Odo , played by René Auberjonois, is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is a member of a shapeshifting species called Changelings and serves as the head of security for the space station Deep Space Nine on which the show is set. Intelligent, observant, and taciturn, Odo uses his unique abilities throughout the show to maintain security on the DS9 station and later aids the Bajoran people and the Federation throughout the Dominion War against his own people, the Founders. Overview Star Trek: Deep Space Nine The original Writer's Bible from 1992 for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine described Odo as follows: Actor René Auberjonois describes Odo as "a very unformed being" who was "trying to get some kind of shape to his life". Co-creator of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Michael Piller, speaks of Odo's role within the show as being prompted by needing "a character who represented the traditions of Spock and Data, the outsider who looks in at humanity." Late in the fifth season, in the episode "Children of Time", an Odo who has lived an additional 200 years tells the "current" Kira Nerys that he has loved her from the time their friendship first began. With this revelation, Kira and the "current" Odo eventually become a couple. According to the backstory of the series, Odo was found adrift in his natural gelatinous state in the Denorios Belt in the Bajoran system. Doctor Mora Pol studied him for seven years, not initially recognising him as a sentient being. Doctor Mora was later forced to recognise Odo's sentience when he copied a beaker on a laboratory table. Odo's name stemmed from the Cardassian language word "Odo'ital", meaning "nothing", which was the loose translation of the "unknown sample" label in Bajoran on his laboratory flask. Later on the story was slowly developed: Over 200 years before, the Changelings' Great Link (a planet in the Gamma Quadrant where Changelings exist in their natural gelatinous form) had sent out 100 Changeling infants in containers throughout the universe in order to see how other alien races react to the presence of Changelings. Of those sent out four have been accounted for: An unnamed Changeling which took the shape of a key in a locket who ended up in possession of Constable Odo ("Vortex") An infant Changeling. Bought by Odo from Quark, Odo tries