because Odo doesn’t age, there is a 200-year-old Odo on the planet, who’s eager to see the modern-day Kira; in his lifetime, she died during the crash, and he hopes her death can be prevented this time. As such, this Odo even confesses his love to the utterly blindsided modern-day living Kira.

Although I find it cringeworthy that his feelings are revealed in this manner, there is something noteworthy about this 200-year-developed Odo: for the past 200 years on this planet, it seems that he has never loved anyone else. If he did indeed continue to love Kira all that time, that actually could be seen as somewhat aspec (perhaps demisexual, demiromantic, or another similar identity), and indeed, even his attachment to Kira throughout the rest of the series could be likewise interpreted in that manner. But these facts make his other romantic relationships throughout the series even more odd.

Back to the main plot, however, things get far worse than just the 200-year-old Odo spilling present-day Odo’s secrets. A huge part of the episode is an ethical dilemma posed to the crew: do they accept the notion of the crash so that the society created in its aftermath can still come to exist, or do they try to get back home to their present-day families, knowing everyone they met on the planet will have never existed if they do? Eventually, the planet’s Odo is the one who decides to doom the planet so the crew can escape – and so his present-day counterpart can have a shot at being with Kira.

Obviously, it takes Kira and Odo a while to return to normal after this and, since the Dominion War arc happens around this time anyway, it’s a while until the romance develops further. This occurs a season later in “His Way,” an episode which, although not as bad as Voyager’s “Human Error,” nevertheless gives me similar vibes. In it, Odo visits a 1960’s style lounge club holosuit program, complete with a self-aware holographic lounge singer named Vic Fontaine. Vic is quick to lend advice when it comes to romance and makes it his personal mission to help Odo woo Kira – seemingly through any means necessary. Unsurprisingly, the episode immediately employs several aphobic tropes, such as repeatedly referring to Odo as cold and describing the need to “thaw him out” in order to help him “win” Kira. Not only is this unpleasant because “cold” is often used to insult aspec people, but changing oneself for love is also a generally terrible trope. 

Furthermore, there are several times where Vic describes Odo as being unemotional, which also doesn’t make sense and in fact is something Odo himself even tries to refute. We have seen throughout the show that Odo, while different, is not unemotional per se. Therefore, by framing Vic’s assistance as bringing Odo’s emotions to the forefront or helping him be “more confident,” it really means bringing the sex and romance to the forefront, which is also not necessary if you believe previous episodes like “A Simple Investigation.” In general, these contradictions make the episode feel like an awkward way to get the pair together. The idea that Odo is now no longer a stick in the mud (Vic’s words) simply because he can, I don’t know, dance with Kira and play the piano is a truly baffling choice.

If I find these things incongruous with Odo’s character, however, I’m not the only one. In fact, neither actor advocated romance, especially Kira’s actress Nana Visitor. Discussing “Children of Time,” she was quoted as saying “I’m not a huge fan of that whole romantic storyline. I think it’s much more interesting to have a real deep friendship without it becoming physical. I would have liked Odo and Kira to stay like that.” She reiterated this again for “His Way,” in which she says she considers the romance a fight she lost. I like that Visitor advocated a strong friendship for the characters instead, and I completely agree with her. For as much as I enjoy a well-told romance, I also yearn for more platonic bonds in media, especially male/female ones, and the romance between Kira and Odo therefore feels like a wasted opportunity.

Unfortunately, the writers seemed quick to negate these kinds of critiques. Regarding “Children of Time,” for instance, Odo’s actor Rene Auberjonois believed that Odo rationalizing his actions was “a big thing” and “tricky,” stating “I’m still not sure about it, or what kind of message it sent to the audience.” But writer Ronald D. Moore believes these actions communicate “how deeply this man [Odo] can love. He can love to the point that he will sacrifice an entire world for a woman.” Setting aside the fact that this is exactly what Auberjonois meant, Moore’s explanation doesn’t address that, and I find it cringeworthy to boot. Inconsistencies like these or like Odo’s role in the Dominion arc feel less like examples of DS9 pushing boundaries and more like examples of them trying to rationalize the decision to make Odo allosexual. 

