Star Trek: 10 Best Episodes Showcasing Female Empowerment

7. Ezri Dax Hunts Chu'lak

Nicole de Boer's arrival on Deep Space Nine followed the unceremonious departure of Terry Farrell. While the behind-the-scenes politics of what went down there have since been explored, Ezri Dax was introduced as a character unsure of who, or what, she really is. Earlier DS9 episodes introduced the idea that physically joining Trill to symbionts was relatively straightforward, but what of the emotional cost?

Much of Ezri's storylines saw her attempting to keep her cool while she struggled with her newly joined status. Episodes like Afterimage and The Prodigal Daughter were designed to show her growth but it was Field Of Fire that explored her inner strength.

Recalling the spirit of former male host Joran to help her find a murderer, Ezri finds herself at odds with her colleagues, growing more and more obsessed with catching the secret killer. Though she does find him and stop him, it isn't her ability to kill him that displays her strength but rather her decision not to. 

Ezri was saddled with seven seasons' worth of growth with barely twenty episodes' worth of time but in refusing Joran's urges to kill, she at least demonstrated that she had both the will and the fortitude to keep her inner struggles at bay.