Odo, by this point in the season, has already established his character for the most part but his species were still somewhat of a mystery beside the one line about it in the pilot. This episode does a great job of introducing intrigue of his origins while also maintaining the mystery, along with exploring the conflict at hand in a minimum fashion.
The actual plot about the criminal and the other aliens who are twins are okay, although a bit cliched/bland. Pretty obvious twist that the lying criminal is actually speaking the truth and his only crime was protecting his family. Most interesting part is Odo's way of dealing with the possibility of finding his own species. At times, he literally catches himself losing his cool and seeming desperate for more information. In the end though his duty trumps this curiosity or even want to find his own kind, but as they touch down on what is supposed to be the colony, he just angrily shouts at the criminal until he reveals it was all a lie. This episode was definitely a great mystery-thriller, where the first act has you wondering what its about. After its revealed the colony doesn't exist, the remaining plot threads are far less interesting but still.
Personally, Odo has a kind of McCoy-esque quality to him, a very stubborn person at times and firm about his position and his opinion and especially his job. If he doesn't like the way things are done, he says it direct, no funny business. He's not Vulcan in that manner though and neither is he Klingon, whether it is his species or just him he makes for a fine character who's fun to watch, especially with Quark, I love his witty dialogue and dry humour. Additionally, his role as Security Officer can easily be distinguished from those of Worf or Tasha Yar. Whereas those two had their own stubbornness, they were also brash and unruly in their own ways. Worf could sometimes become a joke by how often he wanted to 'shoot first, ask questions later' and Tasha Yar was always the one to let emotions take control and get angry. When Odo watched a riot form around his office he stayed cool under pressure, same in this episode. Someone like Worf would far more easily give up his duty for some personal venture (although of course some episodes show his dedication to Starfleet).
The actual plot about the criminal and the other aliens who are twins are okay, although a bit cliched/bland. Pretty obvious twist that the lying criminal is actually speaking the truth and his only crime was protecting his family. Most interesting part is Odo's way of dealing with the possibility of finding his own species. At times, he literally catches himself losing his cool and seeming desperate for more information. In the end though his duty trumps this curiosity or even want to find his own kind, but as they touch down on what is supposed to be the colony, he just angrily shouts at the criminal until he reveals it was all a lie. This episode was definitely a great mystery-thriller, where the first act has you wondering what its about. After its revealed the colony doesn't exist, the remaining plot threads are far less interesting but still.
Personally, Odo has a kind of McCoy-esque quality to him, a very stubborn person at times and firm about his position and his opinion and especially his job. If he doesn't like the way things are done, he says it direct, no funny business. He's not Vulcan in that manner though and neither is he Klingon, whether it is his species or just him he makes for a fine character who's fun to watch, especially with Quark, I love his witty dialogue and dry humour. Additionally, his role as Security Officer can easily be distinguished from those of Worf or Tasha Yar. Whereas those two had their own stubbornness, they were also brash and unruly in their own ways. Worf could sometimes become a joke by how often he wanted to 'shoot first, ask questions later' and Tasha Yar was always the one to let emotions take control and get angry. When Odo watched a riot form around his office he stayed cool under pressure, same in this episode. Someone like Worf would far more easily give up his duty for some personal venture (although of course some episodes show his dedication to Starfleet).