changeling in star trek discovery

Why Star Trek just brought back tribbles, changelings, and a random Voyager molecule

The dangerous Dark Matter Anamoly in Discovery Season 4 is connected to a Trek episode from the ‘90s.

The secret purpose of the Dark Matter Anamoly has been revealed. For half of its fourth season, Star Trek: Discovery has been unpacking the mystery of the DMA plaguing the entire galaxy. In the final moments of its mid-season return, “All In,” the crew finally realizes what the DMA is really doing. But within that revelation, there’s a massive deep-cut reference to Star Trek lore.

We asked Discovery writer Sean Cochran about the connections between the DMA and a specific 1998 episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Here’s what he said.

Spoilers ahead for Discovery Season 4, Episode 8, “All In.”

Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) race against time to stop Omega.

At the very end of this week’s episode, we learn the DMA’s purpose is to mine a substance called “boronite.” At first, President Rillick is confused as to why this unseen space substance is such a big deal, but then Saru explains, “It can be synthesized into some of the most powerful substances in existence.”

Offhand, this might not seem like a big deal, but before this Discovery episode, boronite was only ever mentioned before in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, “The Omega Directive.”

Voyager’s new Discovery connection

Voyager’s “The Omega Directive” episode revealed that all Starfleet captains were always under strict orders to destroy an Omega particle. An Omega molecule is so destructive and so rare that Starfleet can’t mess around and try to harness its energy.

In the same episode, Seven of Nine reveals the “perfect” Omega structure makes it the science-y holy grail for the Borg, and at one point, the Borg tried to create their own Omega molecule, using — you guessed it — boronite! The possible destructive powers of boronite were introduced and then forgotten. Until now.

“Yes, it's that very same boronite,” Discovery writer Sean Cochran tells Inverse . However, he adds that this boronite will perhaps be used for a different purpose.

The Borg were only able to construct an Omega molecule using boronite for a couple of seconds. But now on Discovery , Burnham points out that an unknown alien species, “10-C,” is destroying entire planets as a “dredge” to mine large quantities of boronite. What this means is simple: The abilities of species “10-C” are way beyond anything anyone has encountered in Star Trek ever.

Kirk is buried in Tribbles!

Discovery brings back a Tribble and Changeling

On top of the deep-cut (and game-changing) Voyager reference, this episode also brought back two classic Star Trek aliens at the very same moment. While Book and Tarka are trying to figure out which aliens are cheating in a certain gambling den, it turns out one specific person was impersonating multiple people at once because they’re a Changeling. In order to cut and run, this shape-shifter briefly turns into a tribble and rolls like hell to make their escape.

Famously, a tribble is a furry, round creature that breeds very quickly, as made famous in “The Trouble With Tribbles” in The Original Series . When asked why the Changeling turned into a tribble (albeit briefly), Cochran says:

“It felt like the Changeling would need to pull out all the stops if they wanted to get away from some pursuers who are more than capable. So turning into a tribble felt like the ultimate Hail Mary pass. And then I also thought, hey, if you get the chance to put a tribble in your episode — do it.”

Canonically, the idea of a large, humanoid-ish Changeling transforming into a smaller creature is a classic Trek move. In two episodes from Deep Space Nine (“Past Prologue” and “The Circle”), beloved Changeling Odo (Rene Auberjonois) disguised himself as a rat. We don’t know much about this new Changeling, but the makeup suggests this is the same species of Changelings as Odo, sometimes known as “the Founders.”

One of “the Founders” and Odo, both Changelings, in Deep Space Nine.

The Changeling’s existence also suggests that passage between the Gamma Quadrant and the Alpha Quadrant is still happening via the Bajoran wormhole in the 32nd century of Discovery . In Deep Space Nine , the Federation would have never encountered the Dominion and the Changelings without that wormhole. So, does it still exist in the era of Discovery ?

As of now, Cochran has one answer: “No comment.”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 airs new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Click here for the full Star Trek 2022 schedule.

Ryan Britt's new book on the history of Star Trek's biggest changes. From the '60s show to the movies to 'TNG,' to 'Discovery,' 'Picard,' Strange New Worlds,' and beyond!

This article was originally published on Feb. 10, 2022

• Science Fiction

Screen Rant

Every changeling in ds9 (besides odo).

Odo's origins were a mystery, but they soon became key to the overall arc of Star Trek: DS9, and here's every Changeling that the crew encountered.

As the titular space station's head of security, Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois), a Changeling, was an integral part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and he was eventually pitted against his own kind during the Dominion War. The Changelings were one of several new races introduced to Star Trek canon by DS9, and they proved to be both a fascinating species and a worthy foe for the Federation. Possessing no solid form, the Changelings were capable of assuming any form, and this metamorphic ability led to distrust and often violent reactions from the many species they encountered.

The Changelings responded to the violence and distrust they met at the hands of the " Solids " by retreating to a planet where they existed as a hive mind - the Great Link. They plotted to restore order to the galaxy, creating the Jem'Hadar and enlisting the Vorta ahead of DS9' s Dominion War . The mystery of the Changelings and Odo's origins defined his story arc in the early seasons of DS9 and once he discovered his home world in season 3's "The Search" he and the viewers were introduced to all manner of Changeling characters. Here's every named Changeling who appeared in DS9 .

RELATED: Star Trek Proves The Borg Could Assimilate DS9's Changelings

Odo was notable for his rejection of the Founder's belief that humanoid life should be subjugated to restore order. Originally discovered adrift in the Alpha Quadrant, Odo went on to form meaningful relationships with the Bajorans including Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Mora Pol (James Sloyan), the Bajoran scientist assigned to him. Odo even married Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barratt) and became an unwitting pawn in Section 31's genocidal plot against the Changelings, when he was infected with the deadly Morphogenic virus.

At the end of the Dominion War in Deep Space Nine , Odo returned to the Great Link to aid the peace process by teaching the Changelings about the merits of the humanoids. As Rene Auberjonois sadly passed away in 2019, it's unlikely that Odo will return to Star Trek in a substantial role. However, the unique character's teachings may have inspired a new relationship between the Changelings and the Federation in Star Trek 's future. As a Changeling appears in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 , it's clear that they continue to exist in the galaxy nearly a century later.

The Female Changeling

The Female Changeling (Salome Jens) had a complex relationship with Star Trek: DS9 's Odo. She played on his feelings of isolation, and his attraction to Major Kira in a multiple attempts to lure him back to the Great Link. However, despite her manipulations, Odo still felt a kinship with the Female Changeling and cured her of the Morphogenic virus by linking with her. At the end of the Dominion War, the Female Changeling was imprisoned for the multiple war crimes she had committed. Her whereabouts are currently unknown in the continuing on-screen canon, but there's lots of story potential in a DS9 season 8 that revisits her and the Dominion.

In DS9 season 5, episode 12, "The Begotten", Odo buys an ailing infant Changeling from Quark (Armin Shimmerman). Sentenced to life as a solid by the Great Link, Odo attempted to reconnect with what he'd lost by teaching the infant how to shape-shift. Tragically, the infant wasn't strong enough to survive, but at the point of death, restored Odo's abilities by absorbing itself into him.

RELATED: Star Trek Brings Back The DS9 Villains That Starfleet Fears Most

The Martok Changeling

The increased hostilities between the Klingon Empire and both the Federation and the Cardassian Union was a strategic move by the Dominion to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant. To do this, they installed a Changeling who posed as General Martok (J.G. Hertzler), a key advisor to Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly). Martok's duplicate led the Klingon Empire into conflict with the Federation, necessitating Worf's presence on DS9 from season 4 onwards . The real Martok was held in a Dominion internment camp, alongside another key DS9 character, who had been replaced by a Changeling.

The Bashir Changeling

When Garak and Worf discover the real General Martok in the Dominion internment camp in DS9 season 5, episode 14, "In Purgatory's Shadow", they also discover the real Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig). Bashir had previously been replaced by a Changeling in DS9 season 3, but only for a brief amount of time. The implication of Julian's capture on Meezan IV was that the Bashir audiences had been watching over the previous weeks was an imposter who had been plotting against the Federation. The Bashir Changeling was destroyed by DS9 's starship, the Defiant , when he attempted to destroy the Bajoran sun.

The Krajensky Changeling

Bashir had previously been impersonated by the Krajensky Changeling, who had infiltrated DS9 during Benjamin Sisko's promotion ceremony. The Changeling impersonated a Federation ambassador who sent Sisko and the Defiant crew on a mission to the planet Tzenkathi, where the Dominion intended to use the Starfleet vessel to trigger a war. After Krajensky was revealed to be a Changeling, he fought with Odo in the Defiant engine room. Odo killed Krajensky during their confrontation, giving him the dubious honor of being the only Changeling to ever kill one of their own.

The Lovok Changeling

Five episodes earlier, Odo was informed of the law that forbade Changelings from harming one another when he encountered a Changeling posing as the Romulan Tal Shiar officer Colonel Lovok. The Changeling used his position to attempt to weaken both the Cardassian Union and the Romulan Empire. Luring both the Romulans and Cardassians into Dominion space under the pretense of destroying the Changeling home world, Lovok stood back as both fleets were destroyed by the Jem Ha'dar.

RELATED: Star Trek Confirms The First Sighting Of The Defiant Since DS9

Odo met Laas (J.G. Hertzler) in DS9 season 7, episode 14, "Chimera", who essentially mirrored Odo's own journey. One of the 100 Changelings sent to gather information on the humanoids, Laas had grown weary and disillusioned with the solids' self-destructive tendencies. While distrustful of humanoids, he didn't share the Founders' belief in domination and subjugation. At the end of "Chimera", Laas left to seek out the remaining Changelings and establish his own Great Link in the Alpha Quadrant, neatly foreshadowing the ending of Odo's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine story.

NEXT: Why DS9 Completely Changed One Alien Race From TNG

Did Star Trek: Discovery Bring Back a Notorious DS9 Enemy?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 goes to the fringes of the galaxy where an old enemy from Deep Space Nine makes their surprise return.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 4, Episode 8, "All In," streaming now on Paramount+ .

While Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 began with Starfleet and the United Federation steadily rebuilding itself in the 32nd century after enduring a cataclysmic incident known as the Burn, the idealistic cosmic alliance is far from free from sinister enemies. A mysterious race beyond the galaxy's edge has unleashed a dark matter anomaly on Federation space while the remnants of the Emerald Chain alliance remain active in the shadier corners of the galaxy. And as Captain Michael Burnham embarks on a secret mission, Discovery  brings back an old enemy from Starfleet's past: The Changelings.

In order to learn more about the relatively unexplored regions outside of the galaxy and obtain the rare element isolinium, Burnham travels to a casino far outside of Starfleet jurisdiction that runs a black market business trading in star charts and other illicit goods. Cleveland "Book" Booker and his scientist accomplice Ruon Tarka seek to bargain for isolinium to power their illegal isolytic weapon capable of destroying the anomaly but causing permanent damage to subspace. In order to obtain a supply of isolinium, Book and Tarka agree to improve the casino's security as it suffers from a wave of grifters and scammers. Among the nefarious figures ripping off the casino is a Changeling -- the first appearance of a Changeling since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

RELATED:  New York Times Crossword Puzzle Pits Star Wars vs Star Trek - And They Both Win

DS9 's Chief of Security was Odo, a Changeling working with the Bajoran military alongside the Starfleet personnel on the space station. Like the rest of his species, Odo is able to shapeshift his physical form, with his natural state more gelatinous. Odo learned that the Changelings originated from the Delta Quadrant where they called themselves the "Founders." The Founders commanded the Dominion, a coalition of alien races including the Vorta and Jem'Hadar, engaging Starfleet in the devastating Dominion War over the course of DS9 . At great cost, Starfleet emerged triumphant while Odo reunited with the Changelings in the aftermath to cure them of a species-threatening disease and help them transition through the resulting armistice.

The Changelings haven't been seen since the Dominion War but their legacy continues to loom heavily in the Star Trek mythos, with the conflict being one that drove Starfleet to the brink of its own survival. The Changeling that Book and Tarka encounter scamming the casino certainly isn't as ambitious, transforming into a fast-moving Tribble to escape when cornered by Tarka. It is unclear if this particular Changeling is linked to a more nefarious organization, with the state of the Dominion and Delta Quadrant in the 32nd century currently unknown. However, the Changelings are visibly active centuries after the Dominion War and still up to no good.

RELATED:  Khan's Henchmen in Star Trek II Were Buff for a Very Good Reason

The Changelings nearly led a coalition to completely conquer the Alpha Quadrant before Starfleet and a burgeoning alliance managed to drive them back to the Delta Quadrant. Discovery reveals that the Changelings are still relegated to operating on the fringes of the galaxy, far from the intimidating might they possessed throughout DS9 . The 32nd century has seen the Orion Syndicate nearly become the dominant force in the galaxy, and with the return of the Changelings, perhaps a resurgence for the Dominion could be in the cards moving forward.

Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Discovery releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

KEEP READING:  Star Trek's Romulan Ale Embargo Is One of Its Best Gags - But Why Is It Illegal?

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Changeling

• Episode aired Sep 29, 1967

A powerful artificially intelligent Earth probe, with a murderously twisted imperative, comes aboard the Enterprise and mistakes Capt. Kirk for its creator. A powerful artificially intelligent Earth probe, with a murderously twisted imperative, comes aboard the Enterprise and mistakes Capt. Kirk for its creator. A powerful artificially intelligent Earth probe, with a murderously twisted imperative, comes aboard the Enterprise and mistakes Capt. Kirk for its creator.

• Marc Daniels
• Gene Roddenberry
• John Meredyth Lucas
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 28 User reviews
• 13 Critic reviews

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

• Mister Spock

• Christine Chapel

• (as Blaisdel Makee)
• Security Guard

• Lieutenant Hadley
• (uncredited)
• Prof. Jackson Roykirk

• Lieutenant Leslie
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia The biographical photo of scientist Jackson Roykirk is of the director Marc Daniels wearing Scotty's dress uniform.
• Goofs When Nomad is firing at the Enterprise, Spock states that Nomad is 90,000 kilometers away, and that the energy bolts are moving at warp 15. At that distance, even if they were moving at warp 1, their impact would be virtually instantaneous.

Capt. Kirk : [of Uhura] What d'you do to her?

Nomad : That unit is defective. Its thinking is chaotic. Absorbing it unsettled me.

Spock : That "unit" is a woman.

Nomad : A mass of conflicting impulses.

• Alternate versions Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
• Connections Featured in Mr. Plinkett's Star Trek 2009 Review (2010)
• Soundtracks Theme Music credited to Alexander Courage . Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

User reviews 28

• May 16, 2021
• September 29, 1967 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
• Desilu Productions
• Norway Corporation
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 50 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Star Trek's Shapeshifting Changelings Explained

Despite not being as well known as Klingons, Romulans, or the Borg, the Changelings may be the most deadly foe the Federation and Starfleet have ever faced. Introduced in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," a series set on a former Cardassian space station orbiting a wormhole leading to the distant Gamma Quadrant, the Changelings would quickly form the backbone for the entire series-long story. That they were the same race as the station's enigmatic security chief Odo added another layer to the story. 

Not only do the Changelings wield tremendous powers that allow them to alter their shape and form, but they are also rulers of a vast interstellar empire. With the ability to steal another person's identity and a galactic army at their disposal, they are a terrifying threat that added suspense, thrills, and chills to "Star Trek."

More recently, the Changelings have returned to the franchise after a decades-long absence, first in a brief appearance in an episode of "Star Trek: Discovery." However, Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" sees them return in full force to plague the Federation. If it's been a while since you've watched "Deep Space Nine" or aren't familiar with it, you may be looking for a bit of a refresher. From their long history and strange biology to their part in the dreaded Dominion, as architects of the greatest war that "Star Trek" has ever seen, here's a brief primer on the shapeshifting Changelings.

The Changeling's real life origins revealed

The Changelings didn't debut until the "Deep Space Nine" Season 3 premiere episode "The Search," but their conception goes back to an earlier directive from producers. Specifically, the showrunners wanted to create a malevolent foe from the Gamma Quadrant that would help give the series its own flavor. According to the producer Ira Steven Behr, they were nervous. "We can't risk it all on one race of villains," he said in the documentary "What We Left Behind." Instead, they set out to create three evil adversaries, hoping that one would prove popular — and they wanted to make them all terrifying.

"We're gonna make them as scary as any villains you can possibly find," Behr said in the "Deep Space Nine Companion." He told his writers to read Isaac Asimov's "Foundation"  trilogy as research, and the result was the Dominion — an incredibly powerful and ancient group that ruled the Gamma Quadrant. The Jem'Hadar were their foot soldiers, the Vorta were what Behr called 'the face men,' and the Founders of the Dominion were revealed as Odo's shapeshifting people in a shocking twist.

As a result of this change, Odo, played by Rene Auberjonois, became one of the most important characters in the series thanks to his connection to the villains of the multi-season story arc that would dominate the remaining seasons.

The Changelings distant origins explained

Now that we know how the Changelings were created by writers and producers, how did they come to be in the world of "Star Trek"? If we are to believe a story told by the Vorta, their origins date back eons, and they were once solid lifeforms just like humans, Vulcans, or Klingons. Eventually, they evolved into the shapeshifters we know, and their society evolved alongside them as they set out to explore the stars and learn about the galaxy. Unfortunately, when they encountered other populated worlds, they were not greeted with open arms.

Instead, they were met with intolerance and even cruelty for no other reason than their non-solid state. As shapeshifters, they were distrusted by what they called mono-forms — ordinary beings who are confined to a single shape — who they more commonly referred to as "solids." According to the legend, the changelings were hunted by the solids and given the derogatory moniker of "changelings," which they would later co-opt in defiance of the prejudice they faced. They eventually found a haven from the solids in the Omarion Nebula, a remote region where they established a home. 

Eventually, though, the Changelings realized that the only way to overcome the bigotry and intolerance of the solids was to control them. In order to conquer and enslave the rest of the galaxy, they'd first have to build an army.

They're considered gods

In the episode "Treachery, Faith and the Great River," a dying Vorta named Weyoun-6 tells Odo the story of how the Changelings founded the Dominion. According to this Weyoun, a Changeling once found itself on the run from a group of abusive solids, and a race of primitive, ape-like people helped hide the shapeshifter, saving its life. From then on, the Changeling vowed to reward the creatures who had saved it, later using their knowledge of genetics to advance their biology and create the Vorta, a highly intelligent, cunning race that would serve the Founders in all things.

Beneath the Vorta are the Jem'Hadar, a race of genetically engineered soldiers who want nothing more than to obey the Founders and are among the most efficient killers in the "Star Trek" canon. They live short lifespans but are bred quickly, aging into adulthood in a matter of days, and are kept docile thanks to an addiction to a chemical compound called Ketracel-white. But the Founders also engineered both the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar to worship them as gods, as they are, in a very real way, the masters of their creation.

Except for in the most extreme circumstances, it is nearly impossible for either race to defy the Founders. With an undying loyalty, the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar have helped assure the Changeling's supremacy and the Dominion's endless rule of the Gamma Quadrant.

Changeling biology

As shapeshifters, the Changelings have biology unlike any other race in "Star Trek." Their "morphogenic matrix" allows them to take on not just other shapes but other states of matter, too. They can hide in plain sight as a human, an Andorian, or a Tellarite, able to accurately mimic any lifeform nearly instantly. They can even replicate their voice simply by hearing it, though Constable Odo has never been able to quite master these skills.

However, their shapeshifting isn't limited to just people, as Changelings can just as easily become a tree, a rock, or even equipment with a reflective surface. We have seen Changelings become water, vapor, and even fire. Still, their biology has one serious drawback — they must regenerate in their natural, liquid state at least once every 16 hours. We've seen this weakness cause problems for Constable Odo, who must regenerate at least one hour each day by reverting to his liquid form and collecting himself in a small pail that he keeps in his quarters. 

In addition, if any part of a Changeling's body is cut off, removed, or otherwise separated from them, it will revert to its liquid state almost immediately. This is how Starfleet, at first, was able to detect Changelings hiding among them by drawing a blood sample. Of course, the Changelings eventually found a way around this measure, presumably by collecting the blood of the people they were disguised as and releasing it on cue during any blood test.

The Great Link

Since they need to regenerate frequently, and due to the energy required to hold a solid form, Changelings prefer to spend the majority of their time in a liquid state. When they communicate they rarely do so verbally, as they prefer to meld together into what is referred to as "linking," which is a bit like mixing two cups of water together. When linked, Changelings cease to be individuals, merging into what is, in essence, one being. In effect, there are no true individuals among Changelings, only parts of the whole who gain brief periods of individuality when separated from the Link.

As such, the Changeling homeworld is essentially one giant ocean comprised of themselves in what is called the Great Link. During their lifespan they can become individuals to explore the galaxy and return home to the Great Link to share what they've learned. Described as "a merging of form and thought, the sharing of idea and sensation," the Great Link is a place of comfort for Changelings. However, this Great Link, covering nearly the entire surface of a planet in the Omarion Nebula, also makes a tempting target. 

In the two-part "Deep Space Nine" episode, "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast," the Romulan secret police known as the Tal Shiar teamed up with the Cardassian intelligence agency the Obsidian Order to destroy the Changeling homeworld. Unfortunately for the Alpha Quadrant, this all turned out to be a ruse by the Founders to eliminate both factions.

Odo and the Hundred

Though they prefer to remain in the Great Link, the Changelings still thirst for more knowledge of the galaxy. To that end, they dispatched 100 infant Changelings out amongst the stars, which they hoped would come to live among the solids and then one day return home to the Great Link to share what they had learned. When Odo met his people and discovered the Founders, he realized that he was one of these Hundred. However, now that he had spent time among the Bajorans and the Federation, he saw his people as the enemy.

While Odo refused to rejoin them, the urge to be a part of the Great Link persisted. Eventually, he'd encounter two more members of the Hundred. In the episode "The Begotten," a dying Changeling child is discovered, unable to shapeshift, and Odo takes it upon himself to become a parent to the naive, formless creature. While the Changeling eventually dies, it is absorbed into Odo and helps resolve a season-long story that had seen Constable Odo forced into a solid, humanoid shape by his people.

Later, in the episode "Chimera," Odo meets a Changeling named Laas, who has lived among another race of people for the past century. He agrees with Odo that the Founders are misguided and invites him to join his search for other lost shapeshifters to form a new, better version of the Great Link. Odo regretfully declines, feeling a duty to his friends on Deep Space Nine.

They are obsessed with order

As a result of their natural state of oneness in the Great Link, there is rarely — if ever — any disagreement or discord among their race. In fact, it's established on multiple occasions that "no Changeling has ever harmed another," a point that is thrown in Odo's face when he betrays his people and murders a Changeling saboteur in the Season 3 finale, "The Adversary." It is this act that forces the Changelings to force Odo into a solid form in the Season 4 storyline. While Odo is unlike the galaxy-conquering Changelings he comes from, he does share their innate need to bring order to chaos, which some have likened to a biological drive.

This is partly what makes Constable Odo such an efficient security officer and investigator, as his desire to bring order made him a ruthless pursuer of justice in a chaotic environment like the Cardassian space station Terek Nor, which eventually became Deep Space Nine. However, for the rest of his people, this means ruling the galaxy, as they see solids as chaotic creatures which are always fighting amongst themselves. 

Ultimately, the Changelings — as Founders of the Dominion — view their conquering tactics as a means of helping those races achieve peace and order, even if they have to enslave them and break them of their desire for freedom to achieve it.

They plotted to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant

Upon discovering the wormhole, the Changelings were initially content to stay in the Gamma Quadrant. However, as the Federation and other Alpha Quadrant powers made more and more excursions into their territory, the Changelings knew that the chaos on the other side of the galaxy would soon threaten them. In their first meeting with the Federation, they ran an elaborate simulation with the crew of Deep Space Nine to see how they would react to a Dominion presence in the Alpha Quadrant, determining that they would be met with open hostility.

In response, the Changelings began staging plots to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant to make it easier to conquer. After plotting to dismantle the Cardassian and Romulan intelligence agencies, the Changelings infiltrated Starfleet in an effort to trigger a war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi in "The Adversary," revealing the extent of the Changeling threat for the first time.

The story that brought Worf to "Deep Space Nine" also sees a Changeling posing as a high-ranking Klingon official and sparking a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire that risks decimating both sides. At the same time, Changelings begin replacing key individuals on Earth, precipitating a militaristic coup that is only thwarted by Captain Sisko. When these plots are foiled, the Federation knows that a war with the Dominion is all but inevitable.

The Dominion War explained

Following the failed attempt to force the Federation and Klingon Empire into destroying each other, the Changelings lead the Dominion deeper into direct conflict with the galactic powers of the Alpha Quadrant. They are aided by the Cardassians, who join the Dominion, fortifying their forces, and all-out war is quickly declared on the Federation and the Klingons . In what became a high point for "Deep Space Nine," the Dominion War breaks out, and what was truly groundbreaking for "Star Trek" was that victory for the Federation did not seem assured.

In fact, the Dominion succeeds in conquering Deep Space Nine in a status quo shaking story. Later, in what is generally regarded as one of the series' best episodes , "In the Pale Moonlight," Sisko takes desperate action to force the Romulans to join the Federation and Klingon alliance to tip the balance of power. The longer the war drags on, the more it seems like the Changelings would wind up taking over the Alpha Quadrant, as millions of lives were lost. 

What eventually turns the tide, however, is the Cardassians themselves, who rise up to fight back against the Dominion. Led by former villain Damar, the Cardassian rebels help the alliance topple the Dominion and push them back into the Gamma Quadrant. Of course, they aren't alone, as they have a little help from Starfleet's own clandestine intelligence agency along the way.

