As for the question of where Odo's universal translator goes... well, I'd imagine he could mimic the function of one within his neurochemistry, but it would be subject to the same limitations as a Bajoran or Starfleet translator. Btw, the first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/orangeriver03221

They feel like something that would come out of fluidic space.

The "subspace pocket" idea to explain Changlings' apparent shifts in mass makes a lot of sense. That was the explanation used in the "Animorphs" books, to explain where their mass goes when they morphed into a small animal, and where the "extra" mass came from when they morphed a large one. I could definitely see Changelings using a similar system, and if they can derive energy from subspace directly, that could explain why they never need to eat. Odo was my favourite character on DS9 when I was younger, but I was consistently disappointed in how uncreatively his shapeshifting was applied. I mean, if I could shapeshift, I'd be flying around the Promenade -- screw walking! I know that was largely based on the special effects budget, but still. I'd love to see a Changeling show up in Lower Decks or Prodigy -- in animation, they could do such much more.

RIP Rene Auberjonois.

Templin institute video on galactic powers of Star Trek plus orange river video on changelings equals a solid day in the known KZfaq galaxy 🖖🏻

I tend to think of them akin to slime molds, a paraphyletic group. They usually live as individual cells, but during lean times can group together to act essentially as multi-cellular shapeshifting organisms. (Are you single celled or multicellular? Well, it depends.)

I really like the extradimensional theory. I had never thought of that before, but it makes sense to me. The Founders are one of the most alien aliens featured as main characters on Trek, and you managed to pull out some real ideas about what their biology could be. Great work!

Well like always very well explained, I think your insightfulness is wonderful, Thanks, I did give a LIKE and I have SUBSCRIBED because that IS THE ORDER OF THINGS

While I did watch Voyager and some DS9 and TNG as a kid, I've only recently got into the lore of Star Trek heavily and I really appreciate your videos.

I would have liked to see an encounter between the Borg and the Dominion.

Regarding changing their mass, when Odo was returned to a Changeling by fusing with the sick baby changeling he celebrated by turning himself into some type bird. When he did this he left a big blob of himself on the floor and only a small part turned into the bird. Other times he turned himself into something small his entire body shrank down. I guess it was just a mistake that one time.

Love the purple and green lighting... which I assume is intended to represent the dominion logo? Nice touch.

Imo this video could have been 30 min long. the founders/changleings were the most important aspect of deep space 9 by far and totally made that series.

Loved the video as always, you make me chuckle.

I'm not crazy about your lighting in this video, but your subtle use of Trek sound effects is awesome! Plus your personal humor pops up just enough. ;)

Ah! At last! Someone's on the same track; the Changelings inter or multidimensional nature may have originated from Fluidic Space! It would explain a great deal not only of their inherient abilities, but of their xenophobia to 'Solids', if they were contending with species 8472/Undine for their entire evolution, it would be simply a psychological reflex due to 8472's omnicidal intentions (at least until they got a bigger foothold in our galaxy i Voyager). Considering how they possibly evolved in Fluidic Space and its strange properties, they may derive sustenance from radiation, molecular friction, or some other means :)

Maybe the Changlings were hostile from the beginning. But other races banded together so the Changlings had go into hiding.

Never mentioned on the show or elsewhere is that a formless being is so in need of form and order.

Love this

Actually otto said that if a peice of him is away for long enough that it would form into its own lifeform. So it is highly likely that the changelings 'bud' or split off to form babies

If the Changelings have the ability to evade sensors, would that not be a way of detecting them? Like picking up an absence of detection? Like sensing a "bubble"?

They also had the ability to lock one of their member into a permanent form.

Man I've been binging most of your star trek content whilst I work over the week, just wanted to drop a comment on this to say how much I'm enjoying it! You've quickly become a firm favourite of mine. I personally find your calm presentation style very calming, but it also keeps my attention (the dry humour is great too). Looking forward to seeing your work appear in the notifications!

Regarding the Dominion having prior knowledge of the apha/beta region prior to the discovery of the wormhole. I think that idea was only floated by the producers in some interview it was never said on screen. It also seems very unlikely for two reasons one simply the distance involved 70,000 light years and the Dominion still only having warp drive. Secondly as you point out “the 100” were the ones meant to be doing the exploring so what would be the point if they already knew about empires that far away anyway?

