12. Vortex

Summary

Odo intervenes during a shady deal Quark has going with a pair of twinned Miradorn that's interrupted by a robbery attempt by a man named Croden, a mysterious Gamma quadrant native. While in custory, Croden casually refers to Odo as a "Changeling" and seems familiar with his species, naturally piquing Odo's curiosity though he's skeptical due to Croden's seemingly nefarious character. Croden shows him a locket containing what appears to be a small shapeshifting stone and tells him that he could take him to a planet where he met some Changelings. Meanwhile, Sisko and Dax contact Croden's government, who inform them that Croden is wanted for many crimes and demand his return; they are forced to agree. However, there's a little problem with the Miradorn...Croden killed one of the twins, and the survivor Ah-Kel has vowed vengeance. Odo, escorting Croden back to the Gamma quadrant, sneak past the Miradorn into the wormhole, but Ah-Kel soon pursues them, forcing Croden to lead Odo to hide in the Chamra Vortex, the same place he said he met some Changelings. En route Croden tells Odo that his crimes on his home planet were simply of being a dissident, and when the security forces came they killed his wives and Croden killed them to protect himself and the rest of his family. They land on a small planetoid where Croden leads the way into some caverns...but he admits that he's never met a Changeling. On his home planet Changelings are the stuff of legend, myths that are told around the campfire, and that he got the locket from a trader. It's a key to a stasis chamber where Croden's daughter Yareth has been sleeping until he could come for her. The three make their way back to the runabout, destroy the Miradorn through some deft maneuvering on Odo's part, and Odo allows Croden and his daughter to escape with aid from a Vulcan ship that comes to render aid.

Analysis

This was the first foray into the mystery surrounding Odo's origins, but the only information we really learn only poses more questions. This wouldn't be the first time that Changelings were mentioned as being mythical beings that aren't certain to exist, which only heightens the mystique of Odo being one, and I'm sure only intensifies his desire to learn the truth. I still can't feel that this is a very good episode, though. Too much time is spent dickering with Croden's government, dickering with Croden himself in security...and the entire Miradorn angle is only present to introduce some pressure on the entire situation, a cheap device if ever I saw one. Croden himself doesn't make much of an impression. I never got the sense that he was someone who would be outspoken enough to warrant police action on his homeworld...he just seems like a guy who'd be a bank teller or something. His tale of having been saved by Changelings, concocted merely to secure Odo's assistance, is extremely convenient...he's got to have amazing powers of foresight and planning to have sized up Odo so quickly. Then again he had enough foresight to hide his daughter in a stasis chamber on a planet in the middle of a dangerous nebula before running for the hills. Personally, I would have liked to have involved more of the crew in this story. No one seems to have any interest in Croden's stories about Changelings except Odo himself, which seems unlikely. I'm also surprised that Sisko would send Odo alone to escort Croden home...after all, he's not a pilot and he can't be too familiar with Starfleet runabouts this early in the series. Of course if he'd sent the Chief or Dax with them, the rest of the plot wouldn't have worked. It's an interesting premise that's mostly wasted, but still the first clues to Odo's origins provide at least marginal interest factor. It also contains one of my favorite shapeshifts when Odo disguises himself as a glass which proceeds to get broken, then dissolves into Odo...the part I like is that he grabs Croden but as he does he's still morphing into his humanoid form. I just think it's supercool. The coolness of this scene, however, is negated by the stupidiy of the notion that Odo could be knocked unconscious by a falling rock...as if he had a brain or nervous system.

Rating: 4.0

Memorable Quote:

Yareth: Are you really a Changeling?
Odo: Yes...I suppose I am.

Classic Scene:

The look of wonder on Odo's face when Croden shows him the shapeshifting locket is a sharp contrast to his usual cynically composed expression and speaks to the depth of his desire to learn of his origins.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"You're heavier than you look." --Croden to Odo

The O/K Status Report

Kira is curiously persona non grata in this episode, no developments.

Special Alerts

• Oh my! No Special Alerts!