Section 31's genocidal gambit

At the height of the Dominion War, the Changelings have driven the Federation off of Deep Space Nine. Odo stays on the station along with Major Kira, with plans of helping to sabotage the Dominion, though he often "links" with the leader of the Changelings, causing fears that he has joined their cause. What he doesn't realize is that he has inadvertently passed a deadly genetic disease to the rest of the Changelings, threatening to kill their entire species. It's later revealed that this disease is the work of Section 31, a covert Starfleet intelligence agency willing to go to extraordinary lengths to secure the safety of the Federation.

Led by Director Luther Sloan, Section 31 developed a pathogen that would infect Changelings and break down their molecular structure, making it harder for them to revert to their liquid state. Eventually, unable to assume their liquid form, they would deteriorate and die. Covertly, Section 31 infects Odo with the pathogen with hopes that he will pass it to his people — and that's exactly what happens. A last, desperate, genocidal gambit, Section 31 is willing to wipe out the entire species of Changelings to end the war. 

Unfortunately, rather than convince the Changelings to surrender, it spurs them to fight to the death, promising to kill untold billions before they are exterminated.

Facing Alpha Quadrant justice

It's worth noting that the Dominion War wasn't the only ongoing story that weaved its way through seven seasons of "Deep Space Nine." The story of Captain Sisko and his connection to the Bajoran prophets is also front and center, and in the series finale, both come to a head. While Sisko battles with a demonic entity on Bajor, the greatest starship battle in "Star Trek" history takes place, with the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, and their new Cardassian allies hoping to defeat the Dominion once and for all. However, the Changelings refused to give an inch, even as their hope for victory dwindled.

It was only thanks to Odo that the Changelings finally give in. After being cured of the disease developed by Section 31 — thanks to the efforts of Dr. Bashir and Chief O'Brien in the episode "Extreme Measures." Odo links with the leader of the Changelings and heals them as well. He is also able to convince them to seek peace and avert total annihilation, but it comes at a great personal cost. 

While the Changeling's leader remains in the Alpha Quadrant to face justice, Odo rejoins the Great Link in the Gamma Quadrant where he can cure his people and hopefully teach them compassion and empathy to end their destructive ways. As far as we know, Odo never returns from The Great Link.

A rogue faction resurfaces

In the "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3 episode "Seventeen Seconds" we discover in a shocking twist that the Changelings have returned to "Star Trek" after more than 20 years. What's worse, however, is that they have infiltrated Starfleet. They have an agent aboard the USS Titan, while others are involved in a plot to steal a deadly weapons from Daystrom Station.

Former Enterprise security chief Worf has been aware of this conspiracy and has been tracking down the threat. Thankfully, he is now aided by former Picard ally Raffi Musiker. Given Worf's experiences on "Deep Space Nine," he would seem to be the perfect man for the job. In fact, according to Worf, he was alerted to this rogue faction by his old friend Odo, who is still a part of the Great Link in the Gamma Quadrant. 

It seems that after Dominion surrendered in the final episode of "Deep Space Nine," there was a schism within the Changelings for the first time, as a group of shapeshifters broke away and refused to accept defeat. Now it would seem that this faction is looking to reignite the war with the Federation and conquer the Alpha Quadrant once and for all.

• Science Fiction
• All the Rest
• Recaps & Reviews
• Tabletop Games
• Video Games
• GGA Crush of the Week
• Anime Roundup
• Millennial Misremembers
• Mobile Game Monday
• Most Anticipated Video Games
• New Release Radar
• Tavern Talk Thursday
• Trek Tuesday
• Saturday Morning Webtoons
• Indigenerd Wire
• List Articles
• Mental Health
• Think Pieces

Select Page

Home » TV & Streaming » Science Fiction » The More Things Changeling: Who Are the Changelings in STAR TREK: PICARD Season 3

The More Things Changeling: Who Are the Changelings in STAR TREK: PICARD Season 3

Posted by Avery Kaplan | Mar 16, 2023 | GGA Columns , Science Fiction , Star Trek , Stuff We Like , Trek Tuesday , TV & Streaming | 0

Stream Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+ for one month free! Click here and use promo code: PICARD . 

The goo’s out of the receptacle: the major antagonists for Star Trek: Picard  season 3 are Changelings! These shapeshifting antagonists from the Gamma Quadrant were first introduced in  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Also known as the Founders of the Dominion, Changelings are the catalyst behind the Dominion War.

Odo on DS9 .

The first Changeling to whom we are introduced is DS9’s Chief of Security, Odo ( René Auberjonois ). While Odo is a shapeshifter, his personality is rigid and based on adherence to and enforcement of the rules. In early episodes, we discover that Odo must return to liquid form every 16 hours. During these intervals, he must rest in a receptacle.

RELATED: Star Trek DS9’s René Auberjonois Passes Away at 79

RELATED: Rod Roddenberry chats Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, First Lady of  Star Trek .

This regeneration trait is emphasized in the  DS9 season 1 episode, “The Forsaken.” In this story, Odo and Lwaxana Troi ( Majel Barrett-Roddenberry ) become trapped in a turbo-lift. Odo must trust Lwaxana to carry him in the folds of her dress while he is in his regenerative liquid state. However, contemporary online conversations with  DS9 writers suggested that this need to regenerate every 16 hours may be unnecessary for a more experienced Changeling.

In the  DS9 season 2 episode “The Alternate,” more about Odo’s origins are revealed. In this episode, Doctor Mora Pol (James Sloyan), the Bajoran scientist who served as Odo’s teacher and father figure, returns to Odo’s life. Furthermore, Dr. Mora brings the news that Odo may not be the only Changeling.

Solid Conflicts

The Great Link on DS9 .

Later in DS9 , the fact that Odo is a Changeling becomes an important narrative point in the ongoing Dominion War. At one point, he is infected by the Changelings, in an attempt to force his return to the Great Link ( the Changeling home collective ). This is because he must face the music for harming another Changeling in the name of defending his solid friends. Upon his return to the Link in DS9 season 4’s finale “Broken Link,” Odo is judged to be “guilty” by his Changeling peers. His sentence is to be turned into a solid himself.

RELATED: Get all the details about  Star Trek: Picard season 2 with our recaps!

This means that, for the first time, Odo has organs. As noted by Doctor Julian Bashir ( Alexander Siddig ), this includes a heart and lungs. Furthermore, he now must consume food and liquid. However, Odo is left with a face that appears as it did when he was a shapeshifter. This is punishment, to remind him what he lost. A later encounter with a very young Changeling in the  DS9 season 5 episode “The Begotten” restores Odo’s shapeshifting ability.

Changelings

As the series progresses, more about the Changelings is revealed. Much of this information is thanks to Odo’s connection to his fellow Changelings. One key fact to remember is how important the Changelings are to one another. Very little is prioritized above the safety of another Changeling. This often includes foregoing political and military victories.

Changelings are resilient. Depending on the situation, they may be able to survive conditions that would kill most solid lifeforms. This includes traversing the vacuum of space, certain explosions and being fired upon by a phaser. However, they are not immortal. At this point, we have seen multiple Changelings dispatched. They may be especially susceptible to Klingon weapons, including disruptors.

RELATED: 8  Star Trek predictions for 2023.

One tactic frequently used by Changelings is to replace high-ranking officials in an organization. This allows the ersatz official to subvert the organization’s goals. A high-profile example can be found in  DS9 season 5’s premiere episode, “Apocalypse Rising.” In this episode, General Martok of the House Martok ( J.G. Hertzler ) is replaced with a Changeling. This almost leads to disaster, particularly since Odo’s Great Link connection deceived him into believing it is actually Gowron ( Robert O’Reilly ) who has been replaced by a Changeling.

This fake Martok has two eyes. The Real Martok has only one.

In another memorable instance, Bashir was replaced by a Changeling. Meanwhile, the real Bashir is captured. It is unknown how long this Changeling replaced Bashir, but it was likely more than a month. The subterfuge is revealed in DS9 season 5’s “In Purgatory’s Shadow.” 

Additionally, we do not know how long a Changeling lifespan may be. However, in  DS9 season 5’s “Children of Time,” it is implied that Odo could live at least two more centuries beyond his standard age on the series.

The Dominion War

In the later seasons of  DS9 , the Changelings served as the catalyst for the Dominion War. They lead an invasion of the Alpha Quadrant from the Gamma Quadrant, using the Bajoran Wormhole connecting the two territories. This invasion is motivated by a long history of solids displaying prejudice against shapeshifters. 

RELATED: Visit Starfleet IRL:  Star Trek: Picard filming locations .

One important fact to learn from this story arc: the Changelings have many solid “allies.” These include the Jem’Hedar. The Jem’Hedar are a genetically-engineered reptilian species. They are “grown” under controlled conditions and all assigned male at “birth.” In order to ensure their allegiance, all Jem’Hedar are addicted to ketracel-white. This drug is dispensed solely by Vorta overseers. 

Weyoun 4, an important Vorta.

The Vorta, meanwhile, is a species that reproduces via cloning. According to their lore, the Vorta were elevated to the status of “powerful beings” by the Changeling’s genetic engineering. The individual Vorta who we get to know best is Weyoun ( Jeffrey Combs ). Multiple clones of Weyoun are distinguished from one another through the addition of a numeral to the end of their name (i.e., “Weyoun 8”). We are informed there are a finite number of these clones, and the supply of Weyouns is ostensibly exhausted by the conclusion of  DS9 .

At one point, the face of the Dominion, known as “the Female Changeling” (Salome Jens), states Weyoun is the only solid she trusts.

The multi-year Dominion War was ended in part because of the Changeling’s loyalty to Odo. However, Odo’s loyalty to his people also factored into the conclusion. It is also worth noting that a desire to return to the Great Link was implanted within Odo genetically.

Luther Sloan ( William Sadler ), Section 31’s “Finest.”

Also important was an immoral attempt to overcome the Changelings initiated by Section 31. This took the form of a genetically-engineered virus that was fatal to the Changelings. Section 31 infected an unwitting Odo with this virus. He subsequently unknowingly passed it along to the entirety of the Link.

RELATED: Could the adventure continue with  Star Trek: Picard season 4?

Fortunately, Bashir was able to create a cure for the virus. In the conclusive  DS9 season 7 episode “What You Leave Behind,” Odo returns to the Link permanently. This is so he can build a better Dominion, and so he can pass the virus cure along to his people.

It is worth noting that some “truthers” within Starfleet do not believe the Dominion War happened at all. In the  Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1 finale, “No Small Parts,” noted mansplainer Lt. Steve Levy ( Fred Tatasciore ) claimed, “Changelings aren’t real! The Dominion War never happened!”

Changelings in Picard

Roughly two decades after the conclusion of DS9 , in  Picard season 3’s “ Seventeen Seconds ,” Worf ( Michael Dorn ) reveals he has been contacted by Odo from within the Link. This demonstrates Odo’s continued existence and alliance with the Federation, even after his permanent joining with the Link. It also reveals a terrorist faction of Changelings has broken away from the Great Link.

Titus and Worf. Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Worf and Raffi Musiker ( Michelle Hurd ) became aware of the presence of Changelings in the same episode. This was thanks to the capture and execution of a Changeling posing as the human Titus Rikka (Thomas Dekker). This is a neat bit of meta casting: Dekker appeared as one of Picard’s fake relatives inside the Nexus in  Star Trek: Generations .

However, it has also been revealed that at least one Changeling was already aboard the  Titan-A when Admiral Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and Captain William T. Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) arrived on the ship in “ The Next Generation .” Posing as Transporter Chief Eli Foster ( Chad Lindberg ), this imposter sabotaged the  Titan so as to alert Captain Vadic ( Amanda Plummer ) of its location.

Sabotage! Conspiracy!

One additional Changeling cameo took place in  Star Trek: Discovery season 4’s “ All In .” This confirmed Changelings continue to exist into the 32nd Century. However, the status of the Dominion is not elaborated upon.

RELATED: 8  Star Trek: Discovery episodes that prove  Disco will never die.

Questions also remain concerning the Changelings in the 25th Century. Could one of our favorite characters have been replaced by a Changeling? Worse still, could it have transpired before the first episode of Picard season 3 , meaning we have an imposter amongst the beloved cast? We may be only forty percent through  Picard season 3, but the time for paranoia is now. What are your conspiracy theories?

New episodes of  Picard season 3 are available for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursdays .

This article was originally published on 3/13/23.

Paramount+. Thousands of episodes including all  Star Trek series, live TV & exclusive originals–all in one place. Try it free!

STAR TREK: PICARD Season 3 – Who’s Who on the TITAN-A Bridge Crew

• Recent Posts

• STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Concludes With Season 5; STRANGE NEW WORLDS Gets Season 4 - April 12, 2024
• Everything You Need to Know From Marvel at CinemaCon 2024 - April 12, 2024
• STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Recap: (S05E03) Jinaal - April 11, 2024

About The Author

Avery Kaplan

Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Genre news, fun, and inspiration.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Founders of the Dominion: The History of the Changelings

Learn about Starfleet's complicated history with the Founders.

