Changeling

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Changeling
Four Letter Code	CHNG
Federation Status	Peace Treaty
Planet of Origin	A hidden world in the Omarion Nebula, in the Gamma Quadrant
Encountered	Odo was the first member of this Gamma Quadrent race encountered by the Federation. (DS9: Emissary)
T/E Rating	T0/E0 NR
Current Tech Level	N - Unknown, but at least as advanced as the Federation
List of Named Changelings
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Home System

• Quadrant: Gamma
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Home World

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History

According to the link's collective memory, the Changelings once roamed the stars in peaceful exploration and contact, but were feared by "Solids" and met with hatred, suspicion and violence - hunted, beaten, killed - until taking refuge on the secluded homeworld they now inhabit. Although their physiological development is unclear, memory is not a trait of the "newly formed." They once sent out Constable Odo and 99 other such "infants" to satisfy their latent quest to explore, genetically implanting each one with the desire to return home. Constable Odo is the first to do so, thanks to the wormhole; they were not expected back for another 300 years, and his female mentor says only that he was away "a long time."

Physiology

Changelings have no sense of smell. Scans of a morphed Changeling merely read as the object being modeled would normally. The best test of a Changeling is through a simple blood sample; once separated from the body, a small amount will quickly turn back to its natural state.

Odo was found by a Cardassian scientist, Doctor Mora Pol, and is able to morph into many shapes, regardless of the total perceived mass of the object.

Society

A collective entity of poly-metallic shapeshifters with remarkable shape-shifting abilities and a wish to instill order throughout the galaxy. They usually act through their Jem'Hadar warriors, but limited cases of Changelings acting as infiltrators have occured in Federation offices. They call themselves Changelings, a name adopted from others' use. The Changelings are the highest order in a Gamma Quadrant faction known as the Dominion which is composed of at least four distinct species. Within the Dominion, the Changelings are known as "The Founders" and are greatly feared.

These gelatinous beings exist in a "Great Link," combining in totality to form a large liquified area resembling a vast ocean where they share a collective memory. No Changeling has ever been known to harm another, until Constable Odo, a member of the Deep Space Nine crew, murdered another Changeling.