Mora Pol

Doctor Mora Pol was the Bajoran scientist who was assigned to study the Changeling who became known as Odo after he was discovered. Mora's parents were still alive as of 2373.

Mora studied and taught Odo at the Bajoran Center for Science during the Occupation of Bajor from 2358-65. When Odo assumed the shape of a humanoid, he imitated Dr. Mora's hairstyle. 

Odo was labeled as an "Unknown Sample", which a Cardassian overseer translated as "Odo'ital" in Cardassian. 

However, Odo resented Mora as he failed to realize that Odo was sentient; when Mora attempted to guide Odo into taking the shape of a cube, Odo only did it on the third attempt because on the previous two he was attempting to defy Mora. Under pressure from the Cardassians to get answers, some of Mora's methods of experimenting were questionable. Odo left the institute two years later.

When Odo was to be shown to the Cardassian High Command, Dr. Mora persuaded him to practice and perform the "Cardassian neck trick". Mora made him practice it for weeks. 

In 2369, Doctor Mora provided Doctor Julian Bashir with his data on Odo's physiology soon after the United Federation of Planets began assisting the Bajoran recovery after the Occupation. 

In 2370, Dr. Mora learned of DNA patterns like Odo's being detected on L-S VI, a planet in the Gamma Quadrant, from the data sent back by a Bajoran science probe. He and his assistant Dr. Weld Ram later visited Deep Space 9, hoping Odo would be able to convince Commander Sisko to let him use a Starfleet runabout instead of making a request to the Board of Ministers for access to a ship, which would take several months.

Upon arriving on L-S VI in the USS Rio Grande, the team found a stone tablet. An earthquake later released a gas which rendered Dr. Mora, Dr. Weld and Jadzia Dax unconscious.

Upon arriving back on Deep Space 9, exposure to the gas began to transform Odo into a dangerous creature. Mora later lured Odo onto the Promenade after which Odo was changed back to normal. Dr. Mora later helped Doctor Julian Bashir to remove the traces of the gas from Odo. 

In late 2372, Doctor Julian Bashir sent Doctor Mora his data on an illness that Odo was suffering. Mora wanted Odo to come to his laboratory on Bajor so he could run further tests. 

In 2373, Doctor Mora traveled to Earth to help Starfleet find new ways to detect Changelings. 

Mora and Odo did not reconcile their differences until 2373, when Mora arrived on Deep Space 9 to assist Odo in treating and educating an infant Changeling. Although the two initially differed in their methods to train the changeling- Mora attempting to use the same methods he'd used on Odo while Odo preferred to use encouragement-, the two eventually reconciled when both their methods combined proved more successful than they had been on their own; although the changeling began to move only when Odo and Mora used Mora's shock treatments on it, encouraging it to take specific forms, because Odo had made an effort to connect with the creature it actually formed eyes to look at him. After the changeling's 'death'- although it merged with Odo to restore his shapeshifting abilities as thanks for his efforts-, Mora suggested that Odo see the changeling's last act as a gift, Odo admitting that he now had a better idea of what Mora had gone through when he had left the institute. 

Odo planned to visit Dr. Mora later that year, but decided not to after a large increase in crime on Deep Space 9. 

In 2375, Section 31, via Starfleet Medical, sent Bashir a copy of Doctor Mora's original medical file on Odo. 

Background
Mora Pol was played by James Sloyan. It was planned for Odo actor Rene Auberjonois to play Mora Pol, although Sloyan was cast when the role was substantially increased and the character given more lines. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) "It turned out to be technically impossible," said Auberjonois. "My makeup takes too long to be able to change back and forth [....] To change an entire prosthetic makeup, that would have been impossible. On one level, that was very disappointing, but on another, I was very happy that James Sloyan did it, because he's an old friend whom I admire, and I think he just did a terrific job." (Starlog #222)

An early plot thread of had Doctor Mora revealed to be involved in the creation of the morphogenic virus. Ronald D. Moore explained, "Initially, our thought was to have Odo going into Sloan's mind and having a surreal adventure where he eventually ran into Dr. Mora and learned that it was his own 'father' who created the changeling disease."

Apocrypha
In the Millennium series, Odo recalls some of Mora's early theories about his shape-shifting abilities. One of these includes the fact that Mora initially believed that Odo shunted some of his body mass into another dimension when he assumed a significantly small form, resulting in a partial explanation for Odo's general reluctance to assume small forms such as insects or other animals even after linking with the Female Changeling and learning more about his abilities.

According to the Star Trek: Terok Nor novel Dawn of the Eagles, he is a cousin of Sito Jaxa.

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