SPOILER WARNING: Discussions for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 4, "No Win Scenario"!

Dive into the transformative history of the Changelings in this clip from the most recent segment of The Ready Room .

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

• The Original Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds

The Wolf Inside

What’s past is prologue.

The Changeling

In “The Changeling,” the crew of the USS Enterprise embarks on a mission to investigate a nearby space anomaly. Upon arriving, they discover a huge, ancient mechanical probe of unknown origins. After a brief investigation, the crew soon realizes that the probe is a living being – an alien entity known as “The Changeling” that is on a mission to search for its long lost creator.

The Changeling is a powerful and sentient machine, far more advanced than anything the Federation has encountered before. Its powerful sensors and amazing capabilities have caused it to mistakenly believe that it is looking for a creator, a “father” figure. As it searches, it sends out a powerful, high-energy signal that could potentially be detected by other advanced species in the galaxy, potentially inviting danger and destruction to the Federation.

The crew of the Enterprise is tasked with deactivating the Changeling, as well as tracking down its creator. The crew soon discovers that the Changeling was, in fact, created by a long-lost race of aliens known as the Iconians. The Iconians were a highly advanced and powerful species, capable of interstellar travel and advanced technology. However, they were wiped out centuries ago in an unknown disaster.

The crew of the Enterprise soon discovers that the Changeling is not only looking for its long-lost creator, but it is also attempting to recreate the entire Iconian race. It has the capability to create clones of its creator, as well as powerful weapons and other advanced technology. The crew quickly realizes that if the Changeling succeeds in its mission, it could potentially wipe out entire civilizations in its attempt to recreate the Iconian race.

To protect the Federation, the crew of the Enterprise must track down the Changeling’s creator, hoping to discover the secrets of the Iconian civilization and prevent the Changeling from creating a new Iconian race. With the help of the USS Constellation, the crew of the Enterprise is able to locate the location of the Changeling’s creator, now living on a distant planet.

Upon arriving on the planet, the crew of the Enterprise discovers that the Changeling’s creator is a powerful and ancient being known as the Guardian of Forever. The Guardian reveals that the Changeling was created as a way to preserve the Iconian culture and knowledge, as the Iconian race was wiped out centuries ago. He also reveals that the Changeling was sent out to search for new civilizations, in order to spread the knowledge and culture of the Iconians.

Realizing the danger posed by the Changeling, the crew of the Enterprise must devise a plan to deactivate it. With the help of the Guardian, they are able to access the Changeling’s programming and reprogram it to search for a new purpose: to seek out new civilizations and spread the knowledge and culture of the Iconians without the threat of destruction.

With The Changeling deactivated, the crew of the Enterprise is able to return to the Federation and report their success. While the mission is a success, they are left with the question of what to do with the Changeling’s new purpose: to spread the knowledge and culture of the Iconians. In their journey to answer this question, the crew of the Enterprise will discover the true depths of the Iconian civilization.

Related Posts

The conscience of the king, a piece of the action, assignment: earth.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3: Who Are the Changelings?

Picard and crew battle an enemy from the Federation’s past.

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 3. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 has seen the show’s protagonists in an intense battle with the mysterious Vadic ( Amanda Plummer ). As if being terrorized by Vadic’s super-powerful ship, the Shrike, hasn’t been bad enough, in the third episode, Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) and Jack Crusher ( Ed Speelers ) discover that the Starfleet ship they’re aboard, the Titan, has been sabotaged. The saboteur, Ensign Foster ( Chad Lindberg ), then attacks Jack, who catches a glimpse of who Foster really is.

What we learn after Jack’s attack is that Jean-Luc Picard ( Sir Patrick Stewart ) and team are up against more than one diabolical enemy on the outskirts of Federation space. Vadic is one of them. The other is the Changelings. And they’ve already begun their attack on Earth.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Review: The End is Near, But 'The Next Generation’ Is Bright

The First Changeling

The crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager never dealt with the Changelings — they first appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . These Gamma Quadrant aliens were unknown to the Federation, and for the longest time, there was seemingly only one specimen of this species in the Federation, Odo ( René Auberjonois ).

Odo was first discovered in the Bajoran system, but he was in his gelatinous form and considered non-sentient. For several years, Odo was experimented on by the Bajoran scientist Mora Pol ( James Sloyan ) before Odo was able to retaliate by mimicking other objects. He eventually took on humanoid form, copying Mora’s look. Odo had to learn about his abilities and limitations the hard way — while he could shapeshift into many objects like a chair or crate, his body needed to return to its original viscous liquid form every 16 or so hours. There were times when Odo was prevented from regenerating, and he suffered greatly but was able to recover.

Odo spent the majority of his life believing he was alone in the universe. He had no memory of where he came from or who his people were. His name came from the Cardassion word for nothing, as that was what he was labeled as when he was found. Up until the events of Deep Space Nine , Odo also lacked any real friends or connections (he’d fallen out with his father figure Mora Pol before the show began), but that soon changed as he grew closer to the senior staff of the station, eventually even beginning a romantic relationship with First Officer Major Kira Nerys ( Nana Visitor ).

Much to the shock of Odo and all of the Federation, finding Odo’s people spelled disaster for the Federation.

The Founders

The Founders, as their subjects referred to them, were Changelings who existed primarily in the Great Link — a giant ocean where Changelings intermingled in their natural state. They appeared to have something of a hive mind, but still maintained some form of individuality, unlike the Borg. Odo was really only living half a life — he had no idea how far his shapeshifting abilities could go. Unlike other Changelings, Odo couldn’t mimic the faces of other people. He also needed to regenerate, which was another unique limitation for him. Since Odo was alone in the Alpha Quadrant, he didn’t know that his people, once in their natural state, could merge with one another to form a mental link that allowed them to share experiences and memories with one another. He learned much from the Female Changeling ( Salome Jens ) who tried to ensnare Odo’s loyalty.

At some point in the Changelings’ long history, they once lived among other humanoids, but their shapeshifting abilities caused suspicion, and they were hunted and killed. They retreated to an isolated planet to form the Great Link. However, the Changelings didn’t want to forego exploring the galaxy completely, so they sent out 100 infant Changelings into the galaxy. One of those infants was Odo, and he eventually met another of the Hundred Changelings on Deep Space Nine, but Laas’ ( J.G. Hertzler ) distrust and hate of "solids" drove a wedge between them.

The Changelings saw "solids" as chaos mongers, so a group of them founded the Dominion, where everyone had to strictly follow the rules and orders of the Founders. The Founders’ will was carried out by the species called the Vorta, and their executors were the genetically-engineered soldiers, the Jem'Hadar.

The Dominion War

Deep Space Nine became hot property once a giant wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant opened up across its bow. This also meant the station was on the front line when anything came through the wormhole. During visits to the Gamma Quadrant, news traveled of a ruthless group called the Dominion. At first, Starfleet wasn’t bothered by this group, but then the Jem’Hadar destroyed a Starfleet vessel, and all hell broke loose.

The Federation was on high alert, expecting a Dominion attack, but what they didn’t know was that the Founders had infiltrated some of their highest-ranking posts by masquerading as officials and political figures. By destabilizing the Federation from the inside, the war wasn’t inevitable, it had already begun. On one side was the Federation, and on the other the Dominion. Captain Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) and his crew faced several battles, but they came away mostly unscathed, unlike many other Federation ships. There were coups and mass panic on Earth and across the Alpha Quadrant.

The Founders also cleverly duped the Cardassians into attacking the Klingons, thereby pitting two powerful Alpha Quadrant forces against one another, and ensuring the Federation’s strongest ally, the Klingons, were too distracted to help them in their war efforts. Though the Cardassians were the Dominion’s allies, Cardassia was decimated by the end of the war.

Major Kira Nerys, along with a ragtag team of Cardassians, formed a rebellion and captured the Founder who was leading the war efforts. The Founders had been infected by a morphogenic virus by then but Odo remained uninfected. He offered to return to the Great Link and help cure his people if the Founder surrendered. She did and the Treaty of Bajor was signed soon after stipulating the Dominion cease its military operation in the Alpha Quadrant and remain in the Gamma Quadrant.

The Federation suffered many casualties, and the war changed the power dynamics of the Alpha Quadrant for a while.

The Changelings on 'Star Trek: Picard'

The Changelings debuted on screens in the 1990s, and now they’re back in 2023. The character design is startlingly different because of the advancements in technology and visual effects. Where we had a very obvious CGI look of the morphogenic form on Deep Space Nine , on Picard , the species looks like melted flesh. Honestly, the original look is better.

But superficial changes aside, Worf ( Michael Dorn ), the only member of the Enterprise who has actual experience with Changelings, explains what happened to the species after the Dominion War. A terrorist faction broke away from the Great Link, unable to accept the result of the war. Odo informed Worf of the rogue faction, but Starfleet was unable to acknowledge the return of these Changelings — any mention of them would start a whole new war.

It appears Worf may have been tracking these individuals for some time, but how do you hunt something that can look like anyone and anything? One Changeling had already infiltrated the Titan, even though the Titan’s mission was insignificant, at best. Meanwhile, Raffi Musiker’s ( Michelle Hurd ) mission to hunt down the location of a stolen portal weapon also led her, and her handler Worf, to another Changeling.

The Changelings have control of the powerful portal weapon that destroyed a Starfleet recruitment center in the season premiere. But Raffi and Worf posit that this weapon is a distraction. From what? And what does Vadic, who also has a portal weapon aboard the Shrike, have to do with the Changelings? We don’t have answers yet, but does Vadic’s crew look eerily like Jem’Hadar to you? No? Just me then.

• The Inventory

Discovery Is Opening Star Trek 's Biggest Pandora's Box

The fifth and final season of star trek: discovery has put a reveal that even the next generation dared not touch at its heart, in some fascinating ways..

This week, Star Trek: Discovery kicked off its final season with a bold adventure—one with intimate ties to a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation story no other show in the franchise has dared to follow up on. In doing so, it’s opening up the kinds of opportunities that only Discovery really can—but it requires a delicate balancing act in the process.

Related Content

It’s fitting that Discovery ’s fifth season premiere opened on the week of what is known as First Contact Day to Star Trek fans. Just under four decades from today, during the events of, well, Star Trek: First Contact , humankind meets its first alien civilization in the Vulcans, and finds itself thrust into a much bigger galaxy than it could have ever imagined after years of devastating nuclear conflict. What better reveal then, that Discovery ’s last season will build itself around the mystery of the ultimate first contact—a chase for the alien civilization that kickstarted humanoid life across the galaxy in the first place?

This is the twist Michael Burnham discovers at the climax of Discovery season five’s first episode, “Red Directive.” The mysterious mission she’s been kept in the dark about all episode, racing after mysterious pirates and a centuries-old Romulan puzzlebox, involves a species now dubbed “The Progenitors,” an ancient precursor civilization that first became known to Starfleet and other galactic societies during the Next Generation season six episode, “The Chase”.

It’s an episode with fascinating parallels to the season-arching narrative Discovery wants to go out on, though it’s an adventure in just one hour of TV instead of a whole season. After crossing paths with his old archaeology professor, Captain Picard finds himself on a treasure hunt across the galaxy, with rival factions in the Klingons, Cardassians, and eventually the Romulans (leading to Discovery ’s way in, fictional centuries and actual decades later), after it’s discovered that the professor had discovered a secret that could either bind the whole of galactic civilization together—or shatter it to pieces, just as Burnham is warned of her own mission. While his rivals believe they’re on the hunt of an almighty weapon, ultimately what Picard and the other powers at play discover on Vilmor II is truth, and knowledge.

A holographic message from a bald, humanoid being—played beautifully such a short time by Salome Jens, who would go on to play a similar looking but altogether more horrifying Star Trek alien in her role as the Female Changeling heading the Dominion’s invasion of the Alpha Quadrant in Deep Space Nine —reveals that her species, long dead, evolved too soon to meet similar sentient life in the galaxy. So, in the hopes of spreading their legacy across the stars, they seeded life in their image—bipedal, humanoid, smooth-skinned, and (for the most part) hairless—across the galaxy, and left clues so that one day when that life evolved and took to the stars as they had, they could discover their shared origin, and do so together .

“The Chase” concludes on an optimistic, but non-committal note, in spite of the gravity of its reveal that intelligence design doesn’t just exist in Star Trek , but is both a fun metatextual answer to why most aliens in the franchise conveniently look like humans in various color palettes and with extraneous latex bits, and also a piece of worldbuilding that fundamentally reshapes its whole universe. While the Klingons and Cardassians, who’d assumed they were hunting for power and technology, are disgusted by the thought of common ancestry, Captain Picard and his Romulan counterpart express that the revelation could one day bring peace—not just between their own civilizations, but across the entire galaxy.

Star Trek promptly never went there again, boldly or otherwise.

