A Missing Link: An Asexual Analysis of the Changelings from Star Trek

Image description: Two very important Changelings from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, shown here engaged in the act known as linking. On the right, we have Odo, a main character on the show and an important one at that. On the left, we have a character known only as the "Female Changeling," who - spoilers! - is one of the show's main antagonists. The Changelings are a fascinating race for a number of reasons, and today I want to explore them through an aspec lens, analyzing the good and the bad in how they're portrayed.

I’ve always loved science fiction as a genre. To me, good sci-fi stories are the ones that let their creativity reach for the stars – sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally, and when it comes to this latter variety of sci-fi, I believe part of the allure is the creation of diverse alien races to populate the vast galaxy of your story. My favorite sci-fi media, Star Trek, is a masterclass in this. Throughout its many series, it has introduced us to fascinating aliens like the intellectual Vulcans, the warlike Klingons, and the spiritual Bajorans (just to name a very small few), as well as frightening creatures like the cybernetic Borg, the fearsome Jem’Hadar, or the merciless insectoid species known only as 8472.

But perhaps one of the most interesting species in the Star Trek universe is the shapeshifting race known as “the Changelings,” first introduced in the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This interesting and unusual species plays a huge role in the plot of this series, especially considering one of the show’s main characters, Odo, is our first introduction to the Changelings as a concept. Last year, I did a post all about Odo specifically, examining the aspec vibes that seemed to be a part of his character early on and how these things were erased to make way for various romantic and/or sexual plot points.

While researching and writing that post, however, I realized that the problems I wanted to discuss went far beyond just Odo himself; rather, they were problems that seemed to be inherent in how DS9 portrayed the Changelings in general. In fact, there were so many things I wanted to discuss regarding the Changelings that I knew – as I often do – that I would need to do a whole other post. So today, building off of that previous post, I’d like to more broadly explore the Changelings. Throughout the series, Odo encounters many Changelings who raise some very interesting questions about the entire species, their role, and Odo’s own characterization. While I may not be able to answer these questions, I think exploring them through an aspec lens is not only interesting, but essential.

Spoiler warning! 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 
(including but not limited to "The Search, parts 1 & 2," "Broken Link," "The Begotten" "A Simple Investigation," "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," "His Way," "Chimera" and "What You Leave Behind")

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A Quick Recap on Odo and the Changelings

Although Odo is not going to solely be the focus of today’s post, many of the plots related to the Changelings or individual Changeling characters heavily involve him. Therefore, I want to give a brief recap of Odo and his role, as well as a quick overview of what I discussed in that original post. Odo is a series regular on DS9, serving as the security chief on the space station for which the series is named. As such, he’s serious, brusque, and duty-driven. He’s also the first Changeling we are ever introduced to in the series, and this makes him seem like something of a lone and unique entity.

Unfortunately for him, this sometimes leads to various forms of abuse and discrimination. Throughout his early life, he is treated more as a lab experiment than a valid being – even being termed “Nothing” before his true status was discovered – and later is treated as a form of entertainment to others due to his ability to shapeshift into other people and objects. Even after he’s understood to be a living, sentient lifeform, he still experiences discrimination, and even members of other subjugated alien races like the Bajorans refer to him using derogatory terms such as “shapeshifter” or “freak.”

Image description: Odo, DS9's main Changeling character

These types of struggles are not exclusive to Odo or to the Changelings, but these things do become interesting when you add in the aspec vibes Odo seems to exhibit early in the series. As I stated in my previous post, Odo originally views the “mating rituals” of humanoid species as convoluted and unnecessary, and it’s made clear at that time that he is unfamiliar with the idea of “coupling.” This is something that is slowly phased out the longer the series goes on, which is what inspired me to write that original post in the first place, thanks to one of my readers mentioning how forced these plot points feel (a sentiment with which I totally agree).

