Skip to main content

star trek - Do Shapeshifters, like Odo, shift just shape, or composition as well?


When Odo is shaped as a humanoid, for example, is his eye just the outward shape of an eye? Or does he have a lens, and a retina, and an optic nerve, and a brain made of neurons processing images?



Answer





When Odo assumes a humanoid form, he has no detectable brain. From the DS9 episode "Dramatis Personae":



ODO: Doctor, I believe the Klingon brought the matrix with him and everyone in Ops was affected except me. Without a humanoid brain, my system rejected it.



If there is no brain, then there are no nerves, optic or otherwise.


For another statement about the lack of nervous systems — but from Beta material — we have the following excerpt from Deep Space Nine Rebels: Book One by Dafydd ab Hugh:



Founders — Changelings — didn't have a distinct central nervous system or brain, of course...the Founders' mental activity occurred everywhere and nowhere.




Concerning other organs, we have the following statement from Odo in the episode "The Forsaken":



ODO: I don't eat. This is not a real mouth, it is an approximation of one. I do not have an esophagus or a stomach or a digestive system. I am not like you.



(Thanks to @ThePopMachine for digging this one up!)


Taking all of this together, it would seem that Odo, even when taking humanoid form, has none of the organs that a humanoid would normally have. What we see on his exterior is for appearance's sake only.


Of course, if there are no physical manifestations of a nervous system within a Changeling who is infiltrating a humanoid community, then a such an individual could be caught by a rather simple medical scan. This would suggest that skilled Changelings ought to be able to simulate not only the internal appearance but also the electrical activity of a nervous system, in order to pass a basic tricorder test for being a humanoid. (This must be the case, since we know from several DS9 episodes that Changeling impostors are very difficult to detect.)


We also know that shape-changing is taxing on a Changeling. It would stand to reason that when a Changeling is not trying to fool solids (e.g. Odo on a normal day), then a Changeling would probably not be simulating a nervous system, given the complexity of the feat. Also, it may be that only very few Changelings have the endurance and skill required for it.


All in all, we can safely asssume that, when Odo assumes his humanoid form under normal circumstances, he has no brain, nerves, or organs, and his "eyes" are just for appearance's sake.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

harry potter - What is the difference between Diffindo and Sectumsempra?

In the Harry Potter books, Diffindo is called the 'Severing Charm' and it’s most commonly used to cut ropes and the like. However, in the last book Hermione uses it on Ron but misses, creating a 'slash in his jeans' and his knee gets cut, causing him to 'roar in pain'. We've only seen Sectumsempra used once on screen when Harry directly uses it on Malfoy in the sixth book, but there it's mentioned that he is 'waving his wand wildly'. Wouldn't Diffindo, if used in such a fashion also cause a similar effect? Similarly, if it was able to cut Ron, it would also be able to, say, chop off an ear (George's)? In that case, how are these two spells different, except for Sectumsempra seemingly used exclusively to hurt humans? Answer While Diffindo and Sectumsempra both can be countered by other spells, Diffindo is far more easily countered. Reparo, a relatively common spell, can completely reverse its effect when used once. “He pulled the old cop...