Dissention in the Link
- Thread starter Photon
- Start date
Yup. And I think The Link was of One Mind with this--like on a whole lotta things....
True, perhaps not immediate but some of the Founders actual begin to change their minds little by little, making an opening to foment a little rebellion.
Not to reiterate what Finngle Bells said, but why would they? The Great Link is effectively even more unilateral in its decision-making than the Borg.
Maybe some of the Hundred might have taken Odo's side, but the one time we met another one, Laas seemed a lot more prone to see things from the Dominion's point of view.
Maybe some of the Hundred might have taken Odo's side, but the one time we met another one, Laas seemed a lot more prone to see things from the Dominion's point of view.
Yeah I'm seein' it. Think it'd be pretty cool to see the Changelings at least arguing over the status quo
Agreed.
The Founders seem to be big on this banishment thing, too. Probably they have a robust mechanism for handing dissent: anybody disagreeing is spat out of the goo, and perhaps punitively transformed to solid to boot.
Which incidentally makes it all the easier to argue that genocide against the Founders is a-okay as a military doctrine, because they are all guilty as hell. If there's an innocent Founder, he, she or it ain't where the Link is, so any and all strikes against the Link are fine.
Timo Saloniemi
Which incidentally makes it all the easier to argue that genocide against the Founders is a-okay as a military doctrine, because they are all guilty as hell. If there's an innocent Founder, he, she or it ain't where the Link is, so any and all strikes against the Link are fine.
Timo Saloniemi
Agree
^Amen. 
I'm going to put myself out there and respectfully dissent from a few of the opinions in the thread, fun as that always is...
While it would be nice to assume that the Link is 'One Giant Mind' where any varying opinion is forbidden and quickly met with banishment to a life of 'solid-tude' - there is little in on screen evidence or dialogue that supports such a notion. Indeed much of what we've seen actually goes against that.
Note: When we first meet the Founders, the Female Changeling desires for Odo to link with her, but one of the MALE changelings present says "Hold on! What are you doing?!? He's not ready!" Was he expelled from the goo for voicing an opinion and going against the 'hive mind'? Was he changed into a Solid for going against the Link? Of course not.
The whole point of the Link is SHARING ideas - and sometime those ideas differ. If everyone in it had the exact same opinion on everything, what would be the point of spending any time in it at all?
Again, in Broken Link, it was revealed that the Link debated over what to do about Odo for an ENTIRE YEAR before passing judgment. It was said that nothing like this had ever happened before - a Changeling killing another and siding with the Solids. Again, if they were of one mind - why the debate and why did it take them so long?
Odo was taken to the homeworld to be judged by the Link. They hadn't formed a single minded judgment on him until he arrived and once he did - it took them the better part of a day to come to a decision. The punishment of making him a Solid was as unique as the crime. It wasn't an everyday occurance. A Borg-like hive mind would have decided what to do the moment they found out he'd killed one of their own and judgment would have been executed within days after the events of "The Adversary"
As for the original post - Would some of the Founders be receptive to Odo even after he killed another? I think perhaps. If it took the Link so long to decide what to do with him, then it must be because there were members of the Link on both sides of the debate- some who were sympathetic to Odo's circumstances.
While it would be nice to assume that the Link is 'One Giant Mind' where any varying opinion is forbidden and quickly met with banishment to a life of 'solid-tude' - there is little in on screen evidence or dialogue that supports such a notion. Indeed much of what we've seen actually goes against that.
Note: When we first meet the Founders, the Female Changeling desires for Odo to link with her, but one of the MALE changelings present says "Hold on! What are you doing?!? He's not ready!" Was he expelled from the goo for voicing an opinion and going against the 'hive mind'? Was he changed into a Solid for going against the Link? Of course not.
The whole point of the Link is SHARING ideas - and sometime those ideas differ. If everyone in it had the exact same opinion on everything, what would be the point of spending any time in it at all?
Again, in Broken Link, it was revealed that the Link debated over what to do about Odo for an ENTIRE YEAR before passing judgment. It was said that nothing like this had ever happened before - a Changeling killing another and siding with the Solids. Again, if they were of one mind - why the debate and why did it take them so long?
Odo was taken to the homeworld to be judged by the Link. They hadn't formed a single minded judgment on him until he arrived and once he did - it took them the better part of a day to come to a decision. The punishment of making him a Solid was as unique as the crime. It wasn't an everyday occurance. A Borg-like hive mind would have decided what to do the moment they found out he'd killed one of their own and judgment would have been executed within days after the events of "The Adversary"
As for the original post - Would some of the Founders be receptive to Odo even after he killed another? I think perhaps. If it took the Link so long to decide what to do with him, then it must be because there were members of the Link on both sides of the debate- some who were sympathetic to Odo's circumstances.
^I always thought that the big debate was on what the punishment would be. I think it was a given that they were going to punish him, because No Changeling Has Ever Harmed Another--in centuries of incidents and circumstances.
The problem with what you said there is that unlike the implication in your post, all the Founders supporting a war does not necessarily make them 'guilty' of anything, and certainly it in no way justifies genocide against them.
^They felt they would not be safe until and unless all the solids were either dead, fleeing, or under their reign.
Genocide was not below them.
Genocide was not below them.
It's a fine idea, but that assumption is not supported by dialogue. The trip to the Founders was clearly for the purpose of Odo's judgment, not his immediate punishment. As evil as we might see the Founders, they clearly were giving Odo a fair trial until proven otherwise. Their sentence had not yet been decided at that point.
^Hmm...I see.
I stand corrected on that.
Bus 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 seperated to form their own link, and thus proceed to form an alliance with the UFP?
I stand corrected on that.
Bus 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 seperated to form their own link, and thus proceed to form an alliance with the UFP?
That still doesn't justify genocide against them. They are entitled to hold that opinion.
^Just to play devil's advocate for a moment...
Why should they be entitled to that opinion?
Why should they be entitled to that opinion?