Awesome video as always. Can't wait to see parts 2 and 3.

During my last rewatch of DS9, I realized that the Changelings don't really refer to themselves as individuals, instead only ever speaking in terms of their collective. This raises the possibility that perhaps all Changeling "individuals" are in fact expressions of *a single organism* - similar to a field of grass or a fungal mycelium. In that sense, while they might be able to function as individuals when disconnected from the main body, they simply mix back together whenever rejoining the link - there's no actual permanence to any Changeling individual we see on the show; they are all created ad-hoc and reabsorbed once the solid form is no longer needed. The Female Changeling we see in DS9 may have actually been several "individuals" created this way, all of which simply decided to take the same form for whatever unfathomable reason. In Odo's case, of course, having been raised and trained by individualist solids from birth, and having had no connection to the link until much later, he would be able to retain an individual persona even when entering and exiting the link. It's by far not a perfect theory... but then again neither is having a pocket of subspace inside you where you can stuff excess mass until you need it later.

I really dig your channel man, been a Trek fan since the Next Gen days. I still remember the first episode I ever watched was the one where The Enterprise gets stuck in the time loop colliding with the USS Bozeman, I was instantly hooked. You bring alot of great knowledge on all the different races of beings that had major standing in the galaxy, I've enjoyed learning some of the finer points of them. Great work keep it up!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!

OK it's time for the transformers fanbase, and startrek fanbase to come together for a unified theory of the subspace storage pocket.

Great video man, can’t wait for the rest of the series :)

As usual, great video.

Well as usual I’m late to the party but you never disappoint and we are crazy about your videos!!!!’ Thanks Tyler! 👍

Surprised you didn't bring up the shapeshifting key/pendent from early ds9. Its suggested in the episode to be a cousin or ancestor of Odo's species, suggesting that the changelings evolved from simple shapeshifting goo that was very similar. This reinforces the idea that they were never solid in their evolution.

Good channel friend. Enjoy your thoughts .

Weird scenario-- the Dominion encounters Armus.

Keep up the amazing work!!!

You and Certified Ingame should do a video together.

Well done as usual! I'm considering a complete re-watch of DS9 as it has been at least a decade since I've watched an episode.

Another great video.

Over powered blobs!! LOL.... I love it. I'm glad that there's young people like yourself keeping Star Trek alive.

They're like Shoggoth of the Mountains of Madness and further stories.

Wow man, that was very good indeed. DS9 is my favorite trek. I'm not up on all of the modern ones though, except Picard. I am looking forward to the next two analyses in this series. Great topic examining One of the federations great nemeses. Great job!

13:00 maybe the changelings are like aerogel, deceptively light.

Overpowered af but still got clapped

Weird... I always thought the changelings once were solid too and then evolved into their liquid form. thought this was mentioned once in DS9. but of course i believe you know better than me. great video!

Man, i just love your video’s!

So much about them is so.......Fascinating! Would love to learn more about them.

The only explanation is that Odo is a 4th dimensional being reaching into 3 dimensions the same way that the apple passing through flarland would appear impossible to the flatlanders.

Hmm, Chris Claremont writing one of the first apparitions of Mystique, in the first "Ms. Marvel" in the '70s, has her avoiding Contessa Valentina Allegro de la Fontaine, while the shape-shifting mutant is in Nick Fury disguise, because "Under this jacket I am thin as a rail, much different from the hunky specimen Val has shared her bed with las night". (Note: I read this in the Italian translation some 15 years ago - as such, I suspect that I lack word-fir-word fidelity. Unfortunately, over time Claremont too would grow lazy and allow Mystique to lose and gain weight as will... There should be a rule against that. Then again, as a side effect, writers could decide that the shapeshifter can separate in "chunks" but must choose how to invest their consciousness in each chunk. And Odo would need a 20 gallons barrel, not just a bucket...

