For how long does Odo "sleep"?

[MDMart]

Just wondering. Are we at any point in Star Trek told, how long Odo / the Changelings have to stay in their liquid form? I'm guessing 8 hours, like humans (I mean, 16 hours awake, then 8 hours asleep equals 24 hours, like in a normal day) but I don't know, and I can't remember ever hearing anything about it.

In one episode (the one where Odo and Lwaxana Troi meet [The Forsaken]), Odo turns into his liquid form after 16 hours of solidness, and then ten minutes later, he's back to normal (however if for five minutes of 16 hours, isn't shown, as the episode ends shortly after).
Just wanted to point that out

 

[JoeP]

I'm sure that when he "slept" in Lwaxana's lap is was only for long enough so that he could keep his form when the lift got going again (assuming the 10 minutes of screen time was 10 minutes of in-universe time, and they hadn't cut to 3 hours later). I imagined he booked it right to his bucket when he got out for a full regenerating cycle.

 

[Timo]

I'd guess there's just a certain average number of sleeping hours per year that have to match the awake hours; Odo could take the sleep in the form of short naps, or one sleeping cycle per day. If he naps a lot for the first half of the week, he may have to spend the second half hibernating without pauses.

However, adult Changelings probably can go for several days and perhaps weeks without sleeping/regenerating at all - otherwise they couldn't be expected to masquerade as human military leaders, much less Klingon or Romulan or Cardassian ones. Young Odo's ability to stay awake is probably in flux during the early seasons of show: he first gives it as 18 hours in "A Man Alone" but subsequently says a couple of times that it's 16 hours instead. No doubt these teenager Changelings sleep a lot more than adult ones, and probably more irregularly, too.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[AdmiralGarak]

We've never been given any hint how much "sleep" he needs, but as grouchy as he tends to be he probably doesn't get enough of it.

 

[MDMart]

I'd guess there's just a certain average number of sleeping hours per year that have to match the awake hours; Odo could take the sleep in the form of short naps, or one sleeping cycle per day. If he naps a lot for the first half of the week, he may have to spend the second half hibernating without pauses.
Timo Saloniemi

Well if that was the case, shouldn't he be able to stay humanoid for a few years, seeing as he spent a whole lot of time in his liquid form, while drifting from the Gamma quadrent to the Alpha quadrent before being found by,,, uuh, the Bajoran scientist who took care of him?
Just saying
But yea I somewhat see your point with the whole teenage and adult thing, my spin on it, however, would be for how long they have lived, but rather for how long they have been trying to stay in a solid form (again, seeing as Odo drifted for quite a while, before being discovered)

 

[FormerLurker]

That was Doctor Mora(don't remember his given name).

In answer to the title question, until his alarm goes off, which is why he's always grouchy.

 

[DevilEyes]

I'd guess there's just a certain average number of sleeping hours per year that have to match the awake hours; Odo could take the sleep in the form of short naps, or one sleeping cycle per day. If he naps a lot for the first half of the week, he may have to spend the second half hibernating without pauses.
Timo Saloniemi

Well if that was the case, shouldn't he be able to stay humanoid for a few years, seeing as he spent a whole lot of time in his liquid form, while drifting from the Gamma quadrent to the Alpha quadrent before being found by,,, uuh, the Bajoran scientist who took care of him?

Dr Mora Pol. Who obviously didn't find him, since it's very unlikely that a Bajoran scientist would be travelling through space during the Occupation. He was just brought to the Bajoran Institute of Science and Dr Mora was assigned to him.

 

[Timo]

Judging from the way the supposed Changeling baby behaved in "The Begotten", it might be that this lifeform needs to "sleep" for 100% of its time for the first few years or even centuries; 50% of the time during childhood; 25% during adolescence; and perhaps never again once reaching maturity. We've never seen a mature Changeling require sleep, to be sure.

We did see in DS9 a mature Changeling suffer greatly from a disease/bioweapon that kept her from changing shape. But that wasn't specified as a case of sleep deprivation. The Great Link was infected with the same disease, and was shown existing in a sickly brown goo, not all that different from what a sleeping (and ill) Changeling might look. Quite possibly sleep, and/or existence in the goo state, are things that an adult Changeling may elect to do, and not things an adult Changeling must do.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Treker]

Even when he is in his gelatinous state he is not technically "sleeping".

Remember when Quark complains about him slithering around on the floor all night? Very annoying for his Ferringi ears.

I assume it's 6-8 hours just like any normal humanoid.

 

[Timo]

He's essentially having fun when in goo state, be it sleep or exercise. So wouldn't he want to maximize his goo time? The station operates on a 26-hour rotation, which is probably a bit too much for the human security forces to do in two shifts, and might really call for four. Bajorans might last a tad longer. But Odo might well be operating on the basis of staying solid for one shift, like a humanoid (say, eight hours) and being off duty for two, like a humanoid - but both of them in gelatinous state!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[SoM]

Judging from the way the supposed Changeling baby behaved in "The Begotten", it might be that this lifeform needs to "sleep" for 100% of its time for the first few years or even centuries; 50% of the time during childhood; 25% during adolescence; and perhaps never again once reaching maturity. We've never seen a mature Changeling require sleep, to be sure.

