In the DS9 episode "Things Past" Odo creates a telepathic link with his fellow officers, a link that Dr. Bashir compares to the Great Link formed by the Founders because Odo's humanoid brain still contains traces of morphogenic enzymes. If these morphogenic enzymes were responsible for creating a telepathic link with other humanoids, is it possible that the same morphogenic enzymes in the Founders can create a link with solids?
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As interesting as I think this question is, I doubt there's any canon answer. In that case, any answer must be primarily opinion-based. I'm voting to close for that reason, but if there really is a canon answer I'll cheerfully withdraw that vote.– James SheridanCommented Mar 9, 2014 at 11:23
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2Though a possible canon answer might be: "They are, if they are.". As the female changling points out at Odo's first visit to the founders' world, when you become a stone, you are a stone, and you understand what it is like being a stone. Similarly, to paraphrase Sisko, if Odo transforms into a duranium wall, all the scanners will pick up is a duranium wall. Which means that any founder could trivially transform into a betazoid, becoming a betazoid, and understand how a betazoid brain does telepathy.– DamonCommented Mar 9, 2014 at 14:47
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1@Damon There are limits to "gain the abilities of what you transform into". Odo could not manage the "understanding" part for a long time, and Laas did not trigger the fire suppression systems that time he surprised Odo...– IzkataCommented Mar 9, 2014 at 16:25
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2@Izkata: True, though Laas did transform to mist and fire (despite not triggering the alarm system, for whatever reason). Laas also manages to fly straight through space without freezing even though Odo demonstrates freezing (and states that they will die from cold) in the episode where he has that malfunctioning Veyoun aboard. Apparently, the span between what they can do and can't do is quite broad (including living and regenerating body mass without eating, breathing, or another comparable uptake of matter or energy).– DamonCommented Mar 9, 2014 at 19:41
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2Odo also can't resist mild, diffuse phaser exposure as demonstrated in starfleet HQ and can be killed by a single shot from a bajoran gun (mirror universe), though on the other hand, both he and the female changeling easily withstand concentrated phaser fire at maximum intensity (such as in that cave in the badlands or in the episode where Odo goes sleepwalking/stalking Doctor Whatshisname-from-Bajor). So basically, they can be, can do pretty much everything, depending on how the episode's author feels like.– DamonCommented Mar 9, 2014 at 19:45
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