I know the subspace pocket theory is super popular (and would still work, I don't disagree!) -- but I personally have always just wondering if they had a hyper-fast ability to create/discard cell matter. Like say Odo turns into a bird, he just discards the cells that make up his "skin" and creates new ones that mimic "feathers" or what have you, and they just get modified to whatever color/structure/etc that he needs them to be. I personally dig this theory cause I feel like it fits nicely (though probably not perfectly) into why Changelings are the way they are. - "Why don't they have to eat or drink anything to get energy" Because with this idea, they're basically self-cannibalizing and recycling their bodies all the time, probably at an insane speed, getting that metabolic energy back in a continual cycle. That's how they can live so long and why Odo has to have some bucket time, to let that system relax the same way humans sleep to let our brains refresh. - "How are Changelings born" Maybe a Founder just removes a clump of themselves and eventually it just begins to slowly regenerate on its own, a sort of parthenogenesis. This could be how the 100 sent out have a homing beacon implanted, because it was strongly imposed upon the bio structure of the separated cells, maybe through the advanced DNA editing tech the Dominion has to command. This could be why the Baby Changeling and younger Odo is commented on being so small but eventually growing in mass. - "Where does the mass go and why isn't Odo as a cup super heavy" Because the weight literally doesn't exist anymore, he destroyed himself down to that size and so the weight makes sense. - "How do they link" slime mold time! And since neural energy is a thing in Star Trek, maybe Changelings also have this to a certain degree in each of their cells, not strong enough to be picked up by betazoids but enough to hold memories/personality/etc Basically just ridiculously complicated jellyfish-slime mold-chameleons haha. There's probably HUGE holes to this theory but I like the idea that they're just Flubber.

Pretty much all shapeshifters require some magical increasing/decreasing of mass. Very few myths involve exact same weights

I always felt that given odo having taken so long to mature by our standards that maybe it’s through energy assumption and retention that we see them assume their forms. Like their cells are multi layered and complex enough to hold in massive amounts of energy that can then be rematerialized like a replicator (all be it much more complex) and create mass. The influx of that being that they can also dematerialize their mass into atomic energy. Just my thoughts though.

I can't wait for an updated version of Changelings after Picard S3 is done 💚💜💚 Great content as always

Another great video, Tyler! Thanks for doing these and this one in particular! Great topic! I must have missed it, but have you ever said which Star Trek iteration is your favorite? What about other sci fi like Babylon 5? Battlestar Galactica? What about video games/video game consoles?

This video felt so comfortable I almost fell asleep

So, by your description, the Great Link is one giant... orgy? 😅😅

Tyler I have to ask this... Does your sponsor skillshare, have subtitles in Klingon??? LOL... I love your content keep up the good work

Thanks

This is the kind of analytical nerd shit I signed up for.

Great stuff as usual. I always thought they pull the trigger and have them be directly related to the progenitor ancient humanoid race from TNG's The Chase, they look so much like them and it's the same actress.

Kira was smart. What woman would not want a lover who could make his little friend vibrate, change size and texture?

Excellent

Another interesting video analysis. A conflict between the Borg and the Changelings would have been awesome to see. It's kind of interesting that a species whose natural shape is a fluid without form would have valued order so much, which relies on defined roles.

With enough spicy food and butt clinching, anyone can achieve high sublight speeds.

At the top of all species and galactic intelligences is Jeffery Combs, the greatest actor of all time!

Good video as usual. The Changelings' mass-shifting is something they share with the Transformers! Hmmm.... ;-) I have a little bit different take on what their original/natural state may be. Early on, Odo indicated that he learned to mimic humanoid form, although he had difficulty mimicking a humanoid face (which is odd considering the many other complex creatures he mimics to exacting detail on a regular basis: dogs, birds, rodents, etc.). A humanoid face would seem rather simple by comparison. Fast forward, he encounters his own people for the first time, including the Female Changeling and several others. Interestingly enough, they all choose to take a form virtually identical to his. Maybe that's for his benefit or...maybe it's fairly natural for them, while in humanoid form. When Odo meets Laas, the wandering Changeling takes a humanoid form which is noticeably different, yet still extremely similar to Odo and the other Changelings. Furthermore (not that Discovery is ever a good barometer when it comes to visual continuity), we just recently encountered a 32nd century Female Changeling who again looked identical to the 24th century Changelings, except for a darker skin tone. This leads me to believe that the form we repeatedly see the Changelings take, the form which Odo routinely takes, appears to be the most natural for them, while in humanoid form. In other words, they can choose to mimic a human, Bajoran, or Romulan, but the form that Odo and the others typically take is what their humanoid faces most naturally and most comfortably look like. He may not have known that initially, but it is what came most naturally to him...because it's in his DNA. That's what Changelings naturally look like while in humanoid form. This also makes me suspect that they did evolve from bipedal humanoids. Long, long, long ago.

