Chimera

**** (4 stars out of 5)
Casting some doubts on the strength and permanence of the Kira/Odo romance is a straight-up shapeshifter bromance which is neither straight nor terribly "bro".

When O'Brien and Odo meet a mighty space fish swimming merrily along in the vacuum, they welcome one of the 100 missing Founder-baby cosmonauts aboard. That welcome comes with some pleasant-if-awkward linking, as well as some just plain awkward intolerance and violence.

The new shifter, Laas, is two centuries more jaded than Odo, and has the moral superiority of a beast who knows humanity's flaws all too well on a very personal level. He's had the bad break-up when he couldn't be the breeder his "monoform" lady partner needed, and when he literally lived as an animal he  was righteously indignant at the way humanoids obliterate the natural worlds.

Odo must choose between Kira (the best lover he's ever known) and the brutal honesty of a new partner with whom he has much, much more in common.

Throw in Quark's remarks about a 'Changeling Pride Parade' and the genetic-level horror that non-changelings feel toward the alien, and you've got yourself a 'hot issue' show. In fact, it's pure Star Trek.

"Chimera" is a well-performed, intelligent story I'm not qualified to judge in all its nuance. I enjoyed the more first-hand review of Carl Cipra on page five of this issue of the Gaylaxians Lambda SciFi newsletter, and a more detailed 2006 review by Stephanie Dutchen on Rene's Page. These days, I like to keep my mind open. I have less difficulty with unconventional relationships than I do with cheating on one's existing lover, so I'm dismayed more by Odo's wavering loyalty than the concept that he turns to jello for an older man.

Crossfire

*** (3 stars out of 5)

Odo finds himself recreating the movie 'The Bodyguard', but with more shapeshifting.

Kira has a fine new rebound boyfriend in Bajor's First Minister Shakaar. Of course, Odo missed his chance to tell Kira about his long-term crush on her, and now he's spending every minute of every day watching over them and grinding his fictional teeth.

Odo must protect the Bajoran lovebirds while they get down to some serious doinking. And there's nothing quite as safe and warm as the embrace of a soul-crushingly jealous man of jelly.

The Constable, frustrated in his job and in his love life, retreats to his room for a tantrum, throwing around the house-warming plant Kira gave him and disturbing his downstairs neighbour with the huge ears.

A big-eared neighbour, in fact, who's got some sympathy in his soul after all.

And, because it's an ongoing space opera and things don't work out neatly in 47 minutes anymore, that's as good as it gets for the changeling.

"Crossfire" has at least one thing to recommend: it is not Threshold. It's more than that, of course. It's painful for me to watch this one because (like a lot of young men) I was terrible at expressing my feelings well, especially to women I wanted to court. It's all worked out wonderfully for me so far (and a trillion thanks to my wife for that) but the pain of loneliness is a common thread in a lot of SF. Spock and Data would know where Odo was coming from, and so does Quark. Though somehow it never occurs to me that Quark might be lonely, too. If he is, it's probably his own fault.

The Search, Part II

**** (4 stars out of 5)

Long ago, the Changelings of the Omarion Nebula sent Odo and 99 other newly formed shape-shifters into the galaxy. He is the first to return, thanks to the wormhole. They didn't expect him back for 300 years, or they would have turned themselves into a cake.

Their Female Spokesjelly explains that the basis for their society is the Great Link: a joining of form, thought, and sensation. As far as changelings are concerned, it's the best thing ever. Now that Odo's tried it, he agrees. It's a little like a sneeze. And it's ooey gooey good.

Changelings call mono-forms like Kira 'Solids' and they trust them much less far than they can throw them. Changelings were once peaceful space explorers in search of knowledge, but in the face of distrusting, murderous solids they found safety only in isolation. They retreated to a planet with no sun, unplugged the phone, and drew the curtains.

While Odo splashes around in the Locals, Kira literally uncovers a startling truth: the Defiant crew are underground, captured for days in a simulation to test their reactions to peace between the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion. A simulation wherein the Federation politely drew up a treaty, bent way over to sign it, and handed DS9 and Bajor over to their foes. The crew proved mainly that if you pushed them they would fight, sacrifice Garak, and maybe collapse the wormhole rather than kiss scaly Jem'Hadar ass.

Borath, the foreign guy in the monokini running the simulation is not one of the Founders as he claimed. The Founders... are the Changelings.

Odo's Mingling Partner declares: "The hunted now control the destinies of hundreds of other races... because what you can control can't hurt you."

Odo, a being of justice, cannot conscience the mass slaughter carried out by his ancestral shut-ins in the name of order.  Since Changelings have never harmed one of their own, they let him and his pet solids go... but the Alpha Quadrant may need to have some order imposed soon.

"The Search, Part II": Seek and ye shall find. Having captured the mighty Defiant, the Dominion apparently find it utterly beneath their notice. The weapons, the cloak, the uppity attitude, they ignore it all, spank the humans and send them to sleep without supper. Not an auspicious first sortie. Might as well attack the sea with a sword.