Auberjonois adds subtle layers to Odo

Jim’s Take on Episode 11: “Vortex”

Odo’s quest to learn more about his origins will be of massive importance for the denizens of Deep Space Nine, and the entire United Federation of Planets, in the not-too-distant-future, so it is adorable to see how optimistic and hopeful our fierce and grumpy Chief of Security is to find out more about who his people are and where he came from. As much as he acts like he doesn’t care, he clearly feels like he is living in a world where he doesn’t really belong.  Poor Odo always has such deep sadness lurking just beneath his tough guy surface.

However important these events may be for Odo, events start off like they always do for him: thwarting one of Quark’s shady business deals. Quark has very quickly become central to almost everything that happens on DS9! Here he has set up a deal to buy a stolen artifact and enlisted the desperate, and also super-shady, Croden to help him get his greedy little hands on this artifact without actually paying for it. Odo intervenes, again showing both his skill as a shape-shifter and his handiness in a fight, but one of the twin-bonded Miradorns ends up dead and Croden ends up arrested for murder and locked up in one of Odo’s cells.

Nothing seems too out of the ordinary until the very manipulative Croden reveals that he has met others like Odo before! He even gives his race a name: Changelings. Odo tries to act like he doesn’t care, but the reveal of a little shape-shifting necklace in Croden’s possession makes Odo more curious and hopeful than he can bear.

Rene Auberjonois adds so many subtle layers to Odo. He puts on such a gruff act, but he constantly shows little hints of Odo’s softer side and his vulnerability. Here, it is clear that Odo does not want to believe this man who clearly lies and manipulates with every word he utters, but he just can’t help but be intrigued by the merest possibility of learning more about his people. Odo has such an intense disdain for criminals, injustice, and disorder of all kinds, but his hidden desire to know more tempts him so strongly!

The love/hate relationship between Odo and Quark continues to grow here. Despite the fact that they are constantly at odds, there is clearly respect and actual affection for each other that neither would ever admit to! When Quark is concerned that Odo would get himself killed rather than ever give up a prisoner, it’s obvious how annoyed he is that Rom sees that as something to celebrate.

Auberjonois adds subtle layers to Odo… a gruff act, but … little hints of Odo’s softer side and his vulnerability.

Odo’s soft side really comes out near the end when he quickly devises a plan to save Croden and his daughter, perhaps partially inspired by his terror at being asked to look after the girl himself! But he quickly covers with, “Don’t thank me. I already regret it.” 

I do have a question about whether or not Odo even CAN be knocked out by a boulder falling on him. He doesn’t even have a solid brain to get a concussion! When he broke into pieces as a glass earlier in the episode, he just pulled back together and got on with beating up the bad guys. If he WAS rendered unconscious, wouldn’t he just be a pool of goo? Don’t worry! I have a theory! Could Odo have been testing Croden at this point? Once he knew about the daughter, surely he was already trying to figure out what to do with her. Maybe he had to see what kind of person the shifty Croden REALLY was to help himself make that decision? That works for me!

In the end, we learn a lot about Odo’s true character in this episode, as well as a little tiny hint about where he came from. We also learn for sure that Odo is a big softie underneath all that gruffness, and we learn that things are really looking bad when Odo has a hair out of place! Seriously, that only happens when a situation gets really out of hand! We also learn that Odo is willing to push aside his strict principles just a bit when it comes to a chance to learn more about who he really is. I mean, I can’t imagine Sisko was pleased with Odo losing his prisoner so completely that there isn’t even a body to turn over! And we saw Odo smile for the first time, which is both incredibly sweet and super-creepy. One day this poor, lonely, being will learn a whole lot more than he ever bargained for about his people!

Continue to Rhonda’s Take: “Audience rewarded with tantalizing details about Odo”

Skip to Ray’s Take: “Intriguing characters developed logically and quickly”

Skip to Matt’s Take: “Seminal episode establishes Odo’s desire”

Return to Episode 11 Guide or Episode Logs