<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Character
Odo
Status	Alive
Gender	Male
Species	Changeling
Origin	The Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant.
Portrayed by	Rene Auberjonois
First Appearance	"Emissary"
Profession	Chief of Security - Terok Nor/DS9 Bajoran Militia
Relatives	The entire Changeling race.
Special Features	Shapeshifter

Odo is a fictional character on the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine played by Rene Auberjonois. Odo serves on DS9 as Chief of Security.

Odo was found by Cardassian scientists, a shape shifting liquid with no identity. The Cardassians named him "Odo", which means zero or "nothing". Odo eventually learned to take humanoid form. His own origin a mystery, he only knew that he could take on the shape of any object, and had to return to liquid form in the evening to rest. He had splendid deductive abilities and a strong need to establish order and justice. Recognizing this, the Cardassians eventually put him in charge of security on Terok Nor, the space station they had built orbiting the planet Bajor, which the Cardassians were occupying and ruthlessly exploiting. Odo was a gifted law-enforcement officer, but continued to wonder who he was and where he had come from.

Odo's face seems a bit roughly shaped. This is because he is yet unable to form a perfect humanoid face. His clothes, however, are actually part of his body, formed from his will power to fit in with the station humanoid population that he has to work with.

At the end of the occupation, the Bajorans decided that Odo was not complicit in the Cardassians crime, and had served a truly neutral role. They inducted him into the Bajoran militia and let him continue to serve as "Chief Security Officer" on the station, that was now Bajoran owned and run by Starfleet. The station's new name would be Deep Space Nine.

When the stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant was discovered, it was thought that Odo may have drifted through it from the other side of the galaxy.

Despite being incredibly efficient at his job, Odo was a lonely sentient, always aware of not fitting in, and socially awkward. His best friend was Kira Nerys, with whom he began to fall in love. It was something he feared to express, in fear that she could not return his feelings.

Another bizarre friendship formed between Odo and the Ferengi bar keeper, Quark, though Odo thought of him as his nemesis, due to Quark's penchant for breaking the law for profit. Trying to out-think Quark was one of Odo's favorite hobbies.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

It turns out that Odo had indeed come from the other side of the wormhole. Odo eventually discovers that he is a member of the non-humanoid Changeling species known for their shape-shifting abilities. He was one of 100 infants of his species sent out to explore the galaxy and one day return to share their experiences. Unfortunately, Odo's need for order was a racial trait, and the Changelings of the Gamma Quadrant had established a fascist star empire called the Dominion, that ran their section of the galaxy with a heavy hand. The Federation's new access to the Gamma Quadrant via the wormhole began a cold war with the Dominion, that would soon turn into a very "hot" all out war for suvival. Odo would have to choose between being with his own kind, and his loyalty to the Bajoran people.