We did see in DS9 a mature Changeling suffer greatly from a disease/bioweapon that kept her from changing shape. But that wasn't specified as a case of sleep deprivation. The Great Link was infected with the same disease, and was shown existing in a sickly brown goo, not all that different from what a sleeping (and ill) Changeling might look. Quite possibly sleep, and/or existence in the goo state, are things that an adult Changeling may elect to do, and not things an adult Changeling must do.

Well, remember that Odo never regenerated (although he did sleep) while he was "locked" in human form during early S5 - but he was still ultimately a changeling during that time, even if all those traits were suppressed. It wouldn't be ridiculous to presume that a fully-mature changeling could deliberately "lock" (and "unlock") themselves in that way.

As for how long he could go without sleep... well, he seems to go a heckava long time without regenerating in "Cordially Invited" (after a day's shift, he has his infamous "talk in the closet" with Kira all night, and they both rush back on duty when they're found by Jadzia - still talking - at 1030 the next morning). I think something similar happens earlier in "Crossfire" too, although not quite all night.

The station operates on a 26-hour rotation, which is probably a bit too much for the human security forces to do in two shifts, and might really call for four.

DS9 operates on three shifts in the early series, and changes to four at some point (in-between, one of the things Kira gibbers on to the concussed Sisko about in "Starship Down" to keep him awake is a suggestion that they move to a four-shift system. One doubts Sisko remembered that, but that she brought it up in that situation means it was probably on her mind to bring up "properly" at some point).

 

[Marja]

In S5: E14 “In Purgatory’s Shadow”, so after Odo’s become a changeling again, Major Kira replies to Odo (01:15) ‘…Well, you are a solid, 18 hours a day…’. Taking into account a Bajoran day last 26 hours, we can conclude Odo needs a daily 8-hour rest from being a solid.

 

[Vger23]

For a relatively long time.

 

[Jayson1]

My guess is a maybe a hour or two. But I don't know if he ever sleeps exactly or do things like dream. I do think Changlings prefer to be in liquid form so their might be benefits to being in that form for even longer that we humans can't even perceive in the way dreams must be a mystery to Odo.

 

[STEPhon IT]

In S5: E14 “In Purgatory’s Shadow”, so after Odo’s become a changeling again, Major Kira replies to Odo (01:15) ‘…Well, you are a solid, 18 hours a day…’. Taking into account a Bajoran day last 26 hours, we can conclude Odo needs a daily 8-hour rest from being a solid.

I think as long as Odo reverts to liquid form the process as a humanoid re-starts; as long as he doesn't have to remain in that form for an extended amount of time he will be fine.

My guess is a maybe a hour or two. But I don't know if he ever sleeps exactly or do things like dream. I do think Changlings prefer to be in liquid form so their might be benefits to being in that form for even longer that we humans can't even perceive in the way dreams must be a mystery to Odo.

Based on what we know, Odo doesn't seem to have the skill to mimic faces or do the things his people can perform; is it possible he's still considered an infant. Learning the curve.

 

[Jayson1]

I think as long as Odo reverts to liquid form the process as a humanoid re-starts; as long as he doesn't have to remain in that form for an extended amount of time he will be fine.


Based on what we know, Odo doesn't seem to have the skill to mimic faces or do the things his people can perform; is it possible he's still considered an infant. Learning the curve.

I was thinking more about having some inner sensations or feelings while in liquid form that humans would not grasp.

 

[kkt]

When the female shapeshifter had the disease, wasn't one of the effects that she couldn't regenerate? Although she kept functioning in her humanoid form for weeks or months, it was clearly taking a toll on her.

 

[Marja]

For a relatively long time.

Exactly. I was quite surprised. When I looked it up a few weeks ago I couldn’t find a straight answer, only guesses. Happened to watch the episode today and I think it’s the only instance in DS9 that anyone referres to it…

 

[Legate Duhmar]

I'm sure that when he "slept" in Lwaxana's lap is was only for long enough so that he could keep his form when the lift got going again (assuming the 10 minutes of screen time was 10 minutes of in-universe time, and they hadn't cut to 3 hours later). I imagined he booked it right to his bucket when he got out for a full regenerating cycle.

Agree with this, imagine for continuity sake he sleeps for 6-7 hours per day like a functional humanoid. Then him getting a hours sleep in that context matches up with an experience the viewer can identify with. Imagine staying up all day in a stressfull as hell situation and then getting a 45 min nap. Sure it might be enough to perk you up, get you home, maybe even eat a sandwich but that next actual sleep cycle would be happening in short order as soon as one's bed was reached.

 

[TheSeeker]

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