Beyond just these moments of clear non-sexual and non-romantic attitudes, however, Odo has other aspec parallels – chiefly in his journey to find out more about himself and how he relates to the world. That journey makes sense for Odo as a lone Changeling among humans and it’s a struggle that can appeal to anyone, but which can feel especially relevant from an aspec lens. It’s also interesting, in both good and bad ways, that Odo’s problems are not actually solved when he eventually encounters his species in season three’s two-part opener, “The Search”. In fact, the problems are just beginning.

The Changelings as a Species

The Changelings are a bit of a strange phenomenon for me to analyze as an aspec fan. On the one hand, I think having the Changelings be an asexual species could have been very interesting if the circumstances were different, especially with Odo as a series regular. On the other hand, there’s no way I’d want the Changelings to be aspec or interpreted as such given how they’re actually portrayed, since nearly every Changeling apart from Odo is portrayed as evil – or, at the very least, bigoted against humanoids. Analyzing them through an aspec lens is also strange because they are ostensibly an asexual species in that they don’t procreate, and so in the biological sense they are asexual.

However, there’s two problems with that – the aforementioned issue with them being villains, and the second issue that they are sometimes put into sexual plot points. The fact that they don’t need to have sex to procreate and technically don’t even need to take on humanoid form means having them be sexual at all is therefore rather illogical, and yet it happens more often than you would think. Although DS9 is a great series and introduces a lot of great concepts, Odo and the Changelings both feel like elements of the show that had a lot of potential that no one quite knew what to do with. I feel this way about a lot of other Star Trek characters or races that could be asexual/aspec and aren’t portrayed that way, but the way the Changelings are characterized highlights this especially.

When Odo first meets other Changelings, it seems like it’s going to be a good opportunity for him to connect with other people like him and learn more about himself. However, it’s quickly shown that that is not the case. These other Changelings – especially one known simply as “the Female Changeling” – turn out to be a faction known as the Founders. The group believes they are superior to “the solids” (humanoids) and are intent on eventually controlling them, so Odo comes into conflict with them many times. This alone would actually be an interesting plot point, especially because Odo wanting to be understood and find where he belongs is a central theme of his character. But the way it plays out often leaves me scratching my head.

Image description: The Female Changeling, as she appears throughout most of the series. Note how similar in appearance she is to Odo.

Again, I’d have no problem with plotlines relating to Odo wanting to feel like he belongs and struggling with the answer to that question. Does he belong with the Changelings, a race of people who know what it’s like to be him, and can understand his experiences? Or does he belong with the crew of Deep Space Nine who can’t possibly understand his circumstances, but are nevertheless dear friends with whom he’s shared many deep experiences? These questions are valid, but sometimes they’re portrayed in rather baffling ways. While sometimes Odo seems to hate the Founders, other times the story has him desperately want to be a part of them. He knows the Female Changeling is manipulating him, yet often lets it happen. By this point in the series, we’re supposed to understand that Odo is deeply in love with his friend Kira (something I already take exception with, as you may know from my Odo-specific post), but we’re also supposed to believe that he’d be willing to leave behind all of his friends, Kira included, in order to join the other Changelings, something which actually does happen in the end.

These contradictions with Odo and with the other Changelings in general are the thing I have the biggest issue with throughout the series. While some of these things lead to interesting plot elements, other facets of the Changelings are just strange and never fully explained. I think the existence of Odo and some other exceptions throughout the series show us that the Changelings are not inherently bad, and I think we can even at times see why the Founders are the way they are. But the fact that nearly all of them are portrayed as genocidal oppressors leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Even beyond these more intense examples of the Changelings’ negative portrayal, there are also facets of their species and their storylines that just don’t make sense to me. Returning to the idea of their inherent asexuality coupled with thinly veiled sexual plotlines, one of the things I’m most confused about the Changelings’ portrayal as a species is the concept of linking. To me, this concept is where most of my points, observations, and criticisms lie when it comes to analyzing the Changelings through an aspec lens, because this seems to encompass every Changeling, good or bad, especially Odo himself.

