Changeling or Holoemitter?

[infinix]

Which one would make a better spy, a changeling or a Holoemitter?

Premise is that the hologram is sentient in the same way as the doctor on VOY, and the hologram can change its appearance and effectively create a small mobile holodeck through the holoemitter. (Within a radius of 2 meters, for the sake of argument)

Changeling's abilities are exactly the same as we see them on DS9.

 

[Brian]

Changeling. They can only be detected via blood sample or phasering, which would not be occurring unless there was a perceived threat. Whereas the emitter or its power source may raise flags in routine scans.

 

[Rom's Sehlat]

As I understand it, holograms do not emit lifesigns (biosigns for you ENTers). One early episode of VOY showed a Viidian scanning the crew (benignly, believe it or not) and exclaiming to the Doctor, "According to my scans, you aren't here!" To which the Doctor replied, "Believe me, I wish I weren't."

 

[infinix]

^

What if we can modify the holoemitter to also emit life signs reading?

 

[Brian]

What if we can genetically modify the Changeling so a blood test wouldn't reveal it?

It sounds like you have a preferred result for this poll already, and it's not going your way...

 

[Damask]

What if we can genetically modify the Changeling so a blood test wouldn't reveal it?

You wouldnt have too. Blood tests were useless on Changelings as the Martok Founder proved.

 

[The_Baroness]

Course, if a changeling infiltrator was suspected, everyone in the room would have to give a blood test, which means any holographic spies in the same place would be proper screwed.

Plus, I'm pretty sure the mobile emmitter would give off some kind of intereference / static / wibbly techno-babble pulse.

 

[infinix]

What if we can genetically modify the Changeling so a blood test wouldn't reveal it?

It sounds like you have a preferred result for this poll already, and it's not going your way...

Crap, they are on to me....

Sorry, I thought the hologram would already be at a disadvantage, that's why I wanted to give it a little bit more abilities than what we know about.

 

[Brian]

 

[Paradon]

A changeling! They can alter their DNA.... That's how they are able to shift into different life form, which is why you can't detect them. A good changeling probably would be entirely human. Have you seen the the episode when they change Odo into a human? I think blood test is affective against a changling who can shift shape.

And, in one of the episode the female founder turned into some kind of crystal which a phaser couldn't even destroy.

 

[Rom's Sehlat]

Was that the one where she was pretending to be Kira trapped in some growing rock booby trap thing? Perhaps the phaser was set on stun or not the highest "disintegrate" setting.

 

[Paradon]

Yes, that was the episode. And good point about him inadvertently vaporizing Kira!

 

[infinix]

You know, that reminds me of an episode where the female changeling was teaching Odo how to better shape shift. She said something to the effect that when you change into something, you have to really become that thing. Something like when you are a bird, you also have to have consciousness of a bird.

I remember thinking to myself back then... what does she mean by that? what if you changed into an inanimate object? It has no consciousness at all. How would one ever change back?

 

[Paradon]

"To be a thing is to know a thing"? I think that's what she said....

 

[infinix]

I wonder what is there to know about being a rock. Would being a diamond be significantly different than being a ruby?

 

[Paradon]

Probably the molecular structure and the chemical the made them have that the color.... I could be wrong! But the changelings can change into anything and when they become something they try to emulate, it's undetectable because they are what they try to emulate...be it another organism or rocks.

 

[Avon]

would a hologram with an internal holoemitter be pretty much indestructable?

 

[infinix]

Probably the molecular structure and the chemical the made them have that the color.... I could be wrong! But the changelings can change into anything and when they become something they try to emulate, it's undetectable because they are what they try to emulate...be it another organism or rocks.

Well, I know that diamonds are pure carbon and rubies are composed of aluminum oxide and chromium. But I was just wondering how being one or the other would feel different.

Besides, if the changeling is supposed to entirely become the object they change into, where is their consciousness? How do they maintain awareness when there isn't any physical method to receive any stimulus? Maybe inanimate objects can have souls....

 

[Rom's Sehlat]

They can if they're Changelings! I think all Changelings should assume the shape of something the size of DS9. That way they can't be killed.

 

[Paradon]

Ordinarily, I think if a shape shifters did exist, I would think they could only change into other life form from the same gene pool...that is other organisms that evolved on the same planet as they did that share the same genes. But I think DS9 shifters are different because they can survive in outer space and travel a warp speed without the use of technologies.