"Heart of Stone": Odo's (super) strength?

[Ragitsu]

Exactly. He could have attempted to explore the growth from the inside without necessarily committing to the use of force. I wonder if Odo's options are frequently budget-limited. Then again, the camera could have panned up while the sound effect of him morphing back to a gelatinous state played while he explained what he was feeling.

 

[Watersluis]

Exactly. He could have attempted to explore the growth from the inside without necessarily committing to the use of force. I wonder if Odo's options are frequently budget-limited. Then again, the camera could have panned up while the sound effect of him morphing back to a gelatinous state played while he explained what he was feeling.

His abilities are simply too powerful and he could solve too many problems with them.

In fact, many things about Odo and changeling physiology do not make sense or are inconsistent:

• Odo was originally found in space and many changelings were seen surviving in space and he claims to have no metabolism, but in Treachery, Faith, and the Great River he clearly feared that cold and lack of oxygen could kill him.
• He can evidently see when he is in the form of a cup, suggesting that he sees with his entire surface and his eyes are merely cosmetic, but he also has been surprised from behind many times and needs to turn around. If his eyes are truly his only sighted part, why not make more eyes?
• It is not quite clear how his combadge works. If it be part of him and he can simulate complex electronics then why would he need to tap it? If he absorbs it inside of himself when he shifts, then why can he not be detected when he is a rock by that he is a rock with a combadge inside of it?
• Does he have a gender? How does his species reproduce? Is he actually male or is that simply based upon Pol Mora whose appearance he copied? Would have have settled on a female form if Mora were female or does a liquid organism somehow have a gender?
• Why does he so often result to grappling people to apprehend when he can form a thousand tentacles at will.
• Why has he never been shown to speak outside of his humanoid form?
• How did Laas move in space? That he could be found in the interstellar void suggests that he somehow has a method of faster than light travel.

They thought it interesting to create a shapeshifting character, but they clearly did not think much of the implications of this awesome power.

 

[kkt]

When Odo's combadge is absorbed into him, perhaps he surrounds it with ferrous metal so no radio signals can get in or out....

Mouths are needed to form humanoid speech. Larynx, tongue, teeth, a mouth.

 

[Watersluis]

When Odo's combadge is absorbed into him, perhaps he surrounds it with ferrous metal so no radio signals can get in or out....

Then at best the tricorder would detect a rock with such a thing inside.

Mouths are needed to form humanoid speech. Larynx, tongue, teeth, a mouth.

He forms a mouth, but told Lwaxana Troi that it is largely cosmetic and that he lacks an œsophagus so I assume he lacks lungs as well, which aren't needed per se to form speech, he can use any small cavity to inhale and exhale.

 

[shapeshifter]

Oh noes! Star Trek is ruined, again!

Great lesson @Watersluis in why we should not look too closely under the hood. It is a mess in there. How in heck does this thing even keep running?