There have been Star Trek stories since that examine the evolution of life across its universe—like Voyager ’s fascinating “Distant Origin,” where a scientist from a Delta quadrant species called the Voth discovers they are descended from Earth’s dinosaurs—but it took three decades for the franchise to pick up directly where “The Chase” left things off as Discovery did this week. It’s already expanded upon the episode, giving the alien species an alternative name in the “Progenitors,” as well as the revelation from Michael’s quest that they did not just leave behind their knowledge, but elements of the actual technology they used to shape life after the decline of their civilization... technology that yes, now, as the Klingons and Cardassians dreamed of in “The Chase,” could be weaponized in certain hands.

It’s already interesting that Discovery would take what was, well, a discovery of knowledge, and turn it into a more tangible, galaxy-threatening object. But it’s also interesting in what Star Trek says about itself only just picking up on the potential of “The Chase” now , not just in terms of the actual, literal decades its been since that TNG episode, but in picking it up in Star Trek: Discovery , a series now set in the furthest point of time any series of the show has regularly taken place in, the 32nd century. We already know that the Progenitors’ dream of unity among its myriad descendants has not happened—just four years after “The Chase,” the Alpha Quadrant is torn apart with Salome Jens’ return as the Female Changeling, and with her the start of the Dominion War . We know further still that, by the time Burnham and her crew have jettisoned themselves into the 32nd century, the galaxy is no more united that in was in their original time—if anything, it’s more divided than it had been in centuries, the Federation and Starfleet shattered into disparate pieces by the impact of “The Burn” and the diminishment of warp travel explored in Discovery season three.

Star Trek is forever in the process of progress toward the utopia it’s always maintained it has attained in the first place— always challenging its ideals to strengthen them, and challenging them through conflict and division. But it says a lot that 30 years ago the franchise laid out the ultimate pathway to peace, and that utopic aim across the stars, and then simply... did not touch it again until now.

And yet, perhaps it’s perfect that it is Star Trek: Discovery that’s decided to pick up the pieces. Time will tell just what happens in Michael and her crew’s adventure across the galaxy to find all the puzzle pieces they need, and just what shape this Progenitor technology will eventually take. But Star Trek: Discovery has, across its lifetime, always championed the power of connection—on individual and galactic scales—in the face of adversity, and come out on top time and time again. In season four , Captain Burnham already achieved the seeming impossibility of peaceful first contact with an extragalactic race unlike anything the shared-ancestry siblings of Star Trek ’s galaxy had ever really known before. After that, exploring the untouched legacy of one of The Next Generation ’s most fascinating episodes—and perhaps finding a way to make that power of connection really tangible across its universe—is definitely something that could be on the cards. For a show that has pushed Star Trek ’s continuity further and further forward across its life, doing so would be a fitting achievement to go out on.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Season 5 Premiere Easter Egg Explained: Who Are the [Spoiler]?

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

• Share on Facebook
• Show more sharing options
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Share on WhatsApp
• Print This Page

Star Trek: Discovery co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman previously told TVLine that the sci-fi drama’s fifth and final season was dependent on a “very significant” Star Trek Easter egg , and we finally know what he meant by that.

The season’s first two episodes, which are now streaming on Paramount+, sent the Discovery crew on one last adventure to find the missing clues spread throughout the galaxy that will lead them to the ancient device used by an ancient species, known as the Progenitors, to create life as we know it.

That Easter egg came into play in the premiere , as outlaws Moll ( Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Eve Harlow) and L’ak ( Shadowhunters ’ Elias Toufexis) stole a tan zhekran — a traditional Romulan puzzle box; Narek (Harry Treadaway) used one as a thinking aid in Star Trek: Picard Season 1 — from an 800-year-old Romulan science vessel.

The Federation was also heavily invested in finding this mystery box, and Dr. Kovich and Admiral Vance remained tightlipped while briefing Burnham on a secretive mission to retrieve it. Captain Burnham nearly caught Moll and L’ak aboard the science vessel but they escaped to the Dune -like planet Q’mau.

There, the fugitive duo convinced a Synth dealer named Fred to open the box under the guise of selling it along with other timeless treasures, including a self-sealing stem bolt (frequently mentioned throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , though their specific use is unclear) and an old tricorder (a hand-held sensor issued by Starfleet that can be used for scanning, recording and analyzing data). 

Dr. Vellek found the ancient humanoids’ life-creating device and recorded everything he knew about it in that diary. He then hid the device sometime before disappearing 800 years ago, and the diary contains important clues — such as the drawing of two moons — to find it.

Book and Burnham tracked Moll and L’ak to Q’mau, where they came upon Fred’s lifeless body. As they continued pursuing the outlaws, Culber, Stamets and Saru examined Fred aboard Discover y and realized that he was built from one of Dr. Soong’s designs.

Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) created several android prototypes, including Data, Lore and B-4 — all portrayed by Spiner throughout TNG’s seven-season run.

L’ak and Mall again evaded Burnham & Co., but not before starting a catastrophic avalanche that forced the Discovery captain and a frustratingly aggressive Captain Raynor ( The Umbrella Academy’s Callum Keith Rennie) to refocus their efforts on saving a nearby settlement.

When the dust settled, Saru, who’d been thinking over an offer to leave Discovery and become a Federation ambassador, accepted the new position to stay close to President T’Rina. That was met with a surprising proposal from T’Rina, who politely suggested they codify their mutual commitment in a more official capacity.

While the Federation mulled his future, Discovery embarked on a trip to Lyrek in search of another clue. The uninhabited planet was used by the Promellians as a burial ground before the species went extinct. (In the TNG episode “Booby Trap,” we learned that early Federation starships were influenced by their design.)

In their exploration of the forest-heavy planet, Burnham and Saru accidentally tripped a complex security system which launched droids that immediately opened fire. Saru leaped into action, though, drawing the killer bots away and buying Tilly enough time to disarm them. He and Burnham then reached their target location, where they uncovered a Romulan revlav, aka a message in a poem.

While all of that was happening, Book reached out to Moll and L’ak about buying the diary, which he knew would be a hot commodity in the galaxy. But his conversation with the fugitives revealed something else. Studying Moll’s image later on, Book figured out why Moll seemed so familiar. Her real name was Malinne and she was the daughter of his mentor Cleveland Book IV, making her the closest thing to family he has left.

But first, Burnham needed to secure a new Number One. She turned to Raynor, who’d been asked by Vance to retire. In offering him Saru’s old role, she was giving him a second chance — one that had been granted to her back in Season 1.

What did you think of the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery’s final season? Grade them below, and share your thoughts about the overarching mystery in the comments.

Cancel reply

Email * Your email address will not be published. We will notify you when someone replies.

I like Discovery, a lot, but this was a deep cut for anyone not a big fan of the entire Trekverse. Thanks for the recap and the thorough explanation, I know I needed it

Dr. Kovich: Red Directive – Criticial – stop L’ak and Moll at all costs, time is of the essence… Cap’n Burnham: We’ll black alert and our spore drive will have us at Q’mau in a blink… Cap’n Raynor: we’ll use our ancient tech and be there in an hour. Don’t start without me. … cut to Burnham and Book on Q’mau standing on the outskirts of the city waiting for Raynor, having not even attempted to find Fred’s shop or in any other way look for Moll and L’ak or their ship until Raynor joins them. D’oh!

Kudos to the showrunners for these Trekverse nods to the past series. Loved both episodes! Action packed and all in the feels with Michael and Saru (I heart him and T’Rina) on their last mission together, not to mention their goodbye on Discovery. I love their relationship and will miss their convos. Raynor is going to be a very interesting Number One! Enjoying this last Discovery ride through the cosmos!

History [ ]

The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant

According to Weyoun 4 , the Dominion "has endured for two thousand years ", i.e., since the 4th century. Later, in 2375 , Weyoun 8 stated " the Dominion has never surrendered in battle since its founding 10,000 years ago . " It was established by Changelings , who sought to protect themselves against persecution by the solids via totalitarian control. Becoming known as the Founders , the Changelings used advanced genetic engineering to create two servant races, the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar . On behalf of the Founders, these two species began expanding Dominion territory through diplomacy and military conquest. By the mid- 24th century , the Dominion had conquered hundreds of species. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ", " To the Death ", " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ", " The Dogs of War ")

In the 2370s , the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole brought the Dominion into contact with civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant . After learning that Starfleet would destroy the wormhole in the event of a direct Dominion incursion, the Founders initiated long-term plans to weaken and subvert the Alpha Quadrant. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ", " The Adversary ") In 2373 , the Dominion was able to secure both the wormhole passage and a power base in the Alpha Quadrant, through the absorption of the Cardassian Union . ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ") By the end of the year, open war erupted between the Dominion and a joint opposition consisting of the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire . ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")

The Dominion made rapid gains in the opening months of the war, beginning with the siege of Deep Space 9 and the wormhole. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ", " A Time to Stand ") However, it was dealt a major setback in mid- 2374 , when Starfleet and Klingon forces retook Deep Space 9 and prevented the Dominion from obtaining reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. ( DS9 : " Sacrifice of Angels ") Also in that year, the Romulan Star Empire joined the war against the Dominion. ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ") Despite various reversals and an eleventh-hour alliance with the Breen Confederacy , by late 2375 , the Dominion verged on defeat and was additionally beset by a Cardassian uprising. The war ended when the Female Changeling agreed to surrender, in exchange for a cure to a morphogenic virus afflicting the Great Link . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ", " The Changing Face of Evil ", " Tacking Into the Wind ", " What You Leave Behind ")

Territory [ ]

Government [ ].

The Female Changeling , one of the Founders

Eris , a Vorta covert agent

Kudak'Etan , a Jem'Hadar soldier

The Dominion was organized under a strict hierarchy, with the Founders at the top, then the Vorta as administrators, and the Jem'Hadar as soldiers next. This arrangement was referred to as "the order of things" and deviation from it was punishable by death. ( DS9 : " To the Death ", " Rocks and Shoals ") The Founders held ultimate authority and their decisions could not be questioned under any circumstances. However, the Founders were largely apathetic towards the affairs of solids and were content to leave the administration of the Dominion to the Vorta. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ") The Vorta commanded the Jem'Hadar and disseminated ketracel-white crucial for their survival. ( DS9 : " To the Death ")

Members [ ]

Below the Founders, Vorta, and Jem'Hadar, the Dominion included numerous subjugated "member" races. These species were expected to obey the orders of the Vorta administrators. Disobedience would be punished by massive Jem'Hadar reprisals. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ")

Known member species included:

• Cardassians ( 2373 – 2375 )
• T-Rogorans (conquered 2370 )
• Yaderans (homeworld annexed 2340 )

In the 2370s , the Dosi and the Son'a were economically affiliated with the Dominion. ( DS9 : " Rules of Acquisition ", " Starship Down ", " Penumbra ") In late 2375 , the Dominion signed an alliance with the Breen Confederacy . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") While the Teplans were punished by the Dominion for their resistance in the mid- 22nd century , their political status as of the 24th century is unknown. ( DS9 : " The Quickening ")

Society [ ]

The Founders were rarely encountered by their subjects, leading them to be regarded as myths or gods . The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar were both engineered to worship the Founders; indeed, they believed that their lives belonged to the Founders, rather than themselves. ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ", " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ")

The Karemma were an important commercial power within the Dominion, and constructed weapons for the Dominion military. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ")

The language of the Dominion was known as Dominionese . ( DS9 : " Statistical Probabilities ") The Dominion judicial system made use of courts, but charges and subsequent trials were often merely for show. Enemies of the Dominion were often put on trial for various charges which "hardly mattered", since the goal of the trial was to convict and execute the offender while merely giving a facade of legal framework. ( DS9 : " Sacrifice of Angels ")

Although the Dominion might seem monolithic and united, there were some internal pressures, mostly between the Vorta and Jem'Hadar. The two servant races of the Founders regarded one another with barely disguised contempt, and a delicate balance existed between Jem'Hadar troops and their Vorta overseers. Their shared loyalty and obedience to the Founders kept them nominally at peace, but often, it was only the Vorta's control of ketracel-white that kept them alive, and even then, this form of control has been known to fail; Jem'Hadar killing their Vorta was rare, but not unheard of. Vorta and Jem'Hadar tried to maintain the appearance of unity, but this varied between individuals; some Vorta, such as Keevan , behaved in a false paternal fashion to their troops, while others, like Weyoun 4 , were visibly disinterested in the Jem'Hadar's welfare. ( DS9 : " To the Death ", " Rocks and Shoals ")

Philosophy [ ]

The philosophy of the Dominion was divided into three distinct groups, each with notably differing outlooks and aspects. The perspective of the Founders , or the Changelings , with whom ultimately rested the control over the Dominion, was formed from their history of persecution at the hands of non-shapeshifting lifeforms they thereafter termed " Solids ". To that end, the priority of the Founders was the survival of their own species , by any means necessary. They had no interest in matters such as Klingon honor , the Federation 's goal of peaceful exploration, Ferengi material success, or objections made by opposing groups regarding their methods of self-preservation. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ") Their philosophy is to dominate everything that can be dominated and destroying all that cannot; the Founders were, in essence, driven by an urge to "impose order on a chaotic universe."