What Exactly Is “Linking?”

The concept of two Changelings linking together is first introduced in “The Search” when Odo meets the Female Changeling for the first time. In the episode, it’s portrayed as two Changelings sort of melding together, sharing thoughts and experiences. According to the writers, this act was not conceived of originally as something sexual in nature; however, as the series goes on and Odo encounters the Female Changeling more frequently, the writers also admit their linking began to take on more of a sexual overtone before outright being seen as a sexual thing between the two later in the series.

I can’t say I’m especially surprised by this – as I pointed out in my Odo post, making the act of linking take on a sort of sexual overtone reminds me of other instances where this has been done in Star Trek. Usually, this is done to lend an element of “relatability” and thus take acts that don’t necessarily have to be sexual stand-ins and tie them to sex. In the case of linking, while the act is not exactly sex – and the Female Changeling even says human intimacy pales in comparison to being “in the Link” – it does make an easy jumping off point for these types of plot elements, and I feel that needs to be discussed.

Image description: The Female Changeling (left) and Odo link for the first time in the episode "The Search"

When linking is first introduced, it actually somewhat makes sense because the Female Changeling is a representative of the Changelings as a whole and what they call “the Great Link.” Because the Great Link itself is a group of Changelings, it seems more like a social or even spiritual thing and there are some cases in which linking is treated as an extension of these elements. For instance, the Female Changeling mentions that talking is limiting and she’d rather link with Odo, making it seem like linking is an exchange of information in this situation. In the finale, Odo linking with the Female Changeling once again seems like a method of communication, since they strike the bargain that ends the Dominion War.

But like I said, there are plenty of other instances where linking, either explicitly or implicitly, is framed as sexual. This is especially pronounced during the Dominion’s takeover of Deep Space Nine, during which Odo remains with the Female Changeling and spends a great deal of his time linking with her. If we view this linking as inherently sexual (rather than merely a method of communication or information exchange), this entire arc becomes both bizarre and generally kind of terrible for Odo’s character. Linking with the Female Changeling during this arc means that Odo is ignoring nearly everything else, and in many cases is giving information over to the enemy. Add in the fact that these acts are framed as giving Odo knowledge of his people and I like it even less because conflating knowledge and sex is a weird trope with weird implications – especially for characters that otherwise have aspec tendencies.

Even if linking is not sexual per se, many of these later episodes of DS9 do frame it as being sensual at the very least, or as an act of seduction. But again, that doesn’t quite make sense to me. Linking is often referred to – especially during these episodes – as “being in the Link.” The implication seems to be that the act of two Changelings linking together is almost recreating on a smaller scale what the Great Link creates for them as a larger group. But this makes the use of sexual descriptors even more frustrating. I like that the bliss of being in the Link defies description; however, that could be described using almost any other type of analogy and it would work. Referring to it as an intimacy that humans would only be able to conceptualize as sexual is rather silly to me.

Because the Great Link is more like a group identity, I obviously don’t think it in and of itself is supposed to be seen as sexual, but the repeated attempts to sexualize linking and to claim that human intimacy is “but a shadow” of the Great Link severely confuses the issue. What exactly are we supposed to interpret is happening whenever Changelings link with one another, given we have clear examples of it as an intimacy substitute in some instances and other instances where it obviously isn’t? The issue becomes even more confusing thanks to the later episode, “Chimera.”

In it, Odo meets another non-Founder Changeling named Laas, who dislikes and distrusts humanoids. This leads to a few interesting, thought-provoking moments between them, such as when Odo says the humans on Deep Space Nine accept him, a sentiment which Laas is skeptical of, and perhaps rightly so. Much like Odo, Laas too has experienced what it feels like to be rejected by humanoid species; also like Odo experienced previously, this is the first time Laas has met another Changeling, and as such has never experienced the sensation of linking, which he and Odo do repeatedly throughout the episode.

