Dissention in the Link

[Rush Limborg]

^Well, just to be picky, any "friendly" Founders could have opted to simply remain neutral, which likely wouldn't have had an effect on how things played out in any case.

Which actually makes them guiltier. Considering how billions of lives were at stake here, to just "stand back" while your brethren do that is...cowardly, at best.

 

[DonIago]

Is Switzerland guilty for not getting involved in the World Wars? (Note that I'm not expressing an opinion either way here.)

 

[doctorfoto]

I stand corrected on that.

But is it not so, that the paranoia and hatred directed at the solids was shared by all in The Link?

Because otherwise, surely the "friendly" Founders would have separated to form their own link, and thus proceed to form an alliance with the UFP?

I don't believe so. Let's look at what we know:

• The Founders retreated and formed the Link after years of being hunted and killed by the Solids.
• They value their privacy.
• They value justice.
• They value control.
• They distrust the Solids.
• Despite their fears, they still have an insatiable curiosity about the universe.
• They have the ability to assume nearly any form, including most humanoids, to the point of fooling most sensor scans.
• They can live among Solids for extremely long periods of time, sometimes years.
• That the Link allows for the exchange of thoughts, ideas and sensation.
• Some Changelings are 'younger' than others.

What we don't know:

• We don't know how the Changelings procreate or exactly how long they live.
• We don't know the exact time frame of their history.
• We don't know how many of them, if any, experienced firsthand the abuse of the Solids or if these experiences were passed down over time...Or if there is any truth to these stories at all.
• We don't know how many and how often Changelings leave the Link to explore.

This is where my own speculation begins, but based on what we know, we could conclude that the Changelings who regularly leave the Link to explore the various forms and species of the galaxy return from time to time with various perspectives and opinions of their own. I still think all those Changelings assuming all those forms have to be bringing equally varying perspectives back to the Link.

The older Changelings may still harbor much fear and resentment toward the Solids, but the younger Changelings or those who have lived among the Solids may have found themselves more sympathetic.

Even among our own human family gatherings, perspectives vary based on experiences and old prejudices. In the US, older generations may harbor much more distrust toward Japanese, Germans, Russians, Vietnamese etc., than younger people - but the differing opinions doesn't usually mean that family members are disowned, walk out or form their own new families because someone doesn't feel the same way. Yes, it sometimes happens but often families are more resilient than that.

Some of my closest friends have completely different religious, political and family values that I have, but it doesn't mean I want to ever end my friendships because there is much we still enjoy and have in common. If the Great Link is presumably so ancient and so 'great' - it's had to have allowed that kind of harmony among themselves.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

Genocide is never justified in the minds of anyone who has anything like a human ethical standpoint, I think that one's a given. And I think it's safe to assume that if there were Founders who disagreed with the others about their standpoint on solids that they would have spent time discussing it in whatever format that takes, and arrived at a joint decision, which seems to be how things work. Odo is a different case in that he spends most of his time outside the Link (and for some reason I'm now seeing ATMs flashing in front of my eyes, thankyou branding) and has a much different perspective to look at this from.

Being as all of their minds co-exist together in one great big sludgy pool, the "ocean becoming a drop" as that well sexy female changeling said once upon a time to describe how individuals are formed, I'd say that there's not so much difference of opinion between the Changelings in the Link and you and your friends.

 

[Photon]

Garak had the best idea and he's not a member of SF

Genocide is never justified in the minds of anyone who has anything like a human ethical standpoint, I think that one's a given. And I think it's safe to assume that if there were Founders who disagreed with the others about their standpoint on solids that they would have spent time discussing it in whatever format that takes, and arrived at a joint decision, which seems to be how things work. Odo is a different case in that he spends most of his time outside the Link (and for some reason I'm now seeing ATMs flashing in front of my eyes, thankyou branding) and has a much different perspective to look at this from.

Being as all of their minds co-exist together in one great big sludgy pool, the "ocean becoming a drop" as that well sexy female changeling said once upon a time to describe how individuals are formed, I'd say that there's not so much difference of opinion between the Changelings in the Link and you and your friends.

• General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet. This order has been given by Captain Garth (Antos IV) and Captain Kirk (Eminiar VII). On neither occasion was the order actually fulfilled. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon", "Whom Gods Destroy")

Garth may have explained the spirit of the order when he suggested he gave the order because, "I could say they were actively hostile towards the Federation".

 

[Navaros]

^

Yeah, and then there is the other way to do it.

Let 31 do the dirty work while the Feds willingly collude with them to achieve genocide, as was done on DS9.

But of course the Feds keep that way off the books and pretend it doesn't exist.

 

[Marie1]

Why would any changelings follow him? He was kinda an outsider and he had just killed one of their own...

He killed a Founder that was trying to kill him- self defense... I'm surprised that the Founders didn't have to think more on that one.

 

[Photon]

^

Yeah, and then there is the other way to do it.

Let 31 do the dirty work while the Feds willingly collude with them to achieve genocide, as was done on DS9.

But of course the Feds keep that way off the books and pretend it doesn't exist.

It would be fairly simple:
a) cloak a drone
b) fill it full of photon torpedoes
c) turn it loose
d) no more founders, and all the future peace-niks could sing kumbahya and give peace a chance

 

[Navaros]

He killed a Founder that was trying to kill him- self defense...

I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that the Founder was trying to kill Odo. I think the Founder was just trying neutralize Odo in a non-lethal way.

 

[DonIago]

^We also don't know that the Founder didn't intend to get Odo off the ship before things came to a head.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

Re: Garak had the best idea and he's not a member of SF

• General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet. This order has been given by Captain Garth (Antos IV) and Captain Kirk (Eminiar VII). On neither occasion was the order actually fulfilled. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon", "Whom Gods Destroy")

Garth may have explained the spirit of the order when he suggested he gave the order because, "I could say they were actively hostile towards the Federation".

You got me there, I'd forgotten General Order 24. I think there's a good reason the orders weren't carried out though. Maybe my post should have read that genocide should never be justified by anyone with anything like human ethics...

 

[Marie1]

He killed a Founder that was trying to kill him- self defense...

I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that the Founder was trying to kill Odo. I think the Founder was just trying neutralize Odo in a non-lethal way.

^We also don't know that the Founder didn't intend to get Odo off the ship before things came to a head.

He really didn't seem that nice to me... I'd have to rewatch the ep tho...