The Founders' extreme longevity (indeed, practical immortality) has provided them with a uniquely long viewpoint. As the genetically-engineered and highly intelligent Jack described: the Dominion does not adjust its strategies based on what has occurred within the past week or even year, but is concerned instead with what the universe will look like centuries or more forward. This perspective was evident in the Dominion War , where the strategy was to engage in a long-term war of attrition, counting on superior construction methods and their ability to breed Jem'Hadar , rather than risk everything on one battle. ( DS9 : " Statistical Probabilities ")

Apart from the Changelings' metamorphic abilities, the most distinguishing ability of their species is "linking" – the physical and mental connection of multiple Changelings. The species seems to exist in a collective union called The Great Link for much of their life span, producing a strongly anti-individualist perspective. Consequently, the Founders seem to be a remarkably unified, even monolithic, species. Their most sacred axiom: "No Changeling has ever harmed another" reflects both this and their obsession with physical security. Disagreement between the Founders, however, is not unheard of, as illustrated by the (at least initial) lack of consensus over how to deal with Odo after he murdered another changeling. ( DS9 : " Broken Link ")

The Changelings genetically modified the Vorta to serve them in various roles. They have also genetically-engineered the Jem'Hadar to serve as their soldiers. Each group of Jem'Hadar is closely controlled by the Vorta. The Jem'Hadar enforce the will of the Founders, fight in wars to expand the Dominion, protect the Vorta and the Founders, etc. Both races are engineered to worship the Founders as their gods.

Military [ ]

A Dominion strategy frequently used was to not use its military might during initial contacts, but rather, to take over via influence and espionage . While Jem'Hadar fighters destroyed the USS Odyssey as a show of force, the Dominion used its vast influential and espionage tactics to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant . For example, the Dominion precipitated a war between the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire , and then struck an alliance with the Cardassian Union, knowing full well they would accept due to their dire state, so that the Dominion could gain support and a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant before deploying its military power. ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " The Way of the Warrior ", " By Inferno's Light ")

The Dominion was founded on the principle of control, with the intent being to neutralize any potential threat to the Founders by whatever means necessary. In cases involving cooperative species such as the Karemma, the extent of Dominion interference was fairly minimal and restricted to material support. However, if the target species was or became less cooperative, the Jem'Hadar were dispatched to wipe out any opposition. The fear of massive Jem'Hadar reprisals was enough to keep most planets in line. For a prospective member, at first contact the Dominion may have appeared helpful, or even benevolent. A typical Dominion strategy was to make concessions in the short term for an advantage in the longer term, which may have been centuries in advance. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ", " Statistical Probabilities ")

Technology [ ]

A typical Jem'Hadar attack ship armed with the phased polaron beam

By the time of the Dominion War , Dominion technology appeared to have significantly outpaced that of most Alpha Quadrant species.

Instead of phased energy or disruptor beams, Jem'Hadar rifles emitted powerful polaron beams. They had a side effect of acting as an anticoagulant in some humanoids , thereby impeding the natural wound healing process. ( DS9 : " The Ship ")

Similarly, Dominion warships displayed more impressive firepower than their Alpha Quadrant counterparts. Phased polaron beams were mounted on all Jem'Hadar attack ships . These initially cut through Federation shielding without effort; however, the DS9 crew subsequently managed to adapt their shields to withstand Dominion weapons for short periods. By the time of the Dominion invasion of the Alpha Quadrant, Federation shields had no more difficulty withstanding polaron weaponry than any other energy weapon. The Breen also wielded a huge advantage on the battlefield with an energy dissipating weapon , which was capable of disabling Federation and Romulan vessels with a single shot. Effective countermeasures were eventually developed by Starfleet engineers . ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " Call to Arms ", " The Dogs of War ")

Dominion transporters utilized transponders , which enabled them to transport individuals across distances as far as three light years . ( DS9 : " Covenant ")

Dominion warp capability was less advanced when compared to most major Alpha Quadrant species. A Dominion fighter was capable of at least warp 7 and a battle cruiser was capable of at least warp 4.7. ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " Valiant ")

While some Dominion technology was in many ways more advanced than that of the Federation, the Vorta Keevan once lamented that Starfleet engineers were famed for being able to "turn rocks into replicators ". ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ") At least some Dominion technology was manufactured by Dominion member species; it is known, for example, that at least one type of torpedo carried on board Jem'Hadar attack vessels was sold to the Dominion by the Karemma, a Dominion member. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ") The Jem'Hadar did, however, seem capable of performing not only some minor and emergency repairs, but also understanding complex engineering on even Starfleet vessels. ( DS9 : " One Little Ship ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Jem'Hadar " ( DS9 Season 2 )
• " The Search, Part I " ( DS9 Season 3 )
• " The Search, Part II "
• " The Abandoned "
• " The Die is Cast "
• " Call to Arms "
• " A Time to Stand " ( DS9 Season 6 )
• " Rocks and Shoals "
• " Sons and Daughters "
• " Behind the Lines "
• " Favor the Bold "
• " Sacrifice of Angels "

Background information [ ]

The Dominion insignia was designed by Herman Zimmerman and Anthony Fredrickson . ( Star Trek Sticker Book , pg. 20)

Origins [ ]

The Dominion resulted from several meetings which the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had about establishing villains in the Gamma Quadrant during the show's second season . " We had meeting after meeting on what those guys would be like before the word 'Dominion' was ever dropped into a script, " stated Robert Hewitt Wolfe . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 73)) Ira Steven Behr once referred to the Dominion as "an attempt by the staff to come up with something specific about the Gamma quadrant." ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 100) He also related, " I remember saying [to Wolfe, James Crocker and Peter Allan Fields , while having lunch together] one day, 'Okay guys, we're gonna come up with villains, not one but three sets of villains. And we're gonna make them as scary as any villains you can possibly find.' " As part of this mandate, Behr tasked the writing team to read Isaac Asimov 's Foundation trilogy, which all the writers then read. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 153)) " The Dominion was definitely a group project, " clarified Wolfe. " That was something that Ira, Michael [Piller] , Pete, Jim and I talked about and conceptually worked on as a group. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 112) Wolfe continued, " We just felt it was time to give a face to the Gamma Quadrant. Voyager was going to be wandering through the Delta Quadrant from place to place, meeting new people every week, and we wanted to make the Gamma Quadrant distinctly different from that, by creating the Dominion […] Instead of like the big mysterious out there, which all the other Star Trek shows had done, and Voyager was going to do, it was a very specific, dangerous, nasty Other, so that was part of the motivation. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features) The invention of the Dominion not only fulfilled the need to define the Gamma Quadrant but also came about because Behr thought "villains are cool." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 97)) He remembered, " With the Dominion, we came up with characters, people, aliens and problems that impact not only in the Gamma Quadrant but the Alpha Quadrant as well. I came up with the idea for the Dominion, then the staff met every day for lunch for a week or two, and we would kick around what to do about this Dominion, then we presented it to Mike [Piller] and Rick [Berman] and they were receptive to it. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76) Peter Allen Fields highly approved of the name chosen by the writing staff for the new group, saying it "was a pretty good name." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 153))

The Dominion was conceived as "a sort of unifying anti- Federation in a way, just to give it a completely different character," said Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Indeed, the group was intended to be similar in structure to the Federation but with very different ideologies. The Dominion was to represent a wide array of alien races, just as does the Federation (as opposed to the mono-species Klingon Empire , Romulan Star Empire , and Cardassian Union ), but it was to be fascist-like, ruled by coercion and domination, in contrast to the cooperation and freedom of the Federation. As Wolfe explained, " The Dominion was not monolithic. It wasn't just the Romulans or the Cardassians . They were distinct in that they were the Dominion. They were, like the Federation, a collection of different races. But unlike the Federation, they were bound together by fear and extortion, whereas the Federation is bound together by noble thoughts and love and friendship and all that good stuff. So in a lot of ways, they were the mirror image of the Federation. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features) Ira Steven Behr explained, " We wanted warriors, businessmen, and a dark force that was controlling it all. " Wolfe elaborated, " Basically, the idea was that the Dominion was the Carrot-and-Stick Empire. The businessmen, the Vorta, were the negotiators, the friendly guys who show up with the carrot […] Then, if you don't toe the line, they kick your ass with the Jem'Hadar. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 154)) Michael Piller offered, " Ira and Robert and the staff worked very hard on creating a new group of aliens that are quite different than the others that we have had before. There's a symbiotic relationship where you have to peel back several layers to understand what they really are. What seems to be the most threatening is not necessarily the most threatening. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Initially, the plan was for numerous different species to be seen on Dominion vessels and involved in various parts of the Dominion's activities, although eventually, only three "main" species were firmly established: the Founders , the Jem'Hadar , and the Vorta , although the Karemma were also a member and, subsequently, both the Cardassians and the Breen became members.

The concept of introducing three species at once, as opposed to the more traditional Star Trek method of introducing major races one at a time, was Ira Behr's and came from the fact that he didn't want to risk introducing only one species which may not work. If the Dominion was basically a single race, and the audience didn't accept that race, the ramifications for the show would have been disastrous, so Behr felt it better to err on the side of caution, feeling that if he introduced three races, at least one of them was bound to work. As it turned out, all three were readily accepted by viewers, and all three became major players in the later years of the show.

Robert Hewitt Wolfe explains the structure and organization of the Dominion: " The Gamma Quadrant […] [is] bound together by the Dominion, a very very tough, very smart, very old civilization, run by the mysterious Founders, who are experts in genetic engineering, and who turn out to be Odo's people, the Shapeshifters. They then go and engineer these slave races that do their bidding. Essentially, the two main slave races were the 'carrot' and the 'stick'. The carrot being the Vorta, who would come to your planet and say, 'Hey, you're nice people, here's some M-16s and some popcorn, and whatever else you want baby, alcohol, fire-water? All you have to do is sign this little contract and we'll make you cool.' Then there's the Jem'Hadar. So the Vorta say, 'Oh, you don't want to play ball? Then meet these guys. They're gonna kick your asses.' " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)

One idea that the writers had that was never actively utilized on-screen was that the Dominion knew about the Federation long before the Bajoran wormhole was discovered, and that they were developing a long-term strategy to deal with the inevitable contact. As Wolfe explains, " The Dominion knew the Federation was out there long before the wormhole was opened, and they had plans to deal with the Federation when the Federation was projected to enter their space in two hundred years, and they were building slowly towards that, that's why they sent out Odo in the first place. But then the wormhole opens up and suddenly the Federation is in their backyard today and it just throws everything into question for both the Federation and the Dominion. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)

Ultimately, Ira Behr was pleased to have been instrumental in the creation of the Dominion, happy his Star Trek legacy resulted in something more than merely altering the Ferengi . " I was hoping that it would be something else I could leave to the Star Trek universe, " he expressed, " and I'm really glad it was the Dominion and the Founders and that whole thing. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 102) Michael Piller similarly appreciated the design of the Dominion, saying, " We have a good look to some of them. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Episodic developments [ ]

The Dominion was first mentioned in " Rules of Acquisition ", then in " Sanctuary " and next in " Shadowplay ", before finally being encountered in " The Jem'Hadar " (whose original name was "The Dominion"). " We sort of peppered mention of the Dominion into several episodes before we actually saw them, " recalled Robert Hewitt Wolfe. " Basically, we were trying to build the idea that there was something big out there, something pretty tough. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (pp. 73 & 153))

References to the Dominion in "Rules of Acquisition" altered how Ira Steven Behr thought of the episode. He reflected, " It […] gave us the opportunity to introduce the Dominion […] Suddenly the weight of the show became more important because I wanted the Dominion to work. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 100) Behr also said, " The thing that sold the show to me was coming up with the Dominion. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 65) Although the Dominion was conceived as three main species, the first Dominion race to be referenced was the Karemma , in "Rules of Acquisition".