I’m honestly not sure what we’re supposed to think about Odo and Laas linking. Odo tells Laas that linking is “as natural as talking,” so it seems reasonable to assume it’s a form of communication and a way to share thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc. However, when discussing it later, Kira mentions how personal an act it is, which makes it once again seem intimate. I feel this assumption is aided by the fact that Kira regrets she can’t link with Odo because she’s not a Changeling. Again, we could easily assume that she’s referring to an act of unencumbered understanding and exchange rather than anything sexual… and I’d gladly accept that explanation, if it weren’t for the episode’s ending.

In the final scene, Odo touches hands with Kira the way he would if linking. Of course, since they can’t link, he instead transforms himself into a glittering spectrum of light and engulfs her while she looks on in wonder. This act was clearly meant to be interpreted as romantic at least and possibly more than that; the writers were very interested in making this act appeal to women and didn’t want it to involve Odo turning to goo because they thought that would be seen as off-putting. Rene Auberjonois even joked to Nana Visitor that her expressions made him seem like a good lover, further cementing the idea that this was supposed to be intimate in nature. Again, because Odo describes linking as something like human intimacy after he has sex in “A Simple Investigation” or the Female Changeling describes it as like human intimacy after they have sex “as the solids do” in “Favor the Bold,” these things are easily connected.

So what about Odo and Laas? Is their linking communicative or intimate? Is it social or sexual? Although DS9 was willing to somewhat explore same-sex relationships at least once, I find it impossible to believe that the writers wanted us to come to that conclusion in this episode. The fact that their link comes right after they both talk about female love interests, for instance, makes it seem like we’re immediately supposed to understand that what’s happening is nothing like sexual intimacy in this case.

Image description: Laas (left) and Odo in the episode "Chimera"

However, there is a very loaded line later in the episode that leaves me wondering about the message trying to be communicated with Laas’ character, especially as he not only becomes more staunchly open about his differences as a Changeling, but seems to encourage Odo to be likewise. This leads to several incidents involving Laas’ ability to shapeshift – including one that turns deadly – and when Odo is later discussing this with Quark, the latter reminds Odo that the Dominion War is still ongoing, and as such “this is no time for a ‘Changeling Pride’ demonstration on the promenade.”

Through my modern-day lens, the term “Changeling Pride” immediately jumped out at me, especially given I was already wondering about how the episode was portraying Odo and Laas’ linking. But was the audience also supposed to see it this way at the time? This episode aired in February of 1999, meaning it’s entirely possible that the writers (and perhaps the audience) knew “pride” was a term used to describe LGBT+ gatherings and activism, although I admit that it was difficult to find in my research exactly when the term “pride” was officially used in this manner. Therefore, it’s equally possible that the writers never intended this association at all. They likewise don’t seem to be expressing an intention for us to view Odo and Laas’ repeated linking as anything other than communicative; however, these two facts together do form a very interesting coincidence.

All this to say, “Chimera” raises a lot of questions. The writers describe this episode as a sort of set up to the arc that ended the show, which sees Odo leave to join the Great Link. They wanted to use Laas – and Odo’s linking with him – to show that Odo still felt conflicted about the Founders, and thought that they needed to show that conflict playing out more clearly. The end result, when Odo does join the Great Link to heal his people, is played well as a bittersweet moment, and episodes like “Chimera” help it to be that. But still, the entire arc – and the entire act of linking – are fraught with contradictions to me.

Something I love about DS9 is that it has a lot of moving parts. There are a ton of stories going on, overlapping with each other at various times. It has several arcs, both for individual characters and for the plot, and it involves the fate of many factions, planets, and species alike. As a result, I don’t doubt that there was a lot to keep track of; and, due to the nature of much of the show’s plot, it’s actually quite effective for characterization to move backwards and forwards rather than always progressing. However, I can’t help but be disgruntled about where Odo’s character arc eventually left him and how the Changelings were portrayed, because I feel like it could have been so much better.

