The senior, senior Trekker writes...
Previously, I had "Carbon Creek" as the ultimate Star Trek episode.
This episode has officially filled that role.
Elements from all Star Trek shows are referenced, and not just as Easter eggs...
Odos BUCKET even makes an appearance.
And with that, I must say something about changelings.
In deep space nine we have to remember that a changeling had been pretending to be Dr Bashir for two months- he even helped Odo try to rescue a baby changeling, he acted as a de facto member of deep space nine's crew, and there was no way to know.
The same thing with General Martok...
It was Joseph Cisco, Benjamin's father, who suggested that, if a changeling really wanted to fool everybody they would absorb some unexpecting person, and use their blood to pass the blood screenings.
They are not exactly orange goo people- they have internal organs. They can become rocks, trees, and even vapor or other gases when they want to. Even fire.
But we have to remember in deep space nine they had been planning, so all of the contingencies that this Shapeshifter misses, they covered.
It was when the TNG Crew started depending on each other like they used to, was when solutions were found.
At least for the conundrums that they knew about.
We still have this mystery about the branches "spreading, connecting" in Jack Crusher's vision.
This sounds like something an entity said about its own creation in a first season next generation episode.
Think about this.
I am still recovering from this episode, a lot to think about here. Perhaps I will edit this later.