Subject: Answers
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 1998 18:15 EST
From: RonDMoore

<<do you know what week "His Way" airs?>>

The week of 4/20.

<<Will we ever learn more about the changelings shapeshifting abilities? >>

It's possible, but we don't have any further abilities waiting in the wings at
the moment.

<<is it possible that [the race seen in the recorded message from TNG's "The
Chase"] IS the founders billions of years ago, when THEY were solids? Even
though it was just Salome Jens who also played that role of the holographic
humanoid?>>

This is not our thinking.  The race of beings who "seeded" the galaxy with
humanoid DNA are separate entities from the Changelings.

<<Will we ever see Wesley Crusher again? >>

I doubt it.

<< I heard that you said that The prophets are not allowing ANY dominion ships
through the wormhole, period, is this true, and in what episode was it that
implied this if it is? >>

It seems to me that since we don't see Dominion ships coming out of the
wormhole every week that it's implicit that the Prophets aren't allowing them
to come through.

<<Just wondered - in "Honor Among Thieves" is the name of the planet "Farious"
as in "nefarious?"  If so, very clever, and who's idea was it?  Does the
writer of each episode generally create all the character and place names or
do you have brainstorming sessions where you all get to throw out ideas?  >>

The planet was christened by Rene as are all the other names in the episode.
I don't think it was a play on "nefarious."  As a general rule, the writer
creates all of the proper names in an episode, but will sometimes, in an act
of desperation, ask for input from the rest of the staff.  

<<Any chance that we will see a "Sovereign"-class starship as the war
escalates?>>

No.  Sovereigns belong to the feature department.

<<I assume in this episode ["Valiant"] that the Defiant model will be
repainted with the Valiant's name and registry number.  Any chance of taking
advantage of this to get some new stock footage with the model with an NCC
registry so the Defiant can finally shed that "experimental" moniker?>>

Actually, we had to make a brand-new model for this episode, so the Defiant
won't be getting a NCC registry number after all.   The specific requirements
for "Valiant" prohibited us from using stock elements.  When all was said and
done, making a new model made more sense than revamping the Defiant then
returning it to its original state.

<<Someone asked:  <Ron, it is just Odo that has to revert back to his
geltinous state every 16 hours, or is it ALL changelings? >  Your reply was:
<We believe this is a limitation unique to Odo.>

My question is this:    

WHY??? If this is the case, then wouldn't that make Odo handicapped?>>

Odo has not yet mastered all of his abilities as a Changeling, hence he still
needs to regenerate.  This is not a disability.

<<Ron - is there some sort of legal constraint etc by Paramount or someone
else on why Star Trek isn't allowed to be shown/released in Britain until a
*very* long time after it is shown in the US? >>

I don't know why, but in the UK and several other territories, Trek is
released on home video before it goes to free television.