The Missed Opportunity of the Changelings

The Changelings are probably one of the most unique species to ever exist on Star Trek. Meanwhile, Deep Space Nine is one of the most unique entries in the Star Trek saga, due to its setting, storyline, and overall darker tone. As such, it had a lot of opportunity to explore the complexities of various alien races and how they do or do not coexist. It’s a shame to me that these conversations never really got to play out for the Changelings. While it’s teased through characters such as Laas, or in how Odo exists with the people around him, there are so many instances where the Changelings could have been a commentary on discrimination. But even more than that, there were so many opportunities to show Changeling characters as growing and accepting themselves, even despite the hostility of the world around them.

In my Odo-specific post, I briefly discussed when Odo is made human by the Great Link as punishment, something which comes to a head in the episode “The Begotten.” In this episode, Odo tries to help an infant Changeling embrace itself without the terrible tests he himself was subjected to when he was still an “unknown sample”. Throughout the episode, he insists on treating the amorphic Changeling as a lifeform when everyone else just sees a little mass, mostly because when he was as young as this Changeling, no one helped him. Because he often felt alone, he doesn’t want the infant to feel as he did.

I love this episode because it does great things for Odo and for the Changelings. For Odo, it allows him to see being a Changeling – something that often made him feel different and alone – as something to be celebrated. Rather than feel shame for his differences, working with the infant allows him to feel valued. For the Changelings, it allows us to see that nurture can make all the difference. Other than Odo himself, most of the Changelings we encounter are either the evil Founders or, like Laas, have prejudices against “solids” based on past experiences. But Odo shows us someone who can rise above the way he was treated, and in his care for the infant Changeling, we can start to imagine that things may have been very different if the Founders had been treated with that same care.

If we consider the Changelings as having aspec parallels (despite the weird stuff with linking), this becomes very profound. In fact, it becomes very profound no matter how you identify, and I think Odo was the perfect character to represent that. It’s unfortunate to me that oftentimes when Trek has non-human characters who also seem to be non-romantic or non-sexual, they center their stories on what it means to be human. Odo, by contrast, regains his Changeling abilities in this episode, thanks (rather tragically) to the infant Changeling’s last gift to him before it dies. Instead of wanting to change in order to be human, his story is about learning to embrace being a Changeling instead. Despite the ways this is squandered when we look at Odo/the Changelings’ later plotlines, that’s incredibly noteworthy.

Image description: In "The Begotten," Odo tells the infant Changeling (left) that it can morph into anything it wants to be. The first thing it chooses to morph into is an approximation of Odo himself, which I find extremely sweet.

As Odo himself says in “The Search,” being an outsider isn’t so bad. It gives one a unique perspective. I wish we had been able to explore that unique perspective more, without only having the Changelings be villains, without having to add sexual and/or romantic plotlines for their characters, and without having to rely quite so much on tropes. Because it’s true, the Changelings are outsiders, but they also do have a unique perspective, and seeing that play out in diverse ways could have been incredible.

In a not-at-all surprising twist, while writing this post, I realized I may in fact need a whole other post just to talk about the many contradictions in how Odo and the Changelings are portrayed. Uneven characterization is nothing new in Star Trek, but when it comes to the Changelings, their species, and how they function, I think those contradictions are too big to be ignored, especially since the Changelings are still being referenced in modern Trek series.

But even without a future post, I hope I’ve been able to demonstrate that the Changelings are a fascinating part of Star Trek lore, and I hope that characters like them can be explored in future. To me, these characters are proof of what sci-fi can do when it stretches its mind, but also exposes some of the limits of supposedly futuristic thinking. But it’s only by exploring these limits that we can see storytelling grow and expand – because, if we have anything like a Great Link in our world, it’s got to be the ability to lose ourselves in a great story.