The Founders were the ever-shifting force behind the Dominion, an alliance of species that waged one of the bloodiest wars in Star Trek's history. Before the Founders first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, they were a name whispered among those who knew of them by reputation alone. They were basically the boogeyman of space. No one had to see them in person for their presence to be feared. In fact, they were only referenced three times in Deep Space 9 before making their debut in the finale episode of Season 2.
Viewers don’t discover that the Founders are Changelings until the two-part season 3 premiere. Naturally, this complicates matters for Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) who up until that point had never met another Changeling before. Unfortunately, the Founders go on to embody all the things that ‘solids’ – those unable to change their physical form at will – needlessly fear in Constable Odo. They’re shifty and untrustworthy, and their obsession with social order drives them to commit increasingly disturbing acts of violence. But what do the Founders represent in Star Trek, and where did they come from?
Who Are The Founders In Star Trek?
When the Dominion War struck, it took the entire United Federation of Planets and their allies to eventually emerge victorious. It was a long and bloody battle that, at many points, seemed like it would never end, despite existing in the Star Trek universe of hope in scientific progress. It’s almost hard to believe that one species could have been the backbone of such a destructive force across the galaxy. Yet, the Changelings genetically engineered the loyalty of the Vorta and the Jem’Hadar, who did much of the heavy lifting of waging war.
That’s not to say that the Changelings who acted as the Founders of the Dominion didn’t pull their weight. They were in charge of the entire operation, as well as randomly impersonating Starfleet officers to leave their enemies unsettled and paranoid. In Deep Space Nine, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) isreplaced by a Changeling for several episodes before the horrifying truth is revealed in season 5, episode 14, “In Purgatory’s Shadow”.
While there are presumably many Changelings acting as Founders, only one makes frequent appearances. An unnamed Female Changeling (Salome Jens) was the ever-evolving face of the Founders throughout Deep Space Nine. When the Jem’Hadar – footsoldiers of the Dominion – forced Constable Odo and Major Kira (Nana Visitor) to the Changeling homeworld in the Gamma Quadrant, the Female Changeling was the first to greet them. She would later pop up on the space station to make multiple failed attempts to coerce Constable Odo into switching sides, with promises of connecting him to other Changelings and restoring order to the galaxy.
In this sense, the Founders weren’t very different from the Borg; they were just more inconspicuous in their methods. More than anything else, the Female Changeling wanted Constable Odo to return to the Changeling homeworld in the Omarion Nebula. She wanted to connect with him in the Great Link, something she described as “[a] merging of form and thought [and] the sharing of idea and sensation.” The Female Changeling’s shift from trying to help Constable Odo to using violent means to impose her will on the galaxy left many Star Trek fans perplexed. However, such a turnabout of values isn’t surprising considering the history of the Changelings’ relationship with ‘solids,’ or non-Changelings.
How Are The Founders Connected To The Changelings?
Changelings first emerged as a peaceful species, exploring the galaxy many centuries prior to the events of Deep Space Nine. They were dedicated to learning about themselves and the world around them, not unlike the Bajorans of old. When they encountered humans, though, they were met with fear, anger, and hatred. Humans weren’t the only species of Star Trek terrorizing another, but their awful treatment of the Changelings left a wound that would eventually fester into the Dominion.
Even in moments of violence, however, there are still opportunities for different species to come together. The Vorta may have been small and timid creatures at first, but a group of them bravely shared their dwellings to protect a Changeling under attack. This forged a lifelong allegiance between the two that lasted even after the Vorta evolved into a more humanoid species.
In Deep Space 9 season 3, episode 2, “The Search, Part II,”, the Female Changeling shares the philosophy that turned many of her people into the Founders of the Dominion: “[What] you control can't hurt you.” Most of Bajor responded to the brutal Cardassian Occupation by holding tightly to their faith. Many Changelings, however, decided that a tyrannical rule was the only thing standing between them and annihilation. This movie made them enemy #1 in the Star Trek universe once the Federation realized that the Founders meant to attack the peaceful ideologies holding it together.
There’s something eerie about a being that can shift its physical form at will. Through Constable Odo, however, Deep Space Nine reminds viewers that being a Changeling doesn’t automatically make one evil, or a Founder of the Dominion. Like his brethren, the constable had a dedication to maintaining order on DS9 that could leave even hardened criminals quaking in their boots. Yet, Constable Odo was trusted by all who knew him – even Quark, with his usual Ferengi tendency toward hijinks.
Meanwhile, the Changelings acting as the Founders of the Dominion were shortsighted in their goals. They didn’t want to see that the Humans who had once terrorized them had evolved into a peace-seeking species. Their obsession with gaining galactic control eventually put them on the radar of the clandestine Federation Agency known as Section 31. The group responded to the threat by creating a degenerative disease made to target their shifting abilities. In a way, this only confirmed the fears many Changelings had about humans. Instead of making the Founders weaker, the morphogenic virus only made them more determined.
It took Constable Odo bravely linking with the Female Changeling as a cure for the disease to make the Founders surrender. Like Quark’s unexpectedly heroic acts, this ultimately led to the Dominion surrendering the war. The Founders were a formidable force in Star Trek, whose will to dominate carried them forward until they eventually saw themselves out of the fight.