R.I.P. to Clarence Williams III

If they are so powerful and can manioulate dimensions and store power in sub space then someone can learn a way to use their bodies to power up a spaceship or even a weapon, or use to power up a gate to another galaxy since they are very powerful, and they can be used as energy

for changeling reproduction I would probably guess that at some point at a changelings life the changeling increases its size to 2x the normal and then splits into 2 (the original changeling and a new one)

R.I.P. Rene Auberjonais

at one time the changeings where solids, but evolved to the present state, there are matter states that contradicts the traditional concept of mass, one is the newly discored crystal state of many materials, that shows that a at a certain point mass becomes unimportant

If there was enough of them I suppose they could do without a planet and just have the great link morph in to one. But then having to revert back to their liquid form they would have to take turns being a part of the planet. Or they could turn on to a ship. Overpowered blobs 🤣

Good video

I wonder if the Silverbloods from Voyager were actually a changeling who went into a Demon class planet to form a similar culture and evolved into such a radically different world. Heck, they were even able to shapeshift into a starship and become warp capable.

big fan of the changelings, with there was more material on them in canon

great link? I just watched it a few months ago and for the entire time I always heard great lake

One of the main components of changeling physiology is nonsensiom

I think a skilled old Changeling could make hybrid solid babies. If one wanted to shape shift completely into some humanoid form with internal organs and such, and they wanted their ... love fluids... to go out as such, why wouldn't they start interacting like conventional love fluid? Even a shitty Changeling turns humanoid enough to get knocked out when hit on the head and not revert to goo, so... "life happens" said Prof. Goldblume

In the original mythology, a changeling was not a shape-shifter, but a fairy child left in exchange for a human one or the human child taken by the fairies depending on the story's point of view. My understanding on the Founders reproduction is that, like single-celled organisms, they multiply by dividing.

My (insert explicitive) has a morphogenic matrix. Also the changelings have a weird awareness of each other. There is a bunch of cool mysteries a writer could get into.

The Terran Empire please.. their like a dragon that always thrust

they r like a huge super evolved slime mold its all one being acting as many

I think one of two things could have happened to the founders in ds9, or at least to the female changeling. If we assume that Odo is correct in that he and his people remember everything, then the knowledge and wisdom of the first founders is still stored in the minds of those who are in the great Link. But as said that the drop becomes the ocean and the ocean becomes a drop, I do think that thoughts that are not individually/originally theirs are lost or become faded. The female changeling makes many obvious mistakes at the end of the war, which are pointed out by Weyoun, but he then thinks his tactically sounds suggestions are stupid because he isn't a founder. Honestly, the dominion probably could have won at the first battle that used the Breen energy weapons. But the female changeling thought a small dip in morale was worth the possibility of analyst understanding this new weapon. The Borg didn't leave survivors intentionally, so it was difficult to figure out a traditional way of beating them. I think that the longer the female changeling went without the great Link, the more independent and close minded she became. She also lost her ability to discuss her ideas with anyone who had an opinion she respected. The near immortality, access to knowledge greater than any single creature could attain, and presence of so many dissenting rational opinions is why the dominion were so powerful. When in the great Link it was like an ocean overcame the gamma quadrant. I assume when some tactics failed they analyzed why, and changed their behavior. But the war in the alpha quadrant was like drops of water trying to spread as far as an ocean. Both in management and decision making. I also think that possibly the great Link has lost it's edge in being the Galaxy's experts of genetic engineering. This was just a plot device to create a fun irony, but the section 31 pleague not being solved in the alpha quadrant is understandable (again just being little drops), but the full brunt of the ocean should (in my mind) figure out that the cure was the DNA of the solids. Either knowledge was lost from the original founders or the capability to look at issues dispassionately and objectively was lost due hubris and potentially sloth. Another interesting unintended theme that carried on through from DS9 to ENT was how these great authoritarian regiems reshaped the galaxy towards the favor of the federation. War and peace both strengthen or flat out create the federation.

