WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange”Mutineer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) calls her future self a “shapeshifter” during Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, but does this mean that she’s aware of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Changeling villains? In Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange”, Burnham, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) are thrown backwards and forwards in time by a Krenim time bug. To return to the 32nd century, Burnham is forced to fight her younger self, who believes that she’s a shapeshifting infiltrator determined to sabotage the USS Discovery.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange” was written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose.
Changeling infiltrators caused many problems for Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the crew of Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War. However, DS9‘s conflict with the Dominion and its Changeling Founders took place a century after the climactic scenes of Discovery season 5, episode 4, during which the Federation was at war with the Klingon Empire. This makes it unlikely, but not impossible, for the season 1 version of Michael Burnham to be referring to one of DS9‘s Changelings in Star Trek: Discovery.
Season 1 Burnham Probably Isn’t Referring To DS9’s Changelings In Discovery
Official First Contact with the Changelings didn’t take place until the 24th century, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s two-part season 3 premiere “The Search”. This means that it’s unlikely that Season 1 Burnham wasn’t referring to a DS9 Changeling while trying to foil Season 5 Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets’ “sabotage” in Star Trek: Discovery. However, DS9 established that the Changelings had been exploring the galaxy for eons before the 24th century. This creates the outside chance that the season 1 version of Burnham had encountered one of DS9‘s Changelings prior to joining the USS Discovery.
The Female Changeling, the species’ spokesperson, was played by Salome Jens, who also played the Progenitor in Star Trek: The Next Generation ‘s “The Chase”, to which Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel.
Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) was one of 100 Changelings that were sent out into the galaxy, “centuries ago“. Odo only ever met one of the hundred Changelings, Laas (J.G. Hertzler), who arrived on the planet Varala in the 22nd century, 100 years before Star Trek: Discovery’s timeline begins. Odo made it further than Laas, arriving in the Alpha Quadrant, where he was discovered by Bajoran scientists. It’s possible, therefore, that other members of the Hundred Changelings were encountered by Burnham while she served aboard the USS Shenzhou. Alternatively, Burnham was referring to one of the many Star Trek shapeshifters that aren’t Changelings.
Star Trek Shapeshifters That Aren’t Changelings
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Changelings are just one of many aliens that have the ability to change their shape to imitate other forms. One of the most memorable shape-shifting alien species in the Star Trek canon was the Chameleoid, Marcia (Iman), who both kissed and impersonated Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Another shape-shifting alien with romantic intentions was Species 8472 from Star Trek: Voyager, one of whom impersonated Valerie Archer (Kate Vernon) and romanced Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran).
Shape-shifting could even be taught, as seen in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”, in which Garth of Izar (Steve Ihnat) showed off the abilities he learned from the Antos natives. The Traveler from Star Trek: The Next Generation also had shapeshifting abilities, impersonating Wesley Crusher’s father Jack in “Journey’s End”. Some members of Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Suliban species had technology that enabled them to shape-shift, enabling them to infiltrate various situations. With so many shapeshifters in the Star Trek universe, it’s no wonder that Burnham was so paranoid in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4.
