In addition to their shape shifting abilities, Founders are capable of merging with each other when in their liquid state. They call this process 'the Great Link', and it allows the Founders to achieve a considerable degree of information and memory sharing while increasing their ability to modify their own internal structure. On the Founders home world many millions of individuals spend virtually their entire time within the great link, which is comparable to an ocean in size.

In their history the Founders have often been persecuted by non-shapeshifters, whom they refer to as 'the solids'. In order to guarantee their safety they created the Dominion - a grouping of many solid species under the control of the Founders. The Founders have resorted to genetic engineering in order to modify several of these species to increase their utility to the Dominion - most notably the Vorta and Jem'Hadar. Although individual planets within the Dominion are treated reasonably well, disobediance to the Founders is dealt with extremely harshly - it has been known for entire planets to be infected with deadly diseases for rebelling against Dominion rule.

At present the Founders are attempting to expand their influence into the alpha quadrant. They have conquered Cardassia with the assistance of traitors within the military there, and had attempted to subvert both the Klingon Empire and the Federation. These attempts failed, and the Federation subsequently mined the wormhole to prevent the Dominion sending more forces through. This forced the Founders into an open war, which is continuing to the present.