Honest. I’ve always assumed that the Changelings’ change in mass could be attributed to them absorbing surrounding atmosphere. Can’t say that explains every shape-shifting fiasco, but it’s at least an easy explanation.

Hello Tyler "Fu*k Solids" Vadik famous last words

Both of the 2000 & 10,000 figure could be correct. If the Dominion had had a small empire spanning a few systems before their interactions and creations with the vorta and Jem Hadar

Did the Dominion Founders ever encounter the Iconians, as we first saw in the TNG second season episode, "Contagion"? And later cited in the DS9 episode, "To the Death". What about the Tkon ("Contagion")?

MY IDEAS OF WHAT MIGHT OF CAME ABOUT AFTER (THE DOMINION) FELL: I think it would be great if a separate faction came about after (The Dominion) had fallen; I imagine the separate faction is a formation of outcasts of their own races, who never agreed with what each of their races were doing, and had done. In addition I imagine this (separate faction) they are very cautious, but at the same time hopeful for coexistence with other races, and to be treated with genuine respect. Now the list of outcasts races; The first are a number of Changelings, second are the Vorta, and the third are the (Jemidar). I imagine that ten Changelings agreed with what (Odo) had expressed about solids, that not all of them should be hated, feared, and that it is possible to develop a friendship with solids if you give them a chance. Now when it comes to the (Jemadar) I imagine 8% of them had developed an immunity to the drug, that was given to them they slowly figured out the drug was very bad, and they were being tricked. In addition they were being used as living drones, to fight for beings pretending to be Gods, and that these beings didn’t truly care about them. Now when it comes to the VORTA race I imagine that 10% of them, had reached the realization, that they were being manipulated, and were the living puppets to preach about (The Founders) group, and to add being brainwashed to worshiping (The Founders).

Technically the founders were introduced in TNG Near the middle/end of the run It was the episode where the Klingons, cardasians, and Romulians were racing to hunt down pre universe tech. And they found out one race, put forth all the DNA in the universe and randomized the genetics.

was Iman's character in ST The Last Frontier a changeling? are the character's in The Dauphin" changelings too?

I like you. I'm not a huge Star Trek fan - tho I really liked DS9 - but I like to watch your videos, you're funny, too.

Tyler, Where did you get the map on your right side on the back wall?

The Founders are their own species of changeling. There are different species of changelings in the Alpha quadrant. I wonder how they would have interacted with them both psychologically, socially and physically. Could other species of changelings interact with "The Great Link"?

I would like to see a few (Changelings) appear in the show series of (STAR TREK: DISCOVERY).

I do have thoughts!

When you brought up the size you forgot to mention Laaz who became the size of a runabout, about 25 meters give or take. You even showed it so I'm not sure why you didn't mention it.

With their knowledge talent and abilty to manipulate matter as well as molecules and DNA on a level never seen again in startrek It should have been possible for them to either create or change existing biomaterial into the same kind of biomaterial they are made of... Increasing their overall biomass .

It's clear that this isn't how they work in Star Trek canon from DS9, but it would have been interesting if they ate by literally absorbing matter and converting it to morphogenic matrix, and they changed mass by literally leaving parts of themselves behind. Could limit it to having only one consciousness that has to pick which part it is a part _of,_ and thus ensure they're not reproducing constantly by mitosis. Reproduction might be a process of deliberately having multiple changelings in a Link leave behind mass that has no consciousness, and some catalytic number of them leaves enough echoes of "self" that the product left behind eventually awakens to sentience. On the other hand, if they do have some sort of extradimensional subspace storage for most of their mass, it could be that birthing new changelings involves something to do with creating or filling a subspace "cavity" with enough matter to manage it. This leaves the sustenance question, though, which is not adequately answered by "directly from subspace" (it still has to come from somewhere) nor by chemical absorption, since they can survive indefinitely in the void of space. I hesitate on the subspace pocket notion, too, because that would just beg to find a way to link subspace pockets to create a great link that doesn't require physical proximity in the 3D space they clearly care about. On the other hand, the "subspace pocket" theory neatly answers questions such as: where does Odo's comm badge go when he shapeshifts?

There are living people sharing ideas! It's human.....

interesting