A reference to the Dominion was also deliberately included in "Shadowplay". " It just seemed like the perfect place to keep it alive, " Ira Steven Behr noted. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 124))

In the script of "The Jem'Hadar", the Dominion is directly linked with "the Tosks [and] […] the hunters ." [1] Indeed, Robert Wolfe has speculated that the Vorta had supplied the Hunters with the Tosk, as part of a general policy providing benefits to Dominion members. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 154)) Michael Piller said about how the Dominion are portrayed in "The Jem'Hadar", " It's only the tip of an iceberg. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Ira Steven Behr promised the Dominion would have a profound effect on DS9 Season 3 . " The Dominion is going to add a new element into the show that I think will build on what's already there, " he predicted. " We will expand this into the gamma quadrant and it will have a tremendous impact on our people. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, pp. 98 & 111) He later said, " The major thing we wanted to accomplish in year three was to take the Dominion, which we had been teasing the audience with throughout the last half of the second season, and really bring them to some kind of fruition. We needed to show that there was something worthwhile in the Gamma Quadrant […] I think that's what we went in thinking: How do we make this Dominion the next big enemy or antagonist of the Star Trek franchise? " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 82)

When Ronald D. Moore and René Echevarria joined the DS9 writing team at the beginning of the series' third season, the Dominion was an aspect that appealed to the newcomers. " Ron and I came in and saw all this new stuff they were doing with the Dominion and we realized what a rich backdrop it was for storytelling, " reminisced Echevarria. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 91)

In " The Search, Part II ", the writers wanted to depict the Dominion as powerful enough to run elaborate scenarios in the heads of the DS9 main characters, just to see how they would react. Ira Behr related, " We said, 'OK, we're going to give the audience what they think they want,' which is what happens if the Dominion gets into the Alpha Quadrant. " Added Ron Moore, " What would really happen if these things occurred? How would the characters react? Ultimately, that's what the Dominion was trying to find out. " The use of the illusory situation set the Dominion's stratagem apart from the strategies usually employed by other villainous Star Trek races, since the writers didn't want Deep Space 9 and its regular crew to be constantly under siege from the Dominion. " We basically wanted to set up what the Dominion was and establish that they had a different strategy, " explained René Echevarria. " It wasn't going to be them sending the Jem'Hadar to battle us, but they were going to have a long-term strategy of destabilization. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 83)

Following the "The Search" two-parter, the Jem'Hadar continued making regular appearances in DS9 but the Vorta seemed to disappear for a while, possibly indicating there had been an altercation between them and the Founders. The writers wanted to keep the latter group somewhat mysterious and distant, so the Vorta were considered vital to continue establishing as an intermediary party between the other two races. This idea led to the notion of enmity possibly existing between the Jem'Hadar and the Vorta, which led to the subsequent return of the Vorta in Season 4 's " To the Death ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 168))

Even though the discovery of the Dominion in "The Search" occurs chronologically several months before Voyager is taken to the Delta Quadrant (and despite VOY : " Parturition " featuring a holographic simulation in which a Jem'Hadar fighter is pictured on Voyager 's viewscreen), they are never referred to as the Dominion by Voyager 's crew. In VOY : " Hunters ", after learning of the Dominion War following communication with Earth, Chakotay tells B'Elanna Torres of how the Maquis have been wiped out by the Cardassians, who have "an ally […] from the Gamma Quadrant who supplied them with ships and weapons," implying he had never heard their name before.

One potential way of using the Dominion was inspired by a line of dialogue from season three outing " The Die is Cast ", in which a Founder posing as a Romulan named Lovok predicts, " After today the only real threat to us from the Alpha Quadrant are the Klingons and the Federation. And I doubt that either of them will be a threat for much longer. " Ira Behr recollected, " I […] said to Ron [Moore] at the time, 'You know, we could do a whole show about that if we wanted to, how the Dominion would want to get between the Klingons and the Federation.' But the Earth didn't move. Nothing shook. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (pp. 255-256))

The Dominion was further developed in DS9 Season 3 finale " The Adversary ". " We knew that we wanted to do something with the Dominion [in that episode], " recalled Ira Behr. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 250)) Robert Wolfe concurred, " We wanted [to] show that the Dominion was a really smart organisation and they went about things in an intelligent way. Making your enemies fight each other is a good thing to do. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 114)

At the conclusion of the third season, Ira Behr was satisfied with how the Dominion had been developed during the course of the season, remarking, " We've been able to get good use out of it. " He also believed "keeping the Dominion alive" was an important goal for the writers to bear in mind for DS9 Season 4 . ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, pp. 102 & 115)

Although the DS9 staff writers wanted to concentrate on the Dominion, they were distracted from focusing on the group by the introduction of the Klingons into the series, which took place in the fourth season. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 256)) Nonetheless, Rene Auberjonois considered that making the Klingons fearful of the Dominion was "a way of pumping up the danger of the Dominion, which has taken some doing." He continued, " They're not the Borg, they're not the Klingons; they're something else, and it's a more complex kind of danger that's being presented. " ( Starlog , issue #222, p. 31)

Though the Dominion became a major part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , not everyone who worked on the show cared much about the alien organization or how the writers chose to develop it. Jadzia Dax actress Terry Farrell , for example, was often confused by the Dominion subplots in the fourth season. She conceded, " I don't put much thought into the whole Dominion thing […] If they're going to do something interesting with the Dominion, great, but if they're going to let it hang there, there's nothing I can do about it. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 14 , p. 10)

In fourth season installment " Hippocratic Oath ", a discussion regarding the Dominion appealed to Ron Moore. " My favorite moment [in that episode] is when the central Jem'Hadar is talking about the Founders and the fact that they're like gods, but these gods don't talk to them even though they die for their gods. I thought that stuff was pretty interesting, " Moore commented. ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 107)

Midway through DS9 Season 4, Bashir actor Alexander Siddig thought the Dominion weren't entirely satisfactory villains, at least not yet. " I don't think […] the Dominion have gotten to first base with regard to being a serious threat, " he remarked. " I don't think anybody bites their nails over them. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 15 , p. 24)

To prepare for directing " To the Death ", LeVar Burton had to learn about the Dominion, specifically the relationship between the Jem'Hadar and the Founders, by watching earlier installments of DS9. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 347)) Regarding "To the Death", Ira Behr noted, " I thought it really filled in a lot of the Dominion backstory that I thought was really necessary. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 119)

Ron Moore similarly approved of how the Dominion are portrayed in " The Quickening ". " I thought it […] said something interesting about the Dominion and how they deal with dissent, " he remarked. " That they weren't just berserkers that went around killing everybody, they actually make examples of you and make you suffer quite a bit. They do it in a really nasty way, which adds more to the franchise overall. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)

The Dominion was briefly referenced in the first draft script of " Body Parts ", Quark being referred to (by both his brother Rom and Quark himself) as the first Ferengi to have made contact with the group. However, the organization isn't mentioned in the final version of that installment.

As noted by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, big revelations about the Dominion served as the conclusions to the second, third, and fourth seasons; DS9 established the existence of the Jem'Hadar at the end of the second season and developed the prevalence of the Founders at the end of third season as well as the conclusion of fourth season. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 353))

As a sign of the times, Robert Wolfe stated about the Dominion, at the end of DS9 Season 4, " The Dominion threat is being dealt with. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 102) However, the DS9 writing staff wanted to establish the Dominion as antagonistic more in DS9 Season 5 than the aliens had been in the fourth season. In fact, during the fifth season, the creative staff tried to return focus on making the Dominion the main enemies of the series. About halfway through DS9 Season 5, the writing staff had a meeting with Paramount in which the writers told the studio, " We want to get back to the Dominion. " Ira Behr later said, " It was slow going getting back [to them]. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (pp. 359 & 256))

An opportunity to refocus on the Dominion presented itself to the DS9 writers in the form of fifth season two-parter " In Purgatory's Shadow " and " By Inferno's Light ". Ira Behr recalled, " After doing " Apocalypse Rising " to open the season, we knew we had […] to get the Dominion back on the playing field. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 422)) Behr also said about how the Dominion are portrayed in the two-parter, " We brought the Dominion back into focus as the leading villains in the galaxy for us, which I thought was important to do after the sidetrack of the Klingons. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, p. 47)

Weyoun actor Jeffrey Combs suspected that, when the Dominion formed an alliance with the Cardassian government in season five, they were "using" Cardassian leader Gul Dukat . " We're perhaps the true power behind the throne, " Combs remarked, from the perspective of the Dominion, at the end of the season. " That all remains to be seen, because I don't know what the writers have in mind. " Combs reckoned, though, that the Dominion didn't "trust anybody" but that "they will certainly use them for their own purposes." The actor went on to say, " I think we feel that we can at least get what we want, and then perhaps do away with [the Cardassians] at a later time. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, p. 61) However, at the start of DS9 Season 6 , Ron Moore couldn't foresee a time when the Dominion wouldn't be allied with the Cardassians, though he also suspected that the Dominion's relationship with their Cardassian allies might be strained due to the Cardassians still having a long-held goal of reconquering Bajor . ( AOL chat , 1997 )

The Dominion played a role in the story for DS9 Season 6 finale " Tears of the Prophets " at least as far back as when Ira Behr gathered the writing staff and announced, for the first time, details of the plot to them. " We basically knew we wanted to […] have the Dominion attack the Prophets in some way, shape, or form, " recalled René Echevarria. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 586))

Concluding their exploration of the Dominion was an important aim to the DS9 writers, in the interim between season six and the show's seventh and final season . " We want to wrap up many of the implicit promises that we made to the audience about […] the Dominion, " René Echevarria said. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 67)

Many viewers began to wonder if, at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Dominion forces would overrun space station Deep Space 9. This theory was motivated by the show's seventh season increasingly referencing the Battle of the Alamo , in which over 180 Texans lost their lives while defending the Alamo from Mexican invaders. However, a final Dominion invasion was not to be. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 594))

In an early version of the story for seventh season installment " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ", a new Dominion race of warriors called the Modain was introduced. The Modain were, according to an initial explanation Weyoun gave Benjamin Sisko, being bred by the Founders to replace the Jem'Hadar but, after a Modain hatchery was destroyed by Sisko and Weyoun, it was ultimately discovered by Sisko that the Modain had actually been intended to replace the Vorta. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 617)) Ira Behr recalled, " The Dominion had to become a factor again in the series. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 42)

External links [ ]

• Dominion at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Dominion (Star Trek) at Wikipedia
• 3 Ancient humanoid

Star Trek: Picard season 3: everything you need to know about the show's Big Bad

After making Captain Sisko’s life hell on Deep Space Nine, some familiar faces are back in Star Trek: Picard season 3

Spoilers for Picard season 3's third episode follow. If you haven't seen the latest episode or caught up on the season so far, look away now!

Following on from the bombshell that Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher have a kid together , the big revelations keep on coming in Star Trek: Picard season 3 . Third episode ‘Seventeen Seconds’ has just confirmed the identity of the villains who used a stolen portal weapon to destroy a Starfleet recruitment facility on M’talas Prime, and it turns out we’ve met them before.

The shapeshifting Changelings were the principal aggressors in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and now they’ve returned to the Alpha Quadrant with new-and-improved CG morphing techniques. Aside from stealing top-secret Starfleet hardware, their ultimate goal remains unknown, though whatever they have planned is unlikely to be good news for Jean-Luc and the Federation.

So, as one Changeling spy gets busy creating havoc on the USS Titan, and another winds up interrogated (and vaporised) by Worf and Raffi Musiker, we travel back in time to explore the Dominion’s Star Trek origins.

Where have we seen the Changelings before in Star Trek?

The shapeshifting Changelings became the main antagonists of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which ran for seven seasons from 1993-99. DS9 security chief Odo was a member of the same species, though he didn’t learn about his heritage until season 3.

The Changelings originated on the other side of the galaxy, but the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole next to DS9 allowed easy access between the Alpha Quadrant (our bit) and the Gamma Quadrant (theirs). Suddenly, two factions who may otherwise never have met had each other in phaser lock.

The Changelings primarily exist in liquid form but can assume the form of multiple humanoid races. Despite possessing similar shapeshifting abilities to the Chameloid Martia in Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country, the species are apparently not related.

Sign up to the SFX Newsletter

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

What is the Dominion?

The Dominion was the empire ruled over by the Changelings – known as the “Founders” to their adoring subjects.

Although the Founders were undoubtedly the brains of the operation, they were never particularly keen on getting their hands dirty. Instead, many administrative roles were fulfilled by the humanoid Vorta (easily cloned in the event of an individual’s demise). The Dominion’s military might, meanwhile, supplied by the ruthless Jem’Hadar. The Founders ensured the loyalty of their footsoldiers by genetically engineering them to be dependent on a drug known as ketracel-white.

What are the Changelings’ strengths and weaknesses?

Thanks to their morphogenic matrix, Changelings can shapeshift to impersonate a vast array of inanimate objects, animals and humanoids. As well having no need for food, they can survive in the vacuum of space.

On their homeworld they all join together to form a big lake of liquid beings known as the Great Link. Here they can exchange thoughts in one big hive mind – it’s like the Borg but gooier.

As predominantly liquid beings, however, they can’t hold solid form indefinitely. They subsequently experience intense pain and a rapidly deteriorating body if they leave it too long before returning to their liquid state. During Odo’s early days on Deep Space Nine, he had to revert to his gloopier self every 16-18 hours, spending his R&R periods in a bucket before relocating to larger quarters.

How do you spot a Changeling?

While Odo would struggle to pass for human, older, more experienced Changelings have the ability to create a seamless imitation of detailed facial features and voices. This has traditionally made them incredibly difficult to spot, with even the extensive blood screening adopted by the Federation proving frustratingly hit-and-miss. In fact, their best efforts weren’t enough to prevent copies of DS9’s resident doctor Julian Bashir and Klingon bigwig General Martok slipping through the net.

What was the Dominion War?

The Dominion’s initial slow-burn efforts to infiltrate the Alpha Quadrant eventually escalated into all-out war. The resulting two-year conflict brought all of Star Trek’s significant powers into battle, and led to in massive casualties on both sides.