Indeed, some of these plot elements feel like they’re a conscious decision to sacrifice not just Odo’s aspec tendencies, but the foundations of his character for the sake of quick tension, easy drama, or some sort of plot element they thought viewers could identify with. By the writers’ own admission, cementing the romance in the final season was largely done for drama in the finale, and I think we see that same notion in other episodes too. For instance, when Odo contracts a virus that affects his race, it’s obvious that his romance with Kira is supposed to add tension to the situation. Even during the war, his love for Kira is the main thing that prevents him from fully siding with the Dominion. But do these things need to happen because of a romance? Wouldn’t it make just as much sense that he’d struggle to give up a good friend or the people who have been his family these past years?

Whether or not the Kira/Odo romance is portrayed well, the question exists as to if it’s necessary. And, in my opinion, the answer is no. In fact, many of their romantic scenes seem like they’d play almost exactly the same if Odo and Kira were friends. The only thing that makes these scenes romantic is the fact that the writers want us to interpret them that way, so the two characters kiss or say they love one another or do anything else that is considered "intimate." But these things aren’t essential to the overall interaction. Their lines could easily be delivered in a more casual and friendly tone without the romantic elements, and they’d be the same, making the romance seem superfluous. Beyond that, there are several episodes where it feels like the writers are deliberately reminding us that Odo has feelings for Kira or that we should be reading their interactions as tinged in romance rather than platonic. This often feels forced and clunky, as if they’re afraid that if they don’t say it every few episodes, we might start thinking of them as purely friends and they can’t have that. 

To take it a step further, it feels like at times they’re worried that we may start thinking of Odo as something other than a sexual character. Thus, they give him these romantic and sexual moments to keep our conceptualization of him at least somewhat “normal,” despite how very different he is, and I think that’s both a great shame and a big mistake. Odo is an amazing character, and I don’t think he needed to be given these plot points in order to be seen as relatable, identifiable, or interesting; he already is. In the episode “Heart of Stone,” Odo reveals that his name means “nothing” and that he used to really think of himself that way until he met his friends. Because of them, he no longer thinks of himself as nothing, but instead thinks of himself as a unique individual – and that, to me, is more important than any romantic or sexual plot.

Image description: Odo and Kira dancing in "His Way." Although I don't hate their romance by any stretch of the imagination, I do sincerely wish they had stayed friends. If they had, they'd easily be one of my favorite male/female friendships of all time. Image obtained from TrekCore.

So, do I agree with my reader’s comment that the efforts to make Odo allosexual feel forced? Yes, I absolutely do. Like many non-human characters that also have non-sexual and/or non-romantic tendencies, I think Odo is a causality of inconsistent writing and the belief that only sex or romance are interesting. But that’s just not true. If Star Trek has given us anything, it’s repeated examples of strong friendships, family of all kinds, and the beauty of different people coming together. DS9 is no different; if anything, given its darker nature, those bonds are even more important. There’s no reason why the show couldn’t have highlighted those bonds more fully for Odo instead of relying on sex and romance.

In general, there is so much that I could say about Odo’s character and, even though this post is quite long, I definitely didn’t have enough time to discuss everything. In fact, I’ve decided to do a whole other post in future dedicated just to the Changelings, much like I previously did for the Borg. I’m looking forward to that post immensely, because I’ve enjoyed revisiting DS9 immensely. Despite the instances of Odo’s mischaracterization or other things I may have found questionable, I always love getting to trek through the stars with a unique crew, and the crew of the trusty station Deep Space Nine is no exception.

At the end of the day, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all how much I love Star Trek. In my opinion, even the most questionable plot points or episodes are better than the best parts of some other sci-fi out there, primarily because Star Trek encourages us to think, question, and explore. And that is why, even when it disappoints me, I keep coming back for more – it's the hope that, if we keep asking these questions, we’ll someday encourage new ways of thinking about ourselves and our world. Because, as Odo himself says in the episode “Shadowplay,” who’s to say that our definition of life is the only valid one?