Some versions of shape shifting have very real downsides. Remember Odo from Deep Space 9
Notice how his face looks like it was crudely sculpted out of clay? This is because in the story he’s a shapeshifter. But this isn’t shapeshifting like Animorphs, where you just have to imagine an image of an animal that you’ve absorbed the pattern of. That form of shapeshifting is like a menu. You mentally select a form to shift into, and the powers take care of all the pesky details.
But some forms of shapeshifting, like Odo’s, don’t work like that. You can’t just mentally tell your powers “make me look like John.” If you want to look like John, you instead would have to mentally picture every single minute detail of John’s face and body. Imagine if you had to consciously recall and build up your entire form detail by detail every time you shifted.
This is why Odo looks so odd. His true form is a puddle. Him taking a form is like a painter painting a picture - every detail has to be consciously chosen. Maybe a true master painter could shape shift into a form with a realistic face, but most folks would end up looking like Odo.
From what I recall, as the years go by, he gets better at it. In that one where they get stranded on that planet which sends them back in time he’s essentially using his “real” face.
True Changelings can impersonate people flawlessly. IE Martok, Doctor Bashir and Chief O’Brien were done perfectly.
He does. And that’s the problem. It took him decades just to learn the level of shape shifting given to him in the show. If you end up with Odo’s version of shape shifting, it’s going to take a similar another of time to master it. Hell, it took him years to figure out the most basic forms. It took him years just to figure out how to be anything other than a puddle.
Sure. But if you’re granted shape shifting powers today, will you have that level of expertise? No your skills would be far below Odo. Hell you’ll probably have to spend a few decades as a puddle before you even figure out how to turn yourself into something as simple as a plain cube. I’m telling you, be careful with shape shifting. Depending on the malevolence of the genie or other entity granting you these powers, it’s very easy for shape shifting to end up as a fate worse than death.
Some versions of shape shifting have very real downsides. Remember Odo from Deep Space 9
Notice how his face looks like it was crudely sculpted out of clay? This is because in the story he’s a shapeshifter. But this isn’t shapeshifting like Animorphs, where you just have to imagine an image of an animal that you’ve absorbed the pattern of. That form of shapeshifting is like a menu. You mentally select a form to shift into, and the powers take care of all the pesky details.
But some forms of shapeshifting, like Odo’s, don’t work like that. You can’t just mentally tell your powers “make me look like John.” If you want to look like John, you instead would have to mentally picture every single minute detail of John’s face and body. Imagine if you had to consciously recall and build up your entire form detail by detail every time you shifted.
This is why Odo looks so odd. His true form is a puddle. Him taking a form is like a painter painting a picture - every detail has to be consciously chosen. Maybe a true master painter could shape shift into a form with a realistic face, but most folks would end up looking like Odo.
It’s been a while since I watched it, but wasn’t Odo shitty at shapeshifting because he was raised away from his people (puddle)?
From what I recall, as the years go by, he gets better at it. In that one where they get stranded on that planet which sends them back in time he’s essentially using his “real” face.
True Changelings can impersonate people flawlessly. IE Martok, Doctor Bashir and Chief O’Brien were done perfectly.
He does. And that’s the problem. It took him decades just to learn the level of shape shifting given to him in the show. If you end up with Odo’s version of shape shifting, it’s going to take a similar another of time to master it. Hell, it took him years to figure out the most basic forms. It took him years just to figure out how to be anything other than a puddle.
Sure. But if you’re granted shape shifting powers today, will you have that level of expertise? No your skills would be far below Odo. Hell you’ll probably have to spend a few decades as a puddle before you even figure out how to turn yourself into something as simple as a plain cube. I’m telling you, be careful with shape shifting. Depending on the malevolence of the genie or other entity granting you these powers, it’s very easy for shape shifting to end up as a fate worse than death.