Why a Female Changeling?

[Thestral]

It does make me wonder though - how do changelings procreate? How are new changelings "born?" Odo was supposedly an 'infant' when he was sent out into the galaxy... I've always wondered about that.

TrekLit has a very interesting answer to that in "Worlds of DS9."

Spoiler: Changeling procreation

Basically, they don't and never could and are slowly going extinct. Hence the extreme paranoia and horor every time a changeling dies.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

Thanks Kestrel, that spoilered thing makes a lot of sense and actually adds a whole new layer to their xenophobia. But then, it makes even less sense that they would send 100 defenseless baby changelings out into the universe... oh well.

 

[Thestral]

Thanks Kestrel, that spoilered thing makes a lot of sense and actually adds a whole new layer to their xenophobia. But then, it makes even less sense that they would send 100 defenseless baby changelings out into the universe... oh well.

No problem. There's actually a reason given for that too, which truly changes the nature of the Founders and the Hundred.

Spoiler: Nature of the Great Link

The Founders believe they were created by a god they call the Progenitor, who created everything else and then created them last in its image (ie as a changeling), and then left. They sent out the Hundred in an effort to find the Progenitor and entice it near to the Link in the hopes that more would be created or some other method to solve their eventual extinction would be revealed. This is why the Hundred are so drawn to the Omarian Neblua. In "Olympus Descending," they may have found the Progenitor. I won't spoil what happens when they do though.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

LOL, so the

Spoiler

gods have a god?

Whoa. Spoil away!

 

[Red Ranger]

Why not?

 

[Thestral]

LOL, so the

Spoiler

gods have a god?

Whoa. Spoil away!

Pretty much yeah. And okay, but it's really a good story you should read in its own right. Also, it's tied in with some other things in the DS9 Relaunch.

Spoiler: Olympus Descending

The Founders believe they've found the Progenitor, which turns out to be a giant planet-sized Changeling. There's a lot of hope and expectation for the future of the Link. Unfortunately, by the time Odo, Laas, and some of the Link get to it it's dead - murdered in fact by an apparent rival species gaining power in the Gamma Quadrant.

This turns the Great Link's joyous expectation into an incredible depression. Not quite suicidal, but the Link breaks up and goes their separate ways, overcome with hopelessness for their future - and guilt about what happened to some of the Hundred and to the Progenitor (they blame themselves for their god's death). They no longer care about the Vorta, the Jeh'Hadar, or the Dominion at all - they've basically given up.

What this means is Odo and Laas are left as the sole rulers of the Dominion.

Why not?

Indeed.

 

[T'Girl]

It does make me wonder though - how do changelings procreate?

When a mommy changeling and a daddy changeling love each other very much.......

First daddy changeling gets mommy changeling drunk, then . . .

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

Wow,

Spoiler

Odo and Laas in charge of the Dominion!

I wonder what they'll do...

Thanks for the info, what's the name of the book? Olympus Descending?

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Thanks Kestrel, that spoilered thing makes a lot of sense and actually adds a whole new layer to their xenophobia. But then, it makes even less sense that they would send 100 defenseless baby changelings out into the universe... oh well.

No problem. There's actually a reason given for that too, which truly changes the nature of the Founders and the Hundred.

Spoiler: Nature of the Great Link

The Founders believe they were created by a god they call the Progenitor, who created everything else and then created them last in its image (ie as a changeling), and then left. They sent out the Hundred in an effort to find the Progenitor and entice it near to the Link in the hopes that more would be created or some other method to solve their eventual extinction would be revealed. This is why the Hundred are so drawn to the Omarian Neblua. In "Olympus Descending," they may have found the Progenitor. I won't spoil what happens when they do though.

From Memory Alpha: "Eons ago, Changelings were monoforms like solids, limited to one shape and according to the Founders, at one time they were peaceful and explored the galaxy."
So if that's true, how can what's in the spoiler code be true?

 

[EmperorTiberius]

I think they have male and female identities and procreate through two sexes, like we do.

 

[MikeS]

It does make me wonder though - how do changelings procreate?

When a mommy changeling and a daddy changeling love each other very much.......

First daddy changeling gets mommy changeling drunk, then . . .

 

[SoM]

I generally took it that changelings partially linked, put the rest of themselves into solid form, and then "dropped" the intermixed goo, which became the infant.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

I generally took it that changelings partially linked, put the rest of themselves into solid form, and then "dropped" the intermixed goo, which became the infant.

Well, that's as good an explanation as any. Though again, that would go back to my (probably incorrect) assumption that linking = sex, if partial linking could have a procreative aspect. But the book explanations are interesting too.