Dominion tactics were varied enough to incorporate the brute force of the Jem’Hadar armada, and Changeling operatives shapeshifting their way into the upper echelons of Starfleet or the Klingon Empire – they even engineered a war between the Klingons and the Cardassians to further their aspirations in the region,  

The threat became so great that the Federation, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire were forced to enter into an unlikely alliance, though the Cardassian Union went the other way and teamed up with the Dominion. This decision ultimately backfired when the Founders decided an alliance with the secretive Breen was actually more beneficial to their cause. Hundreds of millions of Cardassians were slaughtered in the subsequent invasion.

What happened to the Dominion at the end of Deep Space Nine?

The Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance ultimately reclaimed Cardassian territory and gained the upper hand over the Dominion in battle. But arguably the most important (and most morally questionable) development of the war’s endgame was the morphogenic virus Starfleet Intelligence’s perennially shady Section 31 developed to kill off the Changelings.

With the Founders unable to develop a treatment of their own, they were facing extinction when the Federation Council vetoed the use of the cure Dr Bashir had developed.

Odo ultimately convinced the Founders to surrender, on the condition that he join them in the Great Link to share the cure. The war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Bajor.

Has Picard ever faced the Dominion before?

Neither of Picard’s Enterprises ever encountered the Dominion on screen, though the long-running war is referenced in both Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. Seeing as the crew would have been in service throughout the conflict, however, it seems unlikely they’d have avoided the Changelings completely.

And, seeing as Worf spent four seasons as a regular on Deep Space Nine, there is at least one member of the classic Next Generation line-up with extensive experience of the Founders. When the Klingon makes a reference to “a close friend within the Link” in Picard season three’s third episode, he’s almost definitely referring to his former colleague, Odo.

How do the Changelings fit into Star Trek: Picard?

Episode 3 (‘Seventeen Seconds’) sets them up as season 3’s Big Bad, responsible for stealing both the troublesome portal weapon Vadic uses to torment the USS Titan, and another top-secret threat housed at Daystrom Station. There’s also a Changeling hidden aboard the Titan, and he's done his best to kill Jack Crusher in between ongoing efforts to sabotage the ship.

It’s important to note, however, that these Changelings are not the Dominion. Worf explains that, “When the Dominion War ended, there was a schism. A terrorist faction broke away, unwilling to accept defeat.” It appears that the Changelings we’ve seen so far in Star Trek: Picard are part of this “rogue group”, though Worf is treading softly because Starfleet realise that acknowledging their existence might risk reigniting the Dominion War.

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard stream on Paramount Plus in the US every Thursday, and on Fridays in the UK courtesy of Prime Video.

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy. 

Reacher is the "American James Bond," according to its star Alan Ritchson

A Fallout Brotherhood of Steel theory suggests a major season 2 spoiler could be hiding in plain sight

Dragon Age co-creator says adapting the beloved RPG into a Fallout-style TV show would be a "terrible idea"

Most Popular

Star Trek: Discovery’s TNG Connection Explained - "The Chase" & Who Are The Progenitors?

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episodes 1 & 2!

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues the story of the Progenitors discovered by Captain Picard 800 years ago.
• Captain Burnham embarks on a treasure hunt to uncover the Progenitors' technology with potential for peace or conflict.
• The legacy of the Progenitors in Star Trek: Discovery raises questions of power, unity, and morality in the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a surprising sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase", continuing the story of the enigmatic Progenitors 800 years after they were discovered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). As Discovery is set 800 years after the TNG era, it can often feel forced when the show tries to marry up these two ends of the Star Trek timeline . However, the magnitude of Picard's discovery about the Progenitors justifies the secret being hidden for centuries, and it could have fascinating implications for the future of Star Trek 's 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" opens with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) exploring an 800-year-old Romulan scout ship at the behest of Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg). Kovich was less forthcoming than usual with information about the USS Discovery's "Red Directive" mission , forcing Burnham to seek help from Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) in learning more. Tilly uncovered recordings left by the Romulan scientist Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman), revealing Discovery 's links to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's original Progenitor treasure hunt, led by Captain Picard.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Picard’s original progenitor treasure hunt in tng explained.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase", Picard's former archeology teacher, Professor Galen (Norman Lloyd) asked the Enterprise captain to join him in solving a 4.5 billion-year-old mystery. Picard initially declined Galen's offer, but circumstances forced him to reconsider when his mentor's shuttle was attacked. Galen left behind files that contained huge blocks of numbers that were indecipherable without further information . Picard had the Enterprise retrace Galen's journey in the hope of finding out more about the archeology professor's strange code.

"The Chase" was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who returned to direct the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Eventually, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) discovered that the numbers refer to DNA strands of multiple different alien species. The combined strands form a shape that resembles an algorithm, a program implanted in the DNA of multiple species, for reasons unknown . It quickly became clear that Picard was not the only person seeking answers about Galen's mystery, as the Cardassians and Klingons also sought to understand what this ancient program could be. Negotiating a truce between the two factions, Picard and Crusher gained enough information to lead the Enterprise, Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to the planet Vilmor II, where they make a monumental discovery.

TNG’s Progenitors Created All Humanoid Life In The Star Trek Universe

The treasure on Vilmor II was knowledge about life itself, delivered via a holographic message left behind by an ancient humanoid species. The sole humanoid species in the universe, these aliens wanted to leave a lasting legacy after their own extinction. And so, 4.5 billion years earlier, the ancient humanoids seeded their DNA across multiple planets in the Star Trek universe , influencing the evolution of countless species. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that since Picard revealed his findings, Starfleet have been calling the ancient humanoid species The Progenitors.

The Ancient Humanoid in Star Trek: The Next Generation was played by Salome Jens, who would go on to play the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Not unlike the broken treasure map from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons" , the Progenitors' message was broken into fragments and contained within multiple alien species' DNA. The Progenitors' intention was that, upon coming together to piece the fragments together, the disparate alien races would unite under their common origins. Sadly, this wasn't the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation , as the Klingons and Cardassians refused to believe that they could possibly originate from the same species . However, the Romulans were more thoughtful, setting up Discovery 's season 5 premiere.

Star Trek: Discovery's Huge Season 5 TNG Connection Explained By Showrunner

Discovery’s romulan scientist and his tng link explained.

At the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase", Captain Picard discusses the Progenitors' message with a surprisingly open-minded Romulan commander. The message has had an effect on the Romulan, who tells Picard that he hopes to one day stand alongside humanity as friends. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that one of the members of TNG 's Romulan landing party, Dr. Vellek, continued to research the Progenitors and eventually found where their ancient technology was hidden. However, Vellek was very aware that such technology could be as deadly as it is profound, and went to extraordinary lengths to hide his findings .

Both the crew of the USS Discovery and intergalactic outlaws Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) have access to Vellek's journals. However, both parties have very different intentions for the Romulan scientist's life's work. Captain Burnham hopes that recovering the Progenitors' technology will provide a sense of meaning, while Moll and L'ak are attracted by the price tag . Vellek remained hidden for 800 years, until his corpse was discovered in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which proves just how desperate he was to keep the location of the Progenitors' technology a secret.

What Does Star Trek: Discovery’s Progenitor Link Mean For Its Final Season?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Progenitors had hoped the truth about humanoid life in the galaxy would bring a new era of peace and understanding . However, rather than become inspired by their commonality, the Klingons and Cardassians instead feud with each other, disgusted that they could be somehow genetically related. 800 years later, and in the wake of the hostilities caused by The Burn, the Progenitors' message could be the very thing that finally unites the galaxy in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale . However, it may not be that simple.

For one thing, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will continue the story of the 32nd century, and the Progenitors' message of commonality will dramatically reduce any sense of conflict in the universe. More interestingly, Dr. Kovich seems to want to get his hands on the technology, not the message. The Progenitors' technology would allow Starfleet to influence the evolution of other species , power that would set them up among the gods. This feels like too much power for a shifty character like Kovich to possess.

Whoever possesses the Progenitors' tech in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has the very building blocks of life itself. In the right hands, that could lead to profound discoveries that lead to renewed peace and prosperity for the Federation in the 32nd century. In the wrong hands, enemies of the Federation could use those building blocks for their own nefarious purposes. That's a huge concern as Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery continue their treasure hunt. Sooner or later, Captain Burnham will have to make a choice about how she deals with the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Progenitors.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

Why 'Star Trek: Discovery' deserves more credit as a barrier-breaking series

Starship Discovery will soon be ending its mission, and what a journey it's been.

“Star Trek: Discovery,” which premiered in 2017, is entering its fifth and final season Thursday on Paramount+. And you’ll need the Captain’s Log to remember all the twists, turns and transformations the show has gone through since it began.

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the hate the series has received from some Trek fans. (“Discovery” has an overall audience score of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, a stark difference from the 87% critic rating.)

While the show is far from free of legitimate criticism, many of the complaints seem unfairly – though perhaps tellingly – placed on the show’s focus on a Black woman commander, its LGBTQ+ stars and allies and its inclusive storylines. “Woke agenda” and other dog whistles frequently surface on Reddit and social media posts about the series.

That so much of the negativity is rooted in a backlash against inclusivity raises questions. After all, the "Star Trek" franchise has long emphasized and celebrated culture, diversity and humanity coming together and preserving the integrity of beings they meet across the galaxy.

"It doesn't make any sense, because (these fans) say they love this franchise," series star Sonequa Martin-Green says in an interview. The show “has always been about breaking those boundaries. It's always been about diversity and equality. And our world has changed since the last iteration of 'Trek.' We have a responsibility to push that needle forward and to stay true to that."

More: Issa Rae says Hollywood needs to be accountable. Here's why diverse shows are so important

The series is originally set before the events of NBC's original “Star Trek: The Original Series” (later jumping to the future) and follows Michael Burnham (Martin-Green), who became the starship’s captain, and the rest of the crew of the USS Discovery: first officer Saru (Doug Jones), chief engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), lieutenant and now Starfleet Academy teacher Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), medical officer Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), courier and Burnham’s love interest Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala) and ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio).

Many more characters have stood on the bridge, battled with Burnham, or otherwise make up the world of "Discovery." The series had some trouble finding the right footing, but it’s always had heart, especially in its recurring theme of redemption. And it deserves more support for what it has meant for the entire "Star Trek" franchise.

Here’s why “Star Trek: Discovery” deserves more credit:

Prioritizing diversity and inclusivity

A Vulcan philosophy (and one espoused by “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry) is IDIC, or “infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” and many of the related series, movies and books underscore this belief. “Discovery” also has diversity at its core: the show focuses on a Black woman who becomes captain. Stamets and Culber are an openly gay couple, and engineer Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) is a lesbian. And the show introduced a few franchise firsts: Adira Tal as the first nonbinary character in "Star Trek ," and their boyfriend, Gray ( Ian Alexander ), is the first transgender character , both introduced in Season 3.

More: 'Star Trek' documentary unveils star Nichelle Nichols' impactful NASA connection

Starting a new age of Star Trek

“Discovery” helped launch the CBS All Access streaming platform, a CBS subscription service that would eventually become Paramount+, as well as a new era of "Star Trek" series including “Lower Decks” and “Picard.” Before “Discovery,” the last Trek series was “Star Trek: Enterprise,” which ended in 2005.

Exploring strange new worlds

The second season of “Discovery” also served as a launching pad for the well-received spinoff, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which resurfaced popular characters from the original series including Spock (Ethan Peck), Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn).

Finding time for the simple things

In a few scenes scattered throughout "Discovery," we see characters like Culber and Stamets sharing a meal or talking about their day while brushing their teeth. It’s almost mundane, but there’s also something so lovely about watching LGBTQ+ characters who rarely are the focus in movies or television simply living their lives, being their whole selves. Burnham rocking braids at the beginning of Season 3 speaks cultural volumes. The subtle amid the big battles and overarching plots do have meaning, especially for those whose voices often go unheard.

Going boldly

The first season of “Discovery” went out of its way to highlight its connections to the original series: Burnham is Spock’s adopted sister, and there's a brief appearance by Spock’s father, Sarek. But it wasn’t always so neatly woven, sometimes seeming more like it was using franchise lore as a crutch. But “Discovery” wasn’t afraid to try new things, turning itself around after an overcomplicated first season and again after a very “TOS”-inspired second, slowly building up its own universe without relying too heavily on the old. 

The first episodes of Season 5 are a little rocky before it settles into a comfortable speed. 

"This time around, we wanted to bring in some levity," Martin-Green says. "But there's a grand sort of epicness to Season 5, even though we didn't know it was our last season when we were shooting it. I think looking back on it, and when we share it with the world, it'll seem that way because the season is so big. So people can expect a lot of fun. They can expect it to go really fast." 

It will be interesting to see if “Discovery” sticks the landing through the remainder of the season.

“The good outweighs the bad,” Burnham says in an upcoming episode about a mission, and that’s also true of “Discovery."

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" (two episodes now streaming, then weekly on Thursdays) streams on Paramount+.