Synopsis: Odo learns about where he came from while the Dominion learns how far Commander Sisko will go to protect Bajor.
Like the first part of this two-part episode there is one plotline having to do with war and a separate narrative having to do with Odo’s understanding of where he came from. And what Odo learns about his roots can be analogized to Carl (C. G.) Jung’s understanding of the collective unconscious in humans.
In “The Search, Part II” Odo learns about an attribute of this rogue planet, called the Great Link. As it is explained to him by a female shapeshifter: “the link is the very foundation of our society. It provides a meaning to our existence. It is a merging of form and thought, the sharing of idea and sensation” (Behr & Frakes, 1994). Afterward, the female shapeshifter takes Odo’s hand and for a moment they seem to merge.
This link which merges and shares form and thought, ideas and sensation, can be compared to the human collective unconscious. Jung believed that the psyche contained both a personal unconscious, which contains those unconscious traits that are unique to each individual and either repressed or suppressed because of their non-compliance with conscious societal norms, and the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious includes instincts and emotions that are common to all humans. Also included in the collective unconscious are what Jung called archetypes, which can be seen as centers of emotional energy that are universally activated and felt by coming in contact with certain images or symbols. Archetypes have meaning for all of us. One of the most basic archetypes is that of the self, and this is what Odo is experiencing on this planet. One of the most basic instincts contained in the collective unconscious is that of survival.
In addition to learning how all shapeshifters are linked, Odo also learns that they are the power behind the Founders and that their way of protecting themselves is by imposing order on the universe, or at least the Gamma Quadrant. This bit of unconscious material is a little too much for Odo to acknowledge and integrate into his conscious ego at this point in time, so when the possibility appears to return to the Alpha Quadrant with the Defiant crew, he does. The going back and forth between the conscious and the unconscious is what the individuation process is all about, and when it is attempted, our psyches can become more whole.
Reference:
Behr, I. S. (Writer), & Frakes, J. (Director). (1994, October 3). The search, part II (Season 3, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In M. Piller & R. Berman (Executive Producers), Star trek: Deep space nine. Paramount Television.
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